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HISTORY
FA
iili IDJJ
n
Di?
n,
AND PERRY IjOITIES,
OHIO.
THEIR PAST AND PRESENT,
"ONTAINING
A COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY OF OHIO ; A COMPLETE HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD AND
PERRY COUNTIES; THEIR TOWNSHIPS, CITIES, VILLAGES, TOWNS, SCHOOLS,
CHURCHES, SOCIETIES, INDUSTRIES, STATISTICS, Etc.; A HISTORY OF
THEIR SOLDIERS IN THE LATE WAR; PORTRAITS OF EARLY SET-
TLERS AND PROMINENT MEN; MISCELLANEOUS MATTER;
MAPS of the COUNTIES; BIOGRAPHIES AND HISTO-
RIES OF PIONEER FAMILIES, Etc., Etc.
COMPILED BY A. A. GRAHAM.
ILLUSTRATED,
CHICAGO :
W. H. BEERS & CO.
1883.
COMPILER'S PREFACE.
LESS than a century since not a white man dwelt in the present
Hmits of the two counties, the history of which these pages
chronicle. Now not an acre is unclaimed, and the eye sees the
surface of the land dotted with comfortable homes.
The Pioneers, whose lives are dimly portrayed in these pages, are
the remote cause of all this ; the labor of their children, the immediate
cause.
The aim of this volume is to preserve the deeds and lives of those
who have done all this. That errors are made, and that omissions
occur, none are more sensible than the compiler and pubhshers. A
diligent effort was made to get all, and a vigilant effort made to be
correct. But as long as human minds are forgetful, so long will his-
tory contain errors.
In the preparation of Fairfield county the various newspapers freely
lent all the aid they possessed. Competent waiters were sent to every
township and every town, and thus every church, school, academy,
and other public enterprise, was faithfully recorded. Very many con-
flicting opinions arose among the oldest inhabitants, but these were
carefully compared, and the one bearing the impress of truth pre-
served.
The compiler desires to extend his thanks to all who aided him m
any way in the preparation of the part pertaining to Fairfield county.
Although the patronage from that county was not so large as from
Perry countv, yet no eflbrt and no expense was spared to obtain a com-
plete and relii-ble history. In this he thinks he has been materially
SUCCGSSIul •
The history of Perry county is entirely the work of Mr. E. H.
CoLBURN, who, in a faithful manner, has preserved his county's his-
tory—in fact, better than any resident historian it has been the com-
piler's lot to meet. ^ A.A.GRAHAM,
^ COMPILER.
Author's Preface.—Perry County,
SOME eijj^ht years ago the idea presented itself that a history of Perry
county might be written, or compiled and published, which would
be of permanent value and benefit. Not long after I began collecting
materials and, as time and opportunity premitted, preparing the manu-
script. Not being able to secure sufficient capital to bring out the work
as desired, the publication was necessarily delayed, and finally the
manuscript disposed of to Mr. A. A. Graham, who was regularly en-
gaged in publishing county histories. He concluded to publish Perry
and Fairfield counties together ; hence, the present volume. The Perry
County History is, with slight modifications, the same as contemplated
b}' the author several years ago.
In addition to the direct credits given in the book, the author is, of
ourse, indebted to various sources for information, including the county
newspapers, " Ohio in the War," and a large number of citizens, who
have manifested an interest in the w^ork. The late J. W. Stinchcomb,
of Nebraska, furnished many of the facts concerning the early history
of Thorn township, and T. Spencer Stillman, of Somerset, con-
tributed most of the information in relation to the old Scioto and Hock-
ing Valley Railroad. Mr. Will Peoples gathered most of the in-
formation for the township histories of Madison, Bearfield, and Pleasant
townships, and presented it in tbrm verv nearly as published.
It is impossible that such a publication should be free from errors,
though great pains have been taken to make the history fair, correct
and trustworthy, and one that will increase in interest and value as the
years pass away.
If it may appear, in some respects, that proportionate space has not
been given to matters of equal interest, it should be remembered that
available materials are not the same in all cases, and that persons from
whom information must necessaril}^ be obtained are not always equally
ready or able to give it. Nevertheless, it has been the aim of the au-
thor and compiler to accord a fair and impartial presentation of all sub-
jects and matters embraced within the scope of the work.
I have had no control over the Biographical department, though
that will, no doubt, prove to be one of the most interesting features of
the volume.
" With malice toward none," and charity and good will toward all,
the Perry County History is respectfully submitted to the consideration
of patrons and readers. E. S. COLBORN,
A UTHOR.
CONTENTS.
PART I.
HISTORY OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
BY A. A. GRAHAM.
PAGE
Geographical Position 19
Early Explorations , 20
Discover}- of the Ohio 32
English Explorations and Settlements 34
American Settlements 59
Division of the Northwest Territory 65
Tecumseh and the War of 1812 69
Black Hawk and the Black Hawk War 73
PART H.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
PAGE
History of Ohio : 93
French History 96
Ordinance ot 1787, No. 32 105
The War of 1812 122
Banking 126
The Canal System 128
Ohio Land Tracts 129
Improvements 132
State Boundaries 136
Organization of Counties 137
Description of Counties 137
Early Events 137
Governors of Ohio 160
Ancient Works 174
Some General Characteristics 177
Outline Geology of Ohio 179
Ohio's Rank During the War 182
A Brief Mention of Prominent Ohio Generals 191
Some Discussed Subjects 196
Conclusion 200
Comments upon the Ordinance of 1787, from the Statutes
of Ohio, Edited by Salmon P. Chase and Published
in the year 1833 204
CONTENTS— Co-NTisvKn.
PART III.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
PAGE
Geologv I
Topography o
Flora and Fauna 12
Archeology i?
Indian Tribes 22
Surveyors — Refugee Lands 29
Pioneer History 32
General George Sanderson's Notes 40
Reminiscences of Early Times 45
Agriculture and Horticulture 61
Public Highwa3's 68
Public Buildings 77
County and Judicial Officers — Public Men 81
Bench and Bar 89
The Reform School 99
The Log Cabin Campaign of 1840 104
Statistics 109
The War of 1812 and Mexican War 112
The War of the Rebellion 115
The Early History of Lancaster 133
Incorporation of Lancaster — Its Additions 141
Lancaster Schools 146
Churches of Lancaster 156
Lancaster Press and Authorship 168
Medical and Dental Profession of Lancaster 175
Secret Orders of Lancaster — The Temperance Movement, 178
The City's Gas Works and Water Works — Something
About Fires 184
A Resume of Lancaster's Business Interests 189
PART IV.
TOWNSHIP HISTORIES OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
PAGE
Amanda Township • 199
Berne Township 205
Bloom Township 210
Clear Creek Township 213
Greenfield Township 217
Hocking Township 221
Liberty Township 226
Madison Township 232
Pleasant Township 236
Richland Township 243
Rush Creek Township 249
Violet Township 254
Walnut Township 258
Biographical Sketches 265
COJVTBJVTS—Coi^TiNVED.
PART V.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
PAGIi
Geography, Topography, and Geology i
Coal, Iron Ore, Salt, and other Minerals 7
Indians and First Whites 13
Pioneer Habits and Customs — "The Good Old Days" 18
Nationality and Races : 26
Tragedy and Comedy 28
Courts, County Officers, Public Buildings, etc 43
The Seat of Justice 59
Agriculture and County Fairs 69
The Newspaper Press 74
Railroads 82
Political Matters 91
The Military in Time of Peace 99
The War of 1812 and Mexican War 103
The War of the Rebellion 106
Reunion of Veteran Soldiers 135
The Centennial 139
Cyclones and Floods 149
Old Settlers' Association 154
Miscellaneous Subjects 156
Some Perry County Boys 166
PART VI.
TOWNSHIP HISTORIES OF PERRY COUNTY.
PAGE
Bearfield Township 171
Clayton Township 178
Coal Township 190
Harrison Township 192
Hopewell Township 195
Jackson Township 202
Madison Township 208
Monday Creek Township 215
Monroe Township 219
Pike Township 226
Pleasant Township 256
Reading Township 261
Saltlick Township 302
Thorn Township 307
Biographical Sketches 321
PART I.
The Northwest Territory,
COLUMBUS, OHIO:
Ohio State Journal Printing Establishment.
1883.
The Northwest Territory.
GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION.
When the Northwestern Territory was ceded to the United States
by Virginia in 1784, it embraced only the territory lying between the
Ohio and the Mississippi Rivers, and north to the northern limits of the
United States. It coincided with the area now embraced in the States
of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and that portion of
Minnesota lying on the east side of the Mississippi River. The United
States itself at that period extended no farther west than the Mississippi
River ; but by the purchase of Louisiana in 1803, the western boundary
of the United States was extended to the Rocky Mountains and the
Northern Pacific Ocean. The new territory thus added to the National
domain, and subsequently opened to settlement, has been called the
"New Northwest," in contradistinction from the old "Northwestern
Territory. "
In comparison with the old Northwest this is a territory of vast
magnitude. It includes an area of 1,887,850 square miles ; being greater
in extent than the united areas of all the Middle and Southern States,
including Texas. Out of this magnificent territory have been erected
eleven sovereign States and eight Territories, with an aggregate popula-
tion, at the present time, of 13,000,000 inhabitants, or nearly one third of
the entire population of the United States.
Its lakes are fresh-water seas, and the larger rivers of the continent
flow for a thousand miles through its rich alluvial valleys and far-
stretching prairies, more acres of which are arable and productive of the
highest percentage of the cereals than of any other area of like extent
on the globe.
For the last twenty years the increase of population in the North-
west has been about as three to one in any other portion of the United
States.
(19)
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
EARLY EXPLORATIONS.
In the year 1541, DeSoto first saw the Great West in the New
7"orld. He, however, penetrated no farther north than the 35th parallel
P latitude. The expedition resulted in his death and that of more than
alf his army, the remainder of whom found their way to Cuba, thence
) Spain, in a famished and demoralized condition. DeSoto founded no
ittlements, produced no results, and left no traces, unless it were that
3 awakened the hostility of the red man against the white man, and
isheartened such as might desire to follow up the career of discovery
T better purposes. The French nation were eager and ready to seize
pon any news from this extensive domain, and were the first to profit by
eSoto's defeat. Yet it was more than a century before any adventurer
lok advantage of these discoveries.
In 1616, four years before the pilgrims " moored their bark on the
ild New England shore," Le Caron, a French Franciscan, had pene-
ated through the Iroquois and Wyandots (Hurons) to the streams which
m into Lake Huron ; and in 1634, two Jesuit missionaries founded the
:st mission among the lake tribes. It was just one hundred years from
le discovery of the Mississippi by DeSoto (1541) until the Canadian
ivoys met the savage nations of the Northwest at the Falls of St. Mary,
dow the outlet of Lake Superior. This visit led to no permanent
suit ; yet it was not until 1659 that any of the adventurous fur traders
tempted to spend a Winter in the frozen wilds about the great lakes,
)r was it until 1660 that a station was established upon their borders by
esnard, who perished in the woods a few months after. In 1665, Claude
llouez built the earliest lasting habitation of the white man among the
idians of the Northwest. In 1668, Claude Dablon and James Marquette
unded the mission of Sault Ste. Marie at the Falls of St. Mary, and two
tars afterward, Nicholas Perrot, as agent for M. Talon, Governor Gen-
al of Canada, explored Lake Illinois (Michigan) as far south as the
•esent City of Chicago, and invited the Indian nations to meet him at a
■and council at Sault Ste. Marie the following Spring, Avhere they were
ken under the protection of the king, and formal possession was taken
the Northwest. This same year Marquette established a mission at
3int St. Ignatius, where was founded the old town of Michillimackinac.
During M. Talon's explorations and Marquette's residence at St.
:natius, they learned of a great river away to the west, and fancied
-as all others did then — that upon its fertile banks whole tribes of God's
lildren resided, to whom the sound of the Gospel had never come,
illed with a wish to go and preach to them, and in compliance with a
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 21
request of M. Talon, who earnestly desired to extend the domain of his
king, and to ascertain whether the river flowed into the Gulf of Mexico
or the Pacific Ocean, Marquette with Joliet, as commander of the expe-
dition, prepared for the undertaking.
On the 13th of May, 1673, the explorers, accompanied by five assist-
ant French Canadians, set out from Mackinaw on their daring voyage of
discovery. The Indians, who gathered to witness their departure, were,
astonished at the boldness of the undertaking, and endeavored to dissuade-
them from their purpose by representing the tribes on the Mississippi as
exceedingly savage and cruel, and the river itself as full of all sorts of
frightful monsters ready to swallow them and their canoes together. But,
nothing daunted by these terrific descriptions, Marquette told them he
was willing not only to encounter all the perils of the unknown region
they were about to explore, but to lay down his life in a cause in which
the salvation of souls was involved ; and having prayed together they
separated. Coasting along the northern shore of Lake Michigan, the
adventurers entered Green Bay, and passed thence up the Fox River and
Lake Winnebago to a village of the Miamis and Kickapoos. Here Mar-
quette was delighted to find a beautiful cross planted in the middle of the
town ornamented with white skins, red girdles and bows and arrows,
which these good people had offered to the Great Manitou, or God, to
thank him for the pity he had bestowed on them during the Winter in
giving them an abundant " chase." This was the farthest outpost to-
which Dablon and Allouez had extended their missionary labors the
year previous. Here Marquette drank mineral waters and was instructed
in the secret of a root which cures the bite of the venomous rattlesnake.
He assembled the chiefs and old men of the village, and, pointing to
Joliet, said: " My friend is an envoy of France, to discover new coun-
tries, and I am an ambassador from God to enlighten them with the truths
of the Gospel." Two Miami guides were here furnished to conduct
them to the Wisconsin River, and they set out from the Indian village on
the 10th of June, amidst a great crowd of natives who had assembled to
witness their departure into a region where no white man had ever yet
ventured. The guides, having conducted them across the portage,
returned. The explorers launched their canoes upon the Wisconsin,
which they descended, to the Mississippi and proceeded down its unknown
waters. What emotions must have swelled their breasts as they struck
out into the broadening current and became conscious that they were
now upon the bosom of ths Father of Waters. The mystery was about
to be lifted from the long-sought river. The scenery in that locality is
beautiful, and on that delightful seventeenth of June must have been
clad in all its primeval loveliness as it had been adorned by the hand of
22
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
Nature. Drifting rapidly, it is s^id that the bold bluffs on either hand
" reminded them of the castled shores of their own beautiful rivers of
France." By-and-by, as they drifted along, great herds of buffalo appeared
on the banks. On going to the heads of the valley they could see a
country of the greatest beauty and fertility, apparently destitute of inhab-
itants yet presenting the appearance of extensive manors, under the fas-
tidious cultivation of lordly proprietors.
SOURCE or THE MISSISSIPPI.
On June 25, they went ashore and found some fresh traces of men upon
the sand, and a path which led to the prairie. The men remained in the
boat, and Marquette and Joliet followed the path till they discovered a
village on the banks of a river, and two other villages on a hill, within a
half league of the first, inhabited by Indians. They were received most
hospitably by these natives, who had never before seen a white person.
After remaining a few da3-s they re-embarked and descended the river to
about latitude 33°, where they found a village of the Arkansas, and being
satisfied that the river flowed into the Gulf of Mexico, turned their course
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 23
up the river, and ascending the stream to the mouth of the Illinois,
rowed up that stream to its source, and procured guides from that point
to the lakes. " Nowhere on this journey," says Marquette, " did we see
such grounds, meadows, woods, stags, buffaloes, deer, wildcats, bustards,
swans, ducks, parroquets, and even beavers, as on the Illinois River."
The party, without loss or injury, reached Green Bay in September, and
reported their discovery — one of the most important of the age, but of
which no record was preserved save Marquette's, Joliet losing his by
the upsetting of his canoe on his way to Quebec. Afterward Marquette
returned to the Illinois Indians by their request, and ministered to them
until 1675. On the 18th of May, in that year, as he was passing the
mouth of a stream — going with his boatmen up Lake Michigan — he asked
to land at its mouth and celebrate Mass. Leaving his men with the canoe,
he retired a short distance and began his devotions. As much time
passed and he did not return, his men went in search of him, and found
him upon his knees, dead. He had peacefull}'' passed away while at
prayer. He was buried at this spot. Charlevoix, who visited the place
fifty years after, found the waters had retreated from the grave, leaving
the beloved missionary to repose in peace. The river has since been
called Marquette.
While Marquette and his companions were pursuing their labors in
the West, two men, differing widely from him and each other, were pre-
paring to follow in his footsteps and perfect the discoveries so well begun
by him. These were Robert de La Salle and Louis Hennepin.
After La Salle's return from the discovery of the Ohio River (see
the narrative elsewhere), he established himself again among the French
trading posts in Canada. Here he mused long upon the pet project of
those ages — a short way to China and the East, and was busily planning an
expedition up the great lakes, and so across the continent to the Pacific,
when Marquette returned from the Mississippi. At once the vigorous mind
of LaSalle received from his and his companions' stories the idea that by fol-
lowing the Great River northward, or by turning up some of the numerous
western tributaries, the object could easily be gained. He applied to
Frontenac, Governor General of Canada, and laid before him the plan,
dim but gigantic. Frontenac entered warmly into his plans, and saw that
LaSalle's idea to connect the great lakes by a chain of forts with the Gulf
of Mexico would bind the country so wonderfully together, give un-
measured power to France, and glory to himself, under whose adminis-
tration he earnestly hoped all would be realized.
LaSalle now repaired to France, laid his plans before the King, who
warmly approved of them, and made hbn a Chevalier. He also received
from all the noblemen the warmest wishes for his success. The Chev-
24
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
alier returned to Canada, and busily entered upon his work. He at
once rebuilt Fort Frontenac and constructed the first ship to sail on
these fresh-water seas. On the 7th of August, 1679, having been joined
by Hennepin, he began his voyage in the Griffin up Lake Erie. He
passed over this lake, through the straits beyond, up Lake St. Clair and
into Huron. In this lake they encountered heavy storms. They were
some time at Michillimackinac, where LaSalle founded a fort, and passed
on to Green Bay, the " Bale des Puans " of the French, where he found
a large quantity of furs collected for him. He loaded the Griffin with
these, and placing her under the care of a pilot and fourteen sailors,
LA SALLE LANDING ON THE SHORE OF GREEN BAY.
•Started her on her return voyage. The vessel was never afterward heard
of. He remained about these parts until early in the Winter, when, hear-
ing nothing from the Griffin, he collected all the men — thirty working
men and three monks — and started again upon his great undertaking.
By a short portage they passed to the Illinois or Kankakee, called by
the Indians, "Theakeke," wolf, because of the tribes of Indians called
by that name, commonly known as the Mahingans, dwelling there. The
French pronounced it KiaJciki, which became corrupted to Kankakee.
■*' Falling down the said river by easy journeys, the better to observe the
•country," about the last of December they reached a village of the Ilh-
;iiois Indians, containing some five hundred cabins, but at that moment
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 25
no inhabitants. The Seur de LaSalle being in want of some breadstuffs,
took advantage of the absence of the Indians to help himself to a suffi-
ciency of maize, large quantities of which he found concealed in holes
under the wigwams. This village was situated near the present village
of Utica in LaSalle County, Illinois. The corn being securely stored,
the voyagers again betook themselves to the stream, and toward evening,
on the 4th day of January, 1680, they came into a lake which must have
been the lake of Peoria. This was called by the Indians Pim-i-te-wi, that
is, a place where there are many fat beasts. Here the natives were met
with in large numbers, but they were gentle and kind, and having spent
some time with them, LaSalle determined to erect another fort in that
place, for he had heard rumors that some of the adjoining tribes were
trying to disturb the good feeling which existed, and some of his men
were disposed to complain, owing to the hardships and perils of the travel.
He called this fort " Crevecoeur''^ (broken-heart), a name expressive of the
very natural sorrow and anxiety which the pretty certain loss of his ship,
Griffin, and his consequent impoverishment, the danger of hostility on the
part of the Indians, and of mutiny among his own men, might well cause
him. His fears were not entirely groundless. At one time poison was
placed in his food, but fortunately was discovered.
While building this fort, the Winter wore away, the prairies began to
look green, and LaSalle, despairing of any reinforcements, concluded to
return to Canada, raise new means and new men, and embark anew in
the enterprise. For this purpose he made Hennepin the leader of a party
to explore the head waters of the Mississippi, and he set out on his jour-
ney. This journey was accomplished with the aid of a few persons, and
was successfully made, though over an almost unknown route, and in a
bad season of the year. He safely reached Canada, and set out again for
the object of his search.
Hennepin and his party left Fort Crevecoeur on the last of February,
1680. When LaSalle reached this place on his return expedition, he
found the fort entirely deserted, and he was obliged to return again to
Canada. He embarked the third time, and succeeded. Seven days after
leaving the fort, Hennepin reached the Mississippi, and paddling up the
icy stream as best he could, reached no higher than the Wisconsin River
by the 11th of April. Here he and his followers were taken prisoners by a
band of Northern Indians, who treated them with great kindness. Hen-
aepin's comrades were Anthony Auguel and Michael Ako. On this voy-
age they found several beautiful lakes, and "saw some charming prairies."
Their captors were the Isaute or Sauteurs, Chippewas, a tribe of the Sioux
nation, who took them up the river until about the first of May, when
they reached some falls, which Hennepin christened Falls of St. Anthony
26
THE NORTHWEST TEREITORt.
in honor of his patron saint. Here they took the land, and travehn^
nearly two hundred miles to the northwest, brought them to their villages.
Here they were kept about three months, were treated kindly by iheir
captors, and at the end of that time, were met by a band of Frenchmen,
headed by one Seur de Luth, who, in pursuit of trade and game, had pene-
trated thus far by the route of Lake Superior; and with these fellow-
countrymen Hennepin and his companions were allowed to return to the
borders of civilized life in November, 1680, just after LaSalle had
returned to the wilderness on his second trip. Hennepin soon after went
to France, where he published an account of his adventures.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 2T
The Mississippi was first discovered by De Soto in April, 1541, in his
vain endeavor to find gold and precious gems. In the following Spring,
De Soto, weary with hope long deferred, and worn out with his wander-
ings, fell a victim to disease, and on the 21st of May died. His followers,
reduced by fatigue and disease to less than three hundred men, wandered
about the country nearly a year, in the vain endeavor to rescue them-
selves by land, and finally constructed seven small vessels, called brig-
antines, in which they embarked, and descending the river, supposing it
would lead them to the sea, in July they came to the sea (Gulf of
Mexico), and by September reached the Island of Cuba.
They were the first to see the great outlet of the Mississippi ; but,
being so weary and discouraged, made no attempt to claim the country,
and hardly had an intelligent idea of what they had passed through.
To La Salle, the intrepid explorer, belongs the honor of giving the
first account of the mouths of the river. His great desire was to possess
this entire country for his king, and in January, 1682, he and his band of
explorers left the shores of Lake Michigan on their third attempt, crossed
the Portage, passed down the Illinois River, and on the 6th of February
reached the banks of the Mississippi.
On the 13th they commenced their downward course, which they
pursued with but one interruption, until upon the 6th of March they dis-
covered the three great passages by which the river discharges its waters
into the gulf. La Salle thus narrates the event :
" We landed on the bank of the most western channel, about three
leagues (nine miles) from its mouth. On the seventh, M. de La Salle
went to reconnoiter the shores of the neighboring sea, and M. de Tonti
meanwhile examined the great middle channel. They found the main
outlets beautiful, large and deep. On the eighth we reascended the river,
a little above its confluence with the sea, to find a dry place beyond the
reach of inundations. The elevation of the North Pole was here about
twenty-seven degrees. Here we prepared a column and a cross, and to
the column were affixed the arms of France with this inscription :
" Louis Le Grand, Roi de France et de Navarre, regne; Le neuvieme April, 1682."
The whole party, under arms, chanted the Te Beum, and then, after
a salute and cries of '•'•Vive le Roi,'^ the column was erected by M. de
La Salle, who, standing near it, proclaimed in a loud voice the authority of
the King of France. La Salle returned and laid the foundations of the Mis-
sissippi settlements in Illinois ; thence he proceeded to France, where
another expedition was fitted out, of which he was commander, and in two
succeeding voyages failed to find the outlet of the river by sailing along
the shore of the gulf. On the third voyage he was killed, through the
28
THE NOBTHWEST TERRITORY.
treachery of Ins followers, and the object of his expeditions was not
accomplished until 1699, when D'Iberville, under the authority of the
crown, discovered, on the second of March, by way of the sea, the mouth
of the " Hidden River." This majestic stream was called by the natives
*^ Malbouchia,'' and by the Spaniards, " ?a Falissade,'' from the great
TRAPPING.
number of trees about its mouth. After traversing the several outlets,
and satisfying himself as to its certainty, he erected a fort near its •western
outlet, and returned to France.
An avenue of trade was no-w opened out which was fully improved.
In 1718, New Orleans was laid out and settled by some European colo-
nists. In 1762, the colony was made over to Spain, to be regained by
France under the consulate of Napoleon. In 1803, it was purchased by
THE NORTHWEST TERRIl'ORT. 29
the United States for the sum of fifteen million dollars, and the territory
of Louisiana and commerce of the Mississippi River came under the
charge of the United States. Although LaSalle's labors ended in defeat
and death, he had not worked and suffered in vain. He had thrown
open to France and the world an immense and most valuable country ;
had established several ports, and laid the foundations of more than one
settlement there. " Peoria, Kaskaskia and Cahokia, are to this day monu-
ments of LaSalle's labors ; for, though he had founded neither of them
(unless Peoria, which was built nearly upon the site of Fort Crevecceur,)
it was by those whom he led into the West that these places were
peopled and civilized. He was, if not the discoverer, the first settler of
the Mississippi Valley, and as such deserves to be known and honored."
The French early improved the opening made for them. Before the
year 1698, the Rev. Father Gravier began a mission among the Illinois,
and founded Kaskaskia. For some time this was merely a missionary
station, where none but natives resided, it being one of three such vil-
lages, the other two being Cahokia and Peoria. What is known of
these missions is learned from a letter written by Father Gabriel Marest,
dated " Aux Cascaskias, autrement dit de I'lmmaculate Conception de
la Sainte Vierge, le 9 Novembre, 1712." Soon after the founding of
Kaskaskia, the missionary, Pinet, gathered a flock at Cahokia, while
Peoria arose near the ruins of Fort Crevecceur. This must have been
about the year 1700. The post at Vincennes on the Oubache river,
(pronounced Wa-bS,, meaning summer cloud moving swiftly^ was estab-
lished in 1702, according to the best authorities.* It is altogether prob-
able that on LaSalle's last trip he established the stations at Kaskaskia
and Cahokia. In July, 1701, the foundations of Fort Ponchartrain
were laid by De la Motte Cadillac on the Detroit River. These sta-
tions, with those established further north, were the earliest attempts to
occupy the Northwest Territory. At the same time efforts were being
made to occupy the Southwest, which finally culminated in the settle-
ment and founding of the City of New Orleans by a colony from England
in 1718. This was mainly accomplished through the efforts of the
famous Mississippi Company, established by the notorious John Law,
who so quickly arose into prominence in France, and who with his
scheme so quickly and so ignominiously passed away.
From the time of the founding of these stations for fifty years the
French nation were engrossed with the settlement of the lower Missis-
sippi, and the war with the Chicasaws, who had, in revenge for repeated
* There Is considerable dispute about tills date, some asserting it was founded as late as 1742. When
the new court house at Vincennes was erected, all authorities on the subject were carefully examined, and.
1703 fixed upon as the correct date. It was accordingly engraved on the corner-stone of the court house.
30 THE NOKTHWEST TERRITORY.
injuries, cut off the entire colony at Natchez. Although the company
(lid little for Louisiana, as the entire West was then called, yet it opened
the trade through the Mississippi River, and started the raising of grains
indigenous to that climate. Until the year 1750, but little is known of
the settlements in the Northwest, as it was not until this time that the
attention of the English was called to the occupation of this portion of the
New World, which they then supposed they owned. Vivier, a missionary
among the Illinois, writing from " Aux Illinois," six leagues from Fort
Chartres, June 8, 1750, says : " We have here whites, negroes and
Indians, to say nothing of cross-breeds. There are five French villages,
and three villages of the natives, within a space of twenty-one leagues
situated between the Mississippi and another river called the Karkadaid
(Kaskaskias). In the five French villages are, perhaps, eleven hundred
whites, three hundred blacks and some sixty red slaves or savages. The
three Illinois towns do not contain more than eight hundred souls all
Id. Most of the French till the soil; they raise wheat, cattle, pigs and
horses, and live like princes. Three times as much is produced as can
be consumed ; and great quantities of grain and flour are sent to New
Orleans." This city was now the seaport town of the Northwest, and
save in the extreme northern part, where only furs and copper ore were
found, almost all the products of the country found their way to France
b}^ the mouth of the Father of Waters. In another letter, dated Novem-
ber 7, 1750, this same priest says : " For fifteen leagues above the
mouth of the Mississippi one sees no dwellings, the ground being too low
to be habitable. Thence to New Orleans, the lands are only partially
occupied. New Orleans contains black, white and red, not more, I
think, than twelve hundred persons. To this point come all lumber,
bricks, salt-beef, tallow, tar, skins and bear's grease ; and above all, pork
and flour from the Illinois. These things create some commerce, as forty
vessels and more have come hither this year. Above New Orleans,
plantations are again met with ; the most considerable is a colony of
Germans, some ten leagues up the river. At Point Coupee, thirty -five
leagues above the German settlement, is a fort. Along here, within five
or six leagues, are not less than sixty habitations. Fifty leagues farther
up is the Natchez post, where we have a garrison, who are kept prisoners
through fear of the Chickasaws. Here and at Point Qoupee, they raise
excellent tobacco. Another hundred leagues brings us to the Arkansas,
where we have also a fort and a garrison for the benefit of the river
traders. * * * From the Arkansas to the Illinois, nearly five hundred
leagues, there is not a settlement. There should be, however, a fort at
the Oubache (Ohio), the only path by which the English can reach the
Mississippi. In the Illinois country are numberless mines, but no one to
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
31
work them as they deserve." Father Marest, writing from the post at
Vincenuesin 1812, makes the same observation. Vivier also says : " Some
individuals dig lead near the surface and supply the Indians and Canada.
Two Spaniards now here, who claim to be adepts, say that our mines are
like those of Mexico, and that if we would dig deeper, we should find
silver under the lead ; and at any rate the lead is excellent. There is also
in this country, beyond doubt, copper ore, as from time to time large
pieces are found in the streams."
MOUTH OP THE MISSISSIPPI.
At the close of the year 1750, the French occupied, in addition to the
lower Mississippi posts and those in Illinois, one at Du Quesne, one at
the Maumee in the country of the Miamis, and one at Sandusky in what
may be termed the Ohio Valley. In the northern part of the Northwest
they had stations at St. Joseph's on the St. Joseph's of Lake Michigan,
at Fort Ponchartrain (Detroit), at Michillimackanac or Massillimacanac,
Fox River of Green Bay, and at Sault Ste. Marie. The fondest dreams of
LaSalle were now fully realized. The French alone were possessors of
this vast realm, basing their claim on discovery and settlement. Another
nation, however,,was now turning its attention to this extensive country,
32 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
and hearing of its wealth, began to lay plans for occupying it and for
securing the great profits arising therefrom.
The French, however, had another claim to this country, namely, the
DISCOVERY OF THE OHIO.
This " Beautiful " river was discovered by Robert Cavalier de La-
Salle in 1669, four years before the discovery of the Mississippi by Joliet
and Marquette.
While LaSalle was at his trading post on the St. Lawrence, he found
leisure to study nine Indian dialects, the chief of which was the Iroquois.
He not only desired to facilitate his intercourse in trade, but he longed
to travel and explore the unknown regions of the West. An incident
soon occurred which decided him to fit out an exploring expedition.
While conversing with some Senecas, he learned of a river called the
Ohio, which rose in their country and flowed to the sea, but at such a
distance that it required eight months to reach its mouth. In this state-
ment the Mississippi and its tributaries were considered as one stream.
LaSalle believing, as most of the French at that period did, that the great
rivers flowing west emptied into the Sea of California, was anxious to
embark in the enterprise of discovering a route across the continent to
the commerce of China and Japan.
He repaired at once to Quebec to obtain the approval of the Gov-
ernor. His eloquent appeal prevailed. The Governor and the Intendant,
Talon, issued letters patent authorizing the enterprise, but made no pro-
vision to defray the expenses. At this juncture the seminary of St. Sul-
pice decided to send out missionaries in connection with the expedition,
and LaSalle offering to sell his improvements at LaChine to raise money,
the offer was accepted by the Superior, and two thousand eight hundred
dollars were raised, with which LaSalle purchased four canoes and the
necessary supplies for the outfit.
On the 6th of July, 1669, the party, numbering twenty-four persons,
embarked in seven canoes on the St. Lawrence ; two additional canoes
carried the Indian guides. In three days they were gliding over the
bosom of Lake Ontario. Their guides conducted them directly to the
Seneca village on the bank of the Genesee, in the vicinity of the present
City of Rochester, New York. Here they expected to procure guides to
conduct them to the Ohio, but in this they were disappointed.
The Indians seemed unfriendly to the enterprise. LaSalle suspected
that the Jesuits had prejudiced their minds against his plans. After
waiting a month in the hope of gaining their object, they met an Indian
THE NORTHWEST TERKITORY.
33
from the Iroquois colony at the head of Lake Ontario, who assured them
that they could there find guides, and offered to conduct them thence.
On their way they passed the mouth of the Niagara River, when they:
heard for the first time the distant thunder of the cataract. Arriving
HIGH BRn)GE, LAKE BLIirF, LAKE COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
among the Iroquois, they met with a friendly reception, and learned
from a Shawanee prisoner that they could reach the Ohio in six weeks.
Delighted with the unexpected good fortune, they made ready to resume
their journey ; but just as they were about to start they heard of the
arrival of two Frenchmen in a neighboring village. One of them proved
to be Louis Joliet, afterwards famous as an explorer in the West. He
34 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
had been sent by the Canadian Government to explore the copper mines
on Lake Superior, but had failed, and was on his way back to Quebec.
He gave the missionaries a map of the country he had explored in the
lake region, together with an account of the condition of the Indians in
that quarter. This induced the priests to determine on leaving the
expedition and going to Lake Superior. LaSalle warned them that the
Jesuits were probably occupying that field, and that they would meet
with a cold reception. Nevertheless they persisted in their purpose, and
after worship on the lake shore, parted from LaSalle. On arriving at
Lake Superior, they found, as LaSalle had predicted, the Jesuit Fathers,
Marquette and Dablon, occupying the field.
These zealous disciples of Loyola informed them that they wanted
no assistance from St. Sulpice, nor from those who made him their patron
saint ; and thus repulsed, they returned to Montreal the following June
without having made a single discovery or converted a single Indian.
After parting with the priests, LaSalle went to the chief Iroquois
Tillage at Onondaga, where he obtained guides, and passing thence, to a
tributary of the Ohio south of Lake Erie, he descended the latter as far
as the falls at Louisville. Thus was the Ohio discovered by LaSalle, the
persevering and successful French explorer of the West, in 1669.
The account of the latter part of his journey is found in an anony-
mous paper, which purports to have been taken from the lips of LaSalle
himself during a subsequent visit to Paris. In a letter written to Count
Frontenac in 1667, shortly after the discovery, he himself says that he
discovered the Ohio and descended it to the falls. This was regarded as
an indisputable fact by the French authorities, who claimed the Ohio
Valley upon another ground. When Washington was sent by the colony
of Virginia in 1753, to demand of Gordeur de St. Pierre why the French
had built a fort on the Monongahela, the haughty commandant at Quebec
replied : " We claim the country on the Ohio by virtue of the discoveries
of LaSalle, and will not give it up to the English. Our orders are to
make prisoners of every Englishman found trading in the Ohio Valley.'*
ENGLISH EXPLORATIONS AND SETTLEMENTS.
When the new year of 1750 broke in upon the Father of Waters
and the Great Northwest, all was still wild save at the French posts
already described. In 1749, when the English first began to think seri-
ously about sending men into the West, the greater portion of the States
of Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota were yet
under the dominion of the red men. The English knew, however, pretty
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 35
conclusively of the nature of the wealth of these wilds. As early as
1710, Governor Spotswood, of Virginia, had commenced movements to
secure the country west of the Alleghenies to the English crown. In
Pennsylvania, Governor Keith and James Logan, secretary of the prov-
ince, from 1719 to 1731, represented to the powers of England the neces-
sity of securing the Western lands. Nothing was done, however, by that
power save to take some diplomatic steps to secure the claims of Britain
to this unexplored wilderness.
England had from the outset claimed from the Atlantic to the Pacific,
on the ground that the discovery of the seacoast and its possession was a
discovery and possession of the country, and, as is well known, her grants
to the colonies extended " from sea to sea." This was not all her claim.
She had purchased from the Indian tribes large tracts of land. This lat-
ter was also a strong argument. As early as 1684, Lord H oward, Gov-
ernor of Virginia, held a treaty with the six nations. These were the
great Northern Confederacy, and comprised at first the Mohawks, Onei-
das, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas. Afterward the Tuscaroras were
taken into the confederacy, and it became known as the Six Nations.
They came under the protection of the mother country, and again in.
1701, they repeated the agreement, and in September, 1726, a formal deed
was drawn up and signed by the chiefs. The validity of this claim has
often been disputed, but never successfully. In 1744, a purchase was
made at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, of certain lands within the " Colony of
Virginia," for which the Indians received <£200 in gold and a like sum in.
goods, with a promise that, as settlements increased, more should be paid.
The Commissioners from Virginia were Colonel Thomas Lee and Colonel
William Beverly. As settlements extended, the promise of more pay was
called to mind, and Mr. Conrad Weiser was sent across the mountains witK
presents to appease the savages. Col. Lee, and some Virginians accompa-
nied him with the intention of sounding the Indians upon their feelings
regarding the English. They were not satisfied with their treatment,
and plainly told the Commissioners why. The English did not desire the
cultivation of the country, but- the monopoly of the Indian trade. In.
1748, the Ohio Company was formed, and petitioned the king for a grant
of land beyond the Alleghenies. This was granted, and the government
of Virginia was ordered to grant to them a half million acres, two hun-
dred thousand of which were to be located at once. Upon the 12th of
June, 1749, 800,000 acres from the line of Canada north and west was
made to the Loyal Company, and on the 29th of October, 1751, 100,000
acres were given to the Greenbriar Company. All this time the French
were not idle. They saw that, should the British gain a foothold in the
West, especially upon the Ohio, they might not only prevent the French
36 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
settling upon it, but in time would come to the lower posts and so gain
possession of the whole countiy. Upon the 10th of May, 1774, Vaud-
reuil, Governor of Canada and the French possessions, well knowing the
consequences that must arise from allowing the English to build trading
posts in the Northwest, seized some of their frontier posts, and to further
secure the claim of the French to the West, he, m 1749, sent Louis Cel-
eron with a party of soldiers to plant along the Ohio River, in the mounds
and at the mouths of its principal tributaries, plates of lead, on which
were inscribed the claims of France. These were heard of in 1752, and
within the memory of residents now living along the "■ Oyo," as the
beautiful river was called by the French. One of these plates was found
with the inscription partly defaced. It bears date August 16, 1749, and
a copy of the inscription with particular account of the discovery of the
plate, was sent by DeWitt Clinton to the American Antiquarian Society,
among whose journals it may now be found.* These measures did not,
however, deter the English from going on with their explorations, and
though neither party resorted to arms, yet the conflict was gathering, and
it was only a question of time when the storm would burst upon the
frontier settlements. In 1750, Christopher Gist was sent by the Ohio
Company to examine its lands. He went to a village of the Twigtwees,
on the Miami, about one hundred and fifty miles above its mouth. He
afterward spoke of it as very populous. From there he went down
the Ohio River nearly to the falls at the present City of Louisville,
and in November he commenced a survey of the Company's lands. Dur-
ing the Winter, General Andrew Lewis performed a similar work for the
Greenbriar Company. Meanwhile the French were busy in preparing
their forts for defense, and in opening roads, and also sent a small party
of soldiers to keep the Ohio clear. This party, having heard of the Eng-
lish post on the Miami River, early in 1652, assisted by the Ottawas and
Chippewas, attacked it, and, after a severe battle, in which fourteen of
the natives were killed and others wounded, captured the garrison.
(They were probably garrisoned in a block house). The traders were
carried away to Canada, and one account says several were burned. This
fort or post was called by the English Pickawillany. A memorial of the
king's ministers refers to it as " Pickawillanes, in the center of the terri-
tory between the Ohio and the Wabash. The name is probably some
variation of Pickaway or Picqua in 1773, written by Rev. David Jones
Pickaweke."
* The following is a trauslation of the inscription on the plate: "In the year 1749. reign of Louis XV.,
King of France, we, Celeron, commandant of a detachment by Monsieur the Marquis of Gallisoniere, com-
mander-in-chief of New France, to establish tranquility in certain Indian villages of these cantons, have
buried this plate at the confluence of the Toradakoin. this twenty- ninth of July, near the river Ohio, otherwise
Beautiful River, as a monument of renewal of possession which we have taken of the said river, and all its
tributaries; inasmuch as the preceding Kings of France have enjoyed it, and maiutaiued it by their arms and
treaties; especially by those of Eyswick, Utrecht, and Aix La Ciiapeile."
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 37
This was the first blood slied between the French and English, and
occurred near the present City of Piqua, Ohio, or at least at a point about
forty-seven miles north of Dayton. Each nation became now more inter-
ested in the progress of events in the Northwest. The English deter-
mined to purchase from the Indians a title to the lands they wished to
occupy, and Messrs. Fry (afterward Commander-in-chief over Washing-
ton at the commencement of the French War of 1775-1763), Lomax and
Patton were sent in the Spring of 1752 to hold a conference with the
natives at Logstown to learn what they objected to in the treaty of Lan-
caster already noticed, and to settle all difficulties. On the 9th of June,
these Commissioners met the red men at Logstown, a little village on the
north bank of the Ohio, about seventeen miles below the site of Pitts-
burgh. Here had been a trading point for many years, but it was aban-
doned by the Indians in 1750. At first the Indians declined to recognize
the treaty of Lancaster, but, the Commissioners taking aside Montour,
the interpreter, who was a son of the famous Catharine Montour, and a
chief among the six nations, induced him to use his influence in their
favor. This he did, and upon the 13th of June they all united in signing
a deed, confirming the Lancaster treaty in its full extent, consenting to a
settlement of the southeast of the Ohio, and guaranteeing that it should
not be disturbed by them. These were the means used to obtain the first
treaty with the Indians in the Ohio Valley.
Meanwhile the powers beyond the sea were trying to out-manoeuvre
each other, and were professing to be at peace. The English generally
outwitted the Indians, and failed in many instances to fulfill their con-
tracts. They thereby gained the ill-will of the red men, and further
increased the feeling by faihng to provide them with arms and ammuni-
tion. Said an old chief, at Easton, in 1758 : " The Indians on the Ohio
left you because of your own fault. When we heard the French were
coming, we asked you for help and arms, but we did not get them. The
French came, they treated us kindly, and gained our affections. The
Governor of Virginia settled on our lands for his own benefit, and, when
we wanted help, forsook us."
At the beginning of 1653, the English thought they had secured by
title the lands in the West, but the French had quietly gathered cannon
and military stores to be in readiness for the expected blow. The Eng-
lish made other attempts to ratify these existing treaties, but not until
the Summer could the Indians be gathered together to discuss the plans
of the French. They had sent messages to the French, warning them
away ; but they replied that they intended to complete the chain of forts
already begun, and would not abandon the field.
Soon after this, no satisfaction being obtained from the Ohio regard-
68 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
ang the positions and purposes of the French, Governor Dinwiddie of
"Virginia determined to send to them another messenger and learn from
them, if possible, their intentions. For this jjurpose he selected a young
man, a surveyor, who, at the early age of nineteen, had received the rank
■of major, and wbo was thoroughly posted regarding frontier life. This
personage was no other than the illustrious George Washington, who then
held considerable interest in Western lands. He was at this time just
twenty-two years of age. Taking Gist as liis guide, the two, accompanied
by four servitors, set out on their perilous march. They left Will's
Creek on the 10th of November, 1753, and on the 22d reached the Alonon-
gahela, about ten miles above the fork. From there they went to
Logstown, where Washington had a long conference Avith the chiefs of
the Six Nations. From them he learned the condition of the French, and
also heard of their determination not to come down the river till the fol-
lowing Spring. The Indians were non-committal, as they were afraid to
turn either way, and, as far as they could, desired to remain neutral.
Washington, finding nothing could be done with them, went on to
Venango, an old Indian town at the mouth of French Creek. Here the
Prench had a fort, called Fort Machault. Through the rum and flattery
of the French, he nearly lost all his Indian followers. Finding nothing
■of importance here, he pursued his way amid great privations, and on the
11th of December reached the fort at the head of French Creek. Here
he delivered Governor Dinwiddie's letter, received his answer, took his
observations, and on the 16th set out upon his return journey with no one
hut Gist, his guide, and a few Indians who still remained true to him,
aiotwithstanding the endeavors of the French to retain them. Their
homeward journey was one of great peril and suffering from the cold, yet
they reached home in safet}'- on the 6th of January, 1754.
From the letter of St. Pierre, commander of the French fort, sent by
Washington to Governor Dinwiddie, it was learned that the French would
not give up without a struggle. Active preparations were at once made
in all the English colonies for the coming conflict, while the French
finished the fort at Venango and strengthened their lines of fortifications,
and gathered their forces to be in readiness.
The Old Dominion was all alive. Virginia was the center of great
activities ; volunteers were called for, and from all the neighboring
colonies men rallied to the conflict, and everywhere along the Potomac
men were enlisting under the Governor's proclamation — which promised
two hundred thousand acres on the Ohio. Along this river they were
gathering as far as Will's Creek, and far beyond this point, whither Trent
had come for assistance for his little band of forty-one men, who were
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 39
working away in hunger and want, to fortify that point at the fork of
the Ohio, to which both parties were looking with deep interest.
" The first birds of Spring filled the air with their song ; the swift
river rolled by the Allegheny hillsides, swollen by the melting snows of
Spring and the April showers. The leaves were appearing ; a few Indian
sconts were seen, but no enemy seemed near at hand ; and all was so quiet,
that Frazier, an old Indian scout and trader, who had been left by Trent.
in command, ventured to his home at the mouth of Turtle Creek, ten
miles up the Monongahela. But, though all was so quiet in that wilder-^
ness, keen eyes had seen the low intrenchment rising at the fork, and
swift feet had borne the news of it up the river ; and upon the morning
of the 17th of April, Ensign Ward, who then had charge of it, saw
upon the Allegheny a sight that made his heart sink — sixty batteaux and
three hundred canoes filled with men, and laden deep with cannon and.
stores. * * * That evening he supped with his captor, Contrecoeur,
and the next day he was bowed off by the Frenchman, and with his men
and tools, marched up the Monongahela."
The French and Indian war had begun. The treaty of Aix la
Chapelle, in 1748, had left the boundaries between the French and
English possessions unsettled, and the events already narrated show the
French were determined to hold the country watered by the Mississippi
and its tributaries ; while the English laid claims to the country by virtue-
of the discoveries of the Cabots, and claimed all the country from New-
foundland to Florida, extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The
first decisive blow had now been struck, and the first attempt of the
English, through the Ohio Company, to occupy these lands, had resulted
disastrously to them. The French and Indians immediately completed
the fortifications begun at the Fork, which they had so easily captured,,
and when completed gave to the fort the name of DuQuesne. Washing-
ton was at Will's Creek when the news of the capture of the fort arrived^
He at once departed to recapture it. On his way he entrenched him-
self at a place called the " Meadows," where he erected a fort called
by him Fort Necessity. From there he surprised and captured a force of
French and Indians marching against him, but was soon after attacked
in his fort by a much superior force, and was obliged to yield on the
morning of July 4th. He was allowed to return to Virginia.
The English Government immediately planned four campaigns ; one
against Fort DuQuesne ; one against Nova Scotia ; one against Fort
Niagara, and one against Crown Point. These occurred during 1755-6,
and were not successful in driving the French from their possessions.
The expedition against Fort DuQuesne was led by the famous General
Braddock, who, refusing to listen to the advice of Washington and those
40 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
acquainted •with Indian warfare, suffered such an inglorious defeat. Tliis
occurred on the morning of July 9th, and is generally known as the battle
of Monongahela, or " Braddock's Defeat." The war continued with
various vicissitudes through the years 1756-7 ; when, at the commence-
ment of 1758, in accordance with the plans of William Pitt, then Secre-
tary of State, afterwards Lord Chatham, active preparations were made to
carry on the war. Three expeditions were planned for this year : one,
under General Amherst, against Louisburg ; another, under Abercrombie,
against Fort Ticonderoga ; and a third, under General Forbes, against
Fort DuQuesne. On the 26th of July, Louisburg surrendered after a
desperate resistance of more than forty days, and the eastern part of the
Canadian possessions fell into the hands of the British. Abercrombie
captured Fort Frontenac, and when the expedition against Fort DuQuesne,
of which Washington had the active command, arrived there, it was
found in flames and deserted. The English at once took possession,
rebuilt the fort, and in honor of their illustrious statesman, changed the
name to Fort Pitt.
The great object of the campaign of 1759, was the reduction of
Canada. General Wolfe was to lay siege to Quebec ; Amherst was to
reduce Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and General Prideaux was to
capture Niagara. This latter place was taken in July, but the gallant
Prideaux lost his life in the attempt. Amherst captured Ticonderoga
and Crown Point without a blow ; and Wolfe, after making the memor-
able ascent to the Plains of Abraham, on September 13th, defeated
Montcalm, and on the 18th, the city capitulated. In this engagement
Montcolm and Wolfe both lost their lives. De Levi, Montcalm's successor,
marched to Sillery, three miles above the city, with the purpose of
defeating the English, and there, on the 28th of the following April, was
fought one of the bloodiest battles of the French and Indian War. It
resulted in the defeat of the French, and the fall of the City of Montreal.
The Governor signed a capitulation by which the whole of Canada was
surrendered to the English. This practically concluded the war, but it
was not until 1763 that the treaties of peace between France and England
were signed. This was done on the 10th of February of that year, and
under its provisions all the country east of the Mississippi and north of
the Iberville River, in Louisiana, were ceded to England. At the same
time Spain ceded Florida to Great Britain.
On the 13th of September, 1760, Major Robert Rogers was sent
from Montreal to "take charge of Detroit, the only remaining French post
iu the territory. He arrived there on the 19th of November, and sum-
moned the place to surrender. At first the commander of the post,
Beletre, refused, but on the 29th, hearing of the continued defeat of the
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 41
French arms, surrendered. Rogers remained there until December 23d
under the personal protection of the celebrated chief, Pontiac, to whom,
no doubt, he owed his safety. Pontiac had come here to inquire the
purposes of the English in taking possession of the country. He was
assured that they came simply to trade with the natives, and did not
desire their country. This answer conciliated the savages, and did much
to insure the safety of Rogers and his i^arty during their stay, and while
on their journey home.
Rogers set out for Fort Pitt on December 23, and was just one
month on the way. His route was from Detroit to Maumee, thence
across the present State of Ohio directly to the fort. This was the com-
mon trail of the Indians in their journeys from Sandusky to the fork of
the Ohio. It went from Fort Sandusky, where Sandusky City now is,
crossed the Huron river, then called Bald Eagle Creek, to " Mohickon
John's Town" on Mohickon Creek, the northern branch of White
Woman's River, and thence crossed to Beaver's Town, a Delaware town
on what is now Sandy Creek. At Beaver's Town were probably one
hundred and fifty warriors, and not less than three thousand acres of
cleared land. From there the track went up Sandy Creek to and across
Big Beaver, and up the Ohio to Logstown, thence on to the fork.
The Northwest Territory was now entirely under the English rule.
New settlements began to be rapidly made, and the promise of a large
trade was speedily manifested. Had the British carried out their promises
with the natives none of those savage butcheries would have been perpe-
trated, and the country would have been spared their recital.
The renowned chief, Pontiac, was one of the leading spirits in these
atrocities. We will now pause in our narrative, and notice the leading
events in his life. The earliest authentic information regarding this
noted Indian chief is learned from an account of an Indian trader named
Alexander Henry, who, in the Spring of 1761, penetrated his domains as
far as Missillimacnac. Pontiac was then a great friend of the French,
but a bitter foe of the English, whom he considered as encroaching on his
hunting grounds. Henry was obliged to disguise himself as a Canadian
to insure safety, but was discovered by Pontiac, who bitterly reproached
him and the English for their attempted subjugation of the West. He
declared that no treaty had been made with them; no presents sent
them, and that he would resent any possession of the West by that nation.
He was at the time about fifty years of age, tall and dignified, and was
civil and military ruler of the Ottawas, Ojibwas and Pottawatamies.
The Indians, from Lake Michigan to the borders of North Carolina,
were united in this feeling, and at the time of the treaty of Paris, ratified
February 10, 1763, a general conspiracy was formed to fall suddenly
42
THE NOKTHWEST TEKEITOES".
's^\^ '1
PONTIAC, THE OTTAWA CHIEFTAIN.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 43
upon the frontier British posts, and with one blow strike every man dead.
Pontiac was the marked leader in all this, and was the commander
of the Chippewas, Ottawas, Wyandots, Miamis, Shawanese, Delawares
and Mingoes, who had, for the time, laid aside their local quarrels to unit^
in this enterprise.
The blow came, as near as can now be ascertained, on May 7, 176-^.
Nine British posts fell, and the Indians drank, " scooped up in the hollow
of joined hands," the blood of many a Briton.
Pontiac's immediate field of action was the garrison at Detroit.
Here, however, the plans were frustrated by an Indian woman disclosing
the plot the evening previous to his arrival. Everything was carried out,
however, according to Pontiac's plans until the moment of action, when
Major Gladwyn, the commander of the post, stepping to one of the Indian
chiefs, suddenly drew aside his blanket and disclosed the concealed
musket. Pontiac, though a brave man, turned pale and trembled. He
saw his plan was known, and that the garrison were prepared. He
endeavored to exculpate himself from any such intentions ; but the guilt
was evident, and he and his followers were dismissed with a severe
reprimand, and warned never to again enter the walls of the post.
Pontiac at once laid siege to the fort, and until the treaty of peace
between the British and the Western Indians, concluded in August, 1764,
continued to harass and besiege the fortress. He organized a regular
commissariat department, issued bills of credit written out on bark,
which, to his credit, it may be stated, were punctually redeemed. At
the conclusion of the treaty, in which it seems he took no part, he v/ent
further south, living many yeans among th6 Illinois.
He had given up all hope of saving his country and race. After a
time he endeavored to unite the Illinois tribe and those about St. Louis
in a war with the whites. His efforts were fruitless, and only ended in a
quarrel between himself and some Kaskaskia Indians, one of whom soon
afterwards killed him. His death was, however, avenged by the northern
Indians, who nearly exterminated the Illinois in the wars which followed.
Had it not been for the treachery of a few of his followers, his plan
for the extermination of the whites, a masterly one, would undoubtedly
have been carried out.
It was in the Spring of the year following Rogers' visit that Alex-
ander Henry went to Missillimacnac, and everywhere found the strongest
feelings against the English, who had not carried out their promises, and
were doing nothing to conciliate the natives. Here he met the chief,
Pontiac, who, after conveying to him in a speech the idea that their
French father would awake soon and utterly destroy his enemies, said :
" Englishman, although you have conquered the French, you have not
44 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
yet conquered us ! We are not your slaves ! These lakes, these woods,
these mountains, were left us by our ancestors. They are our inheritance,
and we will part with them to none. Your nation supposes that we, like
the white people, can not live without bread and pork and beef. But you
ought to know that He, the Great Spirit and Master of Life, has provided
food for us upon these broad lakes and in these mountains."
He then spoke of the fact that no treaty had been made with them,
no presents sent them, and that he and his people were yet for war.
Such were the feelings of the Northwestern Indians immediately after
the English took possession of their country. These feelings were no
doubt encouraged by the Canadians and French, who hoped that yet the
French arms might prevail. The treaty of Paris, however, gave to the
English the right to this vast domain, and active preparations were going
on to occupy it and enjoy its trade and emoluments.
In 1762, France, by a secret treaty, ceded Louisiana to Spain, to pre-
vent it falling into the hands of the English, who were becoming masters
of the entire West. The next year the treaty of Paris, signed at Fon-
tainbleau, gave to the English the domain of the country in question.
Twenty years after, by the treaty of peace between the United States
and England, that part of Canada lying south and west of the Great
Lakes, comprehending a large territory which is the subject of these
sketches, was acknowledged to be a portion of the United States ; and
twenty years still later, in 1803, Louisiana was ceded by Spain back to
France, and by France sold to the United States.
In the half century, from the building of the Fort of Crevecoeur by
LaSalle, in 1680, up to the erection of Fort Chartres, many French set-
tlements had been made in that quarter. These have already been
noticed, being those at St. Vincent (Vincennes), Kohokia or Cahokia,
Kaskaskia and Prairie du Rocher, on the American Bottom, a large tract
of rich alluvial soil in Illinois, on the Mississippi, opposite the site of St.
Louis.
By the treaty of Paris, the regions east of the Mississippi, including
all these and other towns of the Northwest, were given over to England ;
but they do not appear to have been taken possession of until 1765, when
Captain Stirling, in the name of the Majesty of England, established him-
self at Fort Chartres bearing with him the proclamation of General Gage,
dated December 30, 1764, which promised religious freedom to all Cath-
olics who worshiped here, and a right to leave the country with their
effects if they wished, or to remain with the privileges of Englishmen.
It was shortly after the occupancy of the West by the British that the
war with Pontiac opened. It is already noticed in the sketch of that
chieftain. By it many a Briton lost his life, and many a frontier settle-
THE NOKTHWEST TERRITORY. 45
ment in its infancy ceased to exist. This was not ended until the year
1764, when, failing to capture Detroit, Niagara and Fort Pitt, liis confed-
eracy became disheartened, and, receiving no aid from the French, Pon-
tiac abandoned the enterprise and departed to the Illinois, among whom
he afterward lost his life.
As soon as these difficulties were definitely settled, settlers began
rapidly to survey the country and prepare for occupation. During the
year 1770, a number of persons from Virginia and other British provinces
explored and marked out nearly all the valuable lands on the Mononga-
hela and along the banks of the Ohio as far as the Little Kanawha. This
was followed by another exploring expedition, in which George Washing-
ton was a party. The latter, accompanied by Dr. Craik, Capt. Crawford
and others, on the 20th of October, 1770, descended the Ohio from Pitts-
burgh to the mouth of the Kanawha ; ascended that stream about fourteen
miles, marked out several large tracts of land, shot several buffalo, which
were then abundant in the Ohio Valley, and returned to the fort.
Pittsburgh was at this time a trading post, about which was clus-
tered a village of some twenty houses, inhabited by Indian traders. This
same year, Capt. Pittman visited Kaskaskia and its neighboring villages.
He found there about sixty-five resident families, and at Cahokia only
forty-five dwellings. At Fort Chartres was another small settlement, and
at Detroit the garrison were quite prosperous and strong. For a year
or tAvo settlers continued to locate near some of these posts, generally
Fort Pitt or Detroit, owing to the fears of the Indians, who still main-
tained some feelings of hatred to the English. The trade from the posts
was quite good, and from those in Illinois large quantities of pork and
flour found their way to the New Orleans market. At this time the
policy of the British Government was strongly opposed to the extension
of the colonies west. In 1763, the King of England forbade, by loyal
proclamation, his colonial subjects from making a settlement beyond the
sources of the rivers which fall into the Atlantic Ocean. At the instance
of the Board of Trade, measures were taken to prevent the settlement
without the limits prescribed, and to retain the commerce within easy
reach of Great Britain.
The commander-in-chief of the king's forces wrote in 17G9 : " In the
course of a few years necessity will compel the colonists, should they
extend their settlements west, to provide manufactures of some kind for
themselves, and when all connection upheld by commerce with the mother
country ceases, an independency in their government will soon follow."
In accordance with this policy. Gov. Gage issued a proclamation
in 1772, commanding the inhabitants of Vincennes to abandon their set-
tlements and join some of the Eastern English colonies. To this they
46 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
strenuously objected, giving good reasons therefor, and were allowed to
remain. The strong opposition to this policy of Great Britain led to its
change, and to such a course as to gain the attachment of the French
population. In December, 1773, influential citizens of Quebec petitioned
the king for an extension of the boundary lines of that province, which
was granted, and Parliament passed an act on June 2, 1774, extend-
ing the boundary so as to include the territory lying within the present
States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan.
In consequence of the liberal policy pursued by the British Govern-
ment toward the French settlers in the West, they were disposed to favor
that nation in the war which soon followed with the colonies ; but the
early alliance between France and America soon brought them to the side
of the war for independence.
In 1774, Gov. Dunmore, of Virginia, began to encourage emigration
to the Western lands. He appointed magistrates at Fort Pitt under the
pretense that the fort was under the government of that commonwealth.
One of these justices, John Connelly, who possessed a tract of land in the
Ohio Valley, gathered a force of men and garrisoned the fort, calling it
Fort Dunmore. This and other parties were formed to select sites for
settlements, and often came in conflict with the Indians, wlio yet claimed
portions of the valley, and several battles followed. These ended in the
famous battle of Kanawha in July, where the Indians were defeated and
driven across the Ohio.
During the years 1775 and 1776, by the operations of land companies
and the perseveranceof individuals, several settlements were firmly estab-
lished between the Alleghanies and the Ohio River, and western land
speculators were busy in Illinois and on the Wabash. At a council held
in Kaskaskia on July 5, 1773, an association of English traders, calling
themselves the " Illinois Land Company," obtained from ten chiefs of the
Kaskaskia, Cahokia and Peoria tribes two large tracts of land lying on.
the east side of the Mississippi River south of the Illinois. In 1775, a mer-
chant from the Illinois Country, named Viviat, came to Post Vincennes
as the agent of the association called the " Wabash Land Company." On
the 8th of October he obtained from eleven Piankeshaw chiefs, a deed for
37,497,600 acres of land. This deed was signed by the grantors, attested
by a number of the inhabitants of Vincennes, and afterward recorded in
the office of a notary public at Kaskaskia. This and other land com-
panies had extensive schemes for the colonization of the West ; but all
were frustrated by the breaking orlt of the Revolution. On the 20th of
April, 1780, the two companies named consolidated under the name of the
" United Illinois and Wabash Land Company." Thej afterward made
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 47
strenuous efforts to have these grants sanctioned by Congress, but all
signally failed.
When the War of the Revolution commenced, Kentucky was an unor-
ganized country, though there were several settlements within her borders.
In Hutchins' Topography of Virginia, it is stated that at that time
" Kaskaskia contained 80 houses, and nearly 1,000 white and black in-
habitants — the whites being a little the more numerous. Cahokia con-
tains 50 houses and 300 white inhabitants, and 80 negroes. There were
east of the Mississippi River, about the year 1771 " — when these observa-
tions were made — " 300 white men capable of bearing arms, and 230
negroes."
From 1775 until the expedition of Clark, nothing is recorded and
nothing known of these settlements, save what is contained in a report
made by a committee to Congress in June, 1778. From it the following
extract is made :
"Near the mouth of the River Kaskaskia, there is a village which
appears to have contained nearly eighty families from the beginning of
the late revolution. There are twelve families in a small village at la
Prairie du Rochers, and near fifty families at the Kahokia Village. There
are also four or five families at Fort Chartres and St. Philips, which is five
miles further up the river,"
St. Louis had been settled in February, 1764, and at this time con-
tained, including its neighboring towns, over six hundred whites and one
hundred and fifty negroes. It must be remembered that all the country
west of the Mississippi was now under French rule, and remained so until
ceded again to Spain, its original owner, who afterwards sold it and the
country including New Orleans to the United States. At Detroit there
were, according to Capt. Carver, who was in the Northwest from 1766 to
1768, more than one hundred houses, and the river was settled for more
than twenty miles, although poorly cultivated — the people being engaged
in the Indian trade. This old town has a history, which we will here
relate.
It is the oldest town in the Northwest, having been founded by
Antoine de Lamotte Cadillac, in 1701. It was laid out in the form of an
oblong square, of two acres in length, and an acre and a half in width.
As described by A. D. Frazer, who first visited it and became a permanent
resident of the place, in 1778, it comprised within its limits that space
between Mr. Palmer's store (Conant Block) and Capt. Perkins' house
(near the Arsenal building), and extended back as far as the public barn,
and was bordered in front by the Detroit River. It was surrounded by
oak and cedar pickets, about fifteen feet long, set in the ground, and had
four gates — east, west, north and south. Over the first three of these
48 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
gates were block houses provided with four guns apiece, each a six-
pounder. Two six-gun batteries were planted fronting the river and in a
parallel direction with the block houses. There were four streets running
east and west, the main street being twenty feet wide and the rest fifteen
feet, while the four streets crossing these at right angles were from ten
to fifteen feet in width.
At the date spoken of by Mr. Frazer, there was no fort within the
enclosure, but a citadel on the ground corresponding to the present
northwest corner of Jefferson Avenue and Wayne Street. The citadel was
inclosed by pickets, and within it were erected barracks of wood, two
stories high, sufficient to contain ten officers, and also barracks sufficient
to contain four hundred men, and a provision store built of brick. The
citadel also contained a hospital and guard-house. The old town of
Detroit, in 1778, contained about sixty houses, most of them one story,
with a few a story and a half in height. They were all of logs, some
hewn and some round. There was one building of splendid appearance,
called the " King's Palace," two stories high, which stood near the east
gate. It was built for Governor Hamilton, the first governor commissioned
by the British. There were two guard-houses, one near the west gate and
the other near the Government House. Each of the guards consisted of
twenty -four men and a subaltern, who mounted regularly every morning
between nine and ten o'clock. Each furnished four sentinels, who were
relieved every two hours. There was also an officer of the day, who pjr-
formed strict duty. Each of the gates was shut regularly at sunset ,
even wicket gates were shut at nine o'clock, and all the keys were
delivered into the hands of the commanding officer. They were opened
in the morning at sunrise. No Indian or squaw was permitted to enter
town with any weapon, such as a tomahawk or a knife. It was a stand-
ing order that the Indians should deliver their arms and instruments of
every kind before they were permitted to pass the sentinel, and they were
restored to them on their return. No more than twenty-five Indians were
allowed to enter the town at any one time, and they were admitted only
at the east and west gates. At sundown the drums beat, and all the
Indians were required to leave town instantly. There was a council house
near the water side for the purpose of holding council with the Indians.
The population of the town was about sixty families, in all about two
hundred males and one hundred females. This town was destroyed by
fire, all except one dwelling, in 1805. After which the present " new "
town was laid out.
On the breaking out of the Revolution, the British held every post of
importance in the West. Kentucky was formed as a component part of
Virginia, and the sturdy pioneers of the West, alive to their interests.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 40
and recognizing the great benefits of obtaining the control of the trade in
this part of the New World, held steadily to their purposes, and those
within the commonwealth of Kentucky proceeded to exercise their
civil privileges, by electing John Todd and Richard Gallaway,
burgesses to represent them in the Assembly of the parent state.
Early in September of that year (1777) the first court was held
in Harrodsburg, and Col. Bowman, afterwards major, who had arrived
in August, was made the commander of a militia organization which
had been commenced the March previous. Thus the tree of loyalty
was growing. The chief spirit in this far-out colony, who had represented
her the year previous east of the mountains, was now meditating a move
unequaled in its boldness. He had been watching the movements of the
British throughout the Northwest, and understood their whole plan. He.
saw it was through their possession of the posts at Detroit, Vincennes,
Kaskaskia, and other places, which would give them constant and easy
access to the various Indian tribes in the Northwest, that the British
intended to penetrate the country from the north and soutn, ana annihi-
late the frontier fortresses. This moving, energetic man was Colonel,
afterwards General, George Rogers Clark. He knew the Indians were not
unanimously in accord with the English, and he was convinced that, could
the British be defeated and expelled from the Northwest, the natives
might be easily awed into neutrality ; and by spies sent for the purpose,
he satisfied himself that the enterprise against the Illinois settlements
might easily succeed. Having convinced himself of the certainty of the
project, he repaired to the Capital of Virginia, which place he reached on
November 5th. While he was on his way, fortunately, on October 17th,
Burgoyne had been defeated, and the spirits of the colonists greatly
encouraged thereby. Patrick Henry was Governor of Virginia, and at
once entered heartily into Clark's plans. The same plan had before been
agitated in the Colonial Assemblies, but there was no one until Clark
came who was sufficiently acquainted with the condition of affairs at the
scene of action to be able to guide them.
Clark, having satisfied the Vii'ginia leaders of the feasibility of his
plan, received, on the 2d of January, two sets of instructions — one secret,
the other open — the latter authorized him to proceed to enlist seven
companies to go to Kentucky, subject to his orders, and to serve three
months from their arrival in the West. The secret order authorized him
to arm these troops, to procure his powder and lead of General Hand
at Pittsburgh, and to proceed at once to subjugate the country.
With these instructions Clark repaired to Pittsburgh, choosing rather
to raise his men west of the mountains, as he well knew all were needed
in the colonies in the conflict there. He sent Col. W. B. Smith to Hoi-
50 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
ston for the same purpose, but neither succeeded in raising the required
number of men. The settlers in these parts were afraid to leave their
own firesides exposed to a vigilant foe, and but few could be induced to
join the proposed expedition. With three companies and several private
volunteers, Clark at length commenced his descent of the Ohio, which he
navigated as far as the Falls, where he took possession of and fortified
Corn Island, a small island between the present Cities of Louisville,
Kentucky, and New Albany, Indiana. Remains of this fortification may
yet be found. At this place he appointed Col. Bowman to meet him
with such recruits as had reached Kentucky by the southern route, and
as many as could be spared from the station. Here he announced to
the men their real destination. Having completed his arrangements,
and chosen his party, he left a small garrison upon the island, and on the
24th of June, during a total eclipse of the sun, which to them augured
no good, and which fixes beyond dispute the date of starting, he with
his chosen band, fell down the river. His plan was to go b}^ water as
far as Fort Massac or Massacre, and thence march direct to Kaslcaskia.
Here he intended to surprise the garrison, and after its capture go to
Cahokia, then to Vincennes, and lastly to Detroit. Should he fail, he
intended to march directly to the Mississippi River and cross it into the
Spanish country. Before his start he received two good items of infor-
mation : one that the alliance had been formed between France and the
United States ; and the other that the Indians throughout the Illinois
country and the inhabitants, at the various frontier posts, had been led to
believe by the British that the " Long Knives" or Virginians, were the
most fierce, bloodthirsty and cruel savages that ever scalped a foe. With
this impression on their minds, Clark saw that proper management would
cause them to submit at once from fear, if surprised, and then from grati-
tude would become friendly if treated with unexpected leniency.
The march to Kaskaskia was accomplished through a hot July sun,
and the town reached on the evening of July 4. He captured the fort
near the village, and soon after the village itself by surprise, and without
the loss of a single man or by killing any of the enemy. After sufficiently
working upon the fears of the natives, Clark told them they were at per-
fect liberty to worship as they pleased, and to take whichever side of the
great conflict they would, also he would protect them from any barbarity
from British or Indian foe. This had the desired effect, and the inhab-
itants, so unexpectedly and so gratefully surprised by the unlocked
for turn of affairs, at once swore allegiance to the American arms, and
when Clark desired to go to Cahokia on the 6th of July, they accom-
panied him, and through their influence the inhabitants of the place
surrendered, and gladly placed themselves under his protection. Thus
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 51
the two important posts in Illinois passed from the hands of the English
into the possession of Virginia.
In the person of the priest at Kaskaskia, M. Gibault, Clark found a
powerful ally and genereus friend. Clark saw that, to retain possession
of the Northwest and treat successfully with the Indians within its boun-
daries, he must establish a government for the colonies he had taken.
St. Vincent, the next important post to Detroit, remained yet to be taken
before the Mississippi Valley was conquered. M. Gibault told him that
he would alone, by persuasion, lead Vincennes to throw off its connection
with England. Clark gladly accepted his offer, and on the 14th of July,
in company with a fellow-townsman, M. Gibault started on his mission of
peace, and on the 1st of August returned with the cheerful intelligence
that the post on the " Oubache " had taken the oath of allegiance to
the Old Dominion. During this interval, Clark established his courts,
placed garrisons at Kaskaskia and Cahokia, successfully re-enlisted his
men, sent word to have a fort, which proved the germ of Louisville,
erected at the Falls of the Ohio, and dispatched Mr. Rocheblave, who
had been commander at Kaskaskia, as a prisoner of war to Richmond.
In October the County of Illinois was established by the Legislature
of Virginia, John Todd appointed Lieutenant Colonel and Civil Governor,
and in November General Clark and his men received the thanks of
the Old Dominion through their Legislature.
In a speech a few days afterward, Clark made known fully to the
natives his plans, and at its close all came forward and swore alle-
giance to the Long Knives. While he was doing this Governor Hamilton,
having made his various arrangements, had left Detroit and moved down
the Wabash to Vincennes intending to operate from that point in reducing
the Illinois posts, and then proceed on down to Kentucky and drive the
rebels from the West. Gen. Clark had, on the return of M. Gibault,
dispatched Captain Helm, of Fauquier County, Virginia, with an attend-
ant named Henry, across the Illinois prairies to command the fort.
Hamilton knew nothing of the capitulation of the post, and was greatly
surprised on his arrival to be confronted by Capt. Helm, who, standing at
the entrance of the fort by a loaded cannon ready to fire upon his assail-
ants, demanded upon what terms Hamilton demanded possession of the
fort. Being granted the rights of a prisoner of war, he surrendered to
the British General, who could scarcely believe his eyes when he saw the
force in the garrison.
Hamilton, not realizing the character of the men with whom he was
conten'ding, gave up his intended campaign for the Winter, sent his four
hundred Indian warriors to prevent troops from coming down the Ohio,
52 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
and to annoy the Americans in all ways, and sat quietly down to pass the
Winter. Information of all these proceedings having reached Clark, he
saw that immediate and decisive action was necessary, and that unless
he captured Hamilton, Hamilton would capture him. Clark received the
news on the 29th of January, 1779, and on February 4th, having suffi-
ciently garrisoned Kaskaskia and Cahokia, he sent down the Mississippi
a " battoe," as Major Bowman writes it, in order to ascend the Ohio and
Wabash, and operate with the land forces gathering for the fray.
On the next day, Clark, with his little force of one hundred and
twenty men, set out for the post, and after incredible hard marching
through much mud, the ground being thawed by the incessant spring
rains, on the 22d reached the fort, and being joined by his " battoe," at
once commenced the attack on the post. The aim of the American back-
woodsman was unerring, and on the 24th the garrison surrendered to the
intrepid boldness of Clark. The French were treated with great kind-
ness, and gladly renewed their allegiance to Virginia. Hamilton was
sent as a prisoner to Virginia, where he was kept in close confinement.
During his command of the British frontier posts, he had offered prizes
to the Indians for all the scalps of Americans they would bring to him,
and had earned in consequence thereof the title " Hair-buyer General^"
by which he was ever afterward known.
Detroit was now without doubt within easy reach of the enterprising
Virginian, could he but raise the necessary force. Governor Henry being
apprised of this, promised him the needed reinforcement, and Clark con-
cluded to wait until he could capture and sufficiently garrison the posts.
Had Clark failed in this bold undertaking, and Hamilton succeeded in
uniting the western Indians for the next Spring's campaign, the West
would indeed have been swept from the Mississippi to the Allegheny
Mountains, and the great blow struck, which had been contemplated from
the commencement, by the British.
" But for this small army of dripping, but fearless Virginians, the
union of all the tribes from Georgia to Maine against the colonies might
have been effected, and the whole current of- our history changed."
At this time some fears were entertained by the Colonial Govern-
ments that the Indians in the North and Northwest were inclining to the
British, and under the instructions of Washington, now Commander-in-
Chief of the Colonial army, and so bravely fighting for American inde-
pendence, armed forces were sent against the Six Nations, and upon the
Ohio frontier. Col. Bowman, acting under the same general's orders,
marched against Indians within the present limits of that State. These
expeditions were in the main successful, and the Indians were compelled
to sue for peace.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 53
During this same year (1779) the famous " Land Laws" of Virginia
were passed. The passage of these laws was of more consequence to the
pioneers of Kentucky and the Northwest than the gaining of a few Indian,
conflicts. Tliese laws confirmed in main all grants made, and guaranteed
to all actual settlers their rights and privileges. After providing for the
settlers, the laws provided for selling the balance of the public lands at
forty cents per acre. To carry the Land Laws into effect, the Legislature
sent four Virginians westward to attend to the various claims, over many
of which great confusion prevailed concerning their validity. These
gentlemen opened their court on October 13, 1779, at St. Asaphs, and
continued until April 26, 1780, when they adjourned, having decided
three thousand claims. They were succeeded by the surveyor, who
came in the person of Mr. George May, and assumed his duties on the
10th day of the month whose name he bore. With the opening of the
next year (1780) the troubles concerning the navigation of the Missis-
sippi commenced. The Spanish Government exacted such measures in.
relation to its trade as to cause the overtures made to the United States
to be rejected. The American Government considered they had a right
to navigate its channel. To enforce their claims, a fort was erected below
the mouth of the Ohio on the Kentucky side of the river. The settle-
ments in Kentucky were being rapidly filled by emigrants. It was dur-
ing this year that the first seminary of learning was established in the
West in this young and enterprising Commonwealth.
The settlers here did not look upon the building of this fort in a
friendly manner, as it aroused the hostility of the Indians. Spain had
been friendly to the Colonies during their struggle for independence,
and though for a while this friendship appeared in danger from the
refusal of the free navigation of the river, yet it was finally settled to the
satisfaction of both nations.
The Winter of 1779-80 was one of the most unusually severe ones
ever experienced in the West. The Indians always referred to it as the
"Great Cold." Numbers of wild animals perished, and not a few
pioneers lost their lives. The following Summer a party of Canadians
and Indians attacked St. Louis, and attempted to take possession of it
in consequence of the friendly disposition of Spain to the revolting
colonies. They met with such a determined resistance on the part of the
inhabitants, even the women taking part in the battle, that they were
compelled to abandon the contest. They also made an attack on the
settlements in Kentucky, but, becoming alarmed in some unaccountable
manner, they fled the country in great haste.
About this time arose the question in the Colonial Congress con-
cerning the western lands claimed by Virginia, New York, Massachusetts
54 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
and Connecticut. The agitation concerning this subject finally led New
York, on the 19th of February, 1780, to pass a law giving to the dele-
gates of that State in Congress the power to cede her western lands for
the benefit of the United States. This law was laid before Congress
during the next month, but no steps were taken concerning it until Sep-
tember 6th, when a resolution passed that body calling upon the States
claiming western lands to release their claims in favor of the whole body.
This basis formed the union, and was the first after all of those legislative
measures which resulted in the creation of the States of Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. In December of the same
year, the plan of conquering Detroit again arose. The conquest might
have easily been effected by Clark had the necessary aid been furnished
him. Nothing decisive was done, yet the heads of the Government knew
that the safety of the Northwest from British invasion lay in. the capture
and retention of that important post., the only unconquered one in the
territory.
Before the close of the year, Kentucky was divided into the Coun-
ties of Lincoln, Fayette and Jefferson, and the act establishing the Town
of Louisville was passed. This same year is also noted in the annals of
American history as the year in which occurred Arnold's treason to the
United States.
Virginia, in accordance with the resolution of Congress, on the 2d
day of January, 1781, agreed to yield her western lands to the United
States upon certain conditions, which Congress would not accede to, and
the Act of Cession, on the part of the Old Dominion, failed, nor was
anything farther done until 1783. During all that time the Colonies
were busily engaged in the struggle with the mother country, and in
consequence thereof but little heed was given to the western settlements.
Upon the 16th of April, 1781, the first birth north of the Ohio River of
American parentage occurred, being that of Mary Heckewelder, daughter
of the widely known Moravian missionary, whose band of Christian
Indians suffered in after years a horrible massacre by the hands of the
frontier settlers, who had been exasperated by the murder of several of
their neighbors, and in their rage committed, without regard to humanity,
a deed which forever afterwards cast a shade of shame upon their lives.
For this and kindred outrages on the part of the whites, the Indians
committed many deeds of cruelty which darken the years of 1771 and
1772 in the history of the Northwest.
During the year 1782 a number of battles among the Indians and
frontiersmen occurred, and between the Moravian Indians and the Wyan-
dots. In these, horrible acts of cruelty were practised on the captives,
many of such dark deeds transpiring under the leadership of the notorious
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
55
frontier outlaw, Simon Girty, whose name, as well as those of his brothers^
was a terror to women and children. These occurred chiefly in the Ohio
valleys. Coteraporary with them were several engagements in Kentucky,
in which the famous Daniel Boone engaged, and who, often by his skill
and knowledge of Indian warfare, saved the outposts from cruel destruc-
INDIANS ATTACKING FKONTlEIiSMEN.
tion. By the close of the year victory had perched upon the American
banner, and on the 30th of November, provisional articles of peace had
been arranged between the Commissioners of England and her uncon-
querable colonies. Cornwallis had been defeated on the 19th of October
preceding, and the liberty of America was assured. On the 19th of
April following, the anniversary of the battle of Lexington, peace was
56 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
proclaimed to the army of the United States, and on the 2d of the next
September, the definite treaty whicli ended our revolutionary struggle
was concluded. By the terms of that treaty, the boundaries of the West
were as follows : On the north the line was to extend along the center of
the Great Lakes ; from the western point of Lake Superior to Long Lake ;
thence to the Lake of the Woods ; thence to the head of the Mississippi
River ; down its center to the 31st parallel of latitude, then on that line
east to the head of the Appalachicola River; down its center to its junc-
tion with the Flint ; thence straight to the head of St. Mary's River, and
thence down along its center to the Atlantic Ocean.
Following the cessation of hostilities with England, several posts
were still occupied by the British in the North and West. Among these
was Detroit, still in the hands of the enemy. Numerous engagements
with the Indians throughout Ohio and Indiana occurred, upon whose
lands adventurous whites would settle ere the title had been acquired by
the proper treaty.
To remedy this latter evil, Congress appointed commissioners to
treat with the natives and purchase their lands, and prohibited the set-
tlement of the territory until this could be done. Before the close of the
year another attempt was made to capture Detroit, which was, however,
not pushed, and Virginia, no longer feeling the interest in the Northwest
she had formerly done, withdrew her troops, having on the 20th of
December preceding authorized the whole of her possessions to be deeded
to the United States. This was done on the 1st of March following, and
the Northwest Territory passed from the control of the Old Dominion.
To Gen. Clark and his soldiers, however, she gave a tract of one hundred
and fifty thousand acres of land, to be situated any where north of the
Ohio wherever they chose to locate them. They selected the region
opposite the falls of the Ohio, where is now the dilapidated village of
Clarksville, about midway between the Cities of New Albany and Jeffer-
sonville, Indiana.
While the frontier remained thus, and Gen. Haldimand at Detroit
refused to evacuate alleging that he had no orders from his King to do
so, settlers were rapidly gathering about the inland forts. In the Spring
of 1784, Pittsburgh was regularly laid out, and from the journal of Arthur
Lee, who passed through the town soon after on his way to the Indian
council at Fort Mcintosh, we suppose it was not very prepossessing in
appearance. He says :
" Pittsburgh is inhabited almost entirely by Scots and Irish, who
live in paltry log houses, and are as dirty as if in the north of Ireland or
even Scotland. There is a great deal of trade carried on, the goods being
bought at the vast expense of forty-five shillings per pound from Phila-
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. ' 57
delphia and Baltimore. They take in the shops flour, wheat, skins and
money. There are in the town four attorneys, two doctors, and not a
priest of any persuasion, nor church nor chapel."
Kentucky at this time contained thirty thousand inhabitants, and
was beginning to discuss measures for a separation from Virginia. A
land office was opened at Louisville, and measures were adopted to take
defensive precaution against the Indians who were yet, in some instances,
incited to deeds of violence by the British. Before the close of this year,
1784, the military claimants of land began to occupy them, although no
entries were reco.rded until 1787.
The Indian title to the Northwest was not yet extinguished. They
held large tracts of lands, and in order to prevent bloodshed Congress
adopted means for treaties with the original owners and provided for the
surveys of the lands gained thereby, as well as for those north of the
Ohio, now in its possession. On January 31, 1786, a treaty was made
with the Wabash Indians. The treaty of Fort Stanwix had been made
in 1784. That at Fort Mcintosh in 1785, and through these much land
was gained. The Wabash Indians, however, afterward refused to comply
with the provisions of the treaty made with them, and in order to compel
their adherence to its provisions, force was used. Daring the year 1786,
the free navigation of the Mississippi came up in Congress, and caused
various discussions, which resulted in no definite action, only serving to
excite speculation in regard to the western lands. Congress had promised
bounties of land to the soldiers of the Revolution, but owing to the
unsettled condition of affairs along the Mississippi respecting its naviga-
tion, and the trade of the Northwest, that body had, in 1783, declared
its inability to fulfill these promises until a treaty could be concluded
between the two Governments. Before the close of the year 1786, how-
ever, it Avas able, through the treaties with the Indians, to allow some
grants and the settlement thereon, and on the 14th of September Con-
necticut ceded to the General Government the tract of land known as
the " Connecticut Reserve," and before the close of the following year a
large tract of land north of the Ohio was sold to a company, who at once
took measures to settle it. By the provisions of this grant, the company
were to pay the United States one dollar per acre, subject to a deduction
of one-third for bad lands and other contingencies. They received
750,000 acres, bounded on the south by the Ohio, on the east by the
seventh range of townships, on the west by the sixteenth range, and on
the north by a line so drawn as to make the grant complete without
the reservations. In addition to this, Congress afterward granted 100,000
acres to actual settlers, and 214,285 acres as army bounties under the
resolutions of 1789 and 1790.
58
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
While Dr. Cutler, one of the agents of the company, was pressing
its claims before Congress, that body was bringing into form an ordinance
for the political and social organization of this Territory. When the
cession was made by Virginia, in 1784, a plan was offered, but rejected.
A motion had been made to strike from the proposed plan the prohibition
of slavery, which prevailed. The plan was then discussed and altered,
and finally passed unanimously, with the exception of South Carolina.
By this proposition, the Territory was to have been divided into states
PEESEXT SITE OF LAKE STEEET BRIDGE, CHICAGO, IX 1833.
by parallels and meridian lines. This, it was thought, would make ten
states, which were to have been named as follows — beginning at the
northwest corner and going southwardly : Sylvania, Michigania, Cher-
sonesus, Assenisipia, Metropotamia, Illenoia, Saratoga, Washington, Poly-
potamia and Pelisipia.
There was a more serious objection to this plan than its category of
names, — the boundaries. The root of the difficulty was in the resolu-
tion of Congress passed in October, 1780, whicli fixed the boundaries
of the ceded lands to be from one hundred to one hundred and fifty miles
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 59
square. These resolutions being presented to the Legislatures of Vir-
ginia and Massachusetts, they desired a change, and in July, 1786, the
subject was taken up in Congress, and changed to favor a division into
not more than five states, and not less than three. This was approved l)y
the State Legislature of Virginia. The subject of the Government was
again taken up by Congress in 1786, and discussed throughout that year
and until July, 1787, when the famous "Compact of 1787" was passed,
and the foundation of the government of the Northwest laid. This com-
pact is fully discussed and explained in the history of Illinois in this book,
and to it the reader is referred.
The passage of this act and the grant to the New England Company
was soon followed by an application to the Government by John Cleves
Symmes, of New Jersey, for a grant of the land between the Miamis.
This gentleman had visited these lands soon after the treaty of 1786, and,
being greatly pleased with them, offered similar terms to those given to the
New England Company. The j)etition was referred to the Treasurj^
Board with power to act, and a contract was concluded the following
year. During the Autumn the directors of the New England Company
were preparing to occupy their grant the following Spring, and upon the
23d of November made arrangements for a party of forty-seven men,
under the superintendency of Gen. Rufus Putnam, to set forward. Six
boat-builders were to leave at once, and on the first of January the sur-
veyors and their assistants, twenty-six in number, were to meet at Hart-
ford and proceed on their journey westward ; the remainder to follow as
soon as possible. Congress, in the meantime, upon the od of October,
had ordered seven hundred troops for defense of the western settlers, and
to prevent unauthorized intrusions ; and two days later appointed Arthur
St. Clair Governor of the Territory of the Northwest.
AMERICAN SETTLEMENTS.
The civil organization of the Northwest Territory Avas now com-
plete, and notwithstanding the uncertainty of Indian affairs, settlers from
the East began to come into the country rapidly. The New England
Company sent their men during the Winter of 1787-8 pressing on over
the Alleghenies by the old Indian path which had been opened into
Braddock's road, and which has since been made a national turnpike
from Cumberland westward. Through the weary winter days they toiled
on, and by April were all gathered on the Yohiogany, where boats had
been built, and at once started for the Muskingum. Here they arrived
on the 7th of that month, and unless the Moravian missionaries be regarded
as the pioneers of Ohio, this little baud can justly claim that honor.
60
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
Gen. St. Clair, the appointed Governor of the Northwest, not having
yet arrived, a set of laws were passed, written out, and published by
being nailed to a tree in the embryo town, and Jonathan Meigs appointed
to administer them.
Washington in writing of this, the first American settlement in the
Northwest, said: "No colony in America was ever settled under
such favorable auspices as that which has just commenced at Muskingum.
Information, property and strength will be its characteristics. I know
many of its settlers personally, and there never were men better calcu-
lated to promote the welfare of such a community.''
On the 2d of July a meeting of the directors and agents was held
on the banks of the Muskingum, " for the purpose of naming the new-
born city and its squares." As yet the settlement was known as the
"Muskingum," but that was now changed to the name Marietta, in honor
of Marie Antoinette. The square upon which the block -houses stood
was called ''Campus Martins ^ square number 19, '' Capitolium ^ square
number 61, " Cecilia ;" and the great road through the covert way, " Sacra
Via:' Two days after, an oration was delivered by James M. Varnum,
who with S. H. Parsons and John Armstrong had been appointed to the
judicial bench of the territory on the 16th of October, 1787. On July 9,
Gov. St. Clair arrived, and the colony began to assume form. The act
of 1787 provided two district grades of government for the Northwest,
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 61
under the first of which the whole power was invested in the hands of a
governor and three district judges. This was immediately formed upon
the Governor's arrival, and the first laws of the colony passed on the 25th
of July. These provided for the organization of the militia, and on the
next day appeared the Governor's proclamation, erecting all that country
that had been ceded by the Indians east of the Scioto River into the
County of Washington. From that time forward, notwithstanding the
doubts yet existing as to the Indians, all Marietta prospered, and on the
2d of September the first court of the territory was held with imposing
ceremonies.
The emigration westward at this time was very great. The com-
mander at Fort Harmer, at the mouth of the Muskingum, reported four
thousand five hundred persons as having passed that post between Feb-
ruary and June, 1788 — many of whom would have purchased of the
"Associates," as the New England Company was called, had they been
ready to receive them.
On the 26th of November, 1787, Symmes issued a pamphlet stating
the terms of his contract and the plan of sale he intended to adopt. In
January, 1788, Matthias Denman, of New Jersey, took an active interest
in Symmes' purchase, and located among other tracts the sections upon
which Cincinnati has been built. Retaining one-third of this locality, he
sold the other two-thirds to Robert Patterson and John Filson, and the
three, about August, commenced to lay out a town on the spot, which
was designated as being opposite Licking River, to the mouth of which
they in-oposed to have a road cut from Lexington. The naming of the
town is thus narrated in the "Western Annals " : — " Mr. Filson, who had
been a schoolmaster, was appointed to name the town, and, in respect to
its situation, and as if with a prophetic perception of the mixed race that
were to inhabit it in after days, he named it Losantiville, which, being
interpreted, means : ville, the town ; anti, against or opposite to ; os, the
mouth ; L. of Licking."
Meanwhile, in July, vSymmes got thirty persons and eight four-horse
teams under way for the West. These reached Limestone (now Mays-
ville) in September, where were several persons from Redstone. Here
Mr. Symmes tried to found a settlement, but the great freshet of 1789
caused the " Point," as it was and is yet called, to be fifteen feet under
water, and the settlement to be abandoned. The little band of settlers
removed to the mouth of the Miami. Before Symmes and his colony left
the " Point," two settlements had been made on his purchase. The first
was by Mr. Stiltes, the original projector of the whole plan, who, with a
colony of Redstone people, had located at the mouth of the Miami,
whither Symmes went with his Maysville colony. Here a clearing had
62
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
been made by the Indians owing to the great fertility of the soil. Mr.
Stiltes with his colony came to this place on the 18th of November, 1788»
with twenty-six persons, and, building a block-house, prepared to remain
through the Winter. They named the settlement Columbia. Here they
were kindly treated by the Indians, but suffered greatly from the flood
of 1789.
On the 4th of March, 1789, the Constitution of the United States
went into operation, and on April 30, George Washington was inaug-
urated President of the American people, and during the next Summer,
an Indian war was commenced by the tribes north of the Ohio. The
President at first used pacific means ; but these failing, he sent General
Harmer against the hostile tribes. He destroyed several villages, but
LAICE BLUFF
The frontage of Lake Bluff Grounds on Lake Michigan, with one hundred and seventy feet of gradual ascent.
was defeated in two battles, near the present City of Fort Wayne,
Indiana. From this time till the close of 1795, the principal events were
the wars with the various Indian tribes. In 1796, General St. Clair
was appointed in command, and marched against the Indians ; but while
he was encamped on a stream, the St. Mary, a branch of the Maumee,
he was attacked and defeated with the loss of six hundred men.
General Wayne was now sent against the savages. In' August, 1794,
he met them near the rapids of the Maumee, and gained a complete
victory. This success, followed by vigorous measures, compelled the
Indians to sue for peace, and on the 30th of July, the following year, the
treaty of Greenville was signed by the principal chiefs, by which a large
tract of country was ceded to the United States.
Before proceeding in our narrative, we will pause to notice Fort
Washington, erected in the early part of this war on the site of Cincinnati.
Nearly all of the great cities of the Northwest, and indeed of the
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 63
whole country, have had their nuclei in those rude pioneer structures,
known as forts or stockades. Thus Forts Dearborn, Washington, Pon-
chartrain, mark the original sites of the now proud Cities of Chicago,
Cincinnati and Detroit. So of most of the flourishing cities east and west
of the Mississippi. Fort Washington, erected by Doughty in 1790, was a
rude but highly interesting structure. It was composed of a number of
strongly-built hewed log cabins. Those designed for soldiers' barracks
were a story and a half high, while those composing the officers quarters
were more imposing and more conveniently arranged and furnished.
The whole were so placed as to form a hollow square, enclosing about an
acre of ground, with a block house at each of the four angles.
The logs for the construction of this fort were cut from the ground
upon which it was erected. It stood between Third and Fourth Streets
of the present city (Cincinnati) extending east of Eastern Row, now
Broadway, which was then a narrow alley, and the eastern boundary of
of the town as it was originally laid out. On the bank of the river,
immediately in front of the fort, was an appendage of the fort, called the
Artificer's Yard. It contained about two acres of ground, enclosed by
small contiguous buildings, occupied by workshops and quarters of
laborers. Within this enclosure there was a large two-story frame house,
familiarly called the " Yellow House," built for the accommodation of
the Quartermaster General. For many years this was the best finished
and most commodious edifice in the Queen City. Fort Washington was
for some time the headquarters of both the civil and military governments
of the Northwestern Territory.
Following the consummation of the treaty various gigantic land spec-
ulations were entered into by different persons, who hoped to obtain
from the Indians in Michigan and northern Indiana, large tracts of lands.
These were generally discovered in time to prevent the outrageous
schemes from being carried out, and from involving the settlers in war.
On October 27, 1795, the treaty between the United States and Spain
was signed, whereby the free navigation of the Mississippi was secured.
No sooner had the treaty of 1795 been ratified than settlements began
to pour rapidly into the West. The great event of the year 1796 was the
occupation of that part of the Northwest including Michigan, which was
this year, under the provisions of the treaty, evacuated by the British
forces. The United States, owing to certain conditions, did not feel
justified in addressing the authorities in Canada in relation to Detroit
and other frontier posts. When at last the British authorities were
called to give them up, they at once complied, and General Wayne, who
had done so much to preserve the frontier settlements, and who, before
the year's close, sickened and died near Erie, transferred his head-
^4 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
quarters to the neighborhood of the lakes, where a county named after
him was formed, which included the northwest of Ohio, all of Michigan,
and the northeast of Indiana. During this same year settlements were
formed at the present City of Chillicothe, along the Miami from Middle-
town to Piqua, while in the more distant West, settlers and speculators
'began to appear in great numbers. In September, the City of Cleveland
was laid out, and during the Summer and Autumn, Samuel Jackson and
Jonathan Sharpless erected the first manufactory of paper — the " Red-
stone Paper Mill" — in the West. St. Louis contained some seventy
houses, and Detroit over three hundred, and along the river, contiguous
to it, were more than three thousand inhabitants, mostly French Canadians,
Indians and half-breeds, scarcely any Americans venturing yet into that
part of the Northwest.
The election of representatives for the territory had taken place,
and on the 4th of February, 1799, they convened at Losantiville — now
known as Cincinnati, having been named so by Gov. St. Clair, and
considered the capital of the Territory — to nominate persons from whom
the members of the Legislature were to be chosen in accordance with
a previous ordinance. This nomination being made, the Assembly
adjourned until the 16th of the following September. From those named
the President selected as members of the council, Henry Vandenburg,
of Vincennes, Robert Oliver, of Marietta, James Findlay and Jacob
Burnett, of Cincinnati, and David Vance, of Vanceville. On the 16th
of September the Territorial Legislature met, and on the 24th the two
houses were duly organized, Henry Vandenburg being elected President
of the Council.
The message of Gov. St. Clair was addressed to the Legislature
September 20th, and on October 13th that body elected as a delegate to
Congress Gen. Wm. Henry Harrison, who received eleven of the votes
cast, being a majority of one over his opponent, Arthur St. Clair, son of
Gen. St. Clair.
The whole number of acts passed at this session, and approved by
the Governor, were thirty-seven — eleven others were passed, but received
his veto. The most important of those passed related to the militia, to
the administration, and to taxation. On the 19th of December this pro-
tracted session of the first Legislature in the West was closed, and on the
30th of December the President nominated Charles Willing Bryd to the
office of Secretary of the Territory vice Wm. Henry Harrison, elected to
Congress. The Senate confirmed his nomination the next day.
THE NOKTHWEST TERRITORY.
DIVISION OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
The increased emigration to the Northwest, the extent of the domain,
and the inconvenient modes of travel, made it very difficult to conduct
the ordinary operations of government, and rendered the efficient action
of courts almost impossible. To remedy this, it was deemed advisable to
divide the territory for civil purposes. Congress, in 1800, appointed a
committee to examine the question and report some means for its solution.
This committee, on the 3d of March, reported that :
" In the three western countries there has been but one court having
cognizance of crimes, in five years, and the immunity which offenders
experience attracts, as to an asylum, the most vile and abandoned crim-
inals, and at the same time deters useful citizens from making settlements
in such society. The extreme necessity of judiciary attention and assist-
ance is experienced in civil as well as in criminal cases. * * * * Xo
minister a remedy to these and other evils, it occurs to this committee
that it is expedient that a division of said territory into two distinct and
separate governments should be made ; and that such division be made
by a line beginning at the mouth of the Great Miami River, running
directly north until it intersects the boundary between the United States
and Canada."
The report was accepted by Congress, and, in accordance with its
suggestions, that body passed an Act extinguishing the Northwest Terri-
tory, which Act was approved May 7. Among its provisions were these :
" That from and after July 4 next, all that part of the Territory of
the United States northwest of the Ohio River, which lies to the westward
of a line beginning at a point on the Ohio, opposite to the mouth of the
Kentucky River, and running thence to Fort Recovery, and thence north
until it shall intersect the territorial line between the United States and
Canada, shall, for the purpose of temporary government, constitute a
separate territory, and be called the Indiana Territory."
After providing for the exercise of the civil and criminal powers of
the territories, and other provisions, the Act further provides :
" That until it shall otherwise be ordered by the Legislatures of the
said Territories, respectively, Chillicothe on the Scioto River shall be the
seat of government of the Territory of the United States northwest of the
Ohio River ; and that St. Vincennes on the Wabash River shall be the
seat of government for the Indiana Territory."
Gen. Wm. Henry Harrison was appointed Governor of the Indiana
Territory, and entered upon his duties about a year later. Connecticut
also about this time released her claims to the reserve, and in March a law
60 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
was passed accepting this cession. Settlements had been made upon
thirty-five of the townships in the reserve, mills had been built, and seven
hundred miles of road cut in various directions. On the 3d of November
the General Assembly met at Chillicothe. Near the close of the jenr,
the first missionary of the Connecticut Reserve came, who found no
township containing more than eleven families. It was upon the first of
October that the secret treaty had been made between Napoleon and the
King of Spain, whereby the latter agreed to cede to France the province
of Louisiana.
In January, 1802, the Assembly of the Northwestern Territory char-
tered the college at Athens. From the earliest dawn of the western
colonies, education was promptly provided for, and as early as 1787,
newspapers were issued from Pittsburgh and Kentucky, and largely read
throughout the frontier settlements. Before the close of this year, the
Congress of the United States granted to the citizens of the Northwestern
territory the formation of a State government. One of the provisions of
the "compact of 1787" provided that whenever the number of inhabit-
ants within prescribed limits exceeded 45,000, they should be entitled to
a separate government. The prescribed limits of Ohio contained, from a
census taken to ascertain the legality of the act, more than that number,
and on the 30th of April, 1802, Congress passed the act defining its limits,
and on the 29th of November the Constitution of the new State of Ohio,
so named from the beautiful river forming its southern boundary, came
into existence. The exact limits of Lake Michigan were not then known,
but the territory now included within the State of Michigan was wholly
within the territory of Indiana.
Gen. Harrison, while residing at Vincennes, made several treaties
with the Indians, thereby gaining large tracts of lands. The next year is
memorable in the history of the West for the purchase of Louisiana from
France by the United States for f 15,000,000. Thus by a peaceful mode,
the domain of the United States was extended over a large tract of
country west of the Mississippi, and was for a time under the jurisdiction
of the Northwest government, and, as has been mentioned in the early
part of this narrative, was called the "New Northwest." The limits
of this history will not allow a description of its territory. The same year
large grants of land were obtained from the Indians, and the House of
Representatives of the new State of Ohio signed a bill respecting the
College Township in the district of Cincinnati.
Before the close of the year. Gen. Harrison obtained additional
grants of lands from the various Indian nations in Indiana and the present
limits of Illinois, and on the 18th of August, 1804, completed a treaty at
St. Louis, whereby over 51,000,000 acres of lands were obtained from the
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY, 6V
aborigines. Measures were also taken to learn the condition of affairs in
and about Detroit.
C. Jouett, the Indian agent in Michigan, still a part of Indiana Terri-
tory, reported as follows upon the condition of matters at that post :
" The Town of Detroit. — The charter, which is for fifteen miles
square, was granted in the time of Louis XIV. of France, and is now,
from the best information I have been able to get, at Quebec. Of those
two hundred and twenty-five acres, only four are occupied by the town
and Fort Lenault. The remainder is a common, except twenty-four
acres, which were added twenty years ago to a farm belonging to Wm.
Macomb. * * * A stockade incloses the town, fort and citadel. The
pickets, as well as the public houses, are in a state of gradual decay. The
streets are narrow, straight and regular, and intersect each other at right
angles. The houses are, for the most part, low and inelegant."
During this year. Congress granted a township of land for the sup-
port of a college, and began to offer inducements for settlers in these •
wilds, and the country now comprising the State of Michigan began to
fill rapidly with settlers along its southern borders. This same year, also,
a law was passed organizing the Southwest Territory, dividing it into two
portions, the Territory of New Orleans, which city was made the seat of
government, and the District of Louisiana, which was annexed to the
domain of Gen. Harrison.
On the 11th of January, 1805, the Territory of Michigan was formed,
Wm. Hull was appointed governor, with headquarters at Detroit, the
change to take effect on June 30. On the 11th of that month, a fire
occurred at Detroit, which destroj'-ed almost every building in the place.
When the officers of the new territory reached the post, they found it in
ruins, and the inhabitants scattered throughout the country. Rebuild-
ing, however, soon commenced, and ere long the town contained more
houses than before the fire, and many of them much better built.
While this was being done, Indiana had passed to the second grade
of government, and through her General Assembly had obtained large
tracts of land from the Indian tribes. To all this the celebrated Indian,
Tecumthe or Tecumseh, vigorously protested, and it was the main cause
of his attempts to unite the various Indian tribes in a conflict with the
settlers. To obtain a full account of these attempts, the workings of the
British, and the signal failure, culminating in the death of Tecumseh at
the battle of the Thames, and the close of the war of 1812 in the Northwest,
we will step aside in our story, and relate the principal events of his life,
and his connection with this conflict.
68
THE NOKTHWEST TERRITORY.
TECUMSEH, THE SHAWANOE CHIEFTAIN.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 69
TECUMSEH, AND THE WAR OF 1812.
This famous Indian chief was born about the year 1768, not far from
the site of the present city of Springfield, Ohio. His father, Puckeshinwa,
was a member of the Kisopok tribe of the Swanoese nation, and his
mother, Methontaske, was a member of the Turtle tribe of the same
ipeople. They removed from Florida about the middle of the last century
to the birthplace of Tecumseh. In 1774, his father, who had risen to be
chief, was slain at the battle of Point Pleasant, and not long after Tecum-
seh, by his bravery, became the leader of his tribe. In 1795 he was
declared chief, and then lived at Deer Creek, near the site of the
present City of Urbana. He remained here about one year, when he
returned to Piqua, and in 1798, he went to White River, Indiana. ( In
1805, he and his brother, Laulewasikan (Open Door), who had announced
himself as a prophet, went to a tract of land on the Wabash River, given
them by the Pottawatomies and Kickapoos. From this date the chief
comes into prominence. He was now about thirty-seven years of age,
was five feet and ten inches in height, was stoutly built, and possessed of
enormous powers of endurance. His countenance was naturally pleas-
ing, and he was, in general, devoid of those savage attributes possessed
by most Indians. It is stated he could read and write, and had a confi-
dential secretary and adviser, named Billy Caldwell, a half-breed, who
afterward became chief of the Pottawatomies. He occupied the first
house built on the site of Chicago. At this time, Tecumseh entered
upon the great work of his life. He had long objected to the grants of
land made by the Indians to the whites, and determined to unite all the
Indian tribes into a league, in order that no treaties or grants of land
could be made save by the consent of this confederation.
He traveled constantly, going from north to south ; from the south
to the north, everywhere urging the Indians to this step. He was a
matchless orator, and his burning words had their effect.
Gen. Harrison, then Governor of Indiana, by watching the move-
ments of the Indians, became convinced that a grand conspiracy was
forming, and made preparations to defend the settlements. Tecumselrs
plan was similar to Pontiac's, elsewhere described, and to the cunning
artifice of that chieftain was added his own sagacity.
During the year 1809, Tecumseh and the prophet were actively pre-
paring for the work. In that year. Gen. Harrison entered into a treaty
with the Delawares, Kickapoos, Pottawatomies, Miamis, Eel River Indians
and Weas, in which these tribes ceded to the whites certain lands upon
the Wabash, to all of which Tecumseh entered a bitter protest, averring
TO THE NOUTIIWEST TERRITORY.
as one principal reason that lie did not want the Indians to give up any
lands north and west of the Ohio River.
Tecumseh, in August, 1810, visited the General at Vincennes and
held a council relating to the grievances of the Indians. Becoming unduly
angry at this conference he was dismissed from the village, and soon after
departed to incite the southern Indian tribes to the conflict.
Gen. Harrison determined to move upon the chief's headquarters at
Tippecanoe, and for this purpose went about sixty-five miles up the
Wabash, where he built Fort Harrison. From this place he went to the
prophet's town, where he informed the Indians he had no hostile inten-
tions, provided they were true to the existing treaties. He encamped
near the village early in October, and on the morning of November 7, he
was attacked by a large force of the Indians, and the famous battle of
Tippecanoe occurred. The Indians were routed and their town broken
up. Tecumseh returning not long after, was greatly exasperated at his
brother, the prophet, even threatening to kill him for rashly precipitating
the war, and foiling his (Tecumseh's) plans.
Tecumseh sent word to Gen. Harrison that he was now returned
from the South, and was ready to visit the President as had at one time
previously been proposed. Gen. Harrison informed him he could not go
as a chief, which method Tecumseh desired, and the visit was never
made.
In June of the following year, he visited the Indian agent a,t
Fort Wayne. Here he disavowed any intention to make a war against
the United States, and reproached Gen. Harrison for marching against his
people. The agent replied to this ,- Tecumseh listened with a cold indif-
ference, and after making a few general remarks, with a haughty air drew
his blanket about him, left the council house, and departed for Fort Mai-
den, in Upper Canada, where he joined the British standard.
He remained under this Government, doing effective work for the
Crown while engaged in the war of 1812 which now opened. He was,
however, always humane in his treatment of the prisoners, never allow-
ing his warriors to ruthlessly mutilate the bodies of those slain, or wan-
tonly murder the captive.
In the Summer of 1813, Perry's victor}'- on Lake Erie occurred, and
shortly after active preparations were made to capture Maiden. On the
27th of September, the American army, under Gen. Harrison, set sail for
the shores of Canada, and in a few hours stood around the ruins of Mai-
den, from which the British army, under Proctor, had retreated to Sand-
wich, intending to make its way to the heart of Canada by the Valley of
the Thames. On the 29th Gen. Harrison was at Sandwich, and Gen.
McArthur took possession of Detroit and the territory of Michigan.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
71
On the 2d of October, the Americans began their pursuit of Proctor,
whom they overtook on the 5th, and the battle of the Thames followed.
Early in the engagement, Tecumseh who was at the head of the column
of Indians was slain, and they, no longer hearing the voice of their chief-
tain, fled. The victory was decisive, and practically closed the war in
the Northwest.
r.u.M.su^aS^
INDIANS ATTACKING A STOCKADE.
Just who killed the great chief has been a matter of much dispute ;
but the weight of opinion awards the act to Col. Richard M. Johnson,
who fired at him with a pistol, the shot proving fatal.
In 1805 occurred Burr's Insurrection. He took possession of a
beautiful island in the Ohio, after the killing of Hamilton, and is charged
by many with attempting to set up an independent government. His
plans were frustrated by the general government, his property confiscated
and he was compelled to flee the country for safety.
72 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
In January, 1807, Governor Hull, of Michigan Territory, made a
treaty with the Indians, whereby all that peninsula was ceded to the
United States. Before the close of the year, a stockade was built about
Detroit. It was also during this year that Indiana and Illinois endeavored
to obtain the repeal of that section of the compact of 1787, whereby
slavery was excluded from the Northwest Territory. These attempts,
however, all signally failed.
In 1809 it was deemed advisable to divide the Indiana Territory.
This was done, and the Territory of Illinois was formed from the western,
part, the seat of government being fixed at Kaskaskia. The next year,
the intentions of Tecumseh manifested themselves in open hostilities, and
then began the events already narrated.
While this war v/as in progress, emigration to the West went on with
surprising rapidity. In 1811, under Mr. Roosevelt of New York, the
first steamboat trip was made on the Ohio, much to the astonishment of
the natives, many of whom fled in terror at the appearance of the
" monster." It arrived at Louisville on the 10th day of October. At the
close of the first week of January, 1812, it arrived at Natchez, after being
nearly overwhelmed in the great earthquake which occurred while on its
downward trip.
The battle of the Thames was fought on October 6, 1813. It
effectually closed hostilities in the Northwest, although peace was not
fully restored until July 22, 1814, when a treaty was formed at Green-
ville, under the direction of General Harrison, between the United States
and the Indian tribes, in which it was stipulated that the Indians should
cease hostilities against the Americans if the war were continued. Such,
happily, was not the case, and on the 24th of December the treaty
of Ghent was signed by the representatives of England and the United
States. This treaty was followed the next year by treaties with various
Indian tribes throughout the West and Northwest, and quiet was again
restored in this part of the new world.
On the 18th of March, 1816, Pittsburgh was incorporated as a city.
It then had a population of 8,000 people, and was already noted for its
manufacturing interests. On April 19, Indiana Territory was allowed
to form a state government. At that time there were thirteen counties
organized, containing about sixty-three thousand inhabitants. The first
election of state officers was held in August, when Jonathan Jennings
was chosen Governor. The officers were sworn in on November 7, and
on December 11, the State was formally admitted into the Union. For
some time the seat of government was at Corydon, but a more central
location being desirable, the present capital, Indianapolis (City of Indiana),
was laid out January 1, 1825.
THE NORTHWEST TEREITORY. 73
On the 28tli of December the Bank of Illinois, at Shawneetown, was
chartered, with a capital of $300,000. At this period all banks were
under the control of the States, and were allowed to establish branches
at different convenient points.
Until this time Chillicothe and Cincinnati had in turn enjoyed the
privileges of being the capital of Ohio. But the rapid settlement of the
northern and eastern portions of the State demanded, as in Indiana, a
more central location, and before the close of the year, the site of Col-
umbus was selected and surveyed as the future capital of the State.
Banking had begun in Ohio as early as 1808, when the first bank was
chartered at Marietta, but here as elsewhere it did not bring to the state
the hoped-for assistance. It and other banks were subsequently unable
to redeem their currency, and were obliged to suspend.
In 1818, Illinois was made a state, and all the territory north of her
northern limits was erected into a separate territory and joined to Mich-
igan for judicial purposes. By the following year, navigation of the lakes
was increasing with great rapidity and affording an immense source of
revenue to the dwellers in the Northwest, but it was not until 1826 that
the trade was extended to Lake Michigan, or that steamships began to
navigate the bosom of that inland sea.
Until the year 1832, the commencement of the Black Hawk War,
but few hostilities were experienced with the Indians. Roads were
opened, canals were dug, cities were built, common schools were estab-
lished, universities were founded, many of which, especially the Michigan
University, have achieved a world wide-reputation. The people were
becoming wealthy. The domains of the United States had been extended,
and had the sons of the forest been treated with honesty and justice, the
record of many years would have been that of peace and continuous pros-
perity.
BLACK HAWK AND THE BLACK HAWK WAR.
This conflict, though confined to Illinois, is an important epoch in
the Northwestern history, being the last war with the Indians in this part
of the United States.
Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiah, or Black Hawk, was born in the principal
Sac village, about three miles from the junction of Rock River with the
Mississippi, in the year 1767. His father's name was Py-e-sa or Pahaes ;
his grandfather's, Na-na-ma-kee, or the Thunderer. Black Hawk early
distinguished himself as a warrior, and at the age of fifteen was permitted
to paint and was ranked among the braves. About the year 1783, he
"went on an expedition against the enemies of his nation, the Osages, one
74
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
BLACK HAWK, THE SAC CHIEFTAIN.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 75
of whom he killed and scalped, and for this deed of Indian bravery he was
permitted to join in the scalp dance. Three or four years after he, at the
head of two hundred braves, went on another expedition against the
Osages, to avenge the murder of some women and children belonging to
his own tribe. Meeting an equal number of Osage warriors, a fierce
battle ensued, in which the latter tribe lost one-half their number. The
Sacs lost only about nineteen warriors. He next attacked the Cherokees
for a similar cause. In a severe battle with them, near the present City
of St. Louis, his father was slain, and Black Hawk, taking possession of
the " Medicine Bag," at once announced himself chief of the Sac nation.
He had now conquered the Cherokees, and about the year 1800, at the
head of five hundred Sacs and Foxes, and a hundred lowas, he waged
war against the Osage nation and subdued it. For two years he battled
successfully with other Indian tribes, all of whom he conquered.
Black Hawk does not at any time seem to have been friendly to
the Americans. When on a visit to St. Louis to see his " Spanish
Father," he declined to see any of the Americans, alleging, as a reason,
he did not want two fathers.
The treaty at St. Louis was consummated in 1804. The next year the
United States Government erected a fort near the head of the Des Moines
Rapids, called Fort Edwards. This seemed to enrage Black Hawk, who
at once determined to capture Fort Madison, standing on the west side of
the Mississippi above the mouth of the Des Moines River. The fort was
garrisoned by about fifty men. Here he was defeated. The difficulties
with the British Government arose about this time, and the War of 1812
followed. That government, extending aid to the Western Indians, by
giving them arms and ammunition, induced them to remain hostile to the
Americans. In August, 1812, Black Hawk, at the head of about five
hundred braves, started to join the British forces at Detroit, passing on
his way the site of Chicago, where the famous Fort Dearborn Massacre
had a few days before occurred. Of his connection with the British
Government but little is known. In 1813 he with his little band descended
the Mississippi, and attacking some United States troops at Fort Howard
was defeated.
In the early part of 1815, the Indian tribes west of the Mississippi
were notified that peace had been declared between the United States
and England, and nearly all hostilities had ceased. Black Hawk did not
sign any treaty, however, until May of the following year. He then recog-
nized the validity of the treaty at St. Louis in 1804. From the time of
signing this treaty in 1816, until the breaking out of the war in 1832, he
and his band passed their time in the common pursuits of Indian life.
Ten years before the commencement of this war, the Sac and Fox
76 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
Indians were urged to join the lowas on the west bank of the Father of
Waters. All were agreed, save the band known as the British Band, of
which Black Hawk was leader. He strenuously objected to the removal,
and was induced to comply only after being threatened with the power of
the Government. This and various actions on the part of the white set-
tlers provoked Black Hawk and his band to attempt the capture of his
native village now occupied by the whites. The war followed. He and
his actions were undoubtedly misunderstood, and had his wishes been
acquiesced in at the beginning of the struggle, much bloodshed would
have been prevented.
Black Hawk was chief now of the Sac and Fox nations, and a noted
warrior. He and his tribe inhabited a village on Rock River, nearly three
miles above its confluence with the Mississippi, where the tribe had lived
many generations. When that portion of Illinois was reserved to them,
they remained in peaceable possession of their reservation, spending their
time in the enjo3'"ment of Indian life. The fine situation of their village
and the quality of their lands incited the more lawless white settlers, who
from time to time began to encroach upon the red men's domain. From
one pretext to another, and from one step to another, the crafty white
men gained a foothold, until through whisky and artifice they obtained
deeds from many of the Indians for their possessions. The Indians were
finally induced to cross over the Father of Waters and locate among the
lowas. Black Hawk was strenuously opposed to all this, but as the
authorities of Illinois and the United States thought this the best move, he
was forced to comply. Moreover other tribes joined the whites and urged
the removal. Black Hawk would not agree to the terms of the treaty
made with his nation for their lands, and as soon as the military, called to
enforce his removal, had retired, he returned to the Illinois side of the
river. A large force was at once raised and marched against him. On
the evening of May 14, 1832, the first engagement occurred between a
band from this army and Black Hawk's band, in which the former were
defeated.
This attack and its result aroused the whites. A large force of men
was raised, and Gen. Scott hastened from the seaboard, by way of the
lakes, with United States troops and artillery to aid in the subjugation of
the Indians. On the 24th of June, Black Hawk, with 200 warriors, was
repulsed by Major Demont between Rock River and Galena. The Ameri-
can army continued to move up Rock Rivei- toward the main body of
the Indians, and on the 21st of July came upon Black Hawk and his band,
and defeated them near the Blue Mounds.
Before this action. Gen. Henry, in command, sent word to the main
army by whom he was immediately rejoined, and the v/hole crossed the
I
THE NORTHWEST TEREITORY. 77
"Wisconsin in pursuit of Black Hawk and his band who were fleeing to the
Mississippi. They were overtaken on the 2d of August, and in the battle
which followed the power of the Indian chief was completely broken. He
fled, but was seized by the Winnebagoes and delivered to the whites.
On the 21st of September, 1832, Gen. Scott and Gov. Reynolds con-
cluded a treaty with the Winnebagoes, Sacs and Foxes by which they
ceded to the United States a vast tract of country, and agreed to remain
peaceable with the whites. For the faithful performance of the provi-
sions of this treaty on the part of the Indians, it was stipulated that
Black Hawk, his two sons, the prophet Wabokieshiek, and six other chiefs
of the hostile bands should be retained as hostages during the pleasure
of the President. They were confined at Fort Barracks and put in irons.
The next Spring, by order of the Secretary of War, they were taken
to Washington. From there they were removed to Fortress Monroe,
"there to remain until the conduct of their nation was such as to justify
their being set at libert}^" They were retained here until the 4th of
June, when the authorities directed them to be taken to the principal
cities so that they might see the folly of contending against the white
people. Everywhere they were observed by thousands, the name of the
old chief being extensively known. By the middle of August they
reached Fort Armstrong on Rock Island, where Black Hawk was soon
after released to go to his countrymen. As he passed the site of his birth-
place, now the home of the white man, he was deeply moved. His village
where he was born, where he had so happily lived, and where he had
hoped to die, was now another's dwelling place, and he was a wanderer.
On the next day after his release, he went at once to his tribe and
his lodge. His wife was yet living, and with her he passed the remainder
of his days. To his credit it may be said that Black Hawk always re-
mained true to his wife, and served her with a devotion uncommon among
the Indians, living with her upward of forty years.
Black Hawk now passed his time hunting and fishing. A deep mel-
ancholy had settled over him from which he could not be freed. At all
times when he visited the whites he was received with marked atten-
tion. He was an honored guest at the old settlers' reunion in Lee County,
Illinois, at some of their meetings, and received many tokens of esteem.
In September, 1838, while on his way to Rock Island to receive his
annuity from the Government, he contracted a severe cold which resulted
in a fatal attack of bilious fever which terminated his life on October 3.
His faithful wife, who was devotedly attached to him, mourned deeply
during his sickness. After his death he was dressed in the uniform pre-
sented to him by the President while in Washington. He was buried in
a grave six feet in depth, situated upon a beautiful eminence. " The
78 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
body was placed in the middle of the grave, in a sitting posture, upon a
seat constructed for the purpose. On his left side, the cane, given him
by Henry Clay, was placed upright, with his right hand resting upon it.
Many of the old warrior's trophies were placed in the grave, and some
Indian garments, together with his favorite weapons."
No sooner was the Black Hawk war concluded than settlers began
rapidly to pour into the northern parts of Illinois, and into Wisconsin,
now free from Indian depredations. Chicago, from a trading post, had
grown to a commercial center, and was rapidly coming into prominence.
In 1835, the formation of a State Government in Michigan was discussed,
but did not take active form until two years later, when the State became
a part of the Federal Union.
The main attraction to that portion of the Northwest lying west of
Lake Michigan, now included in the State of Wisconsin, was its alluvial
wealth. Copper ore was found about Lake Superior. For some time this
region was attached to Michigan for judiciary purposes, but in 183() was
made a territory, then including Minnesota and Iowa. The latter State
was detached two years later. In 1848, Wisconsin was admitted as a
State, Madison being made the capital. We have now traced the various
divisions of the Northwest Territory (save a little in Minnesota) from
the time it was a unit comprising this vast territory, until circumstances
compelled its present division.
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 79
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
AND ITS AMENDMENTS.
We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union,
establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common
defense, promote the general welfare, and seciue the blessings of liberty
to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution
for the United States of America.
Article I.
Section 1. All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in
a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and
House of Representatives.
Sec. 2. The House of Representatives shall be composed of mem-
bers chosen every second year by the people of the several states, and the
electors in each state shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of
the most numerous branch of the State Legislature.
No person shall be a representative who shall not have attained to the
age of twenty-five years, and been seven years a citizen of the United
States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state in
which he shall be chosen.
Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the sev-
eral states which may be included within this Union, according to their
respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole
number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term of
years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three-fifths of all other persons.
The actual enumeration shall be made within three years after the first
meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subse-
quent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct. The
number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand,
but each state shall have at least one Representative ; and until such
enumeration shall be made the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled
to choose three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode Island and Providence Plan-
tations one, Connecticut five. New York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylva-
nia eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten. North Carolina five,
and Georgia three.
When vacancies happen in the representation from any state, the
Executive authority thereof shall issue^ writs of election to fill such
vacancies.
The House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker and other
officers, and shall have the sole power of impeachment.
Sec. 3. The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two
Senators from each state, chosen by the Legislature thereof for six years ;
and each Senator shall have one vote.
Immediately after they shall be assembled in consequence of the first
election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three classes.
The seats of the Senators of the first class shall be vacated at the expira-
80 Aim ITS AMENDMENTS.
tion of the second year, of the second class at the expiration of the fourth
year, and of the third class at the expiration of the sixth year, so that
one-third may be chosen every second year; and if vacancies happen by
resignation or otherwise, during the recess of the Legislature of any state,
the Executive thereof may make temporary appointments until the next
meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such vacancies.
N o person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained .to the age
of thirty years and been nine years a citizen of the United States, and
who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state for which he
shall be chosen.
The Vice-President of the United States shall be President of the
Senate, but shall have no vote unless they be equally divided.
The Senate shall choose their other officers, and also a President pro
tempore, in the absence of the Vice-President, or when he shall exercise
the office of President of the United States.
The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. When
sitting for that purpose they shall be on oath or affirmation. When the
President of the United States is tried the Chief Justice shall preside.
And no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds
of the members present.
Judgment, in cases of impeachment, shall not extend further than to
removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of
honor, trust, or profit under the United States ; but the party convicted
shall nevertheless be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment,
and punishment according to law.
Sec. 4. The times, places and manner of holding elections for Sen-
ators and Representatives shall be prescribed in each state by the Legis-
lature thereof ; but the Congress may at any time by law make or alter
such regulations, except as to the places of choosing Senators.
The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such
meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by
law appoint a different day.
Sec. 5. Each house shall be the judge of the election, returns, and
qualifications of its own members, and a majority of each shall constitute
a quorum to do business; but a smaller number may adjourn from day to
day, and may be authorized to compel the attendance of absent members
in such manner and under such penalties as each house may provide.
Each house may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish ita
members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds,
expel a member.
Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time to
time publish the same, excepting such parts as may, in their judgment,
require secrecy ; and the yeas and nays of the members of either house
on any question shall, at the desire of one-fifth of those present, be entered
on the journal.
Neither house, during the session of Congress, shall, without the
consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other
place than that in which the two houses shall be sitting.
Sec. 6. The Senators and Representatives shall receive a compen-
sation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the
treasury of the United States. They shall in all cases, except treason.
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 81
felony, and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their
attendance at the session of their respective houses, and in going to and
returning from the same ; and for any speech or debate in either house
they shall not be questioned in any other place.
No Senator or Representative shall, during the time for which he was
elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority of the United
States, which shall have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall
have been increased during such time ; and no person holding any office
under the United States, shall be a member of either house during his
continuance in office.
Sec. 7. All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of
Representatives ; but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments
as on other bills.
Every bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and
the Senate, shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the President
of the United States ; if he approve he shall sign it ; but if not he shall
return it, with his objections, to that house in which it shall have origi-
nated, who shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and
proceed to reconsider it. If, after such reconsideration two-thirds of that
house shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objec-
tions, to the other house, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if
approved by two-thirds of that house, it shall become a law. But in all
such cases the votes of both houses shall be determined by j eas and nays,
and the names of the persons voting for and against the bill shall be entered
on the journal of each house respectively. If any bill shall not be returned
by the President within ten days (Sundays excepted), after it shall have
been presented to him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he
had signed it, unless the Congress, by their adjournment, prevent its
return, in which case it shall not be a law.
Every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the
Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a
question of adjournment), shall be presented to the President of the
United States, and before the same shall take effect shall be approved by
him, or, being disapproved by him, shall be re-passed by two-thirds of
the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the rules and lim-
itations prescribed in the case of a bill.
Sec. 8. The Congress shall have power —
To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts,
and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United
States ; but all duties, imposts, and excises shall be uniform throughout
the United States ;
To borrow money on the credit of the United States ',
To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several
States, and with the Indian tribes ;
To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on
the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States ;
To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and
fix the standard of weights and measures ;
To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and
current coin of the United States ;
To establish post offices and post roads ;
32 AND ITS AMENDMENTS.
To promote the progress of sciences and useful arts, by securing,
for limited times, to authors and inventors, the exclusive right to their
respective writings and discoveries ;
To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court ;
To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high
seas, and oifenses against the law of nations ;
To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules
concerning captures on land and water ;
To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that
use shall be for a longer term than two years ;
To provide and maintain a navy ;
To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and
naval forces ;
To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the
Union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions ;
To provide for organizing, arming and disciplining the militia, and
for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the
United States, reserving to the states respectively the appointment of the
officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the disci-
pline prescribed by Congress ;
To exercise legislation in all cases whatsoever over such district (not
exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the
acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United
States, and to exercise hke authority over all places purchased by the
consent of the Legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for
the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dock yards, and other needful
buildings ; and
To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying
into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this
Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any depart-
ment or officer thereof.
Sec. 9. The migration or importation of such persons as any of the
states now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited
by the Congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight,
but a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten
dollars for each person.
The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended,
unless' when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may
require it.
No bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed.
No capitation or other direct tax shall be laid, unless in proportion
to the census or enumeration hereinbefore directed to be taken.
No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any state.
No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or rev-
enue to the ports of one state over those of another; nor shall vessels
bound to or from one state be obliged to enter, clear, or pay duties in
another.
No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in consequence of
appropriations made by law ; and a regular statement and account of
the receipts and expeditures of all public money shall be published from
time to time.
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 83
No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States : and no
person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the
consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title
of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.
Sec. 10. No state shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confeder-
ation ; grant letters of marque and reprisal ; coin money ; emit bills of
credit ; make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of
debts ; pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the
obligation of contracts, or grant any title of nobility.
No state shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay any imposts
or duties on imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessary
for executing its inspection laws, and the net produce of all duties and
imposts laid by any state on imports or exports, shall be for the use of the
Treasury of the United States ^ and all such laws shall be subject to the
revision and control of the Congress.
No state shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any duty on
tonnage, keep troops or ships of war in time of peace, enter into any
agreement or compact with another state, or with a foreign power, or
engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will
not admit of delay.
Article II.
Section 1. The Executive power shall be vested in a President of
the United States of America. He shall hold his office during the term
of four years, and, together with the Vice-President chosen for the same
term, be elected as follows :
Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof
may direct, a number of Electors, equal to the whole number of Senators
and Representatives to which the state may be entitled in the Congress ;
but no Senator or Representative, or person holding an office of trust or
profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.
[ * The Electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by
ballot for two persons, of whom one at least shall not be an inhabitant of
the same state with themselves. And they shall make a list of all the
persons voted for, and of the number of votes for each ; which list they
shall sign and certify, and transmit, sealed, to the seat of the government
of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The Pres-
ident of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Rep-
resentatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted.
The person having the greatest number of votes shall be the President,
if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed ;
and if there be more than one who have such majority, and have an equal
number of votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately
choose by ballot one of them for President ; and if no person have a ma-
jority, then from the five highest on the list the said House shall in like
manner choose the President. But in choosing the President, the vote
shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one
vote ; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members
from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be
necessary to a choice. In every case, after the choice of the President,
'This clause between, brackets bas been superseded and annulled by the Twelfth.amendment.
84 AND ITS AMENDMENTS.
the person having the greatest number of votes of the Electors shall be
the Vice-President. But if there should remain two or more who have
equal votes, the Senate shall choose from them by ballot the Vice-Presi-
dent.]
The Congress may determine the time of choosing the Electors, and
the dny on which they shall give their votes ; which day shall be the same
throughout the United States.
No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United
States at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible
to the office of President ; neither shall any person be eligible to that
office who shall not have attained the age of thirty-five years, and been
fourteen years a resident within the United States.
In case of the removal of the President from office, or of his death,
resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said
office, the same shall devolve on the Vice-Pcesident, and the Congress
may by law provide for the case of removal, death, resignation, or inabil-
ity, both of the President and Vice-President, declaring what officer shall
then act as President, and such officer shall act accordingly, until the dis-
ability be removed, or a President shall be elected.
The President shall, at stated times, receive for his services a com-
pensation which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the
period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive
within that period an}'' other emolument from the United States or any of
them.
Before he enters on the execution of his office, he shall take the fol-
lowing oath or affirmation :
" I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the
office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability,
preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Sec. 2. The President shall be commander in chief of the army and
navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states, when
called into the actual service of the United States; he may require the
opinion, in writing, of thfe principal officer in each of the executive
departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective
offices, and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardon for offenses
against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.
He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the
Senate, to make treaties, provided two-thirds of the Senators present con-
cur; ai)d he shall nominate, and by and with the advice of the Senate,
shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of
the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States whose
appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be
established by law ; but the Congress may by law vest the appointment
of such inferior officers as they think proper in the President alone, in
the courts of law, or in the heads of departments.
The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may
happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which
shall expire at the end of their next session.
Sec. 3. He shall from time to time give to the Congress information
of the state of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such mea-
sures as he shall judge necessary and expedient ; he may on extraordinary
I
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 85
occasions con7ene both houses, or either of them, and in case of disagree-
ment between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he may
adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper ; he shall receive
ambassadors and other public ministers ; he shall take care that the laws be
faithfully executed, and shall commission all the officers of the United
States.
Sec. 4. The President, Vice-President, and all civil officers of the
United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and con-
viction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.
Article III.
Section I. The judicial power of the United States shall be vested
in one Supreme Court, and such inferior courts as the Congress may from
time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the Supreme and
inferior courts, shall hold their offices during good behavior, and shall, at
stated times, receive for their services a compensation, which shall not be
diminished during their continuance in office.
Sec. 2. The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and
equity, arising under this Constitution, the laws of the United States, and
treaties made, or which shall be made, under their authority ; to all cases
affecting ambassadors, other public ministers, and consuls ; to all cases of
admiralty and maritime jurisdiction ; to controversies to which the United
States shall be a party ; to controversies between two or more states ;
between a state and citizens of another state ; between citizens of differ-
ent states ; between citizens of the same state claiming lands under grants
of different states, and between a state or the citizens thereof, and foreign
states, citizens, or subjects.
In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers, and consuls,
and those in which a state shall be a party, the Supreme Court shall have
original jurisdiction.
In all the other cases before mentioned, the Supreme Court shall
have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with such exceptions
and under such regulations as the Congress shall make.
The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by
jury ; and such trial shall be held in the state where the said crimes shall
have been committed ; but when not committed within an}^ state, the
trial shall be at such place or places as the Congress may by law have
directed.
Sec. 3. Treason against the United States shall consist only in levy-
ing war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid
and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the tes-
timony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open
court.
The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason,
but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture,
except during the life of the person attainted.
Article IV.
Section 1. Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the
public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state. And
86 AND ITS AMENDMENTS.
tlie Congress may, by general laws, prescribe the manner in which sach
acts, records, and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof.
Sec. 2. The citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges
and immunities of citizens in the several states.
A person charged in any state with treason, felony, or other crime,
who shall flee from justice and be found in another state, shall, on demand
of the executive authority of the state from which he fled, be delivered
up, to be removed to the state having jurisdiclion of the crime.
No person held to service or labor in one state, under the laws thereof
escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation
therein, be discharged from such service or labor, but shall be delivered
up on the claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due.
Sec. 3. New states may be admitted by the Congress into this Union ;
but no new state shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any
other state ; nor any state be formed by the junction of two or more states,
or parts of states, without the consent of the Legislatures of the states
concerned, as well as of the Congress.
The Congress shall have power to dispose of and make all needful
rules and regulations respecting the territor^'^ or other property belonging
to the United States ; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed
as to prejudice any claims of the United States or of any particular state.
Sec. 4. The United States shall guarantee to every state in this
Union a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them
against invasion, and on application of the Legislature, or of the Execu-
tive (when the Legislature can not be convened), against domestic vio-
lence.
Article V.
The Congress, whenever two-thirds of both houses shall deem it
necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the ap-
plication of the Legislatures of two-thirds of the several states, shall call
a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be
valid to all intents and purposes as part of this Constitution, when rati-
fied by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by con-
ventions in three-fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratifi-
cation may be proposed by the Congress. Provided that no amendment
which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and
eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth
section of the first article ; and that no state, without its consent, shall
be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate.
Article VI.
All debts contracted and engagements entered into before the adop-
tion of this Constitution shall be as valid against the United States under
this Constitution as under the Confederation.
This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be
made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, or which shall be made,
under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the
land ; and the Judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in
the Constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding.
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the mem-
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES
8T
bers of the several state Legislatures, and all executive and judicial offi-
cers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound
by oath or affirmation to support this Constitution ; but no religious test
shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under
the United States.
Article VII.
The ratification of the Conventions of nine states shall be sufficient
for the establishment of this Constitution between the states so ratifying
the same.
Done in convention by the unanimous consent of the states present, the
seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand
seven hundred and eighty-seven, and of the independence of the
United States of America the twelfth. In witness whereof we have
hereunto subscribed our names.
GEO. WASHINGTON,
President and Deputy from Virginia.
Nev) Hampshire.
John Langdon,
Nicholas Gilman.
Massachusetts.
Nathaniel Goeham,
RuFus King.
Connecticut.
Wm. Sam'l Johnson,
Roger Sherman.
Neio York.
Alexander Hamilton.
New Jersey.
WiL. Livingston,
Wm. Paterson,
David Brearley,
JoNA. Dayton.
Pennsylvania.
B. Franklin,
RoBT. Morris,
Thos. Fitzsimons,
James Wilson,
Thos. Mifflin,
Geo. Clymer,
Jared Ingersoll,
Gocv. Morris.
Delaware.
Geo. Read,
John Dickinson,
Jaco. Broom,
Gunning Bedford, Jr.,
Richard Bassett.
Maryland.
James M' Henry,
Danl. Carroll,
Dan. of St. Thos. Jenifer.
Virginia.
John Blair,
James Madison, Jr.
North Carolina.
Wm. Blount,
Hu. Williamson,
Rich'd Dobbs Spaight.
South Carolina.
J. Rutledge,
Charles Pinckney,
Chas. Cotesworth Pinckney,
Pierce Butler.
Georgia.
William Few,
Abe. Baldwin.
WILLIAM JACKSON, Secretary.
88 AND ITS AMENDMENTS.
Articles in Addition to and Amendatory of the Constitution
OP THE United States of America.
Proposed hy Congress and ratified hy the Legislatures of the several states,
pursuant to the fifth article of the original Constitution.
Article I.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment cf religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,
and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Article II.
A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free
state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
Article III.
No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house without
the consent of the owner, nor in time of war but in a manner to be pre-
scribed by law.
Article IV.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers,
and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be vio-
lated ; and no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by
oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be uearched
and the persons or things to be seized.
Article V.
No person shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous
crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in
cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia when in actual
service in time of war or public danger ; nor shall any person be subject
for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb ; nor shall
be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be
deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law ; nor
ehall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Article VI.
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a
Bpeedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district
wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have
been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and
cause of the accusation ; to be confronted with the witnesses against him ;
to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor ; and to
have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
Article VII.
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed
twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 89
tried by a jury shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United
States than according to the rules of the common law.
Article VIII.
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed,
nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Article IX.
The enumeration, in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be
construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Ariicle X.
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution,
nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively,
or to the people.
Article XI.
The judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to
extend to any suit in law or equity commenced or prosecuted against one
of the United States by citizens of another state, or by citizens or sub-
jects of any foreign state.
Article XII.
The Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot
for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an
inhabitant of the same state with themselves ; they shall name in their
ballots the person to be voted for as president, and in distinct ballots the
person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of
all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice-
President, and of the number of votes for each, which list they shall sign
and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United
States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the
Senate shall, in presence of the Senate and House of Representatives,
open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted. The person
having the greatest number of votes for President shall be the President,
if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed ;
and if no person have such majority, then from the jDersons having the
highest number not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as
President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by
ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be
taken by States, the representation from each state having one vote; a
quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-
thirds of the states, and a ma.jority of all the states shall be necessary to
a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a Presi-
dent whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the
fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as
President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of
the President. The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-
President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be the majority
of the whole number of electors appointed, and if no person have a major-
90 AND ITS AMENDMENTS.
itj; then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose
the Vice-President ; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds
of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number
shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible
to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the
United States.
Article XIII.
Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a
punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted,
shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their juris-
diction.
Sec. 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appro-
priate legislation.
Aeticle XIV.
Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States and
subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States, and
of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law
which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United
States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property,
without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction
the equal protection of the laws.
Sec. 2. Representatives shall be appointed among the several states
according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of per-
sons in each state, excluding Indians not taxed ; but when the right to
vote at any election for the choice of Electors for President and Vice-
President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the execu-
tive and judicial officers of a state, or the members of the Legislature
thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such state, being
twenty-one years of age and citizens of the United States, or in any way
abridged except for participation in rebellion or other crimes, the basis of
representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the num-
ber of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens
twenty-one years of age in such state.
Sec. 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress,
or Elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or
military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previ-
ously taken an oath as a Member of Congress, or as an officer of the
United States, or as a member of any state Legislature, or as an execu-
tive or judicial officer of any state to support the Constitution of the
United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the
same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may,
by a vote of two-thirds of each house, remove such disability.
Sec. 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States author-
ized by law, including debts incurred for j)ayment of pensions and boun-
ties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be ques-
tioned. But neither the United States nor any state shall pay any debt
or obligation incurred in the aid of insurrection or rebellion against the
United States, or any loss or emancipation of any slave, but such debts,
obligations, and claims shall be held illegal and void.
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES.
Article XV.
91
Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not
be denied or abridged by the United States, or by any State, on account of race,
color, or previous condion of servitude.
/
PERRY'S MONUMENT, CLEVELAND, OHIO.
On Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway.
PART II.
History of the State of Ohio,
HI8T0EY OF OHIO.
IT is not our province in a volume of this description, to delineate the chronol-
ogy of prehistoric epochs, or to dwell at length upon those topics pertaining
to the scientific causes which tended to the formation of a continent, undiscov-
ered for centuries, by the wisdom and energy of those making a history of the
Old World, by the advancement of enlightenment in the Eastern Hemisphere.
Naturally, the geological formation of the State of Ohio cannot be entirely
separated from facts relative to the strata, which, in remote ages accumulated
one layer above the other, and finally constituted a "built-up" America, from
a vast sea. The action of this huge body of water washed sediment and what-
ever came in its way upon primitive rocks, which were subjected to frequent
and repeated submersions, emerging as the water subsided, thus leaving a
stratum or layer to solidify and mark its number in the series — a system of
growth repeated in trees of the forest — in those descernible rings that count so
many years. The southeastern part of North America emerging a second
time from the Silurian Sea, which extended west to the Rocky Mountains and
north to the primitive hills of British America, a succession of rock-bound,
salt-water lakes remained. These covered a large portion of the continent, and
their w^ater evaporating, organic and mineral matter remained to solidify. This
thick stratum has been designated by geologists as the water-lime layer. This
constitutes the upper layer of rock in the larger portion of the west half of
Ohio. In other sections it forms the bed rock.
Following the lime-rock deposit, must have been more frequent sweeps of
the great sea, since the layers are comparatively thin, proving a more speedy
chano-e. During this scientific risino; and falling of the sea, other actions were
taking place, such as volcanic and other influences which displaced the regular-
ity of the strata, and occasionally came out in an upheaval or a regular perpen-
dicular dip. A disturbance of this character formed the low mountain range
extending from the highlands of Canada to the southern boundary of Tennes-
see. This "bulge" is supposed to be the consequence of the cooling of the
earth and the pressure of the oceans on either side of the continent. Geolo-
gists designate this as the Cincinnati arch. This forms a separation between
the coal fields of the Alleghanies and those of Illinois.
Passing over several periods, we reach the glacial, during which the topog-
raphy of the continent was considerably modified, and which is among the
latest epochs of geology, though exceedingly remote as compared with human
94 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
history. Previously, a torrid heat prevailed the entire Northern hemisphere.
Now the temperature of the frigid zone crept southward until it reached Cincin-
nati. A vast field of ice, perhaps hundreds of feet thick, extended from the
north pole to this point. As this glacial rigor came southward, the flow of
the St. Lawrence River was stopped, and the surplus water of the great lake
basin was turned into the Ohio and Mississippi. This glacial sea was hy no
means stationary even after its southern limit had been reached. It possessed
the properties of a solid and a fluid. Its action was slow but powerful, grind-
ing mountains to powder and forming great valleys and basins. Separating
into two glacial portions, one moved toward the watershed north of the Ohio
River ; and, continuing westerly, it hollowed out the basin of Lake Erie and
crushed the apex of the Cincinnati arch. From this point, it turned south-
ward and swept with a regular course through the Maumee and Miami Valleys
to the Ohio River. The southern border constantly melting, and flowing toward
the Gulf of Mexico, the great field was pressed forward by the accumulations
of ice in the northern latitudes. Thus for ages, this powerful force was fitting
the earth for the habitation of man. The surface was leveled, huge rocks
broken and reduced to pebbles, sand, clay, etc., other soil and surface-material —
while the debris was embedded at the bottom. In some sections, as the ice
melted and freed the bowlders and rocks, the lighter material was swept away.
The glacier moving forward, and the forces proving an " equilibrium," the
edge of this ice-field was held in a solid stronghold, and the material thus de-
posited forms a ridge, called by geologists "terminal moraine," first exemplified
in Ohio by the " Black Swamp," in the Maumee Valley.
The most extreme rigor of this period beginning to wane, the ice of the
Maumee and Miami Valleys began to move slowly forward, toward the north,
reaching the points now termed Hudson, Mich.; Fort "Wayne, Ind., and Kenton,
Ohio — reachino; somewhat further south than Lima and Van Wert. The edo;e of
the glacier was defined in outline by the present western border of Lake Erie, and
parallel with it. Climatic influences " acting and counteracting," the glacial
force was concentrated, the Maumee Valley being subjected to a grinding proc-
ess, and a deposit of material going on, which now forms the boundary of the
" Black Swamp." As our readers are aware, the waters of the St. Joseph and
St. Mary's meet at Fort Wayne, and their united waters form the Maumee ;
thence the turn is northwest, and, wearing an outlet through the ridge, it
reaches the head of Lake Erie.
The torrid zone yet gaining the ascendency, the ice-fields continuing their
reverse motion, and retreating toward the north, the basin of the great lakes
was formed ; and the blocks of ice melting therein, a vast sea of fresh water was
formed, which gradually overflowed a portion of Canada and Michigan. But
the St. Lawrence, that important outlet, was under the restraint of an ice
blockade, and the surplus water of the fresh sea was turned into the Ohio and
and Mississippi.
fr'i
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 95
Later, mountains of ice-float were drifted from the north by winds and cur-
rents, into temperate latitudes, and melting, deposited rocks, stones and general
debris. Following the iceberg-drift, came the permanent elevation above the ocean-
level. The St. Lawrence outlet was formed. The inland sea was assuming its
division into lakes. The united waters of Erie and Huron flowed through the
Wabash Valley and into the Ohio, until, through some agency, that section was
dry, and the lakes drained in another direction. The action of the glacial
period in the Erie basin vicinity created what is known as the " Niagara lime-
stone," by grinding upper strata and drifting the debris elsewhere. This seems
to have occurred at intervals, exposures being made in Seneca, Sandusky and
Wood Counties, and beneath the axis of the Cincinnati arch. Oriskany lime-
stone is also available in another stratum, which has been brought to the surface.
Again, there is a carboniferous stratum of limestone, and along the Maumee is
a thin exposure of the Hamilton limestone and shale.
A glacier having both fluid and solid properties, it will readily be compre-
hended that obdurate projections of rock resisted its action, and created currents
in other directions, for its forces. When this specified epoch had ceased to be,
Ohio was a rough, irregular and crude mixture of ridges and knobs and pinnacles,
which were " leveled up " and finished by iceberg-drift and inland-sea deposits.
This settled and accumulated, and the work of hundreds of years produced a
beautiful surface, its inequalities overcome, the water having receded and " terra
firma" remaining. A deep bed of clay, sufficiently compact to hold the germs
of organic matter, and sufficiently porous to absorb moisture, was especially
adapted to encourage the growth of vegetation. These seeds had been brouo-ht
by the winds and waves and natural agencies, and now began to produce plants
and shrubs, which withered to enrich the soil, after scattering broadcast seeds
that would again perpetuate verdure. Worms, land crabs and burrowino- ani-
mals assisted in the creation of soil, while the buffalo, deer and bear folloAved,
as soon as forestry appeared. Decomposed foliage and* fallen timber aided in
the great work of preparing the present State of Ohio for the habitation of man.
Prairie, marsh, forest, rivers and lakes w^ere formed, which, in turn, were modi-
fied and prepared for a grand destiny by other influences.
In glancing over the compiled histories of Ohio, those containing details of
her early struggles, afflictions and triumphs, we are especially impressed with
its near and sympathetic relation with the great Northwest, and the republic of
the United States of America. From the early years when white men built
their rude cabins in the then tangled wilderness, to the opulent and magnificent
present of this united nation, Ohio has been stanch, loyal and earnest, both
in action and principle.
We shall endeavor to trace the history of the State concisely and accurately,
according to the data given by the most reliable historians. We are oblio-ed to
glean the prominent events only, our space being limited, compared with the
multitudinous interests connected with this important part of the United States.
96 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
FRENCH HISTORY.
All through early French history, is the fact especially prominent, that in
their explorations and expeditions, they united piety and business. They were
zealous in sending out their missionaries, but they were always attended by
traders and those who were as skilled in the world's profit and loss, as their
companions were in propagating Christianity.
Prior to the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers upon Plymouth Rock, the
Upper Lakes were visited by the French, and records prove that during the first
half of the seventeenth century, a vagabondish set, working in the interests of
the fur company of New France, understood the geographical position of the
lakes and their tributary streams. M. Perrot, an intelligent explorer, made
overtures of peace to the Indian tribes around these bodies of water, and
eifected a treaty, which, it is claimed, established the right for the French, in
the name of their king, to hold the place near St. Mary's Falls. They further
assert that the Mississippi was discovered by the French from Lake Superior,
but this is not authenticated, and Father Marquette and M. Joliet are accepted
as the first who found this large stream, in 1763. The good missionary won
his way with his patient and sympathetic nature.
Ohio was, like the other portions of the West, originally in the possession
of aborigines or Indians. Of their origin, many suppositions are advanced,
but no certainties sustained. From practical evidences, the Mound-Buildexs
were active in Ohio, and here as elsewhere, their work marked retrogression
rather than advancement. The territory of Ohio was claimed by the French,
and included in that wide tract between the Alleghanies and the Rockies, held
by them under the name of Louisiana. Before the year 1750, a French trad-
ing-post was established at the mouth of the Wabash, and communication was
established between that point and the Maumee, and Canada. Between the
years 1678 and 1682, the intrepid La Salle and Father Hennepin, assisted by
Fondi, an Italian, with a small band of followers, inaugurated a series of
explorations about the great lakes and the Mississippi, building forts on their
way and planting the French priority. In 1680, La Salle erected a stockade at
the foot of the rapids of the Maumee, which was a general rendezvous for mission-
aries, traders and explorers, besides constituting a primitive "stock exchange."
The English colonies were at this time east of the Alleghanies, while the
French were establishing themselves west of this range, gaining an entrance
north and south, the two portions separated by hostile and barbarous foes.
La Salle's spirit of adventure led him into new fields, but Father Hennepin
was detailed to investigate that part of the world now known as the State of
Ohio. The records assert that he published a volume containing an account of
his observations "in the country between New Mexico and the frozen ocean,"
in 1684, together with maps of Lakes Erie, Huron and Michigan, and a plat
of the larger streams in Ohio.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 97
Apparently, the French more speedily comprehended the value of their
advantages in the New World than^the English, and vigorously inaugurated and
sustained commercial and religious projects. They were essentially benefited
by the mediation of the Catholic priests between settlers and Indians, this
really earnest class everywhere ingratiating themselves with the savages. The
Order of Jesuits were very vigorous, and representatives were stationed at every
trading-post, village and settlement. The English colonists engaged mostly in
agriculture, while the French took a lively interest in the fur trade with the
natives, probably from their former settlement in Quebec and thereabouts, where
the climate is advantageous for this business. This added to the influence of
the priests, and the natural assimilation of French and the Indians, through
the tact and amiability of the former, the French possessions gained more
rapidly than the English or Spanish. They courted their daughters and
married them. They engaged in feasts and trades, and took advantage of
those unimpeded times to extend their dominion with surprising celerity. A
chain of trading, missionary and military posts extended from New Orleans to
Quebec, by way of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, thence via Mackinaw and
Detroit to Lakes Erie and Ontario. This route was shortened thereafter by
following the Ohio River to the Wabash, following the latter upward, and
down the Maumee to Lake Erie.
About the same time, and to check the advancement of the French, the
Ohio Company was formed by the English. This was an outgrowth of the
contest between these two nations for the ascendency, whether empire, settle-
ment or individual. After thirty years' peace between these two nations,
"King George's War" opened the campaign in 1744, but terminated in 1748,
the treaty at Aix-la-Chapelle unfortunately omitting a settlement of any division
of claims in America. The English, French and Spanish were the first to
enter America, and the right of possession by each monarch or empire was
held by right of a first discovery. The only right that England could advance
regarding Ohio was that the portion of the Six Nations found in the Ohio
Valley had placed some of their lands under British jurisdiction, and that other
portions had been purchased at Lancaster, Penn., by means of a treaty with
the same nations. All this was strenuously denied and ignored by the French.
Thus several conflicting influences swept carnage over fair Ohio. The Indians were
allied to one side and the other, and were against each other. The Indians and
French would advance against the English, and they, in retaliation, would
make a raid into the Indian territory and overcome a French settlement.
Whenever they could as well, Indians would take the cause in their own keep-
ing and fight each other. The wide, verdant fields of Ohio were drenched
ghastly red under a glowing sun, and the great forests echoed moans from the
dying and distressed. The English colonists had partially overcome their
deprivation, caused by a struggle for subsistence, and means to guard against
the savages — this distress augmented by campaigns against Canada — by their
98 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
increased numbers and wealth, but were now alarmed by the French rule in
America, which gained so rapidly, unmolested as it was by Indian raids and
other devastating circumstances. A constant conflict was going on between
Lake Erie and the Upper Ohio. Atrocities and massacres were committed
indiscriminately, which opened the way for a desperate class of marauders and
villains from the colonies and European States. These people enlisted with
the Indians on either side for the purpose of leadership and plunder. Every
fortification, trading-post and settlement was garrisoned or deserted, and the
ground between the Alleghanies and the Maumee became a conflict field, rife
with thrilling deeds, sacrifice and adventures, the half never having been
chronicled, and many heroes falling uncrowned by even a lasting memory, since
during these times the people kept few annals, and cared less for historical
memories than anything on earth. They were living, and dying, and struggling,
and that was more than they could carry through safely. The French formed
a road from the Ohio River to Detroit, via the foot of the Lower Rapids of the
Maumee, and the foot of the Lower Rapids of the Sandusky.
The Ohio Company obtained a charter under English views, from the
British Government, with a grant of 6,000 acres of land on the Ohio. The
English now reverted to the times of the Cabots, and protested that by right
they held the entire country between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, bounded
by those parallels of latitude defining their Atlantic coast settlements. France
claimed the region drained by the Mississippi and tributaries, the great lakes
and their tributaries, the area being west of the Alleghanies. Ohio was thus
included in the disputed tract.
The Ohio Company was formed in 1748, by a number of Virginians and
Londoners, two brothers of George Washington taking conspicuous parts in the
movement ; Thomas Lee was especially active. When the surveys were begun,
the Governor of Canada entered vigorous protests, and indicated his displeasure
by a prompt line of posts from Erie to Pittsburgh, named respectively, Presque
Isle, Le Boeuf, Vedango, Kittaning and Du Quesne. The latter was begun
by the English, captured by the French, and by them completed.
The first English settlement of which we can find traces was a block-house
at Piqua, about the year 1752. It was attacked, and a bitter struggle ensued,
resulting in the death of fourteen of the assailants. Those within the garrison
suffered severely, many being burned, and the remainder captured and dis-
patched to Canada.
In 1753, the French and Indian war actively began. It did not extend
beyond the American continent until 1756, when the home governments took
an interest in its progress beyond encouraging their respective colonists to pur-
sue the war-path to a direful finale for their adversaries. For four years, the
French captured and conquered, spreading terror wherever they went, and
they followed every Englishman that set his foot on Ohio soil to the death.
We may state that these people had not retained their civilized habits, and
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 99
constant association with savages had embued them with barbarous methods of
warfare which were sickening and revolting to the English, and to which they
could not resort. It is highly probable that French success was vastly brought
about by these means, together with the assistance of their Indian allies. In
1758, when the English hope was almost exterminated, the elder Pitt being
placed at the head of the administration, a new and energetic system was
inauguratid, wise measures instituted, and military science triumphed over
savage cunning and French intrigue. The first brilliant English achievement
was the conquest of Canada. When the home governments interfered, the
war assumed the character of a Frencji and English conflict, regardless of
Indian right, yet the tribes continued to participate in the carnage.
A certain Christian, Frederick Post, a Moravian missionary, located upon
the Muskingum, near Beavertown. Heckewelder consented to become his
associate. The Indians receiving them kindly, under conditions that Post
should serve as tutor, this missionary began clearing a field for the purpose of
planting corn for sustenance. This did not accord with Indian logic. They
had stipulated that he teach and he was planting corn, which to them was a
signal of the coming of other whites, the building of a fort and encroachments
upon the Indians. They referred to the French priests, who were in good
physical condition, did not till land, but were in charge of the Great Spirit
who provided for them, a conclusive proof to them that when divine work was
acceptable to the Great Spirit, priests were somehow sustained by other than
the plans which disturbed their great hunting-grounds. However, they
allowed him a small space, and he remained with them, preaching and teaching
during the summer of 1762, when, accompanied by one of the principal chiefs,
he returned to Lancaster, Penn., where a treaty was concluded. On his return
to his post, he was met by Heckewelder, who imparted the tidings that friendly
Indians had warned him that the war was about to sweep over their section,
and destruction awaited them if they remained. The mission was accordingly
abandoned. This failure was not so bitter as the English effort to sustain their
trading-post in 1749, on the Great Miami, afterward called Laramie's store.
It pursued a feeble existence until 1752, when a French raid upon the Twig-
twees and English colonists proved fatal.
A European treaty now excluded the French from any rights to make
treaties with the Indians, and the English, in their flush of victory after Pitt's
succession, assumed the authority over Indians and lands. The savages did
not accept the situation with anything resembling the gentle spirit of resigna-
tion, and the Ottawa chief, Pontiac, led the several tribes into a general war
against the intruders. It was no longer French and English, but Indian and
English, the former being instigated and assisted many times by the French,
now desperate and unscrupulous in a mad spirit for revenge.
The intention of the Indians was to drive the whites east of the mountains,
destroying their numerous strongholds in Pennsylvania and Virginia, if they
100 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
failed in their hope of utterly exterminating them. Pontiac had effected a
consolidation of the tribes ranging from Mackinaw to North Carolina, thus
being enabled to swoop down upon all the settlements simultaneously. A
deadly beginning was made in the Ohio Valley, and only two or three English
traders escaped out of the one hundred and twenty located in that vicinit}^
The forts at Presque Isle, St. Joseph and Mackinaw, were captured amid scenes
of slaughter too terrible to perpetuate in description. The years* 1763 and
1764 were literally drenched in human carnage and anguish. Ohio was a
great field of crime, murder, pain and horror. The expeditions of Bradstreet
and Bouquet crushed the war in 1764, and Pontiac with his Ottawas removed
to the Maumee and settled. English settlement now progressed with great
rapidity, but this was destined to be disturbed in 1774, by the action of Lord
Dunmore, who led an expedition against the tribes of the Ohio country, termi-
nated by his treaty on the Scioto plains. At this period, the colonists were not
in strict harmony with England, and the spirit of revolution was spreading
every day.
When Lord Dunmore made his treaty, the affirmation was made and gained
ground that he, being a thorough loyalist, had compromised under such terms
as held the Indians British allies against the settlers. Directly following this
treaty, was the deliberate murder of a number of Indians, near Wheeling,
including the family of the great chief, Logan — which inaugurated retaliating
atrocities.
In the year 1781, April 16, the first white child was born within the pres-
ent limits of Ohio, and was christened Mary Heckewelder, daughter of a Mora-
vian missionary. All the settlers of these Moravian towns on the Muskingum
were made prisoners in September of the same year. Heckwelder was trans-
ported to Detroit, but English tyranny failed to find any evidence against him
or his colaborers, and they were reluctantly released, and returned to their fam-
ilies in Sandusky. Poverty added to their sufferings, and in the forlorn
hope of finding a remnant of their property at the old settlements, which might
assist in mitigating their necessities, they wearily went thitherward. They
began gathering their grain, but the Wyandots attacked them, and many lives
were lost. Frontiersmen had also grown jealous of them, and a body of about
ninety marched out together, for the fiendish purpose of pillaging, slaughtering
and laying waste all Moravian towns and posts. With the wily insidiousness of
savages, they went about their diabolical plan. The Moravians were cordial and
bade this band welcome, when they reached their towns in the guise of friend-
ship. Williamson, the leader, and the gleaners, were called from the fields,
when, to the dismay of these trusting and frank people, they were all bound,
and only fifteen out of the marauding band of ninety were in favor of even
sparing the lives of these hapless men, women and children. Forty men,
twenty-two women and thirty-four children were then cruelly and heartlessly
murdered, their sufferings laughed to scorn, and the last sound that fell on their
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. ■ 101
ears was exultant derision. It would seem that whatever the Indians left un-
done, in the way of horror, in the State of Ohio, the whites improved upon, and
blackened the pages of American history with deeds of blood. Succeedino- this
barbarity, was the expedition against Moravian Indian towns, upon the San-
dusky. Not an Indian, whether an enemy or friend, old or young, male or
female, was to escape the assault, including an extermination of the Moravian
element.
Col. William Crawford led the expedition, which counted 500 men, in their
dastardly work. Warning had in some manner reached the towns, and
the troops found them deserted. But the Indians were incensed, and
their wrath had not driven them to hiding-places, but to a preparation to
meet their foes. They fought desperately, and Crawford's troops Avero defeated
and scattered, many being captured, and among them. Col. Crawford himself.
It is hardly probable that Crawford could justly expect much mercy at the
hands of his captors. His battle-cry had been "no quarter," and yet he evi-
dently hoped for some consideration, as he requested an interview with Simon
Girty, who lived with and influenced the Indians. Accounts state that Craw-
ford implored the aid of Girty, and at last secured a promise to use his power
to obtain the Colonel's pardon. However, this was of no avail, and it is doubt-
ful whether Girty was disposed to intercede. The prisoners were tortured and
put to death, and Crawford's agonies were protracted as long as possible. Dr.
Knight managed to disable the Indian who had him in charge, and made his
escape to the settlements, where he related the result of the expedition and the
tortures of the captured.
On October 27, 1784, a treaty was concluded, at Fort Stanwix, with the
sachems and warriors of the Mohawks, Onondagas, Senecas, Cayugas, Onei-
das and Tuscarawas, and the Six Nations then ceded to the Colonial Govern-
ment all claims to the country west of a line defined by the western boundary
to the Ohio — thus rendering the Indian claim to a large portion of Ohio lands
practically extinct.
Although the French and Indian war was a series of heart-rending events,
it was a serious and remarkable school of discipline for the untrained troops
which soon engaged in the Revolutionary struggle. On the fields of Ohio, many
valuable officers, who earned distinction in the war of independence, learned their
first lessons in intrepid valor.
During the Revolution, the colonial troops were engaged east of the moun-
tains, and western settlements and frontier people were left alone to defend them-
selves and their property against encroachments and attacks.
The Indian tribes again became belligerent, and united with the English
against the "Americans." The latter held a line of posts along the Upper
Ohio, while the British were stationed in the old French strongholds on the
lakes and the Mississippi. The unscrupulous whites and Indians ranged at ran-
dom between this boundary and the Cuyahoga, thence southerly to the Ohio,
102 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
thus including the Scioto and Miami Valleys. Southeastern Ohio constituted
"the neutral ground."
Gen, Clarke's expedition, although chiefly confined to Indiana and Illinois,
-greatly influenced the settlement of Ohio. His exploits and the resolution of
his troops were chiefly instrumental in holding the country west of the Alle-
ghanies, and insuring its possession by the United States during the Revolution.
The British had been emphatic, in the Paris treaty, at the time of the settlement
of the French and English difficulties, in demanding the Ohio River as the
northern boundary of the United States. The American Commissioners relied
upon Gen. Clarke's valor and energy in holding the country west of the Alle-
ghanies, which he had conquered, and the British Commissioners were compelled
to give their consent, under civil and military measures. In 1783, by the
treaty of Paris, at the close of the Revolutionary war, the English relinquished
•-all rights to the fertile territory between the Alleghanies and the Mississippi,
•and the United States held undisputed possession.
January 10, 1786, Gens. Rufus Putnam and Benjamin Tupper circulated a
pamphlet, proposing the formation of a company for the purpose of settling the
Ohio lands, and soliciting the attention and consideration of all those desiring a
future home and prosperity. A meeting was also called, to assemble during the
following February, and select delegates to represent each county in Massachu-
.setts. These dignitaries should convene during the month of March, at the
"" Bunch of Grapes " tavern, in Boston, for the purpose of definitely forming the
association, and adopting such measures as would benefit all directly interested.
The meeting and " convention " followed, and the subscription books were opened.
One million dollars, chiefly represented by Continental certificates, was the
price of the land. The shares were valued at $1,000 each, and there was a
division of a thousand shares. The first payment was to be $10 per share, this
money to be set aside for such expenses as might accrue. A year's interest was
to be devoted to the establishment of the settlement, and those families who
^ere unable to incur the expense of moving were to be assisted. Those who
purchased shares to the number of twenty were entitled to a representation by
■an agent, who was permitted to vote for Directors. This plan matured and was
•acted upon during the following year. It may be that the action of Connecti-
>3ut, in ceding her territorial claims to the General Government, with few excep-
tions, greatly encouraged this new undertaking. That tract was, until recently,
designated the " Western Reserve " — an extent 170 miles from the western
boundary of Pennsylvania, and parallel thereto, being reserved.
On October 27, 1787, a contract was made between the Board of the Treas-
ury, for the United States, and Manasseh Cutler and Winthrop Sargent, agents
for the Directors of the New England Ohio Company, for the purchase of a tract
of land, bounded by the Ohio, and from the mouth of the Scioto to the inter-
section of the western boundary of the seventh townships, then surveying ;
.thence by said boundary to the northern boundary of the tenth township from
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 103
the Ohio ; thence, by a due west line, to the Scioto ; thence, by the Scioto, to
the beo-innino-.
o o
However fertile and attractive Ohio was known to have been, settlement did
not gain rapidly after the close of the war with England, although the United
States has gained her freedom. It was more than six years after Cornwallis
laid down his sword, before a white settlement was formed on the Ohio side of the
river. The French and Indian war had incited the English to be jealous of her
colonial conquests, and mistrusting their loyalty, they had, so soon as the French
claims were annulled, taken measures to crush all colonial claims also, and a
royal proclamation rescinded all colonial land grants and charters, holding all
the country west of the sources of the Atlantic rivers under the protection and
sovereignty of tlie king of Great Britain, for the use of the Indians. All white
persons were forbidden to remain or settle within the prescribed limits. Parlia-
ment then attached this tract to Quebec, and the English Government felt assured
that the thirteen colonies were restricted and held secure east of the Alleghanies..
The result of the war between the colonies and England did not constitute
an Indian treaty. Although England signed over her title and right, the sava-
ges held the land and ignored all white agreements, one way or the other.
Whenever an attempt at settlement was undertaken, Indian depredations proved
disastrous. The tribes were encouraged by the English fur traders, and the-
English commandant at Detroit incited them to destroy all Americans who
attempted to usurp the rights of red men.
Added to this serious difficulty was the unsettled debate regarding State
claims, Avhich rendered a title precarious. A treaty, signed at Fort Mcintosh,,
previous to the war, and authenticated, shows that during the conflict the Dela-
wares and Wyandots occupied the Indian and British frontier, on the southern
shore of Lake Erie, from the Cuyahoga to the Maumee, and from the lake to
the sources of its tributaries. Later, these two tribes ceded to the United
States "the neutral ground," by warranty deed, and by quit-claim, the terri-
tory south and west of the described tract, set apart for their use.
By special measures, the grant of Congress in the matter of the Ohio Com-
pany extended to nearly 5,000,000 acres, valued at |3,500,000. The original
Ohio Company obtained 1,500,000 acres, the remaining being reserved by indi-
viduals, for private speculation.
The same year, Congress appointed Arthur St. Clair, Governor, and Win-
throp Sargent, Secretary, of the Territory.
Fort Harmar had previously been built, at the mouth of the Muskingum,,
and in 1788, a New England colony attempted the " Muskingum settlement,'*
on the opposite side, which was afterward named Marietta, In July, 1788, the
Territorial officers were received in this village, and there established the first
form of civil government, as set forth in the Ordinance of 1787. Three United
States Judges were appointed, and Courts of Common Pleas, Probate and
Justice were established.
104 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
If the Stormy times were supposed to be of the past, that composure was
rudely broken by the utter disregard of the Shawnee and other Indian tribes,
who soon induced the Delawares and Wyandots to repudiate their consent in the
matter of settlement. The miseries of frontier horrors Avere repeated. The
British commandant at Detroit instigated many of these hostilities, yet the
American Government took honorable action in assuring the English represent-
ative that American military preparations in the West was not an expedition
against Detroit, or other British possessions, although the possession of Detroit
by that nation was in direct opposition to the treaty of 1783. Gov. St. Clair,
to avert the direful consequences of a border war, dispatched a Frenchman,
Gameline, to the principal Indian towns of the Wabash and Maumee countries,
to request them to meet the United States agents, and make a compromise for
the benefit of both parties, at the same time reiterating the desire of the General
Government to adhere to the Fort Harmar treaty. The Miamis, Shawnees,
Ottawas, Kickapoos and Delawares received this representative kindly, but
declined the wampum sent by the Governor, and deferred giving an answer
until they had considered the subject with the " father at Detroit.''
Blue Jacket, chief of the Shawnees, informed the Frenchman that the Indi-
ans doubted the sincerity of the Americans. The new settlement on the Ohio
was a proof that the whites intended to crowd further and further, until the
Indians were again and again robbed of their just right. He then emphatically
asserted that unless the north side of the river was kept free from these inroads
there could be no terms of peace with the Shawnees, and many other tribes.
Blue Jacket was unusually intelligent and sagacious, and expressed himself
eloquently. He was persistent in his determination to engage in the war of
extermination, should the white settlements continue north of the Ohio.
These overtures were continued, but they failed in producing any arrange-
ment that permitted the whites to locate north of the Ohio.
Congress called upon Kentucky and Pennsylvania to lend the aid of their
militia. Gen. H^irmar was instructed to destroy the Miami villages at the
head of the Maumee. Late in the fall of 1790, he executed this order.
The Indians had stored a large quantity of provisions, in expectation of a
campaign, and this dependence was devastated. Without authority, and with
undue carelessness, he divided his army and attempted to achieve other victo-
ries. He more than lost what he had gained. Two raids upon the Wabash In-
dians, thereafter, proved successful, but the campaign under Gov. St. Clair was
not calculated to establish peace or obtain power, and was deemed but little less
than a failure.
The year 1792 was a series of skirmishes, so far as a settlement was con-
cerned, but 1793 succeeded well enough to convene a meeting of United States
Commissioners and representatives of the hostile tribes, at the rapids of the
Maumee. It is highly probable that a satisfactory treaty might have been
arranged, had it not been for the intervention and malicious influence of the
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 105
British Superintendent of Indian Affairs, Col. McKee, his assistant Capt.
Elliott, and the notorious Capt. Simon Girty, who instigated the savages to
deeds more horrible than their own barbarisms.
It Avas evident that a severe struggle must ensue, and Capt. Wayne, in
1792, appointed to the command of the Western army, was called upon to con-
duct the campaign. He exhibited his wisdom in the beginning, by preparing
his men in military discipline and fully equipping them before marching to meet
a savage foe in a wilderness. Various causes detained the army, and it was not
until the fall of 1793, that the force marched from Fort Washington (Cincin-
nati) to begin the battle.
It was already late in the season, and, before any progress had been made,
the army went into winter quarters at Greenville, on a branch of the Big
Miami.
In the mean time, the Ohio Company had not matured its practical "settle-
ment plan," although a generous grant had been obtained. In 1792, they
received a clear title to 750,000 acres of land, for which the full price had pre-
viously been paid, in Continental currency. Congress set aside 214,285 acres
as army bounties, and 100,000 acres to actual settlers. The two latter appro-
priations joined that of the Ohio Company.
There had been numerous conventions, discussions and other fruitless
attempts to somehow form a plan for the government of the Northwest Terri-
tory, but it was not until July 13, 1787, that an ordinance was passed, and that
was the result of Dr. Cutler's efforts. Every State sustained its measures.
This ordinance was the foundation of the constitution of the future State of
Ohio, and indeed, permeates the entire Northwestern creed.
ORDINANCE OF 1787.— No. 32.
An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States, Northwest of
THE Ohio River.
Be it ordained by the United States in Congress assembled, That the said Territory, for the pur-
pose of government, be one district; subject, however, to be divided into two districts, as future cir-
cumstances may, in the opinion of Congress, make it expedient.
Be it ordained by the authority aforesaid, That the estates of both resident and non-resident
proprietors in the said Territory, dying intestate, shall descend to and be distributed among their
children and the descendants of a deceased child, in equal parts; the descendants of a deceased
•child or grandchild to take the share of their deceased parent in equal parts among them. And
when there shall be no children or descendants, then in equal parts to the next of kin in equal
degree ; and among collaterals, the children of a deceased brother or sister of the intestate shall
ha-ve, in equal parts among them, their deceased parent's share; and there shall in no case be a
distribution between kindred of the whole and half blood, saving in all cases to the widow of
intestate, her third part of the real estate, for life, and one-third part of the personal estate ; and
this law relative to descents and dower, shall remain in full force until altered by the Legis-
lature of the district. And until the Governor and Judges shall adopt laws as hereinafter
mentioned, estates in said Territory may be devised or bequeathed by wills in writing, signed
and sealed by him or her in whom the estate may be (being of full age), and attested by three
witnesses ; and real estate may be conveyed by lease and release, or bargain and sale, signed and
sealed, and delivered by the person (being in full age) in whom the estate may be, and attested
106 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
by two witnesses, provided such wills be duly proved, and such conveyances be acknowledged, or
the execution thereof duly proved and be recorded within one year after proper magistrates,
courts and registers shall be appointed for that purpose. And personal property may l)e trans-
ferred by delivery, saving, however, to the French and Canadian inhabitants and other settlers of
the Kaskaskias, St. Vincent's and the neighboring villages, who have heretofore professed them-
selves citizens of Virginia, their laws and customs now in force among them, relative to the
descent and conveyance of property.
Be it ordained by the authoritij aforesaid. That there shall be appointed from time to time, by
Congress, a Governor whose commission shall continue in force for a term of three years, unless
sooner revoked by Congress. He shall reside in the district and have a freehold estate thei-ein,
of a thousand acres of land while in the exercise of his office.
There shall be appointed from time to time by Congress, a Secretary whose commission shall
continue in force for two years, unless sooner revoked. He shall reside in the district, and shall
have a freehold estate therein in 500 acres of land, while in the exercise of his office. It shall be
his duty to keep and preserve the acts and laws passed by the Legislature, and the public lecords
of the district, and the proceedings of the Governor in his executive department, and transmit
authentic copies of such acts and proceedings every six months, to the Secretary of Congress.
There shall also be appointed a court to consist of three Judges, any two of whom to form a
court, who shall have a common law jurisdiction and shall reside in the district and have each,
therein a freehold estate in 500 acres of land, while in the exercise of their office, and their
commissions shall continue in force during good behavior.
The Governor and Judges, or a majority of them, shall adopt and publish in the district
such laws of the original States, criminal and civil, as may be necessary and best suited to the
circumstances of the district, and report them to Congress from time to time, which laws shall be
in force in the district until the organization of the General Assembly therein, unless disapproved
by Congress. But afterwai'd, the Legislature shall have authoi'ity to alter them, as thej^ shall
think fit.
The Governor, for the time being, shall be commander-in-chief of the militia, appoint and
commission all officers in the same, below the rank of general officers. All general officers shall
be appointed and commissioned by Congress.
Previous to the organization of the General Assembly, the Governor shall appoint such mag-
istrates and other civil officers in each county or township, as he shall find necessary for the
preservation of the peace and good order in the same. After the General Assembly shall be
organized, the powers and duties of magistrates and other civil officers shall be regulated and
defined liy the said Assembly, but all magistrates and other civil officers not herein otherwise
directed, shall, during the continuance of this temporary government, be appointed by the
Governor.
For the prevention of crimes and injuries, the laws to be adopted or made shall have force
in all parts of the district, and for the execution of process, criminal or civil, the Governor shall
make proper divisions thereof, and he shall proceed from time to time as circumstances may
require, to lay out the parts of the district in which the Indian titles shall have been extin-
guished, into counties and townships, subject, however, to such alterations as may thereafter be
made by the Legislature. So soon as there shall be 5,000 free male inhabitants of full age in the
district, upon giving proof thereof to the Governor, they shall receive authority with time and
place, to elect representatives from their counties or townships, to represent them in the General
Assembly. Provided, That for every 500 free male inhabitants, there shall be one representative,
and so on progressively with the number of free male inhabitants, shall the right of representa-
tion increase, until the number of representatives shall amount to twenty-five. After which, the
number shall be regulated by the Legislature. Provided, That no person be eligible or qualified
to act as a representative unless he shall have been a citizen of one of the United States three
years, and be a resident in the district, or unless he shall have resided in the district three
years, and in either case, shall likewise hold in his own right in fee simple 200 acres of land-
within the same.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 107
Provided, Also, that a freehold in 50 acres of land in the district, having been a citizen of
one of the States, and being a resident in the district, or the like freehold and two years' resi-
dence in the district, shall be necessary to qualify a man as an elector of a representative.
The representatives thus elected, shall serve for the term of two years. And in case of the
death of a representative or removal from office, the Governor shall issue a writ to the county or
township for which he was a member, to elect another in his stead, to serve for the residue of the
term.
The General Assembly or Legislature shall consist of the Governor, Legislative Council, and
a House of Representatives. The Legislative Council shall consist of five members, to continue
in office five years, unless sooner removed by Congress; any three of whom to be a quorum.
And the members of the Council shall be nominated and appointed in the following manner, to wit :
As soon as representatives shall be elected, the Governor shall appoint a time and place for
them to meet together, and when met, they shall nominate ten persons, residents in the district,
and each person in a freehold in 500 acres of land, and return their names to Congress, five of
whom Congress shall appoint and commission as aforesaid. And whenever a vacancy shall hap-
pen in the Council by death or removal from office, the House of Representatives shall nominate
two persons, qualified as aforesaid, for each vacancy, and return their names to Congress, one of
whom Congress shall appoint and commission for the residue of the term. And every five years,
four months at least before the expiration of the time of service of the members of the Council,
the said House shall nominate ten persons qualified as aforesaid, and return their names to
Congress, five of whom Congress shall appoint and commission to serve as members of the
Council five years, unless sooner removed. And the Governor, Legislative Council and House
of Representatives shall have authority to make laws in all cases, for the good government
of the district, not repugnant to the principles and articles in this Ordinance, established and
declared.
And all bills having passed by a majority in the House, and by a majority in the Council,
shall be referred to the Governor for his assent. But no bill or legislative act whatever, shall be
of any force without his assent. The Governor shall have power to convene, prorogue and dis-
solve the General Assembly, when in his opinion it shall be expedient.
The Governor, Judges, Legislative Council, Secretary, and such other officers as Congress
shall appoint in the district, shall take an oath or affirmation of fidelity and of office. The Gov-
ernor before the President of Congress, and all other officers before the Governor.
As soon as a Legislature shall be formed in the district, the Council and House assembled
in one room, shall have authority by joint ballot to elect a delegate to Congress, who shall
have a seat in Congress, with a right of debating, but not of voting, during this temporary gov-
ernment.
And for extending the fundamental principles of civil and religious liberty, which forms
the basis whereon these republics, their laws and constitutions, are created ; to fix and establish
those principles as the basis of all laws, constitutions and governments, which forever hereafter
shall be formed in said Territory. To provide for the establishment of States, and permanent
governments therein, and for their admission to a share in the Federal Council on an equal footing
with the original States, at as early periods as may be consistent with the general interest.
It is hereby ordained and declared by the authority aforesaid, That the following articles shall
be considered as articles of compact between the original States and the people, and States in
said Territory, and forever remain unaltered unless by common consent, to wit :
Article II. The inhabitants of said Territory shall always be entitled to the benefits of the
writ of habeas corpus, and of the trial by jury ; of a proportionate representation of the people
in the Legislature, and of judicial procedure according to the course of common law. All per-
sons shall be bailable, except for capital offenses, where the proof shall be evident or the pre-
sumption great. All fines shall be moderate, and no cruel or unreasonable punishment shall be
inflicted. No man shall be deprived of his liberty or property, but by the judgment of his peers
or the law of the land. And should the public exigencies make it necessary for the common
preservation, to take any person's property, or to demand his particular services, full compensation
108 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
shall be made for the same. And in the just preservation of rights and property, it is under-
stood and declared that no law aught ever to be made or have force in the said Territory,
that shall in any manner whatever interfere with or effect private contracts or engagements bona
fide and without fraud, previously formed.
Art. III. Religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the
happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged. The
utmost good fixitli shall always be observed toward the Indians; their lands and property shall
never be taken from them without their consent ; and in their property, rights and liberty they
shall never be invaded or disturbed, unless in just and lawful wars authorized by Congress. But
laws founded in justice and humanity, shall from time to time be made for preventing wrongs
being done to them, and for preserving peace and friendship with them.
Art. IV. The said Territory and the States which may be forined therein, shall ever remain
a part of the confederacy of the United States of America, subject to the articles of confedera-
tion, and to such alterations therein as shall be constitutionally made, and to all the acts and
ordinances of the United States in Congress assembled conformable thereto. The inhabitants and
seitlers in said Territory shall be subject to pay a part of the federal debts contracted or to be
contracted, and a proportional part of the expenses of the Government, to be apportioned on
them by Congress, according to the same common rule and measure by which apportionments
thereof shall be made on the other States, and the taxes for paying their proportion shall be laid
and levied by the authority and directions of the Legislature of the district or districts or new
States, within the time agreed upon by the United States in Congress assembled. The Legisla-
tures of those districts or new States, shall never interfere with the primary disposal of the soil
by the United States in Congress assembled, nor with any regulations Congress may find neces-
sary for securing the title in such soil to the bona-fide purchasers. No tax shall be imposed on
lands the property of the United States, and in no case, shall non-residents be taxed higher than
residents. The navigable waters leading into the Mississippi and St Lawrence, and the carry-
ing places between the same, shall be common highways, and forever free as well to the inhabi-
tants of the said Territory as to the citizens of the United States and those of any other States
that may be admitted into the confederacy, without any tax, impost or duty therefor.
Art. V. There shall be formed in said Territory not less than three, nor more than five,
States, and the boundaries of the States, as soon as Virginia shall alter her act of cession and
consent to the same, shall become fixed and established as follows, to wit: The western State in
the said Territory shall be bounded by the Mississippi, the Ohio, the Wabash Rivers ; a direct
line drawn from the Wabash and Post St. Vincent, due north to the Territorial line between the
United States and Canada ; and by the said Territorial line to the Lake of the Woods and Missis-
sippi. The middle State shall be bounded by the said direct line, the Wabash from Post St. Vin-
cent to the Ohio, by the Ohio, by a direct lino drawn due north from the mouth of the Great
Miami to the said Territorial line. The eastern State shall be bounded by the last-mentioned
direct line, the Ohio, Pennsjdvania and said territorial line. Provided, however, and it is further
understood and declared, that the boundaries of those three States shall be subject so far to be
altered, that, if Congress shall hereafter find it expedient, they shall have authority to form one
or two States in that part of the said Territory which lies north of an east and west line drawn
through the southerly bend or extreme of Lake Michigan. And whenever any of the said States
shall have 60,000 free inhabitants therein, such State shall be admitted by its delegates into the
Congress of the United States on an equal footing with the original States in all respects what-
ever, and shall be at liberty to form a permanent constitution and State government. Provided,
The constitution and government so to be formed, shall be represented, and in conformity to the
principles contained in these articles ; and so far as it can be consistent with the general interest
of the confederacy, such admission shall be allowed at an earlier period, and when there may be
a less number of free inhabitants than 60,000.
Art. VI. There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said Territory,
otherwise than in the punishment of crimes whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.
Provided alwayn. That any person escaping into the same from whom labor or service is lawfully
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. lO'J
claimed in one of the original States, each fugitive may be lawfully claimed and conveyed to the
person claiming his or her labor or services as aforesaid.
Be it ordained by the authority aforesaid. That the resolutions of the 23d of April, 1784,
relative to the subject of this ordinance, be and the same are hereby repealed and declared null
and void.
The passage of this ordinance, since known as the " Ordinance of 1787,''
was immediately followed by an application to the Government, by John Cleves
Symmes, of New Jersey, in behalf of the country, between the Miamis, and a
contract was concluded the following year. The Ohio Company were exceed-
ingly energetic in inaugurating settlements. Gen. Putman, with a party of
forty-seven men, set out on an exploring expedition, accompanied by six boat
builders. On the 1st of January, 1788, twenty-six surveyors followed, from
Hartford, Conn. They arrived in Ohio on the 7th of April, 1788, and their
active energy founded the permanent beginning of this great Western State-
When we review the dangerous experiments that have been made, in this land
west of the Alleghanies, the horrors which had overwhelmed every attempt, we
can faintly realize the stalwart courage that sent these men on their way, and
sustained them in their pioneer hardships. With characteristic vigor, thQy
began their little town. Enthusiastic and happy, they did not rest from their
toilsome march over the old Indian roads, but kept busily at work to estab-
lish an oasis in this wide expanse of wilderness, before they should take nec-
essary ease to recuperate their strength.
The wise men met on the 2d of May, and the little town was named
Marietta. Situated as it was, in the midst of danger, they had used precaution
to build and equip a fortified square, which was designated Campus Martius ;
Square No. 19 was Capitolium, and Square No. 61 was Cecelia, and the main
street was Sacra Via.
Marietta was especially fortunate in her actual "first families." Ten of the
forty-eight men had received a thorough college education ; the remaining were
individuals of sterling merit, honorable, and several had already attained reputations
for superior excellence of abilities. Patriotic and brave, the settlement certainly
possessed a foundation that promised well for the future. The following 4th of
July was an auspicious event, and the Hon. James M. Varnum was the eloquent
orator of the occason.
The opening of the court, on the 2d of September, was a solemn ceremonial,
the High Sheriff leading with drawn sword, followed by citizens, with an escort
of officers from Fort Harmar, the members of the bar, the Governor and Clergy-
men, the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas — Gen. Rufus Putman and
Benjamin Tupper — all these constituted an imposing spectacle, as they pro-
gressed over a path which had been cut through the forest to Campus Martius
Hall, the edifice of law and order.
The Judges took their seats, a prayer was offered by the Rev. Dr. Cutler,
and immediately the Sheriff, Col. Ebenezer Sprout, proclaimed the response,
and the court of impartial justice was convened.
110 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
This ceremonial was, perhaps, made all the more impressive by the presence
of several powerful Indian chiefs, who had journeyed to Marietta for the pur-
pose of making a treaty.
The settlement now increased rapidly, new cabins were erected constantly.
On the 17th of December, a society event occurred, in the form of a grand ball,
fifteen ladies being present.
John Cleves Symmes had contracted for 2,000,000 acres of land, and suc-
ceeded in obtaining his grant, but circumstances prevented him from meeting
his part of the obligations, and the specification was reduced to 1,000,000.
After vain attempt to make his payments, a settlement was finally effected for
248,540 acres, and Symmes was prepared to dispose of clear titles to new-com-
ers. In 1788, a town was established within the boundaries of his grant, at the
mouth of the little Miami, known as Columbia, and in the early part of 1787
another was formed opposite the mouth of the Licking River, by name Losanti-
ville, analyzed by a frontier scholar — ville, the town ; anti, opposite to ; os, the
mouth of; L, Licking.
Judge Symmes had projected b.uilding his main town at North Bend. This
plan was frustrated by reason of Ensign Luce — who had been commissioned by
Gen. Harmar to erect a fort — deciding that North Bend was not suitable for the
purpose. He selected Losantiville for the purpose, and Fort Washington was
the result. In 1790, Gov. St. Clair was called to inspect the settlement, and
proceeded to organize Hamilton County, at the same time calling the town
Cincinnati.
It will be remembered that Connecticut ceded most of her western lands to
General Government, retaining, however, a minor portion. As the settlements
began to increase on the "Virginia Reserve" and between the Scioto and Miami
Rivers, all those holding claims were not disposed to .part with them, while
others were anxious to secure grants for the purpose of speculation, rather than
the advancement of civilization. The Scioto Company was a questionable ad-
herent of the Ohio Company, and began operations, which resulted well, what-
ever their purpose may have been.
Gen. Putnam cleared the land and directed the building of 100 dwellings and
six block-houses. During 1791, the colony arrived, consisting of 500 persons.
Only ten of these were tillers of the soil. Viscount Malartie ventured into the
wilderness, but instead of settling, joined Gen. St. Clair's army, and was ulti-
mately his aid-de-camp. Indian conquests were not to his taste, and he soon
returned to France. This new colony was essentially French, and its location
was Gallia County. The name " Gallipolis " was selected.
These settlers, being unaccustomed to severe toil, and disinclined to learn
its hard lesson, soon became demoralized, through deprivation and aljsolute
want. Congress came to their aid with a land grant of 24,000 acres, but few
of them cared to enter claims, and soon all traces of the old town were lost, and
its inhabitants scattered.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. Ill
Gen. St. Clair having become unpopular, through repeated failures in Indian
campaigns, and Gen. Anthony Wayne having wintered at Fort Washington,
the spring of 1793 was opened by a march of the army, well disciplined and
led by ''Mad Anthony," on a campaign that must crush the rapidly increasing
depredations of the Indians, notwithstanding which these new settlements had
been made. All winter, Gen. Wayne had dispatched scouts, spies and hardy
frontiersmen on errands of discovery, and his plans Avere, therefore, practically
matured. His army cut its way through the forests, gathering horses, provis-
ions, etc., as they marched, and finally came nearly up to the enemy before dis-
covery. They again returned to Fort Washington, as the Commander-in-Chief,
under the order of the Executive, had proclaimed inaction until the Northern
or British Commissioners and Indians should convene and discuss the situation
and prospects. Gen. Wayne, meantime, drilled his men at " Hobson's Choice,"
a place near Fort Washington.
The Commissioners came from Detroit, and assembled at Capt. Matthew
Elliot's house, at the mouth of the Detroit River.
A meeting was called at Sandusky, and twenty Indian representatives were
present, to argue the grounds of a treaty. Simon Girty acted as interpreter,
and has been vehemently accused of unfaithfulness in this trust, since he did
not advocate the adjustment of matters on any grounds. The Indians reiterated
their rights and wrongs, and offered to receive the half of the purchase money,
provided the actual settlers would accept it as the price of the land, move away,
and leave the original owners the proud possessors of their lands. The Govern-
ment would then expend less money than they would have done in a full Indian
purchase, or a long and cruel war.- This being out of the question and rejected,
a decided specification was made that the Ohio boundary was to be obliterated,
and a new one adopted, that encompassed a mere fraction of territory. This
was also rejected. The Indians indignantly bade the Americans to go back to
their father, and they would return to their tribes.
The council was terminated in confusion. It is highly probable that some
settlement might have been made, had it not been for English influence which
instigated the savages, in the hope of ultimately making conquests for them-
selves. The commander at Detroit evinced great uneasiness whenever there
was a shadow of an opportunity for a peaceful understanding.
On Christmas Day, 1793, a detachment of the army encamped on the
identical ground made memorable by St. Clair's horrible defeat. A reward was
offered for every human skull that was found, and 600 were gathered. The
bones of the victims were removed from the spot where they built Fort Recovery.
This point was left in charge of Alexander Gibson.
Early in the year 1794, Lord Dorchester addressed the Commissioners in
behalf of the English. Even at this time, Gen, Wayne, to avoid the terrors of
a great war, again made overtures of peace, dispatching Freeman, Trueman and
Hardin, all initiated in savage tactics, on errands of mercy — and the three men
112 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
•
yet'e inhumanly murdered. The English went so far as to order Gov. Simcoe
to erect a fort, in April, 1794, on the Rapids of the Maumee, thus rousing the
Indians by a bold proof that they had espoused their cause. In May, the
Spanish, who were ever jealous of colonial encroachments, were willing to aid
in a general raid against the Americans.
In June, a scouting party from Fort Recovery, fell into an Indian ambush
and suffered severely, their foes following them to the very entrance. The siege
cor.tinued for two days. It was plainly evident that white men augmented the
Indian force ; ounce- balls and buck-shot surely came from their rifles. Again,
the Indians immediately began a search beneath the logs where pieces of artillery
were hidden during the great battle of St Clair, but fortunately, Fort Recovery
had the use of them and they accomplished much.
On July 26, Scott joined Wayne at Greenville, with 1,600 mounted
Kentuckians, and on the 28th, the legion took up its line of deadly march.
Halting at Girty's Town, they built Fort Mary's, later on Fort Adams. Throw-
ing the enemy off their guard by feints and counter-marching, the troops surprised
the Indians, and without the slightest resistance took possession of their villages
at the confluence of the Auglaize and Maumee. They found provision in
abundance, and tarried a week building Fort Defiance.
Again Gen. Wayne would have made terms of peace, on the principle of the
Government to arrest bloodshed, but the Indians were rendered cruelly intent
on war by an addition of a body of British militia from Detroit, and by regulars
stationed at a fort they had built on the left bank of the river, below the rapids,
called Fort Miami. The " Fallen Timber " ground was selected as the field
for a battle by the savages, in the expectation that the trees cast down by a
tornado and there remaining, would seriously impede American progress.
August 15th, Wayne marched down the river, and at Roche de Boeuf, erected
a fortification for their stores and luggage, naming it " Fort Deposit." On the
20th, the American army began the attack. Maj. Price and Maj. Gen. Scott
were heroic in their assistance, and after a sharp, deadly conflict, the enemy
was routed, fleeing in confusion, and leaving their dead and wounded strewn
thickly over the field. The savages were pressed to the front always, and wlien
the carnage was painful, the British troops not engaged looked on coolly from the
fort and offered no assistance, aiding their own, however, when possible. Gen.
Wayne being an ardent soldier, was apt to forget his position, and impetuout^Iy
place himself constantly in danger. Lieut. Harrison is reported to have
requested the General not to forget to give him field orders, in his own partici-
pation in the battle, and to have received the reply that the standing order loas
always to charge bayonets.
Notwithstanding the treaty of 1878, and the fact that the British were tres-
passing, they encroached upon the Ohio soil, and essayed to vindicate their
action by discarding American claims and recognizing the Indian rights, whereby
they might seek their own colonization and make treaties.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 11?:
Maj. Campbell was in command at Fort Miami, and Avlien lie saw the sava-
ges being cut down almost mercilessly, lie not only refrained from offering aid,
but when, in their desperate retreat, they attempted to enter the fort for pro-
tection, he ordered the doors closed in their faces.
On the following day, Campbell sent a message to Wayne, demanding a
reason for hostile action, adding that Great Britain was not now at war with the
United States. He received a characteristic reply.
During the Revolution, Detroit was an important British point, and the
Maumee was its outlet. Therefore, the English clung tenaciously to this pos-
session, giving, as it did, the advantage of the great fur trade. The English
Government evidently regretted ceding so much of her territory in the West,
and were searching for an excuse to quarrel and attempt to regain at least a part
of what they had lost. Their policy was to sustain the bitter hatred between
the Indians and the Americans.
The settlement of the Maumee Valley had been rapid, but the very name
was an agony of remembrance of frightful massacres and atrocities. Col.
McKee, the British Indian agent, and his assistant, Capt. Elliott, were from
Pennsylvania, but being Tories, they had assimilated with the Indians. They
joined the Shawnee tribe and married Indian wives, and made their fortunes
thereby, through British appointments to secure the savage interests. The
Indians were directly served by McKee and Elliott, with ammunition and sup-
plies, during the Wayne conflict.
Several skirmishes ensued, but severe weather approaching, the troops
moved for quarters, and on the 14th day of September, they attacked the Miami
villages, captured them with provisions and stores, and erected a fort, leaving
it in charge of Lieut. Col. Hamtramck. With cheers and rifle-shooting, this post
was named Fort Wayne. The main army marched into Greenville and went into
winter quarters.
Wayne had achieved a brilliant victory, but his success did not overcome his
practical reasoning, and he was unwilling to subject his men to a severe winter's
campaign unless necessity was peremptory.
Gov. Simcoe, Col. McKee and a few of the most savage Indian chiefs
attempted to rally the Indians for a new attack. Gov. Simcoe, of Detroit, was
aware that the mounted volunteers under Wayne had been allowed to return
home, and that the term of service of a portion of the " Legion " was about to
expire.
The British and Indians held a conference, but the latter were weary with
fighting for the glory of the Great Father at Detroit, and did not enter into the
plan. The winter proved most poverty stricken to them, the English failing to
supply them, and their crops and sustenance having been destroyed by Wayne.
They were then fully prepared to listen to the faintest signal from Wayne to
conciliate affairs, and the Wyandots and Delawares were the first to confer with
him on the subject. Their position was exposed and they had suffered severely.
114 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
They soon influenced other tribes to consider the question. As a mass, they
were convinced of their inability to overcome the Americans, and had become
impatient and disgusted with the duplicity of their British friends, who had not
hesitated to sacrifice them in every instance, and who deserted them in their
hour of distress. United, they sued for peace. Terms were made, and about
the 1st of August, the famous Greenville treaty was ratified and established,
and the old Indian war in Ohio terminated.
Tlie Wyandots, Delawares, Shawnees, Chippewas, Ottawas, Pottawatomies,
Miamis, Eel Rivers, Weas, Kickapoos, Piankeshaws and Kaskaskias were thus
conciliated. The old Indian boundary line, settled upon at the Fort Mcintosh
treaty, was retained, and the southwestern line was prolonged from old Fort
Recovery, southwest of the Ohio River.
" The general boundary lines between the lands of the United States and
the lands of the said Indian tribes shall begin at the mouth of the Cuvahoca
River, and thence run up the same to the portage between that and the Tus-
carawas Branch of the Muskingum ; thence down that branch to the crossing-
place above Fort Laurens ; thence westerly to a fork of that branch of the
Great Miami River (running into the Ohio), at or near which fork stood Lar-
amie's store — Mary's River, which is a branch of the Miami that runs into Lake
Erie ; thence a westerly course to Fort Recovery, which stands on a branch of
the Wabash ; thence southwesterly on a direct line to the Ohio, so as to inter-
sect that river opposite the mouth of the Kentucky or Cuttawa River."
This boundary line has, ever since this memorable treaty, been a prominent
landmark, and may now be traced as the southern boundary line of Stark, Ash-
land, Richland and Marion Counties, and the northern line, in part, of Tuscar-
awas and Knox. Old Fort Recovery was located in Mercer, near the Indiana
line. Laramie's store was in Shelby.
Within the Indian Reservation, the United States held sixteen distinct sec-
tions of land, for the purpose of military posts, so arranged that the Govern-
ment had full right of way north and west.
The "Joy treaty " between England and the United States was ratified early
in 1796, and the British were obliged to vacate Detroit and Fort Miami, and recall
the fact that they had no claim or right to either points. Gen. Wayne received
them, and accompanied by Gov. St. Clair, proceeded to Detroit. Here the lat-
ter laid out a county, calling it Wayne, and designated Detroit as its seat of
justice. This was the fifth county in the Northwest Territory, north of the
Ohio River, Washington County, with Marietta as a seat of justice, was first
established ; next Hamilton, with Cincinnati as a county seat. Wayne County
was organized in 1796, and included about twenty-six of the present counties,
in the northwest part of the State, covering about a quarter of its area, besides
parts of Indiana and Michigan.
In other parts of the State, the population was rapidly increasing. In May,
1795, the Legislature authorized a committee to institute measures for the
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 117
disposal of their Western lands. The Virginia and Connecticut Reservations
required some action on the part of Government, inasmuch as ceding a portion
and re-selling had in a measure disturbed free titles. Fifty-six persons negoti-
ated and purchased lands, receiving quit-claim titles and entire rights. They
re-sold to John Morgan and John Caldwell and Jonathan Bi-uce, in trust. Thus
3,000,000 acres were prepared for settlement. Upon the quit-claim deeds of
these representatives, the full title of lands included within the old Western
Reserve rests.
Judge Symmes began his active operations in 1796, and by the close of
1797 all lands east of the Cuyahoga were laid out in townships, five miles square.
The agent of the Connecticut Land Company was Gen. Moses Cleveland, and in
his honor the leading city in the Reserve was named. Some townships were
retained for private sale, and others were disposed of by lottery, in 1798.
Wayne's treaty led to the formation of Dayton, and the peopling of that
section. A difficulty arose regarding the original Symmes grant and its modifi-
cation. Symmes had sold land titles, in good faith, beyond his vested power,
and Congress was now called upon to adjust these claims and titles. Seventeen
days after the Wayne or Greenville treaty, St. Clair, Wilkinson, Dayton and
Ludlow contracted with Symmes for seven and eight ranges, between the Mad
and Little Miami Rivers. November 4, 1795, Mr. Ludlow laid out Dayton.
During the years 1790 and 1795, the Governor and Supreme Judges of the
Northwest Territory had published sixty-four statutes. Thirty-four of these
were ratified at Cincinnati, for the purpose of forming a complete statutory. It
was termed the " Maxwell Code."
Mr. Nathaniel Massie founded a town on the Scioto, which was called
Chillicothe. The Iroquois treaty had previously invited settlement, and embryo
towns had begun as early as 1769, under the protection of the Connecticut
Company. A land company was organized in Hartford, Conn., in 1795, sending
out forty-three surveyors to divide the townships of that part of the Western
Reserve, east of the Cuyahoga, five miles square. The first resident of the town
of Cleveland was Mr. Job Stiles and family, and Mrs. Stiles was the mother of
the first white child born on the Reserve. Some other parts of the territory
progressed more rapidly in population.
Along the Muskingum, Scioto and Miami, towns began to spring up, which
might perhaps better be termed farming settlements.
Cincinnati was increasing, and in 1796, had reached 100 cabins, 15 frame
houses and 600 persons, with prospects for a firm future.
The Virginia Military Land District was between the Little Miami and
Scioto, and was rapidly increasing in population.
Mr. Massie was unceasing in his efibrts to advance the West, and laid out
Manchester, offering inducements that could not fail to attract settlers.
Ebenezer Zane procured a grant in consideration of opening a bridle path
from the Ohio River at Wheeling, over the country via Chillicothe, to Limestone,
118 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
in Kentucky. The year following, tlie United States mail was taken over
this route.
The comparatively tranquil condition of the country and the inducements it
had to offer encouraged a rapid settlement of the Territory. A prominent
feature of the early growth of Ohio was the general prevalence of reliable,
stanch principle. The people were of the good colonial stock.
In 1800, Chillicothe was denominated the seat of the Territorial govern-
ment, and the first stone edifice in the State was begun in this town, soon after
this appointment. About this time, a serious difficulty suddenly occurred to
those individuals who had taken lands on the Western Reserve of Connecticut.
That Eastern power had, it is true, ceded a part of her claim to the General
Government, and had stipulated for the sale of certain other tracts. At the
same time, the State had not signed away her jurisdiction over some sections of
her claim, and those unfortunate people in and about Dayton found themselves
without any government upon which they might depend in a case of emergency.
The matter was, accordingly, presented to the Territorial government, which
interceded with the Eastern State, and, sanctioned by the Assembly at Congress,
Connecticut relinquished her jurisdiction in 1800.
Cleveland was an important point, and was growing in the mean time. How-
ever, it had suSered exceedingly from the ravages of fever and ague. For a.
period of two months, there was not an individual, but a boy thirteen years
of age, able to procure food for the others. Flour was out of all rational con-
sideration, and the meal upon which they lived was pounded by hand. In
1799, Williams and Myatt erected a grist-mill at the falls, near Newbury.
A startling agitation occurred in 1801, which in these days would cause but a
ripple in the political sea, but happening during a time when legislative dignity
and state authority were regarded with reverential awe, it created the most
intense feeling. Great indignation was openly expressed.
The Governor and several legislators felt that they had been insulted in
the performance of their respective duties, at Chillicothe, while the Assembly
was in session in 1801. No measures being taken by the authorities at the
capital to protect the Executive, a law was passed removing the seat of govern-
ment to Cincinnati.
This circumstance led to a general consideration of the advantages of a
State government, and a popular desire was expressed for a change in this
respect. Gov. St. Clair had fallen into disfavor through his failure as a military
leader and his failures in the Indian campaigns, and from his assuming powers
which were not vested in him, especially the subdivision of counties. He was
also identified with the Federal party, which was not popular in Ohio. The
opposition was strong in the Assembly, but was in the minority in the House of
Representatives. The boundary question was agitated at the same time. The
intention was to thus effect the limits of Ohio that a State government would
necessarily have to be postponed. Against this measure. Tiffin, Worthington,
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 119
Longham, Darlington, Massie, Dunlavy and Morrow strenuously objected. After
considerable discussion, Thomas Worthington obtained leave of absence from
the session, and journeyed to Washington in behalf of a State government. It
was obvious that the Territory, under the ordinance, was not entitled to a
change. Massie suggested the feasibility of appointing a committee to address
Congress on the subject. This the House refused to pass.
An effort was then made to take a census, but any action on this subject
was postponed until the next session.
During all this ineffectual struggle, Worthington was doing his best in Wash-
ington, and succeeded so well that on March 4, a report was made to the House
in favor of the State government. This report was made on a basis that the
census, in 1800, summed up over 45,000 for Ohio.
April 30, Congress passed a law carrying into effect the views expressed on
this subject. A convention met on November 1. Its members were generally
Jeffersonian in their views. Gov. St. Clair proposed to address them as their
chief executive magistrate. Several members resolutely opposed this action,
insisting upon a vote, which, through courtesy and not a sense of right, resulted
in permitting him to address them. He advised the postponement of the State
government until the original eastern portion of the State was sufficiently pop-
ulated to demand this right. Only one, out of thirty-three, voted to sustain
the Governor in these views.
The convention agreed to the views of Congress. November 29, the agree-
ment was ratified and signed, as was the constitution of the State of Ohio.
The General Assembly was ordered to convene the first Tuesday of March, 1803.
This was carried into effect. A constitution was framed for the new State,
adhering to the Ordinance of 1787. The rights and duties of citizens were
plainly set forth, and general business was transacted. The new State consti-
tution was signed by :
Edward Tiffin, President and Representative from Ross County.
Adams County — Joseph Darlington, Israel Donalson, Thomas Vinker.
Belmont County — James Caldwell and Elijah Woods.
Clermont County — Philip Gatch and James Sargent.
Fairfield County — Henry Abrams and Emanuel Carpenter.
Hamilton County — John W. Brown, Charles Willing Byrd, Francis Dun-
lavy, William Goforth, John Gitchel, Jeremiah Morrow, John Paul, John Riley^
John Smith and John Wilson.
Jefferson County — Rudolph Blair, George Humphry, John Milligan, Nathan
Updegraff and Bezaleel Wells.
Ross County — Michael Baldwin, James Grubb, Nathaniel Massie and F.
Worthinarton.
Washington County — Ephraim Cutler, Benjamin Ives Oilman, John Mc-
Intyre and Rufus Putnam.
Thomas Scott, Secretary.
120 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
The first Legislature of the State, under the new constitution, created eight
new counties, viz., Gallia, Scioto, Franklin, Columbiana, Butler, Warren,
Greene and Montgomery.
The first State officers were : Michael Baldwin, Speaker of the House ; Na-
thaniel Massie, President of the Senate; William Creighton, Secretary of
■State ; Col. Thomas Gibson, Auditor ; William McFarland, Treasurer ; Return
J. Meigs, Jr., Samuel Huntington and William Sprigg, Judges of the Supreme
€ourt ; Francis Dunlavy, Willis Silliman and Calvin Pease, Judges of the Dist-
rict Court.
The General Assembly held a second session in December, at which time
the militia law was revised, also giving aliens equal proprietary rights with native
citizens. The revenue system was modified and improved. Acts authorizing
the incorporation of townships were passed, and for the establishment of coun-
ties. Furthermore, Jacob White, Jeremiah Morrow and William Ludlow were
' authorized to locate a township for collegiate purposes, according to previous
-specified terms of Congress. The Symmes grant and the college specification
<;ollided materially, but the irregularity of the former was not to create any
inconvenience for the latter. Mr. Symmes had in good faith marked off this
township, but circumstances preventing the perfection of his plans, that lapsed
with the others, and the original township was now entered by settlers.
Accordingly, thirty-six sections, west of the Great Miami, were selected,
and are now held by the Miami University.
Gov. St. Clair, notwithstanding his unpopularity, was re-appointed.
Ohio was under a system of government which guaranteed the best improve-
ments'; her Legislature being composed of her best statesmen, and the laws
passed having the general interest of the people embodied in them.
A bill was passed, appropriating the net proceeds of the land lying within
:said State, sold by Congress after the 20th day of June, 1802, after deducting
all expenses incident to the same, to be applied to the laying-out of roads,
leading from the navigable waters emptying into the Atlantic to the Ohio, to
the said State, and through the same ; such roads to be laid out under the
authority of Congress, with the consent of the several States through which the
road shall pass. In conformity with these provisions, steps were taken, in 1805,
which resulted in the making of the Cumberland or National road.
Burr, at this time, began an organization for the ostensible purpose of
making a settlement on the Wachita, but his party being armed and his plans
not being frankly disclosed, an investigation proved that his real design was a
mutinous revolt against Governmental powers, and to gratify his ambition by
founding his own kingdom in Mexico, and defeating the Spanish. If success
crowned his efforts, his ultimate victory was to rupture the Union by forcing the
Western States to withdraw from their allegiance. By gaining an influence
over the noble but misguided Blennerhasset, he established his headquarters on
his island in the Ohio. The history of Burr's expedition is already well known.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 121
The final capture by Gov. Tiffin, of ten boats loaded with stores, on the Mus-
kingum, and four near Marietta, decided the fate of this scheme, and Burr was
finally arrested and put on trial May 22, 1807.
The advancement of the settlement of the State was in no manner impeded,,
and towns sprang up, farms were laid out, and all other improvements inaugu-
rated which tended to a permanent prosperity.
In 1808, Tecumseh left Greenville to join the Prophet on the banks of the
Tippecanoe, a tributary of the Upper Wabash, on a tract of land granted herein
by the Pottawatomies.
The Indians were virtually by treaty allowed but a small proportion of land
within the boundaries of the State, and were maintaining peaceful attitudes
toward the whites, with exceptional border depredations, which were settled by
mutual understanding.
Although the United States had gained independence, and was treating with
England as with other foreign powers, the British persisted in violating the
national rights of the United States, impressing American seamen into the
British service, seizing American vessels engaged with France in trade, and
otherwise violating the rights of an independent nation, at peace with the Brit-
ish power.
The mission upon which Henry was sent by the British, to create disturb-
ance between the States, and thus broken, to weaken the strength of the Gen-
eral Government, added fuel to the fire, and united indignation cried for war.
British agents again bargained with the Indians of the WalDash and Maumee
Valleys, desiring them to inaugurate another war upon the western sections and
to make a desperate attack upon the settlements south of the lakes. The Brit-
ish agent at Maiden negotiated in rifles, powder, ball, merchandise, lead, blank-
ets and shirts. The Indians were inspired again with the hope that the whites
would be driven back, and that all the country north of the Ohio would again-,
revert to them.
The Canadians in league with the English, gave the savages unlimited
quantities of whisky, which naturally aroused their fierce natures to acts of
violence and blood. It is highly probable that the use of liquor was the main
cause of the deterioration of the best traits of the Indian character, after the
Revolution. Again, many unscrupulous men upon the frontier did not hesi-
tate to commit the most merciless crimes against the Indians, such Avas the
prejudice against them, and the courts invariably failed to indict them for these-
atrocities. This error on the part of the Americans served to influence the-
savages against them.
At this time, the seats of justice were distant over a hundred miles each
from the other, uninhabited tracts frequently extending between them which were
absolute wildernesses. The routes were in many cases difficult and circuitous.
As early as 1808, there was a mail communication for the people on the
Lower Maumee, many days elapsing between the arrivals and departures of
122 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO
the same, however. Horace Gunn was the carrier. Benoni Adams brought
the news from Cleveland to the same point, his trip requiring a fortnight. It
must be remembered that this journey was mostly made on foot. The Black
Swamp could not be traversed in any other manner.
THE WAR OF 1812.
The war of 1812 can be called a continuation of the Revolution, with all
justice. Although rumors had reached Ohio, that active preparations Avere
being made for general action, no official tidings had been sent to Hull, com-
mander-in-chief of the Western forces.
The Secretary of War, instead of sending a special messenger directly to
Hull, communicated with the post adjacent, depending upon a continuation of
the news from that point. At the same time, advices Avere sent the British
post at Maiden and Detroit. Hull sent out a packet with official papers, stores,
etc., the day previous to that on which the official intelligence arrived that an
open rupture existed between the two poAvers, and this was of course captured.
The Western forces marched to Detroit and crossed over to Sandwich, pre-
paratory to attacking Maiden, a post most favorable for the transportation of
stores, troops, etc. which was therefore considered valuable.
Peter Minard first gave the news to the settlers^ of the Maumee. He had
heard from a Delaware chief, who assured him a general massacre was to take
place in the valley. Maj. Spaffiard paid no heed to this "idle fear," until a
fcAV days thereafter a messenger came to his quarters, reporting a band of fifty
Pottawatomies on the march to join the hostile tribes near Maiden. They had
plundered and burned Monclova, and had nearly reached the rapids.
The Major, with his family and settlers, immediately launched a barge on
the river and were able to reach old Fort Miami just as the savages reached
Maumee City. They could plainly Avitness the flames that devoured their old
homes. They kept on their way in their miserable craft, until they reached
Milan, where they learned that the entire country was in danger.
Although the Indians were defeated in the battle of Tippecanoe in the fall
■^of 1811, they plotted vigorously Avith the English for the invasion of Ohio.
Gen. William Hull marched from the southwestern part of the State
directly north, crossing the counties of Champaign, Logan, Hardin, Hancock
and Wood, establishing military posts along the route and cutting a Avay
through the Avilderness of the unsettled portions. He crossed the Maumee on
the 1st of July, and marched to Detroit.
Hull Avas evidently actuated in his succeeding disgraceful failures by two
fears — lack of confidence in the ability of his troops, and the belief that they
might desert him in action. He proclaimed freedom, and a necessity of sub-
mitting to the Canadians under existing circumstances. He held out induce-
ments to the British regulars to desert their cause and essayed to pacify the
savages, but he accomplished nothing beyond jeopardizing the American cause
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 123
and disgracing his army. His men became restless. Col. Miller and Col.
Cass were delighted when detailed on scouting expeditions, and did not hesi-
tate to attack advancing squads of the enemy. At last, an attack was made on
the Niagara frontier, and Hull speedily abandoned his project and collected his
forces at Detroit.
Meantime, Col. Proctor had reached Maiden, and quickly perceivino- the
advantage of .a post at that point, whereby he could cut off supplies and starve
Hull into subjection, he massed his forces about this section, captured Van
Horn and his two hundred men, and withstood the attack of Miller, althouo-h
he gained nothing by so doing. Again Hull displayed his weakness by recall-
ino; his forces from further molestations.
Gen. Brock, however, reached Maiden on the 13th of August, 1812, and
began war preparations.
Gen. Dearborn placed a force on the Niagara frontier, but an armistice was
made with the British. Hull dispatched a third party under Mc Arthur, to
open communications to the Raisin River.
Gen. Brock appeared at Sandwich and began to erect batteries, which Hull
would not allow to be molested. The result was, that on the 26th of Auo-ust
Detroit was surrendered to the enemy, and not a blow had been struck in its
defense.
By this dastardly act, 1,400 brave men who had not been permitted to
make a single effort to sustain the American cause, were surrendered to 300
English regulars, 400 Canadians and their Indian allies. Gen. Hull was, in
consequence of this series of "mistakes," accused of treason and cowardice
and convicted of the latter. By the middle of August, the British had gained
the control over most of the Northwestern Territory.
The appointment of William Henry Harrison to the position of com-
mander in chief of the Western forces, was most opportune. He speedily
raised a vigorous army, and advanced by three routes to the foot of the rapids.
Gen. Harrison commanded the right wing, and marched by the way of Upper
Sandusky, where he located his depot of supplies. Gen. Tupper commanded
the center, Fort McArthur, in Hardin County, being his base, while Gen. Win-
chester marched from Fort Defiance down the Maumee to the foot of the rapids.
A large force of British and Indians moved up the left bank of the Mau-
mee toward Fort Wayne, and Gen. Harrison, to intercept them, marched to
the confluence of the Auglaize with the Maumee.
Harrison was aware that the enemy would be also hemmed in by Win-
chester. The weather was rainy, and the prospects were that a most unfortun-
ate season was to follow the expected engagements. Harrison heard that
Winchester had reached Fort Defiance, and that the Indians and British were
retreating down the Maumee. He followed, and marched to Winchester's
camp, where he arrived in season to quell a mutiny under command of Col.
Allen, of the Kentucky troops.
224 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
In January, 1813, Winchester had reached the rapids, where he received
tidings that Frenchtown was menaced and exposed. Without orders, he sent a.
party to the rescue, which defeated the enemy. The weather was intensely
cold, and the company lay within eighteen miles of Maiden, where the enemy
was collected in full force, consequently re-enforcements must be dispatched
immediately or the town again left to its fate.
Winchester then marched with a force of 259 men, and upon arriving at
nightfall, insisted upon remaining on open ground, although warned repeatedly
that this would be a most dangerous experiment.
In the morning, he was surprised by the enemy, massed directly before
him, with a battery within three hundred yards of his camp, and a shower of
bombs, balls and grape-shot falling among his exposed troops, and the yells of
Indians reminding him of his fatal error. Lewis, who led the party out in the
beginning and had apprehended the danger, bravely defended himself behind
garden pickets. Winchester was defeated on the 22d of January, 1813, and
the Indians were permitted to massacre the prisoners and the settlers.
Harrison fell back to the foot of the rapids. On the 1st of February, he
began the construction of Fort Meigs. On the 27th of April, Proctor and
Tecumseh attacked this fort, and laid siege with the full expectation of success.
The stipulation was that Gen. Harrison was to be delivered to Tecumseh.
While the balls and bombs were making havoc with the fort, the Indians were
climbing trees and pouring a galling fire down upon the troops. Gen. Proctor
invited Harrison to surrender, which was politely declined, with the assurance
that the British General would have the opportunity to distinguish himself as a
soldier before such a proceeding was enacted.
Gen. Clay was descending the Maumee with 1,200 Kentuckians in flat
boats. Orders went from Harrison that 800 men should land on the left bank,
take and spike the British cannon, and then to enter the fort, from which
soldiers were to issue to assist the re-enforcements.
Capt. Hamilton was to pilot Gen. Clay to the fort, cutting their way
through. All succeeded. Col. Dudley taking the batteries and spiking the
cannon. But his men, too much elated by their success, against orders, and
against the repeated expostulations of Col. Dudley, insisted on pursuing the
Indians. Col. Dudley would not desert them. This act proved their ruin.
By a decoy, they were led into a defile which proved an ambush, and the men
found themselves surrounded by savages, without means of escape.
A most frightful massacre began, and every man would have fallen had not
Tecumseh sternly forbidden the cowardly carnage. One of his principal chiefs
ignored this order, and the next instant the great warrior buried his hatchet in
his head. The brave Col. Dudley was, however, tomahawked and scalped.
There were no immediate signs that the fort would be surrendered, and the
siege was raised on the 9th of May. It was renewed on the 20th of July, and
abandoned a few days later. The enemy decided this stronghold was invulnerable.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 125
On the 1st of August, the enemy proceeded to Fort Stevenson, at Lower
Sandusky, garrisoned by 150 men under Maj. Croghan. The fort had the
use of but one piece of cannon. The enemy with Tecumseh's Indians num-
bered 3,300 strong, with six pieces of cannon.
Gen. Proctor again tendered the offer to surrender, adding that a refusal
would only bring about a useless resistance, and a massacre by the Indians.
The reply was, that before the fort went over to the British, not an American
would be left to be massacred, as they should hold out to the last man. Proc-
tor opened fire. The first movement was an assault upon the northwest angle
of the fort, as if to make a breach and thus carry the works. The command-
ant strengthened that point by bags of sand, and during the night stealthily
placing his one cannon in a concealed position, he filled it with slugs.
The following day, the fire again swept the northwest corner, and, evening
approaching, a column of 350 men swept up within twenty yards of the walls.
They were met by the musketry, which had little effect, and the ditch was soon
filled with men. The next instant the hidden cannon, so placed as to sweep
the ditch, suddenly began action, and the surprised assailants quickly recoiled,
and the fort was saved, with the loss of only one man.
The next morning, the enemy had disappeared, evidently in haste, as guns,
clothing and stores were left behind. They had lost over one hundred and
fifty men by this useless attempt. Croghan had previously received orders to
evacuate the fort from Gen. Harrison, and his determination to hold the position
merited Harrison's reprimand and remand of commission. Such was the sev-
erity of military law. However, the rank of Colonel was immediately conferred
upon him by the President, for his gallantry. The ladies of Chillicothe pre-
sented him with an elegant testimonial in the shape of a sword.
It was decided to make a naval warfare effectual in the recovery of the
Northwestern Territory, and accordingly vessel-building began under Commo-
dore Perry's supervision.
The British looked upon this proceeding with derision, fully intending to
use these boats for their own purpose. They publicly proclaimed their intention.
By the 1st of August, 1813, Commodore Perry set sail a flotilla, the Law-
rence and the Niagara, of twenty guns each, with smaller vessels following.
Some difficulty was encountered in launching the larger vessels, on account of
the shallowness of the water.
Perry's first destination was Put-in-Bay, thirty miles from Maiden, where
the British fleet lay under the guns of the fort. On the 10th of September,
the British fleet — exceeding the American by ten guns — under Commodore
Barclay, appeared off Put-in-Bay, distant about ten miles. Perry immediately
set sail. The wind shifting, the Americans had the advantage.
Perry hoisted the Union Jack. A general preparation was made for the
conflict. An ominous silence settled over all as the fleets approached. A
bugle sounded on the enemy's ship Detroit, and a furious fire was opened upon
126 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
the Lawrence. The frightful and desperate battle that ensued is so familiar
that it is not necessary for us to repeat its details. It forever remains in his-
tory as a prominent, desperate struggle that turned the tide most decisively in
favor of the Americans. Hand to hand, for three hours, this furious struggle
surged, resulting in a pronounced victory for the Americans.
Commodore Perry immediately requested parole for his severely wounded
antagonist. Commodore Barclay. Capt. Elliott was at this engagement highly
commended by Perry for his bravery.
Gen. Harrison now made preparations to follow Proctor, and reached Mai-
den on the 27th of September.
Proctor had retreated to Sandwich, and thence Harrison followed him,
overtaking the enemy on the 9th of October, on the bank of the Thames. An
engagement ensued, which was not particularly marked in its events, but which
practically terminated the war in the Northwest.
Tecumseh fell during this battle, and his death disheartened the savages to
such an extent that they were willing to make terms of peace. Accordingly
a treaty was concluded on the 22d of July, 1814, with the Wyandots, Dela-
wares, Shawnees, Senecas and Miamis, the tribes engaged in hostilities.
Again Ohio was able to turn her attention to the improvements within her
own boundaries. Weary and disabled though she was, her ambition and
energy were unimpaired. The struggle had been severe, but a grand reward
had been won, and peace and independence belonged to these sturdy, earnest,
pioneers.
In 1815, a town was founded near Fort Meigs, and, in 1816, Gen. John
E. Hunt and Judge Robert A. Forsythe located at Maumee.
BANKING.
Up to the year 1817, Ohio had no banking system, and on the 28th of
January of that year, the United States Bank opened a branch at Cincinnati,
and yet another during the following October at Chillicothe. These branches
found a large amount of business to transact, and while being of assistance in
various ways to the State, also received a fine revenue themselves. The State
therefore resolved upon a tax levy, and, in 1819, the branches were to pay
^50,000 each, and the State Auditor was authorized to issue his warrant for
the collection of the same.
The bank branches demurred, but the State was decided, and the banks
accordingly filed a bill in chancery, in the United States Circuit Court, setting
forth reasons whereby their prayer that Ralph Osborn, State Auditor, should
be restrained from making such collection, should be seriously considered.
Osborn being counseled not to appear on the day designated in the writ, an
injunction was obtained, with the security given in the shape of bonds from the
bank, to the amount of $100,000. On the 14th of September, th© bank sent a
commissioner to Columbus, who served upon the Auditor a copy of the petition
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 127
for the injunction, and a subpoena to make an appearance before the court
on the first Monday in the following January. Osborn submitted both the
petition and the injunction to the Secretary of State, with his warrant for col-
lecting the tax. Legally, the matter was somewhat complicated. ,
The Auditor desired the Secretary of State to take legal advice, and if the
papers did not actually amount to an injunction, to give orders for the execu-
tion of the warrant.
The decision was that the papers did not equal a valid injunction. The State
writ for collection was therefore given over to John L. Harper, with direcftions
to enter the banking-house and demand the payment of the tax. In case of a
refusal, the vault was to be entered and a levy made upon the amount required.
No violence was to be used, and if force was used to deter the act, the
same Avas to be reported to a proper magistrate and an affidavit made to that
fact.
On September 17, Mr. Harper went about his errand, taking with him T.
Orr and J. MacCollister. After securing access to the vault, a demand was
made for the payment of the tax. This was promptly refused, and a notice
given of the granting of the injunction. This was disregarded, and the officer
seized $98,000 in gold, silver and notes. This was placed in charge of the
State Treasurer, Mr. H. M. Curry.
The officers were arrested and imprisoned by the United States Circuit
Court, and the money returned to the bank. The case was reviewed by
the Supreme Court, and the measures of the Circuit Court were sustained. The
State, therefore, submitted. In the mean time, the Legislature had prepared
and passed a resolution, as follows :
Resolved, by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, That in respect to the powers of the
Governments of the several States that compose the American Union, and the powers of the Fed-
eral Government, this General Assembly do recognize and approve the doctrines asserted by the
Legislatures of Kentucky and Virginia in their resolutions of November and December, 1798,
and January, 1800, and do consider their principles have been recognized and adopted by a
majority of the American people.
Resolved further. That this General Assembly do assert and will maintain by all legal and
constitutional means, the rights of States to tax the business and property of any private corpo-
ration of trade, incorporated by the Congi'ess of the United States, and located to transact its
corporate business within any State.
Resolved further. That the bank of the United States is a private corporation of trade, the
capital and business of which may be legally taxed in any State where they may be found.
Resolved further. That the General Assembly do protest against the doctrines that the politi-
cal rights of the separate States that compose the American Union and their powers as sovereign
States, may be settled and determined in the Supreme Court of the United States, so as to con-
clude and bind them in cases contrived between individuals, and where they are, no one of them,
parties direct.
The bank was thus debarred from the aid of State laws in the collection of
its dues and in the protection of its rights. An attempt was made to effect a
change in the Federal constitution, which would take the case out of the
United States Courts. This, however, proved ineffectual.
128 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
The banking system in Ohio has, by reason of State surveillance, not been
subjected to those whirlwind speculations and questionable failures which have
marked many Western States, in the establishment of a firm basis upon which
a banking law could be sustained, with mutual benefit to the institution and the
people.
THE CANAL SYSTEM.
In the first part of 1817, the Legislature considered a resolution relating
to a canal between Lake Erie and the Ohio River. No action was taken and
the subject was not again agitated until 1819. Gov. Brown appointed three
commissioners in 1820, for the purpose of employing an efiicient engineer and
such assistants as he deemed necessary, for the purpose of surveying a practical
route for this canal. The commissioners were restricted in their actions until
Congress should accept a proposition in behalf of the State, for a donation and
sale of the public lands lying upon and near the route of the proposed canal.
A delay was thus occasioned for two years.
In 1822, the matter was referred to a committee of the House of Repre-
sentatives. This committee approved and recommended the employment of the
engineer. They furthermore added illustrations to prove the feasibility of the
project.
James Geddes, a skillful engineer of New York, was in due time appointed
to the position and instructed to make the necessary examinations and sur-
veys.
The surveys were made, and estimates given of the expenses, which docu-
ments were laid before the Legislature at several sessions.
In 1825, an act Avas passed providing for the internal improvement of the
State by navigable canals. Directly thereafter, the State set vigorously about
the work of constructing two canals, one leading from the Ohio to Lake Erie,
by way of the valleys of the Scioto and Muskingum, the other from Cincinnati
to Dayton.
The first canal-boat from Cincinnati to Dayton, reached her destination in
1829, on the 25th of January. This outlet of communication was extended
to Lake Erie, and was completed in 1845. The largest artificial lake now
known is on the elevation between the Ohio and the lake, in Mercer County,
and supplies the St. Mary's feeder of the Miami Canal, about three miles dis-
tant, eastwardly. This reservoir is about nine miles long, and from two to
four broad.
Two walls of earth, from ten to twenty feet high, were formed, on the east
and west, Avhich united with the elevations north and south, surrounded this
basin. When the water was admitted, whole farms were submerged, and the
"neighbors" complained lest this overflow should tempt miasma. So great
was the excitement, that over one hundred and fifty residents of the county
united, and with shovels and spades, made a breach in the embankment.
Many holding prominent positions in the county were engaged in this work,
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 129
and all laid themselves liable to the State laws, which made the despoiling of
public works a penitentiary offense.
The matter was taken up by the courts, but a grand jury could not be
found in Mercer County to find a bill of indictment.
The officers who had charge of the work, ignored the law requiring the cut-
ing and saving of the timber on lands appropriated, for canal reservoirs. The
trees were ruthlessly girdled, and thousands of acres of valuable timber that
might have been highly desirable in the building of bridges, etc., were
destroyed. However, an adjustment was finally effected, and the work was
prosecuted with the entire approbation of the people, who were convinced that
convenient transportation was to be desired.
OHIO LAND TRACTS.
After the Indians relinquished all claims against the lands of those States
west of the Alleghanies, as they had been obtained by conquest, the United
States, as a government, owned the soil. When Ohio was admitted into the
Union, a stipulation was made that the fee simple to all the lands within its
boundaries, with the exception of those previously sold or granted, should vest
in the General Government. At the present writing, but few tracts remain
that can be called " public lands." In this, as in other States, tracts are des-
ignated by their pioneer signification or the purpose to which they were origi-
nally devoted. In Ohio, these tracts are known as :
1.
Congress Lands.
8.
Symmes' Purchase.
15.
Maumee Road.
2.
United States Military.
9.
Refugee Tract.
16.
School Lands.
3
Virginia Military.
10.
French Grant.
17.
College Lands.
4.
Western Reserve.
11
Dohrman's Grant,
18.
Ministerial Lands.
5.
Fire Lands.
12.
Zane's Grant.
19.
Moravian Lands.
6.
Ohio Company's Purchase.
13.
Canal Lands.
20.
Salt Sections.
7.
Donation Tract.
14.
Turnpike Lands.
The lands sold by the direct officers of the Government, under the direc-
tion of Congress, according to the laws, are known as Congress lands. They
are properly surveyed, and laid out in townships six miles square, under the
direction of the Government, and the expense incurred settled by Congress.
These townships are subdivided into sections, containing 640 acres. One sec-
tion is reserved, in every township, for educational purposes, to be utilized in
any manner approved by the State as being the best to aid the cause for which
they are assigned.
The Western Reserve will be remembered as the tract originally belonging to
Connecticut. It lies in the northeast quarter of the State. A half-million acres
were donated by the old Eastern State, when her claim was in force, to sufferers
from fire during the Revolutionary war, which created the name, " fire lands."
Many settled here whose homes were destroyed by the British during the war.
It will be remembered, that on account of discoveries by subjects of empires,
in the New World, the " Old World " kings laid claim to different portions
130 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
of the young continent. At that period, European knowledge of American
geographical positions and limits was exceedingly meager, which occasioned
several wars and more discussions. These Old-World sovereigns also assumed
the authority to sell or present tracts of land to their subjects, in those terri-
tories they deemed their own.
King Charles II of England granted to his loyal subjects the colony of
Connecticut, in 1662, placing with them a charter of right to all lands within
certain prescribed boundaries. But these " boundaries " frequently conflicted
with those of others, and sometimes extended to the Pacific Ocean, or " South
Sea," as it was then termed. Connecticut, by her original charter rights, held
all lands between the forty-first and forty-second parallels of north latitude, and
from Providence Plantation on the east, to Pacific Ocean on the west, except-
ing the New York and Pennsylvania colonies. As late as the establishment of
the United States as an independent government, those colliding claims fre-
quently engendered confusion and warm discussion between the nation and
Connecticut, regarding the original colony claim. This was compromised by
the national claims being relinquished in regard to the territorial claim in Ohio,
and Connecticut holding the 3,800,000 acres described as the " Western Reser-
vation." The Government held the right of jurisdiction.
In 1796, Congress set aside a certain division of land, to satisfy the claims
of ofiicers and soldiers of the Revolutionary war. It includes the 2,500,000
acres between the Greenville treaty line and the Congress and refugee lands,
and " VII ranges of townships," on the east, and the Scioto River, west. This
constitutes the " Military Tract." The " Virginia Military Tract " lies between
the Scioto and Little Miami Rivers, and extends south to the Ohio.
James I, in his authorized charter to the Virginia colony, in the year
1609, made rather visionary boundary lines, sweeping over the continent, west
of the Ohio River, " of the north and south breadth of Virginia." Virginia
reconciled the matter by relinquishing all her claims northwest of the Ohio
River, with the exception of a tract for the purpose of donating the same to her
troops of the Revolution — their claims demanding such a return in some section.
Unfortunately, this tract was not regularly surveyed, and conflicting "lines "
have given rise to litigation ever since that stipulation was made.
The Ohio Company's Purchase has already been described — as has the
Symmes Purchase.
The Refugee Tract covers an area of 100,000 acres, extending eastwardly
from the Scioto River forty-eight miles, in a strip of country four and one-half
miles broad, north to south. Columbus, the capital of the State, is situated in
the western portion. This land was donated by Congress to those individuals
who left the British dominions and rule, during the Revolution, and espoused
the American cause.
The French Tract borders on the Ohio River, in the southeastern quarter
of Scioto County. It includes 24,000 acres, and was ceded to those French
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 131
families that lost their claims at Gallipolis, through invalid titles ; 12,000 acres
were added, after the above grant of 1795.
Dohrman's Grant includes a section, six miles square, in the southeastern
portion of Tuscarawas County. It was granted to Arnold Henry Dohrman, a
Portuguese merchant, as a token of appreciation of the aid and shelter he ren-
dered American cruisers and vessels of war, during the Revolution.
The Moravian Lands were originally grants by the old Continental Con-
gress, in 1787, and confirmed by the act of the Government Congress, in 1796,
to the Moravian Brethren, of Bethlehem, Penn., in sacred trust, and for the
use of those Indians who embraced Christianity and civilization, desiring to live
and settle thereon. These three tracts include 4,000 acres each, and are situ-
ated in Tuscarawas County. In 1823, the Indians relinquished their rights to
the 12,000 acres in this county, for 24,000 acres, in a territory designated by
the United States, together with an annuity of $400.
Zane's Tracts included a portion of land on the Muskingum, whereon Zanes-
ville was built ; another at the crossing of the Hocking, on which Lancaster is
located ; and yet another on the left bank of the Scioto River, opposite Chilli-
cothe. These grants Avere made to Ebenezer Zane, by Congress, in 1796, as a
reward for opening a road from Wheeling, Va., to Maysville, Ky. In 1802,
Mr. Zane received three additional tracts, one square mile each, in considera-
tion of being captured and held a prisoner, during the Revolutionary war,
when a boy, by the Indians. He lived with these people most of his life, secur-
ing many benefits for the Americans. These tracts are located in Champaign
County.
The Maumee Road Lands extend the length of the road, from the Maumee
River, at Perrysburg, to the western limits of the Western Reserve, a distance
of forty-six miles — in a strip two miles wide. This includes about 60,000
acres. These lands were ceded by the Indians, at the treaty of Brownstown, in
1808. The original intention of Congress was to mark a highway through this
strip, but no definite action was taken until 1823, when the land was ceded to
the State of Ohio, under an obligation that the State make and sustain the pro-
jected road, within four years after the transfer.
The Turnpike Lands extended over 31,360 acres along the western side of
the Columbus & Sandusky Turnpike, in the eastern parts of Seneca, Craw-
ford and Marion Counties. They were designed for the transportation of mail
stages, troops and other United States property, free from toll. The grant was
made in 1827.
" The Ohio Canal Lands " comprise about 1,000,000 acres, set aside for the
purpose of canal construction.
When Ohio was admitted to the Union, a guarantee was given that the State
should not tax Government lands until they should have been sold for five years.
That the thirty-sixth part of all territory within the State limits should be de-
voted to educational purposes, for the general benefit of the population. In
132 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
order to secure tracts which would prove available, and thus insure returns,
they were selected in small lots. No. 16 was designated as the sectional portion,
in each township of Congress lands, the Ohio Company's and Symmes Pur-
chases, the United States Military Lands, the Connecticut Reserve, and a num-
ber of quarter townships. These school lands were selected by the Secretary
of the Treasury.
The college townships are thirty-six miles square. A section, thirty-six
miles square, in the center of Jackson County, in the vicinity and containing
the Scioto Salt Licks, was also reserved by Congress, together with a quarter-
mile township in Delaware County. This swept over 27,040 acres. In 1824,
Congress authorized the State to sell these lands. The proceeds were to be
devoted to literary requirements, such as might be specified by Congress.
IMPROVEMENTS.
We have heretofore briefly alluded to the canal system of Ohio, which in
the beginning caused considerable anxiety to settlers directly in the course of
its survey. The Legislature passed the " Internal Improvement by Navigable
Canals " act, in 1825, and tl^e work was immediately inaugurated and hastened.
The " Ohio Canal " extends from the lake to the Ohio, and the " Miami " con-
nects Cincinnati with Dayton. The latter was completed to Toledo in 1844, a
length of 493 miles. Its total cost, including reservoir cutting and feeders, was
$7,500,000. The Ohio Canal was finished in 1833.
During the construction of these canals, the curiosities which have attracted
antiquarians and scientists, in the State of Ohio, were found in various places.
Relics were discovered that must have belonged to a giant race. Nearly 3,000
graves were found, of the " mound type."
A third canal was begun in 1836, reaching from Walhonding, in Coshocton
County, to Roscoe, its length being twenty-five miles, involving an expense of
$610,000. This was completed in 1842. The Hocking Canal, between Car-
roll, in Fairfield County, and Athens, in Athens County, a distance of fifty-
six miles, was also cut, about the same time, at a cost of nearly $1,000,000.
The Muskingum improvements were also being carried forward. Locks and
dams were requisite for the perfection of navigation in this water-course, from
Dresden to Marietta, a distance of ninety-one miles. This added an expense
of $1,630,000 to the call for improvement appropriations. To the Miami Canal
was added a feeder, known as the Warren County Canal — extending from
Franklin to Lebanon, which was not completed, although over $250,000 were
expended in its construction as far as it went.
Railway transportation was a subject which engrossed the attention of those in-
terested in State perpetuity and general prosperity. About the year 1831, the Leg-
islature received applications for railway charters. The first one granted was the
" Cincinnati, Sandusky & Cleveland Railroad," on June 5, 1832. The " Sandusky,
Mansfield & Newark Railroad " obtained a charter in 1836, March 11, followed,
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 135
three days thereafter, by the " Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati Railroad."
The " Little Miami " was begun in 1837. Notwithstanding these chartered
rights, but 129 miles were completed in 1847, and in operation. In 1878,
the mileage had increased to 6,264. The valuation of the operating roads
was estimated the same year, at $76,113,500. Their taxation summed up
$1,128,116.
No State in the Union has been more zealous in her educational interests than
Ohio. Public lands were generously granted by Congress, and the State added
her affirmation. However, no practical and eflfectual system was adopted until
1825.
An act was then passed to tax all real property one-half mill per dollar for
the establishment of schools in each township, and the support of the same.
An act of 1829, increased the tax to three-fourths of a mill. Trustees of
townships were instructed to make divisions and locate convenient school dis-
tricts. Householders were to elect three school directors, a clerk and treasurer
annually. Privileges and restrictions were enjoined in all cases. The house-
holders were allowed their discretion, governed accordingly, in imposing taxes
for the erection of school buildings. The Courts of the Common Pleas
appointed a committee to examine the qualifications of those individuals mak-
ing application for the position of teachers. The school extended equal privi-
leges to all white children. Those of colored parentage were excluded, and no
tax was levied for school purposes upon colored parents. An amendment has
admitted the children of colored parents. The system has continued the same,
with a few amendments. A State Commissioner of Common Schools is elected
every third year, who has general charge of the interests of public schools. A
State Board of Examiners, composed of three persons, appointed by the State
Commissioner, for two years' term, is authorized to issue life certificates of high
qualifications, to such teachers as it may find to possess the requisite scholarship,
character, experience and ability. These certificates, signed by the Commis-
sioner, are valid throughout the State. A County Board of Examiners, of
three members, is formed in each county. Boards of education, for cities, are
made up of one or two members from each ward. City Boards of Examiners
are also appointed. Section 4 of the law of 1873, was amended in 1877, which
made the territory annexed to an incorporated village, at the option of the
voters of the village and tributary section, whether it be included with the vil-
lage as one school district, or left as two school districts. Section 56 of the law was
amended, in its bearing upon cities of 30,000 to 75,000 inhabitants, by limiting
to five mills on the dollar of taxable property, the levies in such cities for con-
tinuing schools, for purchasing sites for schoolhouses, for leasing, purchasing,
erecting and furnishing school houses, and for all school expenses. The public
funds are subject to the discretion of voters, and boards are authorized, under
instructions, to make the best use of such funds. Taxation is subject to the
discretion of the State, certain limits being prescribed.
136 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
In 1878, the number of youth of the school age numbered 1,041,963.
On the rolls, 740,194 names were recorded. In the year 1878, 23,391 teach-
ers were employed, receiving $4,956,514.46 for their services.
Ohio not only sustains her public schools on a broad, liberal basis, but she
encourages educational pursuits in superior universities and colleges throughout
the State. These institutions are not aided by State funds, but are sustained by
society influence, added to their self-supporting resources. Ohio also possesses
a large number of normal schools, academies, seminaries and business colleges.
These are not entitled to the privileges of the school fund. Scientific, profes-
sional, theological, legal and medical instructions are in no manner limited in
their facilities. Industrial and reformatory schools are especially thorough.
Institutions for the instruction of the deaf and dumb, and blind, and feeble-
minded, are under the best discipline.
We may add, many female seminaries have been established which are entirely
sustained by other than State aid. Ohio has, from its inception, been solid and
vigorous in whatever tended toward improvement and enlightenment.
We have also referred to the banking system of this State, as being first
established on a basis through a contest between the State and the General
Government. Authorities differ regarding the exact date and location of the
very first house established in the State for the purpose of transacting banking
business. It is highly probable that Marietta is more directly associated with
that event than any other town. There are at present over one hundred and
sixty-seven national banks, with an aggregate capital of $27,794,468. It also
has eighteen banks of deposit, incorporated under the State banking laws of
1845, representing an aggregate capital of $539,904. Twenty-three savings
banks, incorporated under the State act of 1875, with an aggregate capital of
11,277,500. Of private banks it has 192, with an aggregate capital of
$5,663,898. The State represents in her banking capital over $36,275,770.
The First National of Cincinnati has a capital stock of over $1,000,000.
The others fall below that sum, their capital diminishing from 10,000 shares of
$100 each. The valuation for taxation is $850,000— Merchant's National of
Cincinnati — to the valuation of a tax of $5,000 on the First National of
Beverly.
BOUNDARY LINES.
We must not omit the subject of the State boundaries. Ohio was especially
the field for most animated discussions, relative not only to State limits but
county lines and township rights. In 1817, a severe controversy arose, which
Avas settled only after violent demonstrations and Government interference.
In primitive times, the geographical position, extent and surface diversities
were but meagerly comprehended. In truth, it may be asserted they could not
have been more at variance with actual facts had they been laid out " hap-
hazard." The ordinance of 1787 represented Lake Michigan far north of its
real position, and even as late as 1812, its size and location had not been
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 137
definitely ascertained. During that year, Amos Spaiford addressed a clear, com-
prehensive letter to the Governor of Ohio, on this subject, relative to the
boundary lines of Ohio. Several lines of survey were laid out as the first
course, but either Michigan or Ohio expressed disapproval in every case. This
culminated in 1835, when the party beginning a ''permanent" survey began
at the northwest corner of the State, and was attacked by a force of Michigan
settlers who sent them away badly routed and beaten. No effort was made to
return to the work until the State and various parties had weighed the subject,
and finally the interposition of the Government became necessary.
A settlement resulted in Ohio being bounded on the north by Lake Erie
and the State of Michigan, on the east by Pennsylvania and West Virginia, on
the south by the Ohio River, and on the west by Indiana.
It is situated between the 38° 25' and 42° north latitude, and 84° 50'
west longitude from Greenwich, or 3° 30' and 7° 50' west from Washington.
From north to south, it extends over 210 miles, and from east to west 220
miles — comprising 39,964 square miles.
The State is generally higher than the Ohio River. In the southern
counties, the surface is greatly diversified by the inequalities produced by the
excavating power of the Ohio River and its tributaries. The greater portion
of the State was originally covered with timber, although in the central and
northwestern sections some prairies were found. The crest or watershed
between the waters of Lake Erie and those of the Ohio is less elevated than
in New York or Pennsylvania. Sailing upon the Ohio the country appears
to be mountainous, bluffs rising to the height of two hundred and fifty to six
hundred feet above the valleys. Ascending the tributaries of the Ohio, these
precipitous hills gradually lessen until they are resolved into gentle undulations,
and toward the sources of the river the land is low and marshy.
Although Ohio has no inland lakes of importance, she possesses a favorable
river system, which, aided by her canals, gives her prestige of a convenient
water transportation. The lake on her northern boundary, and the Ohio
River on her southern limit, afford most convenient outlets by water to impor-
tant points. Her means of communication and transportation are superior in
every respect, and are constantly being increased.
ORGANIZATION OF COUNTIES AND EARLY EVENTS.
Adams County was named in honor of John Adams, second President of
the United States. Gov. St. Clair proclaimed it a county on July 10, 1797.
The Virginia Military Tract included this section, and the first settlement made
within its boundaries was in this county in 1795, between the Scioto and Little
Miami, at Manchester, by Gen. Nathaniel Massie. In this town was held the
first court of the county.
West Union, the present county seat, was laid out by the Hon. Thomas
Kirker. It occupies the summit of a high ridge. The surface of this county is
138 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
hilly and broken, and the eastern part is not fertile. It produces corn, wheat, oats
and pork. Beds of iron are found in the eastern part. Its hills are composed of
aluminous shale. The barren hills aiford a ran^e for cattle and hogs. A sort
of vagrant class derive a support by collecting stones, hoop-poles and tanners'
Ibarks from these hills.
Ashland County is one of the finest agricultural sections. It was formed
February 26, 1846. Wheat comprises its principal crop, although large quan-
tities of oats, corn, potatoes, grass and fruit are raised. Ashland is its county
seat, and Avas laid out by William Montgomery in 1816. It was called Union-
town for several years. Daniel Carter raised the first cabin within the county
limits in 1811.
Auglaize County was formed in February, 1848, from Allen and Mercer
Counties. Wapakoneta is its county seat.
Allen County was formed from the Indian Territory April 1, 1820. Lima
is its county seat.
Ashtabula County was formed June 7, 1807, and was organized January
22, 1811. The surface is level near the lake, while the remainder is undulat-
ing. The soil is mostly clay. Very little wheat is raised, but considerable
corn and oats. Butter and cheese are the main marketable productions. This
was the first county settled on the Western Reserve, and also the earliest in
Northern Ohio. On the 4th of July, 1796, the first surveying party arrived
at the mouth of Conneaut Creek. Judge James Kingsbury was the first who
wintered there Avith his family. He was the first man to use a sickle in the
first wheat-field in the Western Reserve. Their child was the first born on the
Western Reserve, and Avas starved to death. The first regular settlement was
at Harpersfield, in 1798.
Jeiferson is the county seat. Ashtabula is pleasantly situated on the river,
with a fine harbor tAVO and a half miles from the village.
The first church on the Western Reserve Avas founded at Austinburg in
1801.
Athens County was formed from Washington March 1, 1805. It produces
w^heat, corn, oats and tobacco. The surface is hilly and broken, Avith rich bot-
tom lands between. Coal, iron ore and salt add materially to its commercial
value. It has the advantage of the canal, as well as other transportation.
Athens, its county seat, is situated on the Hocking River. The Ohio Uni-
Yersity, the first college founded in the State, is located here. We have
mentioned the ancient mounds found in this county, heretofore. Yellow pine is
abundant in the loAver part of the Hocking Valley.
BroAvn County Avas formed March 1, 1818, from Adams and Clermont. It
produces wheat, corn, rye, oats and pork. The southern part is prolific in
grain, Avhile the northern is adapted to grazing purposes. The surface is undu-
lating, with the exception of the Ohio River hills. Over this county Tecumseh
once held sway.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 139
Georgetown is the county seat, and was laid out in 1819. Ripley is the larg-
est business town in the county.
Belmont County was announced by Gov. St. Clair September 7, 1801. It
produces large crops of wheat, oats, corn and tobacco, an annual crop of over
2,000,000 pounds of the latter being the average. It also trades largely in
wool and coal. It is a picturesque tract of country, and was one of the
pioneers in the early settled portions.
In 1790, Fort Dillie was erected on the west side of the Ohio. Baker's
Fort was a mile below the mouth of the Captina. Many desperate Indian bat-
tles were fought within the limits of this county, and the famous Indian scout,
Lewis Wetzel, roamed over the region.
St. Clairsville is the county seat, situated on the elevation of land, in a fer-
tile district. Capt. Kirkwood and Elizabeth Zane, of historic fame, were early
pioneers here.
Butler County was formed in 1803, from Hamilton. It is within the blue
limestone formation, and one of the most fertile sections of Ohio. It produces
more corn than any other county in the State, besides fine crops of wheat,
oats and large quantities of pork. Hamilton, the county seat, is situated on the
Great Miami. Its hydraulic works furnish superior water-power. Rossville,,
on the opposite side of the Miami, is a large mercantile town.
St. Clair passed through this county on his Indian campaigns in 1791,
building Fort Hamilton on the Miami.
Champaign County was formed March 1, 1805, from Greene and Franklin.
It is drained by Mad River and its tributaries, which furnishes extensive mill
privileges. Nearly a half is undulating, a quarter rolling, a fifth hilly, and
5 per cent wet prairie. The soil is fertile, and produces wheat, corn, oats,
barley, hay, while beef and wool add to the general wealth. Urbana, the
county seat, was laid out in 1805, by Col. William Ward. He Avas chief owner
of the land and donated many lots to the county, under condition that their
proceeds be devoted to public improvements. Joseph Vance and George
Fithian were the first settlers. The Methodists built the first church in 1807.
The main army of Hull concentrated at this point before setting out for Detroit.
Many Indian councils were called here, and Tecumseh was located for a time
near Deer Creek.
Carroll County was formed from Columbiana in 1832-33. It produces
wheat, oats and corn, and valuable coal and iron. The surface is hilly. Car-
rollton is its county seat. At Harlem is a celebrated chalybeate spring.
Clark County was formed March 1, 1817, from Champaign, Madison and
Greene. Its second settlement was at Kreb's Station, in 1796. It is highly culti-
vated, well watered and very fertile. The Mad River, Buck and Beaver Creeks
furnish abundant water-power. It produces principally wheat, corn and oats.
Tecumseh, the old Indian warrior, was born at the ancient Indian vil-
lage of Piqua, on the Mad River, on the site of New Boston. Piqua was
140 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
destroyed by Gen. George Rogers Clarke. Skeletons, beads, gun barrels,
tomahawks, kettles, etc., have been found in the vicinity.
Springfield, the county seat, is situated on the National road. It has con-
venient transportation facilities, is handsomely laid out, and is noted for its
cultured citizens. It is near Mad River, and Buck Creek runs through it.
Clinton County was formed in 1810. It produces chiefly wheat, oats,
wool and pork. Its surfice is undulating, in some parts hilly, and the soil fer-
tile. Its streams furnish desirable water-power. The county was settled in
1798-99. Wilmington i.s the county seat, and was laid out in 1810. The first
log house was built by William Hobsin.
Clermont County was the eighth formed in the Northwest Territory, by
proclamation of Gov. St. Clair, December 9, 1800. The soil is exceedingly
rich, and the surflice is broken and, near the Ohio, hilly. Wheat, corn, oats,
hay, potatoes, tobacco, barley, buckwheat and rye form the main crops, while
beef, pork, flour, hay and whisky constitute its main exports. Its streams
furnish good water-power. Batavia, its county seat, is situated on the Little
Miami River, and was laid out in 1820, by George Ely.
Columbiana County was formed March 25, 1803, from Jefferson and Wash-
ington. Its soil is very fertile, producing wheat, corn, oats and potatoes. It
is wealthy in mineral deposits, coal, iron ore, lime and freestone being abun-
dant. Its water-lime stone is of superior (juality. Salt water is found on Yel-
low and Beaver Creeks. This is also the great wool-producing county of
the State. It was settled in 1797. New Lisbon, its county seat, is well
built.
The first paper-mill in Ohio was erected in this county, on Little Beaver
Creek, by John Coulter and John Bever.
Coshocton County was organized April 1, 1811. Its principal products are
wheat, corn, oats and wool. Hills and valleys alternate along the Muskingum
River. Abrupt changes are strongly marked — a rich alluvum being overhung
by a red- bush hill, while directly beside it may be seen the poplar and sugar
tree. Coal and iron ore add to its general importance, while salt Avells have
proven remunerative.
Coshocton, the county seat, is built on four wide, natural terraces, at the
junction of the Tuscarawas with the Walhonding.
Cuyahoga County Avas formed June 7, 1807, from Geauga. Near the lake,
the soil is sandy, while a clayey loam may be found elsewhere. The valleys
near the streams produce wheat, barley and hay. Fruit is successfully grown,
and cheese, butter, beef and wool are largely exported. Bog iron is found in
the western part, and fine grindstone quarries are in operation. The sandstone
from these quarries is now an important article of commerce. As early as
1775, there was a French settlement within the boundaries of Cuyahoga. In
1786, a Moravian missionary came to the present site of Cleveland, and set-
tled in an abandoned village of the Ottawas. Circumstances prevented a
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 141
permanent settlement, and the British tacitly took possession, even remaining
upon the lake shores after the Revolution.
The first permanent settlement was made at Cleveland in 1796. Mr. Job
V. Stiles and family and Edward Paine passed the first winter there, their log
cabin standing where the Commercial Bank is now located. Rodolphus
Edwards and Nathaniel Doane settled here. - The town was, in 1813, a depot
of supplies and a rendezvous for troops engaged in the war.
Cleveland, the county seat, is situated at the northern termination of the
Ohio Canal, on the lake shore. In 1814, it was incorporated as a village, and
in 1836, as a city. Its elevation is about a hundred feet above the lake. It
is a lovely city, and has one of the best harbors on Lake Erie.
Ohio City is another important town, nearly opposite Cleveland, on the
Cuyahoga. It was incorporated in 1836.
Crawford County was formed April 1, 1820, from the old Indian territory.
The entire county is adapted to grazing. The soil is generally composed of
rich vegetable loam, and in some parts the subsoil is clay mixed with lime.
Rich beds of shell marl have been discovered. It produces Avheat, corn, oats,
clover, timothy seed,,wool and cattle. Fine limestone quarries are worked with
success.
Bucyrus is the county seat, and was laid out February 11, 1822, by Samuel
Norton and James Kilbourn, original owners of the land. The first settler in
the town proper was Samuel Norton. A gas well has been dug in Bucyrus,
on the land of R. W. Musgrove, which burns in a brilliant light when con-
ductedto the surface by means of pipes. Crawford's Sulphur Springs are
located nine miles from Bucyrus. The water is impregnated with sulphuretted
hydrogen. It deposits a reddish-purple sediment. In its nature the water is a
cathartic, and is diuretic and diaphoretic in its effects. A few rods away is a
burning spring. The Annapolis Sulphur Spring is clear and has gained consid-
erable fame by its curative qualities. Opposite Bucyrus is a chalybeate spring
of tonic qualities.
There are some beds of peat in. the county, the most extensive one being a
wet prairie called Cranberry Marsh, containing nearly 2,000 acres.
Darke County was organized in March, 1817, from Miami County. It is
abundantly timbered with poplar, walnut, blue ash, hickory, beech and sugar
maple. It yields superior wheat, and is well adapted to grazing. In this
county occurred the lamentable defeat of St. Clair, and the treaty of Greenville.
Greenville is the county seat, and was laid out August 10, 1808, by Robert
Gray and John Dover. In December, 1793, Wayne built Fort Greenville on
this spot, which covered about the same extent as the present town.
Delaware County was formed February 10, 1808, from Franklin. It pro-
duces mainly wheat, corn, oats, pork and wool.
Delaware is the county seat, and was laid out in the spring of 1808, by
Moses Byxbe. The Delaware Spring in the village is of the white sulphur or
142 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
cold hydro-sulphurous nature, valuable for medicinal qualities in cases of bilious
derangements, dyspepsia, scrofulous affections, etc.
Defiance County was inaugurated March 4, 1845, from Williams, Henry
and Paulding. The Maumee, Tiffin and Auglaize floAV through it. The Black
Swamp covers much of its area.
Defiance, the county seat, is situated on the Maumee. It was laid out in
1822, by B. Level and H. Phillips. A large Indian settlement occupied its
gite in very early times. Wayne arrived here August 8, 1794, captured the
place, finding about one thousand acres of corn, peach and apple orchards, and
vegetables of all varieties. Here he built Fort Defiance.
Erie County was formed in 1838, from Huron and Sandusky. The soil is
alluvial, and yields large crops of wheat, corn, oats and potatoes. It possesses
inexhaustable quarries of limestone and freestone. Immense quantities of bog
iron are also found. The Erie tribe is said to have once occupied the land, and
were extirpated by the Iroquois. As early as 1754, the French had built set-
tlements. In 1764, the county was besieged. Pontiac came here with warlike
demonstrations, but made peace with the whites. Erie was included in the
"fire lands" of the Western Reserve.
Sandusky City is the county seat, and was laid out in 1817, then termed
Portland. At that time it contained two log huts. The town is finely situated,
and is based upon an inexhaustible quarry of the finest limestone. In the
"patriot war" with the Canadians, this city was the rendezvous for the
"patriots."
Franklin County was formed April 30, 1803, from Ross. It contains
much low wet land, and is better adapted to grazing than agricultural purposes.
It was in early times occupied by the Wyandot Indians. Its first white set-
tlement was made in 1797, by Robert Armstrong and others. Franklinton
was laid out in 1797, by Lucas Sullivan. Worthington was settled by the
Scioto Company in 1801. Col. Kilbourn, who was interested in the work,
constructed the first map of Ohio during his explorations, by uniting sectional
diagrams.
Columbus, the capital of the State of Ohio, is also the county seat of
Franklin County. After the organization of a State government, the capital
was "portable" until 1816. In 1810, the sessions were held at Chillicothe,
in 1811 and 1812 at Zanesville, removing again to Chillicothe, and, in 1816,
being located at Columbus. The town was laid out during the spring of 1812.
A penitentiary was erected in 1813, and the State House was built in 1814.
It was incorporated as "the borough of Columbus," February 10, 1816. The
city charter was granted ]\Iarch 3, 1834.
It is beautifully located on the east bank of the Scioto. The Columbus
Institute is a classical institution. A female and a theological seminary also
add to its educational advantages. The Ohio Lunatic Asylum is also located
here — also the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind. East of the
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 143
State House is the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Deaf and
Dumb.
Fairfield County was formed by proclamation of Gov. St. Clair, December
9, 1800.
The soil is varied, being in some parts exceedingly rich, and in others very
sterile. It produces principally wheat, corn, rye, oats, buckwheat, barley,
potatoes and tobacco.
Lancaster is the county seat, laid out by Ebenezer Zane in 1800. In 1797,
he opened the road known as "Zane's Trace," from Wheeling to Limestone —
now Maysville. It passed through Lancaster, at a fording about three hundred
yards below the present turnpike bridge. Near the turn stands an imposing
eminance called " Standing Stone." Parties of pleasure frequently visit this spot.
Fayette County was formed from Ross and Highland in 1810. Wheat,
corn, cattle, hogs, sheep and wool comprise its main productions; " The bar-
rens" are situated in the northeastern part. This tract is covered by a growth
of grass.
Washington is its county seat, laid out in 1810.
Col. Stewart was active in the interests of this section, and his memory is
sacredly revered. Jesse Milliken was prominent in public afiairs.
Fulton County, bordering on Michigan, was organized in 1850. It is
drained by Bean Creek and other small affluents of the Maumee River. The
surface is nearly level, and a large part of it is covered with forests of ash,
beech, elm, hickory, white oak, black walnut, etc., furnishing excellent timber.
The soil is fertile. Wheat, corn, oats and hay are the staple products. Wau-
seon is the county seat.
Guernsey County was organized in March, 1810. Wool is a staple prod-
uct, together with beef, horses and swine. It produces wheat, corn and oats.
Cambridge is the county seat and was laid out in June, 1806. Mr.
Graham was the first settler on the site of the town, and his was the only
dwelling between Lancaster and Wheeling.
The first cannel coal found in the county was discovered near Mill's Creek.
Greene County was formed May 1, 1803, from Hamilton and Ross. It
produces wheat, corn, rye, grass-seed, oats, barley, sheep and swine. The
streams furnish good water-power. There are five limestone quarries, and a
marble quarry of variegated colors. The Shawnee town was on the Little
Miami, and was visited by Capt. Thomas Bullit in 1773. When Daniel Boone
was captured in 1778, he was brought to this town, and escaped the followino-
year. Gen. Clarke invaded this county and the Indians reduced the town to ashes.
Xenia, the county seat, was laid ofi* in the forest in 1803, by Joseph C.
Vance. The first cabin was erected in April, 1804, by John Marshall. The
Rev. James Fowler built the first hewed-log cabin. David A. Sanders built
the first frame house. Nine miles north of the town, on the Little Miami
River, are the Yellow Springs, which are impregnated with sulphur.
144 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
Geauga County was formed in 1805 from Trumbull. It exports sheep,
cattle, butter and cheese. It is situated at the head of Chargrine, Cuyahoga and
a part of Grand Rivers, on high ground, and is subjected to snowstorms more
frequently than any other part of the Reserve. Its first settlement was made
in 1798, at Burton. Chardon is fourteen miles from Lake Erie, and is 600
feet above it. It was laid out as the county seat in 1808.
Gallia County was formed April 30, 1803, from Washington. Its princi-
pal crops are wheat, corn, oats and beans. The surface is generally broken.
Its first settlement was made in 1791, by a French colony, at Gallipolis. This
colony was sent out under the auspices of the Scioto Company. This town is
now the county seat.
Hamilton County was the second established in the Northwestern Territory
by proclamation of Gov. St. Clair, January 2, 1790. Its surface is gen-
erally rolling. It produces the ordinary farm products, and a great variety
of fruits and vegetables for the Cincinnati market. Vineyards thrive well
within its limits, and the manufacture of wine is carried on to a considerable
extent.
This county was the second settled in Ohio, and the first within the 3ynimes
purchase. Settlers arrived at the spot now occupied by Cincinnati, and three
or four log cabins were erected. Gen. Arthur St. Clair arrived here in Janu-
ary, 1790. The army of Wayne encamped here later, at Fort Washington.
Mr. Maxwell established in 1793 the Sentinel of the Northwestern Territory,
the first newspaper printed north of the Ohio River. In 1796, Edward Free-
man became its proprietor, and changed the name to Freeman's Journal.
January 11, 1794, two keel-boats sailed from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh, making
regular trips every four weeks. In 1801, the first sea vessel built at Mari-
etta came down the Ohio.
Cincinnati, the county seat, was incorporated January 2, 1802. It was char-
tered as a city in 1819. The city is beautifully laid out and delightfully situ-
ated. Its public buildings are elegant and substantial, including the court
house and many literary and charitable institutions.
The Cincinnati College was founded in 1819. It stands in the center of
the city. It is built in Grecian-Doric style, with pilaster fronts and facade of
Dayton marble. Woodward College is also popular.
The Catholics have founded the St. Xavier's College. Lane Seminary, a
theological institution, is at Walnut Hills, two miles from the center of the city.
It has over 10,000 volumes in its libraries. No charge is made for tuition.
Rooms are provided and furnished at ^5 per year, and board ranges from 62|-
cents to 90 cents a week. The Cincinnati Law School is connected with Cin-
cinnati College. The Mechanics' Institute was chartered in 1828, and is in all
respects well supplied Avith apparatus. A college for teachers was established in
1831, its object being to perfect those contemplating entering that profession in
their studies and system.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 145
The Cincinnati Orphan Asylum is an elegant building, and has a library
and well-organized school attached. The Catholics of the city have one male
and female orphan asylum. The Commercial Hospital and Lunatic Asylum of
Ohio was incorporated in 1821.
Cincinnati is a large manufacturing city, and possesses fine water-power
facilities. It communicates with the world by means of its canal, river, turnpikes,
and railways. North Bend is another prominent town in this county, liavino-
been the residence of Gen. William H. Harrison, and the site of his burial
place. The town was of considerable importance in the early settlement of the
State. About thirty yards from Harrison's tomb is the grave of Judge
Symmes.
Hancock County was formed April 1, 1820. It produces wheat, oats, corn,
pork and maple sugar. The surface is level and its soil is fertile. Blanchard's
Fork waters the central and southern part of tue county. Findlay, the county
seat, Avas laid out by ex-Gov. Joseph Vance and Elnathan Corry, in 1821. It
was relaid in 1829. William Vance settled there in the fall of 1821. At the
south end of the town, are two gas wells. In the eastern part, is a mineral
spring, and west of the bridge, is a chalybeate spring.
Hardin County was formed April 1, 1820, from the old Indian Territory.
It produces, principally, wheat, corn and swine. A portion of the surface is
level, and the remainder undulating. Fort McArthur was built on the Scioto
River, but proved a weak stockade. Kenton is the county seat, situated on the
Mad River.
Harrison County was formed from JeflFerson and Tuscarawas January 1,
1814. The surface is hilly, abounding in coal and limestone. Its soil is clayey.
It is one of the important wool-growing counties in Ohio. It produces large
quantities of wheat, corn, oats and hay, besides a considerable number of horses,
cattle and swine.
In April, 1799, Alexander Henderson and family settled in this county, and
at the same time, Daniel Peterson and his family resided at the forks of Short
Creek. The early settlers were much annoyed by Indians and wild beasts.
Cadiz is the county seat, and was laid out in 1803 and 1804, by Messrs. Briggs
and Beatty.
Henry County was formed from the old Indian Territory, April 1, 1820.
Indian corn, oats, potatoes, and maple sugar constitute the main products.
The county is well supplied with running streams, and the soil is unusually rich.
The greater portion of this county is covered by the "Black SAvamp."
Throughout this swamp are ridges of limestone, covered with black walnut, red
elm, butternut and maple. The soil is superior for grain. Fruit thrives and
all varieties of vegetables are produced in large quantities. Simon Girty, noto-
rious for his wicked career, resided in this county. Girty led the attack on
Fort Henry, in September, 1777. He demanded the surrender of the fort,
and menaced its inmates with an Indian massacre, in case of refusal. The
146 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
action began, but the fort gained the victory. He led a ferocious band of Indi-
ans, and committed the most fiendish atrocities.
Napoleon, the county seat, is situated on the Maumee River.
Highland County was formed in May, 1805, from Ross, Adams and Cler-
mont. It is a wealthy, productive county. Its wheat commands a high mar-
ket price. The crops consist of wheat, corn, oats, maple sugar, avooI, swine
and cattle. Its first settlement began in 1801, at New Market, by Oliver Ross,
Robert Keeston, George W. Barrere, Bernard Weyer and others. Simon Ken-
ton made a trace through this county in early times. Hillsboro is the
county seat, and was laid out in 1807, by David Hays, on the land of Benja-
min Ellicott. It is situated on the dividing ridge, between the Miami and Sci-
oto. The Hillsboro Academy was founded in 1827.
Hocking County was formed March 1, 1818, from Ross, Athens and Fair-
field. Its principal products are corn, wheat, tobacco and maple sugar. Its
surface is broken and hilly, but is level and fertile beside the streams.
The Wyandots once occupied this tract, and built a large town herein. In
1798, a few Avhite families ventured to settle. Logan is its county seat, and is
situated on the Hocking River.
Holmes County was formed from Coshocton, Tuscarawas and Wayne, Janu-
ary 20, 1824. It produces wheat, corn, oats, potatoes, maple sugar, swine,
sheep and cattle. The southwestern portion is broken. Thomas Butler was
the first settler, in 1810. Millersburg is the county seat, and was laid out in
1830.
Huron County was organized in 1815. It produces hay, wheat, corn, oats,
barley, buckwheat, flaxseed, potatoes, butter, cheese, wool and swine. Nor-
walk is the county seat.
Jackson County was organized March, 1816. The country is rich in min-
erals and abounds in coal and iron ore. The exports are cattle, wool, swine,
horses, lumber, millstones, tobacco and iron. Jackson, the county seat, was
laid out in 1817. The old Scioto salt-works were among the first worked in
Ohio by the whites. Prior to this period, the Indians came some distance to
this section to make salt. When Daniel Boone was a prisoner, he spent some
time at these works.
Jefierson County was proclaimed by Gov. St. Clair July 29, 1797, and
was the fifth county established in Ohio. It is one of the most important
manufacturing counties in the State. Its resources in coal are also extended.
The surface is hilly and the soil fertile, producing wheat, corn and oats. The
old "Mingo" town was on the present farms of Jeremiah Hallock and Mr.
Daniel Potter. The troops of Col. Williamson rendezvoused at this point,
when they set out in their cruel Moravian campaign, and also the troops of
Col. Crawford, when they started on the campaign against the Sandusky
Indians. Here Logan, the powerful and manly chief of the Mingo nation,
once resided. He took no active part in the old French war, which closed in
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 147
1760, except that of a peacemaker. He was a stanch friend of the whites
until the abominable and unprovoked murder of his father, brother and sister,
which occurred in 1774, near the Yellow Creek. He then raised the battle
cry and sought revenge.
However, Logan was remarkably magnanimous toward prisoners who fell
into his hands. The year 1793 was the last spent in Indian warfare in Jeffer-
son County.
Fort Steuben was erected on the present site of Steuben ville, the county seat,
in 1789. It was constructed of block-houses, with palisade fences, and was dis-
mantled during Wayne's campaign. Bezaleel Wells and Hon. James Ross laid
the town out in 1798. It was incorporated February 14, 1805. It is situated
upon an elevated plain. In 1814, Messrs. Wells and Dickerson built a woolen
manufactory, and introduced merino sheep to the county.
Knox County was formed March 1, 1808, from Fairfield. It is drained by
the Vernon River. It produces wheat, corn, oats, tobacco, maple sugar, pota-
toes and wool. Mount Vernon was laid out in 1805. The early settlers found
two wells on the Vernon River, built of hammered stone, neatly laid, and near
by was a salt-lick. Their direct origin remains a mystery. Oilman Bryant,
in 1807, opened the first store in Mount Vernon. The court house was built
in 1810. The Indians came to Mount Vernon in large numbers for the pur-
pose of trading in furs and cranberries. Each Saturday, the settlers worked
on the streets, extracting stumps and improving the highway. The first settler
north of the place was N. M. Young, who built his cabin in 1803. Mount
Vernon is now the county seat, beautifully situated on Vernon River. Kenyon
College is located at Gambler. It is richly endowed with 8,000 acres, and is
valued at $100,000. This institution was established under the auspices of
Bishop Chase, in July, 1826, in the center of a $4,000-acre tract belonging to
Kenyon College. It was chartered as a theological seminary.
Lucas County is of comparatively recent origin. A large portion is covered
by the "Black Swamp." It produces corn, wheat, potatoes and oats. This
county is situated in the Maumee Valley, which was the great arena of histori-
cal events. The frightful battle of Wayne's campaign, Avhere the Indians found
the British to be traitors, was fought at Fort Meigs, in this county. Maumee
City, the county seat, was laid out in 1817, as Maumee, by Maj. William Oliver
and others. It is situated on the Maumee, at the head of navigation. The
surface is 100 feet above the water level. This town, with Perrysburg, its neighbor,
is exceedingly picturesque, and was in early times frequented by the Indians.
The French had a trading station at this point, in 1680, and in 1794, the Brit-
ish Fort — Miami — was built. Toledo is on the left bank of the Maumee, and
covers the site of a stockade fort, known as Fort Industry, erected in 1800.
An Indian treaty was held here July 4, 1805, by which the Indians relinquished
all rights to the " fire lands." In 1832, Capt. Samuel Allen gave an impetus
to the place, and Maj. Stickney also became interested in its advancement.
148 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
Speculation in lots began in 1834. The Wabash & Erie Canal interest arose in
1836. Mr. Mason and Edward Bissel added their energies to assist the growth
of the toAvn. It was incorporated as a city in 1836. It was the center of the
military operations in the " Ohio and Michigan war," known as the "boundary
conflict."
The Ordinance of 1787 provided for the division of the Northwestern Terri-
tory into three or five States. The three southern were to be divided from tlie
two northern by a line drawn east and Avest through the southern point of Lake
Michigan, extending eastward to the Territorial line in Lake Erie. The consti-
tution of Ohio adds a provision that if the line should not go so far north as the
north cape of Maumee Bay, then the northern boundary of Ohio should be a
line drawn from the southerly part of Lake Michigan to the north cape of the
Maumee Bay.
The line of the ordinance was impossible, according to its instructions and
the geography of the country.
When Michigan became a Territory, the people living between the " Fulton "
and '• Harris " lines found it more to their wishes to be attached to Michio;an.
They occupied disputed ground, and were thus beyond the limits of absolute
law. In 1835, the subject was greatly agitated, and J. Q. Adams made a warm
speech before Congress against the Ohio claim. The Legislature of Ohio dis-
cussed the matter, and an act was passed to attach the disputed section to Ohio,
according to the constitutional decree. An active campaign opened between
Michigan and Ohio. Gov. Lucas came out with the Ohio troops, in the spring
of 1835, and Gov. Mason, of Michigan, followed the example. He marched
into Toledo, robbed melon-patches and chicken-houses, crushed in the front
door of Maj. Stickney's house, and carried him away prisoner of war. Embas-
sadors were sent from Washington to negotiate matters — Richard Rush, of Penn-
sylvania and Col. Howard, of Maryland. At the next session of Congress, the
matter Avas settled. Samuel Vinton argued for Ohio, in the House, and Thomas
Ewing in the Senate. Michigan received an equiA'alent of the large peninsula
between Lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior. Ohio received the disputed
strip, averaging eight miles in width. Manhattan, Waterville and Providence
are all flourishing towns.
Lorain County was formed from Huron, Cuyahoga and Medina, on Decem-
ber 26, 1822. The soil is generally fertile, and the surface level. Wheat,
grass, oats, corn, rye and potatoes constitute the principal crops. Bog-iron ore
is found in large quantities. A curious relic has been found in this county, bear-
ing the date of 1533. Elyria is the county seat, and was laid out in 1817.
The first settler Avas Mr. Heman Ely. Oberlin is situated about eight miles
southwest of Elyria. The Oberlin Collegiate Institute has attained a wide
celebrity.
Logan County was formed March 1, 1817. The surface is broken and hilly
near the Mad River, but is generally level. The soil is fertile, producing
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO 149
wheat, corn, rye, oats, clover, flax and timothy seed. The Shawnee Indians
were located here, and built several villaores on the Mad River. These towns
were destroyed in 1786, by a body of Kentuckians, under Gen. Benjamin
Logan. The whites surprised the towns. However, they returned after the
work of destruction had been completed, and for many years frequented the
section. On the site of Zanesville was a Wyandot village. By the treaty of
September 29, 1817, the Senecas and Shawnees held a reservation around
Lewistown. April 6, 1832, they vacated this right and removed west. Isaac
Zane was born about the year 1753, and was, while a boy, captured and after-
ward adopted by the Wyandots. Attaining the age of manhood, he had no
desire to return to his people. He married a Wyandot woman, who was half
French. After the treaty of Greenville, he bought 1,800 acres on the site of
Zanesville, where he lived until the year 1816, when he died, lamented by all
his friends.
Logan County was settled about the year 1806. During the war of 1812,
it was a rendezvous for friendly Indians. Bellefontaine, the county seat, was
laid out March 18, 1820, on land owned by John Tulles and William Powell.
Joseph Gordon built a cabin, and Anthony Ballard erected the first frame
dwelling.
Gen. Simon Kenton is buried at the head of Mad River, five miles from
Bellefontaine. He died April 29, 1836, aged eighty-one years and twenty-six
days. This remarkable man came West, to Kentucky, in 1771. He probably
encountered more thrilling escapes than any other man of his time. In 1778,
he was captured and sufiered extreme cruelties, and was ransomed by the British.
He soon recovered his robust health, and escaped from Detroit the following
spring. He settled in Urbana in 1802. He was elected Brigadier General of
the militia, and in the war of 1812, joined Gen. Harrison's army. In the year
1820, he removed to Mad River. Gen. Vance and Judge Burnet secured him
a pension, of $20 per month
Licking County was formed from Fairfield March 1, 1808. The surface is
generally level, diversified by slight hills in the eastern portion. The soil is
fertile, producing wheat, corn, oats and grass. Coal and iron ore of good
quality add to the wealth of the county. Wool and dairy productions are also
staples. Newark is the county seat, and is situated at the confluence of the
three principal branches of the Licking. It was laid out by Gen. William C.
Schenk, George W. Burnet and John M. Cummings, who owned this military
section of 4,000 acres, in 1801. In 1802, Samuel Elliott and Samuel Parr
built hewed-log houses. The picturesque "Narrows of the Licking" are in
the eastern part of the county, which have elicited general praise from scenic
hunters.
Lawrence County was organized March 1, 1816. There are many high
and abrupt hills in this section, which abound in sand or freestone. It is rich
in minerals, and the most important section of Ohio for iron manufacture.
150 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
Coal is abundant, and white clay exists in the western part suitable for pot-
tery purposes. Agricultural productions are not extensive.
The county was settled in 1797 by the Dutch and Irish. The iron region
extends through the west part of this county. Lawrence County produces a
superior quality of iron, highly esteemed for castings, and is equal to Scotch
pig for furnace purposes. Burlington is the county seat.
Lake County was formed from Geauga and Cuyahoga March 6, 1840. The
soil is good and the surface rolling. It produces wheat, corn, oats, buckwheat,
barley, hay and potatoes. Dairy products, cattle and wool are also staples.
Its fruits — apples, peaches, pears, plums and grapes are highly prized. As
early as 1799, a settlement was formed at Mentor. Painesville, the county
seat, is situated on Grand River, in a beautiful valley. The Painesville Acad-
emy is a classical institution for the education of both sexes. Near the town
is the Geauga furnace. Painesville was laid out by Henry Champion in 1805.
At Fairport, the first warehouse in this section, and probably the first on the
lake, Avas built by Abraham Skinner in 1803. This town has a fine harbor,
and has a light-house and beacon. Kirtland, southwest from Painesville, was,
in 183-1, the headquarters of the Mormons. At that time, they numbered
about three thousand. The old Mormon temple is of rough stone, plastered
over, colored blue, and marked to imitate regular courses of masonry. As is
well known, the Mormons derive their name from the book of Mormon, said to
have been translated from gold plates found in a hill in Palmyra, N. Y.
Madison County was organized in March, 1810. The surface is generally
level. It produces grass, corn, oats and cattle — the latter forming a chief
staple, while wool and pork add to the general wealth.
Jonathan Alder was much interested in the settlement of the county. He,
like some other whites, had lived with the Indians many years, and had formed
a lasting affection for them, and had married a squaw, with whom he became
dissatisfied, which caused him to desire finding his own family. He suc-
ceeded in this through the assistance of John Moore. He left his wife and
joined his people.
This county was first settled in 1795. Benjamin Springer made a clearing
and built a cabin. He settled near Alder, and taught him the English lan-
guage. Mr. Joshua Ewing brought four sheep to this place, and the Indians
exhibited great astonishment over these strange animals. When the hostilities
of 1812 began, the British offered inducements to the Indians to join them, and
they consulted Alder regarding the best policy to adopt. He advised them to
preserve neutrality until a later period, which they did, and eventually became
firm friends of the Americans.
London is the county seat, and was laid out in 1810-11, by Patrick McLene.
Marion County was organized March 1, 1824. The soil is fertile, and pro-
duces extensive farm crops. The Delaware Indians once held a reservation
here, and conceded their claims in 1829, August 3, and removed west of the
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 153
Mississippi. Marion, the county seat, was laid out in 1821, by Eber Baker
and Alexander Holmes. Gen. Harrison marched through this section during
his campaign.
Mahoning County was formed in 1846, from Trumbull and Columbiana.
The surface is rolling and the soil generally fertile. The finer qualities of wood
are produced here. Bituminous coal and iron are found in large quantities.
Col. James Hillman came to the Western Reserve in 1786. The settlement
of the county went forward. Canfield is the county seat.
Medina County was formed from the Western Reserve February 12, 1812.
The surface is rolling and the soil is fertile, producing fine agricultural prod-
ucts. The first trail made through the county was made by George Poe,
Joseph H. Larwell and Roswell M. Mason. The first settlement was made
by Joseph Harris in 1811. He was soon joined by the Burr brothers. Me-
dina is the county seat.
Meigs County was formed from Gallia and Athens April 1, 1819. The
general character of the soil is clayey, producing large quantities of wheat, oats,
corn, hay and potatoes. Vast quantities of salt are made arid exported. Pom-
eroy, the county seat, is situated under a lofty hill, surrounded by picturesque
scenery. Mr. Nathaniel Clark was the first settler of the county. He arrived in
1816. The first coal mine opened in Pomeroy was in 1819, by David Bradshaw.
Mercer County was formed from the Indian Territory in 1820. The sur-
face is generally flat, and while covered with forests, inclined to be wet ; but,
being cleared, it is very fertile, and adapted to producing farm crops. St.
Clair's Battle was fought on the boundary line between this and Darke County.
The Hon. Lewis Cass and Duncan McArthur made a treaty at St. Mary's with
the Wyandots, Shawnees and Ottawas, in 1818. The odious Simon Girty lived
at one time at St. Mary's. Wayne built St. Mary's Fort, on the west bank of
the river. John Whistler was the last commander of the fort. The largest
artificial lake in the world, so it is asserted, is formed by the reservoir sup-
plying the St. Mary's feeder of the Miami Extension Canal. It is about nine
miles long, and from two to four broad. Celina is the county seat.
Miami County was formed January 16, 1807, from Montgomery. It abounds
in excellent limestone, and possesses remarkable water-power facilities. Its agri-
cultural products rank highly in quality and quantity. John Knoop came into this
section about the year 1797, and its first settlement began about this time. Troy,
the county seat, is situated upon the Great Miami. Piqua is another lovely
town. The Miami River afibrds delightful scenery at this point.
Monroe County was formed January 29, 1813, from Belmont, Washington,
and Guernsey. A portion of its surface is abrupt and hilly. Large quantities
of tobacco are raised, and much pork is exported. Wheat and corn grow well
in the western portion. Iron ore and coal abound. The valleys of the streams
are very narrow, bounded by rough hills. In some places are natural rock
grottoes. The first settlement was made in 1799, near the mouth of the Sunfish.
154 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
At this time, wolves were numerous, and caused much alarm. Volney entered
this county, but was not prepossessed in its favor. One township is settled by
the Swiss, who are educated and refined. Woodsfield is the county seat.
Montgomery County was formed from Ross and Hamilton May 1, 1803.
The soil is fertile, and its agricultural products are most excellent. Quarries of
grayish-white limestone are found east of the Miami.
Dayton is the county seat, situated on the Great Miami, at the mouth of Mad
River. A company was formed in 1788, but Indian wars prevented settlement.
After Wayne's treaty, in 1795, a new company was formed. It advanced
rapidly between the years 1812 and 1820. The beginning of the Miami Canal
renewed its prosperity, in 1827. The first canal-boat from Cincinnati arrived
at Dayton on the 25th of January, 1829. The first one arrived from Lake
Erie in June, 1845. Col. Robert Patterson came to Dayton in 1804. At one
time, he owned Lexington, Ky., and about one third of Cincinnati.
Morgan County was organized in 1818, March 1. The surface is hilly and
the soil strong and fertile, producing wheat, corn, oats and tobacco. Pork is a
prolific product, and considerable salt is made. The first settlement was made
in 1790, on the Muskingum. McConnelsville is the county seat. Mr. Ayres
made the first attempt to produce salt, in 1817. This has developed into a
large industry.
Morrow County was organized in 1848. It is drained by the Vernon
River, which rises in it, by the East Branch of the Olontangy or Whetstone
River, and by Walnut Creek. The surface is undulating, the soil fertile.
The staple products are corn, wheat, oats, hay, wool and butter. The sugar
maple abounds in the forests, and sandstone or freestone in the quarries.
Mount Gilead, the county seat, is situated on the East Branch of the Olen-
tangy River.
Muskingum County was formed from Washington and Fairfield. The sur-
face is rolling or hilly. It produces Avlieat, corn, oats, potatoes, tobacco, wool
and pork. Large quantities of bituminous coal are found. Pipe clay, huhr-
stone or cellular quartz are also in some portions of the State. Salt is made in
large quantities — the fine being obtained from a stratum of whitish sandstone.
The Wyandots, Delawares, Senecas and Shawanoese Indians once inhabited this
section. An Indian toAvn occupied the site of Duncan's Falls. A large Shawan-
oese town was located near Dresden.
Zanesville is the county seat, situated opposite the mouth of the Licking.
It was laid out in 1799, by Mr. Zane and Mr. Mclntire. This is one of the
principal towns in the State, and is surrounded by charming scenery.
Noble County, organized in 1851, is drained by Seneca, Duck and Wills
Creeks. The surface is undulating, and a large part of it is covered with for-
ests. The soil is fertile. Its staples are corn, tobacco, wheat, hay, oats and
wool. Among its mineral resources are limestone, coal and petroleum. Near
Caldwell, the county seat, are found iron ore, coal and salt.
.HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 155
Ottawa County was formed from Erie, Sandusky and Lucas, March 6, 1840,
It is mostly within the Black Swamp, and considerable of its land is prairie and
marsh. It was very thinly settled befere 1830. Extensive plaster beds exist
on the peninsula, which extends into Lake Erie. It has also large limestone
quarries, which are extensively worked. The very first trial at arms upon the
soil of Ohio, during the war of 1812, occurred upon this peninsula. Port Clin-
ton, the county seat, was laid out in 1827.
Perry County was formed from "Washington, Fairfield and Muskingum,
March 1, 1817. Fine tobacco is raised in large quantities. Wheat, corn, oats,
hay, cattle, pork and wool add to the general wealth. This county was first set-
tled in 1801. First settler was Christian Binckley, who built the first cabin in
the county, about five miles west of Somerset, near the present county line.
New Lexington is now the county seat.
Paulding County was formed from old Indian territory August 1, 1820.
It produces corn, wheat and oats. Paulding is the county seat.
Pickaway County was formed from Fairfield, Ross and Franklin, January
12, 1810. The county has woodland, barren, plain and prairie. The barrens
were covered by shrub oaks, and when cleared are adapted to the raising of corn
and oats. The Pickaway plains are three and a half miles west of Circleville,
and this tract is said to contain the richest land in Ohio. Here, in the olden
times, burned the great council fires of the red man. Here the allied tribes met
Gen. Lewis, and fought the battle of Mount Pleasant. Dunmore's campaign
was terminated on these plains. It was at the Chillicothe towns, after Dun-
more's treaty, that Logan delivered his famous speech. Circleville, the county
seat, is situated on the Scioto Eiver and the Ohio Canal. It was laid out in
1810, by Daniel Dresbach. It is situated on the site of ancient fortifications.
Portage County was formed June 7, 1807, from Trumbull. It is a wealthy,
thriving section. Over a thousand tons of cheese are annually produced. It
also produces wheat, corn, oats, barley, buckwheat, rye, butter and wool.
Ravenna is the county seat, and was originally settled by the Hon. Benjamin
Tappen in June, 1799. In 1806, an unpleasant difficulty arose between the
settlers and a camp of Indians in Deerfield, caused by a horse trade between a
white man and an Indian. David Daniels settled on the site of Palmyra in 1799.
Pike County was organized in 1815. The surface is generally hilly, which
abound with freestone, which is exported in large quantities for building pur-
poses. Rich bottom lands extend along the Scioto and its tributaries. John
Noland and the three Chenoweth brothers settled on the Pee Pee prairie about
1796. Piketown, the former county seat, was laid out about 1814. Waverly,
the present county seat, is situated on the Scioto River.
Preble County was formed March 1, 1808, from Montgomery and Butler.
The soil is varied. Excellent water-power facilities are furnished.
Eaton, the county seat, was laid out in 1806, by William Bruce, who owned
the land. An overflowing well of strong sulphur water is near the town, while
directly beside it is a limestone quarry. Holderman's quarry is about two
156 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
miles distant, from which is obtained a beautifully clouded gray stone. Fort St.
Clair Avas built near Eaton, in the winter of 1791-92. Gen. Harrison was an En-
sign at the time, and connnanded a guard every other night for three weeks, during
the building. The severe battle of November 6, 1792, was fought under its very
guns. Little Turtle, a distinguished chief of the Miamis, roamed over this county
for a time. He was witty, brave and earnest, and, although engaged in several
severe contests with the whites, he was inclined toward peace. But when his
warriors cried for war he led them bravely,
Putnam County was formed April 1, 1820, from old Indian territory. The
soil is fertile, its principal productions being wheat, corn, potatoes and oats.
Large quantities of pork are exported. Kalida, once the county seat, was laid
out in 1834. Ottawa is the county seat.
Ross County was formed August 20, 1798, by the proclamation of Gov. St.
Clair, and was the sixth county formed in the Northwestern Territory. The
Scioto River and Paint Creek run through it, bordered Avith fertile lands.
Much water-power is obtained from the many streams watering it. The main
crops are wheat, corn and oats. It exports cattle and hogs.
The Rev. Robert W. Finley, in 1794, addressed a letter of inquiry to Col.
Nathaniel Massie, as many of his associates had designed settling in the new
State. This resulted in packing their several effects and setting out. A triv-
ial Indian encounter was the only interruption they met with on their way.
After Wayne's treaty. Col. Massie and many of these early explorers met
again and formed a settlement — in 1796 — at the mouth of Paint Creek. In
August of this year, Chillicothe was laid out by Col. Massie, in a dense forest.
He donated lots to the early settlers. A ferry was established over the Scioto,
and the opening of Zane's trace assisted the progress of settlement.
Chillicothe, the county seat, is situated on the Scioto. Its site is thirty
feet above the river. In 1800, it was the seat of the Northwestern Territorial
Government. It was incorporated as a city in January, 1802. During the war
of 1812, the city was a rendezvous for the United States troops. A large num-
ber of British were at one time guarded here. Adena is a beautiful place, and
the seat of Gov. Worthington's mansion, which was built in 1806. Near this
is Fruit Hill, the residence of the late Gen. McArthur, and latterly the home
of his son-in-law, the Hon. William Allen. Eleven miles from Chillicothe, on
the road to Portsmouth, is the home of the hermit of the Scioto.
Richland was organized March 1, 1813. It produces wheat, corn, oats, hay,
potatoes, rye, hemp and barley. It was settled about 1809, on branches of the
Mohican. Two block-houses were built in 1812. Mansfield, the county seat,
is charmingly situated, and was laid out in 1808, by Jacob Newman, James
Hedges and Joseph H. Larwell. The county was at that period a vast wilder-
ness, destitute of roads. From this year, the settlement progressed rapidly.
Sandusky County Avas formed April 1, 1820, from the old Indian Territory.
The soil is fertile, and country generally level. It mainly produces corn, wheat,
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 157
oats, potatoes and pork. The Indians were especially delighted with this tract.
Near Lower Sandusky lived a band of Wyandots, called the Neutral Nation.
These two cities never failed to render refuge to any who sought their protec-
tion. They preserved their peacemaking attributes through the Iroquois
conflicts. Fremont, formerly called Lower Sandusky, the county seat, is
situated at the head of navigation, on the Sandusky, on the site of the old
reservation grant to the Indians, af the Greenville treaty council. Fort
Stephenson was erected in August, 1813, and was gallantly defended by Col.
Croghan.
Summit County was formed March 3, 1840, from Medina, Portage and
Stark. The soil is fertile and produces excellent fruit, besides large crops of
corn, wheat, hay, oats and potatoes. Cheese and butter may be added as
products.
The first settlement made in the county was at Hudson, in 1800. The old
Indian portage-path, extending through this county, between the Cuyahoga, and
Tuscarawas Branch of the Muskingum. This was a part of the ancient boundary
between the Six Nations and the Western Indians. Akron, the county seat, is
situated on the portage summit. It was laid out in 1825. In 1811, Paul
Williams and Amos and Minor Spicer settled in this vicinity. Middlebury was
laid out in 1818, by Norton & Hart.
Stark County was formed February 13, 1808. It is a rich agricultural
county. It has large quantities of mineral coal, iron ore, flocks of the finest
sheep and great water-power. Limestone and extensive beds of lime-marl exist.
The manufacture of silk has been extensively carried on. Frederick Post, the
first Moravian missionary in Ohio, settled here in 1761.
Canton is the county seat, situated in the forks of the Nimishillen, a tribu-
tary of the Muskingum. It was laid out in 1806, by Bezaleel Wells, who
owned the land. Massillon was laid out in March, 1826, by John Duncan.
Shelby County was formed in 1819, from Miami. The southern portion is
undulating, arising in some places to hills. Through the north, it is a flat table-
land. It produces wheat, corn, oats and grass. The first point of English set-
tlement in Ohio was at the mouth of Laramie's Creek, in this county, as early
as 1752. Fort Laramie was built in 1794, by Wayne. The first white family
that settled in this county w^as that of James Thatcher, in 1804. Sidney, the
county seat, was laid out in 1819, on the farm of Charles Starrett.
Seneca County was formed April 1, 1820, from the old Indian territory.
Its principal products are corn, wheat, grass, oats, potatoes and pork.
Fort Seneca was built during the war of 1812. The Senecas owned
40,000 acres of land on the Sandusky River, mostly in Seneca County.
Thirty thousand acres of this land was granted to them in 1817, at the treaty
held at the foot of the Maumee Rapids. The remaining 10,000 was granted
the followino- year. These Indians ceded this tract, however, to the Govern-
ment in 1831. It was asserted by an old chief, that this band was the remnant
168 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
of Logan's tribe. Tiffin, the county seat, was laid out by Josiah Hedges in
the year 1821.
Scioto County was formed May 1, 1803. It is a good agricultural section,
besides producing iron ore, coal and freestone. It is said that a French fort
stood at the mouth of the old Scioto, as early as 1740. In 1785, four families
settled where Portsmouth now stands. Thomas McDonald built the first cabin in
the county. The "French grant" w^as located in this section — a tract com-
prising 24,000 acres. The grant was made in March, 1795. Portsmouth, the
county seat, is located upon the Ohio.
Trumbull County was formed in 1800. The original Connecticut Western
Reserve was within its limits. The county is well cultivated and very wealthy.
Coal is found in its northern portion. We have, in our previous outline, given
a history of this section, and it is not, therefore, necessary to repeat its details.
Warren, the county seat, is situated on the Mahoning River. It was laid out
by Ephraim Quinby in 1801. Mr. Quinby owned the soil. His cabin was built
here in 1799. In August, 1800, while Mr. McMahon was away from home,
a party of drunken Indians called at the house, abused the family, struck a
child a severe blow with a tomahawk and threatened to kill the family. Mrs.
McMahon could not send tidings which could reach her husband before noon
the following day. The following Sunday morning, fourteen men and two
boys armed themselves and went to the Indian camp to settle the difficulty.
Quinby advanced alone, leaving the remainder in concealment, as he was better
acquainted with these people, to make inquiries and ascertain their intentions.
He did not return at once, and the party set out, marched into camp, and found
Quinby arguing with Capt. George, the chief Capt. George snatched his
tomahawk and declared war, rushing forward to kill McMahon. But a bullet
from the frontierman's gun killed him instantly, while Storey shot " Spotted
John" at the same time. The Indians then fled. They joined the council at
Sandusky. Quinby garrisoned his house. Fourteen days thereafter, the
Indians returned with overtures of peace, which were, that McMahon and
Storey be taken to Sandusky, tried by Indian laws, and if found guilty, pun-
ished by them. This could not be done. McMahon was tried by Gen. St.
Clair, and the matter was settled. The first missionary on the Reserve was the
Rev. Joseph Badger.
Tuscarawas County was formed February 15, 1808, from Muskingum. It
is well cultivated with abundant supplies of coal and iron.
The first white settlers were Moravian missionaries, their first visits dating
back to 17G1. The first permanent settlement was made in 1803. Miss Mary
Heckewelder, the daughter of a missionary, Avas born in this county April 16,
1781. Fort Laurens was built during the Revolution. It was the scene of a
fearful carnage. It was established in the fall of 1778, and placed under the
command of Gen, Mcintosh. New Philadelphia is the county seat, situated on
the Tuscarawas. It was laid out in 1804 by John Knisely. A German
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 159
colony settled in this county in 1817, driven from their native land by religious
dictation they could not espouse. They called themselves Separatists. They
are a simple-minded people, strictly moral and honest.
Union County was formed from Franklin, Delaware, Logan and Madison in
1820. It produces corn, grass, wheat, oats, potatoes, butter and cheese.
Extensive limestone quarries are also valuable. The Ewing brothers made the
first white settlement in 1798. Col. James Curry, a member of the State Leg-
islature, was the chief instigator in the progress of this section. He located
within its limits and remained until his death, which occurred in 1834. Marys-
ville is the county seat.
Van Wert County was formed from the old Lidian territory April 1, 1820.
A great deal of timber is within the limits of this county, but the soil is so
tenacious that water will not sink through it, and crops are poor during wet
seasons. The main product is corn. Van Wert, the county seat, was founded
by James W. Riley in 1837. An Indian town had formerly occupied its site.
Capt. Riley was the first Avhite man who settled in the county, arriving in 1821.
He founded Willshire in 1822.
Vinton County was organized in 1850. It is drained by Raccoon and Salt
Oreeks. The surface is undulating or hilly, and is extensively covered with
forests in which the oak, buckeye and sugar maple are found. Corn, hay, but-
ter and wool are staple products. Bituminous coal and iron ore are found.
McArthur is the county seat.
Washington County was formed by proclamation of Gov. St. Clair July 27,
1788, and was the first county founded within the limits of Ohio. The surface
is broken with extensive tracts of level, fertile land. It was the first county
settled in the State under the auspices of the Ohio Company. A detachment
■of L^nited States troops, under command of Maj. John Doughty, built Fort
Harmar in 1785, and it was the first military post established in Ohio by
Americans, with the exception of Fort Laurens, which was erected in 1778.
It was occupied by United States troops until 1790, when they were ordered
to Connecticut. A company under Capt. Haskell remained. In 1785, the
Directors of the Ohio Company began practical operations, and settlement
went forward rapidly. Campus Martins, a stockade fort, was completed in
1791. This formed a sturdy stronghold during the war. During the Indian
war there was much sufiering in the county. Many settlers were killed and
captured.
Marietta is the county seat, and the oldest town in Ohio. Marietta College
was chartered in 1835. Herman Blannerhassett, whose unfortunate association
with Aaron Burr proved fatal to himself, was a resident of Marietta in 1796.
About the year 1798, he began to beautify and improve his island.
Warren County was formed May 1, 1803, from Hamilton. The soil is
very fertile, and considerable water-power is furnished by its streams. Mr.
Bedell made the first settlement in 1795. Lebanon is the county seat. Henry
160 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
Taylor settled in this vicinity in 1796. Union Village is a settlement of
Shakers. They came here about 1805.
Wayne County was proclaimed by Gov. St. Clair August 15, 1796, and
was the third county in the Northwest Territory. The settlement of this sec-
tion has already been briefly delineated. Wooster is the county seat. It was
laid out during the fall of 1808, by John Beaver, William Henry and Joseph
H. Larwell, owners of the land. Its site is 337 feet above Lake Erie. The
first mill was built by Joseph Stibbs in 1809, on Apple Creek. In 1812, a
block-house was erected in Wooster.
Wood County was formed from the old Indian territory in 1820. The soil
is rich, and large crops are produced. The county is situated Avithin the Mau-
mee Valley. It was the arena of brilliant military exploits during early times.
Bowling Green is the county seat.
Williams County was formed April 1, 1820, from the old Indian territory.
Bryan is the county seat. It was laid out in 1840.
Wyandot County was formed February 3, 1845, from Marion, Harden,
Hancock and CraAvford. The surface is level and the soil is fertile. The
Wyandot Indians frequented this section. It was the scene of Crawford's
defeat, in June, 1782, and his fearful death. The treaty of 1817, Hon. Lewis
Cass and Hon. Duncan McArther, United States Commissioners, granted to
the Indians a reservation ten miles square, the central point being Fort Ferree.
This reservation was ceded to the United States in 1829. The Wyandots
ceded theirs March 17, 1842. The United States Commissioner was Col.
John Johnson, Avho thus made the last Indian treaty in Ohio. Every foot of
this State was fairly purchased by treaties. The Wyandots were exceedingly
brave, and several of their chiefs were men of exalted moral principles.
Upper Sandusky is the county seat, and was laid out in 1843. Gen. Har-
rison had built Ferree on this spot during the war of 1812. Gov. Meigs, in
1813, encamped near the river, with several thousand of the Ohio militia.
The Indian town of Upper Sandusky was originally Crane Town. The
Indians transferred their town, after the death of Tark^, to Upper Sandusky.
GOVERNORS OF OHIO.
The Territorial Governors we have already mentioned in the course of our
brief review of the prominent events of the State of Ohio. After the Terri-
tory was admitted as a State, in 1802, Edward Tiffin w^as elected to that position,
and again received the same honor, in 1804 and 1806. In 1807, circumstances
led him to resign, and Thomas Kirker, Speaker of the House, acted as Gover-
nor, until the close of the term.
Edward Tiffin was born in Carlisle, England, coming to this country in
1784, at the age of eigliteen. He entered the University of Pennsylvania, and
applied himself to the study of medicine, graduating and beginning his practice
at the age of twenty, in the State of Virginia. In 1789, he married Mary>
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 161
daughter of Col. Worthington, and sister of Thomas Worthington, who subse-
quently became Governor of Ohio. In his profession, Gov. Tiffin was highly
esteemed, and his public labors were carried forward with a zealous earnestness
which marked his career as one of usefulness. He settled in Chillicothe, Ohio,
in 1796, where he died, in 1829.
Samuel Huntington, the recipient of the honor of second Governor, was
inaugurated in 1808. He was an American by birth, Norwich, Conn,
being his native place. He was a diligent student in Yale College, graduating
in 1785. He removed to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1801. He attained a reputation
for integrity, ability and rare discretion. As a scholar, he was eminently supe-
rior. He resided in Cleveland at the time of his death, in 1817.
Return Jonathan Meigs followed Gov. Huntington. He was born in Mid-
dletown, Conn., in 1765. He was also a student in Yale College, graduating
in 1785, with the highest honors. He immediately entered the study of law,
and was admitted to practice in his twenty-third year. He married Miss Sophia
Wright, and settled in Marietta, Ohio, in 1788. He took his seat as Gover-
nor in 1810, and was re-elected in 1812. In 1813, President Madison appointed
him to the position of Postmaster General, which occasioned his resignation as
Governor. Othniel Looker, Speaker of the House, acted as Governor during
the remainder of the term. Mr. Meigs died in 1825, leaving as a memento of
his usefulness, a revered memory.
Thomas Worthington, the fourth Governor, was born in Jefferson County,
Va., in 1769. He gained an education in William and Mary's College.
In 1788, he located at Chillicothe, and was the first Senator from the new
State. He was also the first man to erect the first saw-mill in Ohio. He
served two terms as Senator, from 1803 to 1815, resigning in 1814, to take his
position as Governor. In 1816, he was re-elected. He was exceedingly active
in paving the way for the future prosperity of Ohio. His measures were famous
for practical worth and honesty. Chief Justice Chase designated him as "a
gentleman of distinguished ability and great influence." He died in 1827.
Ethan Allen Brown followed Mr. Worthington. His birthplace was on the
shore of Long Island Sound, in Fairfield County, Conn., July 4, 1766. His
education was derived under the most judicious instruction of a private tutor.
In classics, he became proficient. Directly he had reached the required stand-
ard in general .education, he began the study of law, at home. After becoming
conversant with preliminary requirements, he entered the law office of Alex-
ander Hamilton, who at that time was a national pride, as a scholar, lawyer and
statesman. Opportunities coming in his way, which promised a fortune, he
abandoned the law, and achieved success and a fortune. He then decided to
return to his study, and was admitted to practice in 1802. Thereafter, he was
seized with an exploring enthusiasm, and with his cousin as a companion, set
out upon a horseback tour, following the Indian trails from east to west, through
Pennsylvania, until they reached Brownsville, on the Monongahela River. Here
162 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
they purchased two flatboats, and fully stocking them with provisions and
obtaining efficient crews, started for New Orleans. Reaching that city, they
found they could not dispose of their cargoes to any advantage, and shipped the
flour to Liverpool, England, taking passage in the same vessel. They succeeded
in obtaining good prices for their stock, and set sail for America, arriving in Bal-
timore nine months after first leaving " home," on this adventure. Mr. Brown's
father decided to secure a large and valuable tract of Western land, as a per-
manent home, and authorized his son to select and purchase the same for him.
He found what he desired, near Rising Sun, Ind. After this, he settled in
Cincinnati, and engaged in the practice of law, speedily achieving prominency
and distinction. Financially, he was most fortunate. In 1810, he was elected
Judge of the Supreme Court, which position he filled with honor, until he was
chosen Governor, in 1818. He was re-elected in 1820. In 1821, he received
the honor of Senator, and served one term, with the highest distinction, gain-
ing emolument for himself and the State he represented. In 1880, he was
appointed Minister to Brazil. He remained there four years, and returning,
was appointed Commissioner of Public Lands, by President Jackson, holding
this position two years. At this time, he decided to retire from public life.
Since he never married, he was much with his relatives, at Rising Sun, Ind.,
during the latter part of his life. His death was sudden and unexpected, occur-
ring in February, 1852, while attending a Democratic Convention, at Indianap-
olis, Ind. He was interred near his father, at Rising Sun.
Jeremiah Morrow, the sixth Governor of Ohio, was born at Gettysburg,
Penn., in October, 1771. His people were of the " Scotch-Irish " class, and his
«arly life was one of manual labor upon his father's farm. During the winter,
he had the privilege of a private school. With a view of establishing himself
and securing a competency, he bade the old home farewell, in 1795, and set out
for the " Far West." A flatboat carried him to a little cluster of cabins, known
by the name of Columbia, six miles from Fort Washington — Cincinnati. He
devoted himself to whatever came in his way, that seemed best and most worthy
— teaching school, surveying and working on farms between times. Having
accumulated a small capital, he ascended the Little Miami, as far as Warren
County, and there purchased an extensive farm, and erected an excellent log
house. In the spring of 1799, he married Miss Mary Packtrell, of Columbia.
The young couple set out upon pioneer farming. Gaining popularity as well as
a desirable property, he was deputized to the Territorial Legislature, which met
at Chillicothe, at which time measures were inaugurated to call a Constitutional
Convention, during the following year, to organize the State of Ohio. Mr.
Morrow was one of the Delegates to this convention, and steadfastly worked in the
interests of those who sent him, until its close in 1802. The following year,
he was elected to the Senate of Ohio, and in June of the same year, he was
appointed the first Representative to the United States Congress from the new
State.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 163
Ohio was then entitled to but one Representative in Congress, and could not
add to that number for ten years thereafter. During these years, Mr. Morrow
represented the State. In 1813, he was sent to the United States Senate, and
in 1822, was elected Governor of Ohio, almost unanimously, being re-elected in
1824. It was during his administration that work was begun on the Ohio
Canal. Mr. Morrow received the national guest. La Fayette, with an earnest
and touching emotion, which affected the emotions of the generous Frenchman
more profoundly than any of the elaborate receptions which paved his way
through America. On the 4th of July, 1839, Gov. Morrow was appointed to
lay the corner stone of the new State capitol, at Columbus, and to deliver the
address on this occasion. Again, in 1840, he was in the House of Representa-
tives, filling the vacancy caused by the resignation of Hon. Thomas Corwin.
He was elected for the following term also. He died at his own homestead, in
Warren County, March 22, 1853.
Allen Trimble was a native of Augusta County, Va. The date of his birth
was November 24, 1783. His ancestors were of Scotch-Irish origin, and were
among the early settlers of Virginia. His father moved to Ohio in 1804, pur-
chasing a tract of land in Highland County. His cabin was remarkably spa-
cious, and elicited the admiration of his neighbors. He cleared six acres of
land for an orchard, and brought the trees on horseback, from Kentucky. Be-
fore this new home was completed, Allen, then a young man of twenty, took
possession. This was in the year 1805. Four years thereafter, he occupied
the position of Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas and Recorder of Hio-h-
land County. He was serving in the latter capacity at the breaking out of the
war of 1812. Naturally enthusiastic and patriotic, he engaged a competent
person to perform his civil duties, while he went into active service as Colonel
of a regiment he had summoned and enlisted. He was always eager to be in
the front, and led his men with such valor that they were termed soldiers who
did not know the art of flinching. His commanding General lavished praises
upon him. In 1816, he was in the State Senate, representing Hio-hland
County. He occupied the same position for four terms, two years each. In
1818, he was Speaker of the Senate, over Gen. Robert Lucas. He remained
in this office until elected to the United States Senate, to fill the vacancy caused
by the death of his brother. Col. William A. Trimble. In October, 1826, he
was elected the seventh Governor of Ohio, by an astonishing majority. The
united vote of his three competitors was but one-sixth of the vote polled. Gov.
Trimble was an earnest Henry Clay Whig. In 1828, he was re-elected,
although Jackson carried the State the following November. Gov. Trimble
was married in 1806, to Miss Margaret McDowell. Three years thereafter,
she died, leaving two children. He was united in marriage to Miss Rachel
Woodrow, and they lived together sixty years, when he died, at home, in Hills-
boro, Highland County, February 3, 1870. His wife survived him but a few
months.
164 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
Duncan Mc Arthur, the eighth Governor of Ohio, was born in Dutchess
County, N. Y., in 1772. While yet a child, his parents removed to the west-
ern part of Pennsylvania, where they entered upon the hard life of pioneers.
While there, young Duncan had the meager advantages of a backwoods school.
His life was a general routine until his eighteenth year, when he enlisted under
Gen. Harmer for the Indian campaign. His conduct and bravery won worthy
laurels, and upon the death of the commander of his company, he was elected
to that position, although the youngest man in the company. ,When his days
of service had expired, he found employment at salt-making in Maysville, Ky.,
until he was engaged as chain-bearer in Gen. Massie's survey of the Scioto
Valley. At this time, Indian atrocities alarmed the settlers occasionally, and
his reputation for bravery caused him to be appointed one of the three patrols
of the Kentucky side of the Ohio, to give the alarm to scattered cabins in case
of danger. This was during the summer of 1793. Gen. Massie again secured
his services, this time as assistant surveyor. He was thus engaged for several
years, during which time he assisted in platting Chillicothe. He purchased a
large tract of land just north of town, and under his vigorous and practical
management, it became one of the finest estates of Ohio, which reputation it
sustains at the present time. He amassed wealth rapidly, his investments
always being judicious. In 1805, he was elected to the State Legislature.
He was a Colonel of an Ohio regiment, and accompanied Gen. Hull to Detroit
in 1813. At Hull's surrender he was a prisoner, but released on parole,
returned to Ohio in a state of indignation over his commander's stupidity.
Soon thereafter he was sent to Congress on the Democratic ticket. Soon there-
after he was released from parole by exchange, and, greatly rejoiced, he
resigned his seat, entered the army as a Brigadier General under Gen. Harri-
son, and the following year succeeded him as commander of the Northwestern
forces. At the termination of the war, he was immediately returned to the
State Legislature. He occupied State offices until 1822, when he was again
sent to Congress. Serving one term, he declined re-election. In 1830, he
was elected Governor of Ohio. When his term expired, he decided to enjoy
life as a citizen on his farm, " Fruit Hill," and lived there in contentment until
1840, when he died.
Robert Lucas was another Virginian, having been born in 1781, in Jeffer-
son County of that State. While a boy, his father liberated his slaves, moving
to Chillicothe as one of the early settlers. He procured a proficient tutor for
his children. Robert became an expert in mathematics and surveying. Before
he reached his majority, he was employed as surveyor, earning liberal compen-
sation. At the age of twenty-three, he was appointed Surveyor of Scioto
County. At twenty-five, he was Justice of the Peace for Union Township,
Scioto County. He married Miss Elizabeth Brown in 1810, who died two
years thereafter, leaving a young daughter. In 1816, he married Miss Sum-
ner. The same year he was elected a member of the Ohio Legislature- For
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 165
nineteen consecutive years he served in the House or Senate. In 1820 and
1828, he was chosen one of the Presidential electors of Ohio, In 1832,
he was Chairman of the National Convention at Baltimore, which nom-
inated Gen. Jackson as President of the United States. In 1832, he
became Governor of Ohio, and was re-elected in 1834. He declined a third
nomination, and was appointed by President Van Buren Territorial Governor
of Iowa and Superintendent of Indian Affairs. On the 16th of August,
1838, he reached Burlington, the seat of government. He remained in Iowa
until his death, in 1853.
Joseph Vance, the tenth Governor of Ohio, was born in Washington
County, Penn., March 21, 1781. He was of Scotch-Irish descent, and his
father emigrated to the new Territory when Joseph was two years of age. He
located on the southern bank of the Ohio, building a solid block house. This
formed a stronghold for his neighbors in case of danger. In 1801, this pioneer
decided to remove north of the Ohio River, and eventually settled in Urbana,
Joseph had the primitive advantages of the common schools, and became pro-
ficient in handling those useful implements — the plow, ax and rifle. The first
money he earned he invested in a yoke of oxen. He obtained several barrels
of salt, and set out on a speculative tour through the settlements. He traveled
through a wilderness, over SAvamps, and surmounted serious difficulties. At
night he built a huge fire to terrify the wolves and panthers, and laid down to
sleep beside his oxen, frequently being obliged to stand guard to protect
them from these ferocious creatures. Occasionally he found a stream so swol-
len that necessarily he waited hours and even days in the tangled forest, before
he could cross. He often suffered from hunger, yet he sturdily persevered and
sold his salt, though a lad of only fifteen years. When he attained his major-
ity, he married Miss Mary Lemen, of Urbana. »At twenty-three, he was
elected Captain of a rifle company, and frequently led his men to the front to
fight the Indians prior to the war of 1812. During that year, he and his
brother piloted Hull's army through the dense forests to Fort Meigs. In 1817,
with Samuel McCullough and Henry Van Meter, he made a contract to supply
the Northwestern army with provisions. They drove their cattle and hogs
many miles, dead weight being transported on sleds and in wagons. He
engaged in mercantile business at Urbana and Fort Meigs — now Perrysburg.
While thus employed, he was elected to the Legislature, and there remained
four years. He then purchased a large tract of land on Blanchard's Fork,
and laid out the town of Findlay. He was sent to Congress in 1821, and was
a member of that body for fifteen years. In 1836, he was chosen Governor of
Ohio. Again he was sent to Congress in 1842. While attending the Consti-
tutional Convention in 1850, he was stricken with paralysis, and suffered
extremely until 1852, when he died at his home in Urbana.
Wilson Shannon was a native of Belmont County, Ohio. He was born
during 1803. At the age of fifteen, he was sent to the university at Athens,
166 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
where he remained a year, and then changed to the Transylvania University,
at Lexington, Ky. He continued his studies two years, then returning home
and entering upon reading law. He completed his course at St. Clairsville,
Belmont County, and was admitted to practice. He was engaged in the courts
of the county for eight years. In 1832, the Democrats nominated him to Con-
gress, but he was not elected. He received the position of Prosecuting Attor-
ney in 1834, in Avhich position his abilities were so marked and brilliant that
he was elected Governor by a majority of 3,600. He was re-nominated in
1840, but Tom Corwin won the ticket. Two years thereafter, he was again
nominated and elected. In 1843, he was appointed Minister to Mexico, by
President Tyler, and resigned the office of Governor. When Texas was
admitted as a State, Mexico renounced all diplomatic relations with the United
States. Mr. Shannon returned home, and resumed the practice of law. He
was sent to Congress in 1852. President Pierce conferred upon him the posi-
tion of Territorial Governor of Kansas, which duty he did not perform satis-
factorily, and was superseded after fourteen months of service. He settled in
Lecompton, Kan., and there practiced law until his death, which occurred in
1877.
Thomas Corwin, the twelfth Governor of Ohio, was born in Bourbon
County, Ky., July 29, 1794. His father settled at Lebanon in 1798. The
country Avas crude, and advantages meager. When Thomas was seventeen
years of age, the war of 1812 was inaugurated, and this young man was
engaged to drive a wagon through the wilderness, loaded with provisions, to
Gen. Harrison's headquarters. In 1816, he began the study of law, and
achieved knowledge so rapidly that in 1817 he passed examination and was
admitted to practice. He was elected Prosecuting Attorney of his county, in
1818, which position he Leld until 1830. He was elected to the Legislature of
Ohio in 1822. Again, in 1829, he was a member of the same body. He was
sent to Congress in 1830, and continued to be re-elected for the space of ten
years. 'He became Governor of Ohio in 1840. In 1845, he was elected to
the United States Senate, Avhere he remained until called to the cabinet of Mr.
Fillmore, as Secretary of the Treasury. He was again sent to Congress in
1858, and re-elected in 1860. He was appointed Minister to Mexico, by Pres-
ident Lincoln. After his return, he practiced law in Washington, D. 0 ,
where he died in 1866.
Mordecai Bartley was born in 1783, in Fayette County, Penn. There he
remained, on his father's farm, until he was twenty-one years of age. He marr
ried Miss Wells in 1804, and removed to Jefferson County, Ohio, where he
purchased a farm, near Cross Creek. At the opening of the war of 1812, he
enlisted in a company, and was elected its Captain, He entered the field under
Harrison. At the close of the war, he removed to Richland County, and opened
a clearing and set up a cabin, a short distance from Mansfield. He remained
on his farm twenty years, then removing to Mansfield, entered the mercantile
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 167
business. In 1817, lie was elected to the State Senate. He was sent to Con-
gress in 1823, and served four terms. In 1844, he became Governor of Ohio,
on the Whig ticket. He declined a re-nomination, preferring to retire to his
home in Mansfield, where he died in 1870.
William Bebb, the fourteenth Governor, was from Hamilton County, Ohio.
He was born in 1804. His early instructions were limited, but thorough. He
opened a school himself, when he was twenty years of age, at North Bend,
residing in the house of Gen. Harrison. He remained thus employed a year,
during which time he married Shuck. He very soon began the study of law,
continuing his school. He was successful in his undertakings, and many pupils
were sent him from the best families in Cincinnati. In 1831, he was admitted
to practice, and opened an ofiice in Hamilton, Butler County, remaining thus
engaged for fourteen years. In 1845, he was elected Governor of Ohio. In
1847, he purchased 5,000 acres of land in the Rock River country. 111., and
removed there three years later. On the inauguration of President Lincoln, he
was appointed Pension Examiner, at Washington, and remained in that position
until 1866, when he returned to his Illinois farm. He died at Rockford, 111.,
in 1873.
Seabury Ford, the fifteenth Governor of Ohio, was born in the year 1802,
at Cheshire, Conn. His parents settled in Burton Township. He attended
the common schools, prepared for college at an academy in Burton, and entered
Yale College, in 1821, graduating in 1825. He then began the study of law,
in the law office of Samuel W. Phelps, of Painesville, completing his course
with Judge Hitchcock. He began practice in 1827, in Burton. He married
Miss Harriet E. Cook, of Burton, in 1828. He was elected by the Whigs to
the Legislature, in 1835, and served six sessions, during one of which he was
Speaker of the House. He entered the State Senate in 1841, and there
remained until 1844, when he was again elected Representative. In 1846, he
was appointed to the Senate, and in 1848, he became Governor of Ohio. On
the first Sunday after his retirement, he was stricken with paralysis, from which
he never recovered. He died at his home in Burton in 1855.
Reuben Wood, the sixteenth Governor, was a Vermonter. Born in 1792,
in Middleton, Rutland County, he was a sturdy son of the Green Mountain
State. He was a thorough scholar, and obtained a classical education in Upper
Canada. In 1812, he was drafted by the Canadian authorities to serve against
the Americans, but being determined not to oppose his own land, he escaped
one stormy night, accompanied by Bill Johnson, who was afterward an Ameri-
can spy. In a birchbark canoe they attempted to cross Lake Ontario. A
heavy storm of wind and rain set in. The night was intensely dark, and they
were in great danger. They fortunately found refuge on a small island, where
they were storm-bound three days, suiFering from hunger and exposure. They
reached Sacket's Harbor at last, in a deplorable condition. Here they were
arrested as spies by the patrol boats of the American fleet. They were prisoners
168 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
four days, when an uncle of Mr. AVood's, residing not far distant, came to
their rescue, vouched for their loyalty, and they were released. Mr. Wood
then went to Woodville, N. Y., where he raised a company, of which he was
elected Captain. They marched to the northern frontier. The battles of
Plattsburg and Lake Champlain were fought, the enemy defeated, and the com-
pany returned to Woodville and was disbanded.
Young; Wood then entered the law office of Gen. Jonas Clark, at Middle-
Ijury, Vt. He was married in 1816, and two years later, settled in Cleveland,
Ohio. When he first established himself in the village, he possessed his wife,
infant daughter and a silver quarter of a dollar. He was elected to the State
Senate in 1825, and filled the office three consecutive terms. He was appointed
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. He was promoted to the Bench of the
Supreme Court, serving there fourteen years, the latter portion of the term as
Chief Justice. He was termed the "Cayuga Chief," from his tall form and
courtly bearing. He was elected Governor in 1850, by a majority of 11,000.
The new constitution, which went into effect in March, 1851, vacated the office
of Governor, and he was re-elected by a majority of 26,000. The Democrats
holding a national convention in Baltimore in 1852, party division caused fifty
unavailing votes. The Virginia delegation offered the entire vote to Gov.
Wood, if Ohio would bring him forward. The opposition of one man pre-
vented this. The offer was accepted by New Hampshire, and Frank Pierce
became President. Mr. Wood was appointed Consul to Valparaiso, South
America, and resigned his office of Governor. He resigned his consulship and
returned to his fine farm near Cleveland, called "Evergreen Place." He
expected to address a Union meeting on the 5th of October, 1864, but on the
]st he died, mourned by all who knew him.
William Medill, the seventeenth Governor, was born in New Castle County,
Del., in 1801. He was a graduate of Delaware College in 1825. He began
the study of law under Judge Black, of New Castle, and was admitted to the
bar in 1832. He removed to Lancaster, Ohio, in 1830. He was elected Rep-
resentative from Fairfield County in 1835. He was elected to Congress in
1838, and was re-elected in 1840. He was appointed Assistant Postmaster
General by President Polk. During the same year, he was appointed Com-
missioner of Indian Affairs. In 1851, he was elected Lieutenant Go^vernor, and,
in 1853, he became Governor. He occupied the position of First Comptroller
of the United States Treasury in 1857, under President Buchanan, retaining the
office until 1861, when he retired from public life. His death occurred in
1865.
Salmon P. Chase was a native of Cornish, N. H. He was born in 1803.
He entered Dartmouth College in 1822, graduating in 1826. He was there-
after successful in establishing a classical school in Washington, but finan-
cially it did not succeed. He continued to teach the sons of Henry Clay,
William Wirt and S. L. Southard, at the same time reading law when not busy
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 171
as tutor. He was admitted to practice in 1829, and opened a law office in Cin-
cinnati. He succeeded but moderately, and during his leisure hours prepared
a new edition of the "Statutes of Ohio." He added annotations and a well-
written sketch of the early history of the State. This was a thorough success,
and gave the earnest worker popularity and a stepping-stone for the future.
He was solicitor for the banks of the United States in 1834, and soon there-
after, for the city banks. He achieved considerable distinction in 1837, in the
case of a colored woman brought into the State by her master, and escaping
his possession. He was thus brought out as an Abolitionist, which was further
sustained by his defense of James G. Birney, who had suffered indictment for
harboring a fugitive slave. In 1846, associated with William H. Seward, he
defended Van Zandt before the Supreme Court of the United States. His
thrilling denunciations and startling conjectures alarmed the slaveholding
States, and subsequently led to the enactment of the fugitive-slave law of 1850.
Mr. Chase was a member of the United States Senate in 1849, through the
coalition of the Democrats and Free-Soilers. In 1855, he was elected Gover-
nor of Ohio by the opponents of Pierce's administration. He was re-elected
in 1859. President Lincoln, in 1861, tendered him the position of Secretary
of the Treasury. To his ability and official management we are indebted for
the present national bank system. In 1864, he was appointed Chief Justice of
the United States. He died in the city of New York in 1873, after a useful
career.
William Dennison was born in Cincinnati in 1815. He gained an educa-
tion at Miami University, graduating in 1835. He began the study of law in
the office of the father of George H. Pendleton, and was qualified and admitted
to the bar in 1840. The same year, he married a daughter of William Neil,
of Columbus. The Whigs of the Franklin and Delaware District sent him to i
the State Senate, in 1848. He was President of the Exchange Bank in Cin-
cinnati, in 1852, and was also President of Columbus & Xenia Railway. He was
elected the nineteenth Governor of Ohio in 1859. By his promptness and
activity at the beginning of the rebellion, Ohio was placed in the front rank of
loyalty. At the beginning of Lincoln's second term, he was appointed Post-
master General, retiring upon the accession of Johnson. He then made his
home at Columbus.
David Tod, the twentieth Governor of Ohio, was born at Youngstown, Ohio,
in 1805. His education was principally obtained through his own exertions.
He set about the study of law most vigorously, and was admitted to practice in
1827. He soon acquired popularity through his ability, and consequently was
financially successful. He purchased the Briar Hill homestead. Under Jack-
son's administration, he was Postmaster at Warren, and held the position until
1838, when he was elected State Senator by the Whigs of Trumbull District, by
the Democrats. In 1844, he retired to Briar Hill, and opened the Briar Hill
Coal Mines. He was a pioneer in the coal business of Ohio. In the Cleveland
172 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. '
& Mahoning Railroad, he was largely interested, and was its President, after the
death of Mr. Perkins. He was nominated, in 1844, for Governor, by the Dem-
ocrats, but was defeated. In 1847, he went to Brazil as Minister, where he
resided for four and a half years. The Emperor presented him with a special
commendation to the President, as a testimonial of his esteem. He was also the
recipient of an elegant silver tray, as a memorial from the resident citizens of
Eio Janeiro. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, which
met at Charleston in 1860. He was Vice President of this Convention. He
was an earnest advocate for Stephen A. Douglas. When the Southern members
withdrew, the President, Caleb Cushing, going with .them, the convention
adjourned to Baltimore, when Mr. Tod assumed the chair and Douglas was nom-
inated. He was an earnest worker in the cause, but not disheartened by its
defeat. When Fort Sumter was fired upon, he was one of the most vigorous
prosecutors of the war, not relaxing his active earnestness until its close. He
donated full uniforms to Company B, of the Nineteenth Regiment, and contrib-
uted largely to the war fund of his township. Fifty-five thousand majority
elected him Governor in 1861. His term was burdened with war duties,
and he carried them so bravely as Governor that the President said of him :
" Governor Tod of Ohio aids me more and troubles me less than any other Gov-
ernor." His death occurred at Briar Hill during the year 1868.
John Brough was a native of Marietta, Ohio. He was born in 1811. The death
of his father left him in precarious circumstances, which may have been a discipline
for future usefulness. He entered a printing office, at the age of fourteen, in
Marietta, and after serving a few months, began his studies in the Ohio Uni-
versity, setting type mornings and evenings, to earn sufficient for support. He
occupied the leading position in classes, and at the same time excelled as a
type-setter. He was also admired for his athletic feats in field amusements.
He completed his studies and began reading laAV, which pursuit was interrupted
by an opportunity to edit a paper in Petersburg, Va. He returned to Marietta
in 1831, and became editor and proprietor of a leading Democratic newspaper
— the Washington County Republican. He achieved distinction rapidly,
and in 1833, sold his interest, for the purpose of entering a more extended field
of journalism. He purchased the Ohio Eagle, at Lancaster, and as its editor,
held a deep influence over local and State politics. He occupied the position
of Clerk of the Ohio Senate, between the years 1835 and 1838, and relinquished his
paper. He then represented the counties of Fairfield and Hocking in the Leg-
islature. He was then appointed Auditor of State by the General Assembly,
in which position he served six years. He then purchased the Phoenix news-
paper in Cincinnati, changed its name to the Enquirer, placing it in the care
of his brother, Charles, while he opened a law office in the city. His editorials
in the Enquirer, and his activity in political affairs, were brilliant and strong.
He retired from politics in 1848, sold a half-interest in the Enquirer and carried
on a prosperous business, but was brought forward again by leaders of both
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 173
political parties in 1863, through the Vallandigham contest, and was elected
Governor the same year, by a majority of 101,099 votes in a total of 471,643.
He was three times married. His death occurred in 1865 — Charles Anderson
serving out his term.
Jacob Dolson Cox, the twenty-second Governor, was born in 1828, in Mon-
treal, Canada, where his parents were temporarily. He became a student of
Oberlin College, Ohio, in 1846, graduating in 1851, and beginning the practice
of law in Warren in 1852. He Avas a member of the State Senate in 1859,
from the Trumbull and Mahoning Districts. He was termed a radical. He
was a commissioned Brigadier General of Ohio in 1861, and, in 1862, was pro-
moted to Major General for gallantry in battle. While in the service he was
nominated for Governor, and took that position in 1865. He was a member of
Grant's Cabinet as Secretary of the Interior, but resigned. He went to Con-
gress in 1875, from the Toledo District. His home is in Cincinnati.
Rutherford B. Hayes, was the nineteenth President of the United States,
the twenty-third Governor of Ohio, was born at Delaware, Ohio, in 1822. He
was a graduate of Kenyon College in 1842. He began the study of law, and,
in 1843, pursued that course in the Cambridge University, graduating in 1845.
He began his practice at Fremont. He Avas married to Miss Lucy Webb in
1852, in Cincinnati. He was Major of the Twenty-third Ohio Volunteer
Infantry in 1861, and in 1862, was promoted to Colonel on account of bravery
in the field, and eventually became Major General. In 1864, he was elected to
Congress, and retired from the service. He remained in Congress two terms,
and was Governor of Ohio in 1867, being re-elected in 1869, He filled this
office a third term, being re-elected in 1875.
Edward F. Noyes was born in Haverhill, Mass., in 1832. While a lad of
fourteen, he entered the office of the Morning Star, published at Dover, N. H.,
in order to learn the business of printing. At the age of eighteen, he entered
the academy at Kingston, N. H. He prepared for college, and entered
Dartmouth in 1853, graduating with high honors in 1857. He had begun the
study of law, and continued the course in the Cincinnati Law School, and began
to practice in 1858. He was an enthusiast at the opening of the rebellion and
was interested in raising the Twentieth Regiment, of which he was made Major.
He was promoted to Colonel in 1862. At the conflict at Ruff's Mills, in
Georgia, in 1864, he was so unfortunate as to lose a leg. At the time, amputa-
tion was necessary, but was unskillfully performed. He was brought to Cincin-
nati, and the operation was repeated, Avhich nearly cost him his life. He reported
three months later, to Gen. Hooker for duty, on crutches. He Avas assigned to
command of Camp Dennison. He Avas promoted to the full rank of Brigadier
General, and Avhile in discharge of his duty at that place, he was elected City
Solicitor of Cincinnati. He occupied the position until 1871, when he was
elected Governor, by a majority of 20,000. He went to France in 1877, as
Minister, appointed by President Hayes.
174 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
William Allen, the twenty-fifth Governor of Ohio, was born in 1807, in
"Chowan County, N. C. While an infant, he was left an orphan, and his sister
superintended his education. He was placed in a private school in Lynchburg,
Va., at the age of fourteen. Two years later, he joined his sister and fiimily,
in Chillicotho, and attended the academy a year, when he entered the law office
of Edward King, and began a course of study. In his seventeenth year, he
began practice, and through his talent speedily acquired fame and popu-
larity. Before he was twenty-five, he was sent to Congress by a strong Whig
district. He was elected United States Senator in 1837, there remaining
«ntil 1849. In 1845, he married Effie McArthur, who died soon after the
birth of their daughter. In 1873, he was elected Governor. His adininis-
tration gave general satisfaction. He died, at his home at " Fruit Hill," in
1879.
R. M. Bishop, the twenty-sixth Governor of Ohio, was born Novem-
ber 4, 1812, in Fleming County, Ky. He began the vocation of mer-
chant, and for several years devoted himself to that business in his native
State. In 1848, he engaged in the wholesale grocery business, in Cincinnati.
His three sons became partners, under the firm name of R. M. Bishop & Sons.
The sales of this house frequently exceeded $5,000,000 per annum. Mr.
Bishop was a member of the Council of Cincinnati, and in 1859 was its Mayor,
holding that office until 1861. In 1860, the Legislatures of Indiana and Ten-
nessee visited Ohio, to counsel each other to stand by the Constitution and the
flag. At the reception given at Pike's Opera House, Mayor Bishop delivered
an eloquent address, which elicited admiration and praises. During the same
year, as Mayor, he received the Prince of Wales in the most cordial manner, a
national credit as a mark of respect to a distinguished foreign guest. In 1877,
he vfSiB elected Governor of Ohio, by a large majority.
Charles Foster, the present and twenty-seventh Governor of Ohio, was born
in Seneca County, Ohio, April 12, 1828. He was educated at the common
schools and the academy at Norwalk, Ohio. Engaged in mercantile and bank-
ing business, and never held any public office until he was elected to the Forty-
second Congress ; was re-elected to the Forty-third Congress, and again to the
Forty-fourth Congress, as a Republican. In 1879, he was nominated by the
Republicans and elected Governor of the State; was re-elected in 1881.
In reviewing these slight sketches of the Governors of this grand Western
State, one is impressed with the active relationship they have all sustained, with
■credit, with national measures. Their services have been efficient, earnest and
patriotic, like the State they have represented and led.
ANCIENT WORKS.
Ohio has furnished a prolific field for antiquarians and those interested in
scientific explorations, either for their own amusement and knowledge, or for
the records of " facts and formations."
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
175
It is well known that the " Mound Builders " had a wide sweep through this
continent, but absolute facts regarding their era have been most difficult to
obtain. Numerous theories and suppositions have been advanced, yet they are
emphatic evidences that they have traced the origin and time of this primeval race.
However, they have left their works behind them, and no exercise of faith
is necessary to have confidence in that part of the story. That these works are
of human origin is self-evident. Temples and military works have been found
which required a considerable degree of scientific skill on the part of those early
architects and builders.
Evidently the Indians had no knowledge of these works of predecessors,
which differed in all respects from those of the red men. An ancient cemetery
has been found, covering an area of four acres, which had evidently been laid
out into lots, from north to south. Nearly 3,000 graves have been discovered,
containing bones which at some time must have constituted the framework of
veritable giants, while others are of no unusual size. In 1815, a jaw-bone was
exhumed, containing an artificial tooth of silver.
Mounds and fortifications are plentiful in Athens County, some of them
being of solid stone. One, difi'ering in the quality of stone from the others, is
supp'osed to be a dam across the Hocking. Over a thousand pieces of stone
were used in its construction. Copper rings, bracelets and ornaments are
numerous. It is also evident that these people possessed the knowledge of
hardening copper and giving it an edge equal to our steel of to-day.
In the branch formed by a branch of the Licking River and Raccoon Creek,
in Licking County, ancient works extend over an area of several miles. Agam,
three miles northwest of this locality, near the road between Newark and Gran-
ville, another field of these relics may be found. On the summit of a high hill
is a fortification, formed to represent an alligator. The head and neck includes
32 feet ; the length of the body is 73 feet ; the tail was 105 feet ; from the termini of
the fore feet, over the shoulders,- the width is 100 feet; from the termini of
•the hind feet, over the hips, is 92 feet ; its highest point is 7 feet. It is composed
of clay, which must have been conveyed hither, as it is not similar to the clay
found in the vicinity.
Near Miamisburg, Montgomery County, are other specimens. Near the
village is a mound, equaled in size by very few of these antiquities. It meas-
ures 800 feet around the base, and rises to a height of sixty-seven feet. Others
are found in Miami County, while at Circleville, Pickaway County, no traces
remain.
Two forts have been discovered, one forming an exact square, and the other
describing a circle. The square is flanked by two walls, on all sides, these
being divided by a deep ditch. The circle has one wall and no ditch. This is
sixty-nine rods in diameter, its walls being twenty feet high. The square fort
measures fifty-five rods across, with walls twelve feet high. Twelve gateways
lead into the square fort, while the circle has but one, which led to the other, at
176 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
the point -svlicrc the walls of the two came together. Before each of these
entrances were mounds of earth, from four to five feet high and nearly forty
feet in diameter. Evidently these were designed for defenses for the openings,
in cases of emergency.
A short distance from Piketon, the turnpike runs, for several hundred feet,
between two parallel artificial walls of earth, fifteen feet high, and six rods
apart. In Scioto County, on both sides of the Ohio, are extensive ancient
works.
" Fort Ancient " is near Lebanon in Warren County. Its direct measure-
ment is a mile, but in tracing its angles, retreating and salient, its length Avould
be nearly six miles. Its site is a level plain, 240 feet above the level of the
river. The interior wall varies in height to conform with the nature of the
ground without — ranging from 8 to 10 feet. On the plain it reaches 100 feet.
This fort has 58 gateways, through onp of which the State road runs, passing
between two mounds 12 feet high. Northeast from these mounds, situated on
the plain, are two roads, about a rod wide each, made upon an elevation about
three feet high. They run parallel to each other about a quarter of a mile,
when they each form a semicircle around a mound, joining in the circle. It is
probable this was at some time a military defense, or, on the contrary, it may
have been a general rendezvous for games and high holiday festivities.
Near Marietta, are the celebrated. Muskingum River works, being a half-
mile from its juncture with the Ohio. They consist of mounds and walls of
earth in circular and square forms, also tracing direct lines.
The largest square fort covers an area of 40 acres, and is inclosed by a wall
of earth, 6 to 10 feet in height, and from 25 to 30 feet at its base. On each
side are three gateways. The center gateways exceed the others in size, more
especially on the side toward the Muskingum. From this outlet runs a covered
means of egress, between two parallel walls of earth, 231 feet distant from each
other, measuring from the centers. The walls in the interior are 21 feet high
at the most elevated points, measuring 42 feet at the base, grading on the exte-
rior to about five feet in heigth. This passage-Avay is 3G0 feet in length, lead-
ing to the low grounds, which, at the period of its construction, probably reached
the river.
At the northwest corner, within the inclosure, is a plateau 188 feet long,
132 feet broad and 9 feet high. Its sides are perpendicular and its surface
level. At the center of each side is a graded pathway leading to the top, six
feet wide. Another elevated square is near the south wall, 150x120 feet square,
and 8 feet high, similar to the other, with the exception of the graded walk.
Outside and next the wall to ascend to the top, it has central hollow ways, 10
feet wide, leading 20 feet toward the center, then arising with a gradual slope to
the top. A third elevated square is situated at the southeast corner, 108x54
feet square, with ascents at the ends. This is neither as high or as perfect as
the others.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 177
Another ancient work is found to the southeast, covering an area of 20 acres
with a gateway in the center of each side, and others at the corners — each of
these having the mound defense.
On the outside of the smaller fort, a mound resembling a sugar loaf was
formed in the shape of a circle 115 feet in diameter, its height being 30 feet.
A ditch surrounds it, 15 feet wide and 4 feet deep. These earthworks have
contributed greatly to the satisfactory results of scientific researches. Their
builders were evidently composed of large bands that have succumbed to the
advance of enlightened humanity. The relics found consists of ornaments,
utensils and implements of war. The bones left in the numerous graves convey
an idea of a stalwart, vigorous people, and the conquests which swept them away
from the face of the country must have been fierce and cruel.
Other mounds and fortifications are found in difierent parts of the State, of
which our limited space will not permit a description.
Many sculptured rocks are found, and others with plainly discernible
tracery in emblematical designs upon their surface. The rock on which the
inscriptions occur is the grindstone grit of the Ohio exports — a stratum found
in Northern Ohio. Arrow-points of flint or chert have been frequently found.
From all investigations, it is evident that an extensive flint bed existed in Lick-
ing County, near Newark. The old pits can now be recognized. They
extended over a hundred acres. They are partially filled with water, and sur-
rounded by piles of broken and rejected fragments. The flint is a grayish-
white, with cavities of a brilliant quartz crystal. Evidently these stones were
chipped into shape and the material sorted on the ground. Only clear, homo-
genous pieces can be wrought into arrow-heads and spear-points. Flint chips
extend over many acres of ground in this vicinity. Flint beds are also found
in Stark and Tuscarawas Counties. In color it varies, being red, white, black
and mottled. The black is found in Coshocton County.
SOME GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS.
Ohio, as a State, is renowned as an agricultural section. Its variety, quality
and quantity of productions cannot be surpassed by any State in the Union. Its
commercial importance ranks proudly in the galaxy of opulent and industrious
States composing this Union. Her natural resources are prolific, and all improve-
ments which could be instituted by the ingenuity of mankind have been added.
From a quarter to a third of its area is hilly and broken. About the head-
waters of the Muskingum and Scioto, and between the Scioto and the two
Miami Rivers, are wide prairies ; some of them are elevated and dry, with fertile
soil, although they are frequently termed "barrens." In other parts, they are
low and marshy, producing coarse, rank grass, which grows to a height of five
feet in some places.
The State is most fortunate in timber wealth, having large quantities of
black walnut, oak of different varieties, maple, hickory, birch, several kinds of
178 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
beech, poplar, sycamore, papaw, several kinds of ash, cherry, whitewood and
buckeye.
The summers are usually warm, and the winters are mild, considering the
latitude of the State. Near Lake Erie, the winters are severe, corresponding
with sections in a line with that locality. Snow falls in sufficient quantities
in the northern part to afford several weeks of fine sleighing. In the southern
portion, the snowstorms are not frequent, and the fall rarely remains long on
the ground.
The climate is generally healthy, with the exception of small tracts lying
near the marshes and stagnant waters.
The Ohio River washes the southern border of the State, and is navigable
for steamboats of a large size, the entire length of its course. From Pitts-
burgh to its mouth, measuring it meanderings, it is 908 miles long. Its current
is gentle, having no falls except at Louisville, Ky., where the descent is twenty-
two and a half feet in two miles, A canal obviates this obstruction.
The Muskingum is the largest river that flows entirely within the State. It
is formed by the junction of the Tuscarawas and Walhonding Rivers, and enters
the Ohio at Marietta One hundred miles of its length is navigable.
The Scioto is the second river in magnitude, is about 200 miles long, and
flows into the Ohio at Portsmouth. It affords navigation 130 miles of its length.
The Great Miami is a rapid river, in the western part of the State, and is 100
miles long. The Little Miami is seventy miles in length, and enters the Ohio
seven miles from Cincinnati.
The Maumee rises in Indiana, flows through the northwestern part of the
State, and enters Lake Erie at Maumee Bay. It affords navigation as far as
Perrysburg, eighteen miles from the lake, and above the rapids, it is again nav-
igable.
The Sandusky rises in the northern part of the State, is eighty miles long,
and flows into Lake Erie, via Sandusky Bay.
Lake Erie washes 150 miles of the northern boundary. The State has sev-
eral fine harbors, the Maumee and Sandusky Bays being the largest.
We have, in tracing the record of the earlier counties, given the educational inter-
ests as exemplified by different institutions. We have also given the canal system
of the State, in previous pages. The Governor is elected every two years, by
the people. The Senators are chosen biennially, and are apportioned according
to the male population over twenty-one years of age. The Judges of the
Supreme and other courts are elected by the joint ballot of the Legislature, for
the term of seven years.
During the early settlement of Ohio, perfect social equality existed among the
settlers. The line of demarkation that was drawn was a separation of the good
from the bad. Log-rollings and cabin-raisings were mutual affairs. Their
sport usually consisted of shooting, rowing and hunting. Hunting shirts and
buckskin pants were in the fashion, while the women dressed in coarse material.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 179
woven by their own hands. A common American cotton check was con-
sidered a magnificent addition to one's toilet. In those times, however, the
material was $1 per yard, instead of the shilling of to-day. But five yards
was then a large "pattern," instead of the twenty-five of 1880. In cooking
utensils, the pot, pan and frying-pan constituted an elegant outfit. A few plain
dishes were added for table use. Stools and benches were the rule, althouo-h a
few wealthy families indulged in splint-bottom chairs. The cabin floors were
rough, and in many cases the green sward formed the carpet. Goods were very
expensive, and flour was considered a great luxury. Goods were brought by
horses and mules from Detroit, or by wagon from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh,
and then down the Ohio. Coarse calicoes were ^1 per yard ; tea $2 to $3 per
pound ; cofiee 75 cents ; whisky, from $1 to $2 per gallon, and salt, $5 to ^6
per barrel. In those towns where Indian trade constituted a desirable interest,
a bottle was set at each end of the counter — a gratuitous ofiering to their red
friends.
OUTLINE GEOLOGY OF OHIO.
Should we group the rocks of Ohio, according to their lithological characters,
we should give five distinct divisions. They are marked by difiierence in appear-
ance, hardness, color and composition :
1 — Limestone.
2 — Black shale.
3 — Fine-grained sandstone.
4 — Conglomerate.
5 — Coal series.
They are all stratified and sedimentary. They are nearly horizontal. The
lowest one visible, in a physical as well as a geological sense, is " blue lime-
stone."
The bed of the Ohio River near Cincinnati is 133 feet below the level of
Lake Erie. The strata incline in all directions from the southwestern angle of
the State. In Scioto County may be seen the outcropping edges of all these
rocks. They sink at this point in the direction south 80J° east ; easterly at the
rate of 37^ feet per mile. The clifi" limestone, the upper stratum of the lime-
stone deposit, is 600 feet above the river at Cincinnati ; at West Union, in
Adams County, it is only 350 feet above the same level.
The finely grained sandstone found on the summit of the hills east of Brush
Creek and west of the Scioto sinks to the base of the hills, and appears beneath
the conglomerate, near the Little Scioto. Although the rock formations are the
same in all parts of the State, in the same order, their thickness, mass and dip,
are quite different.
Chillicothe, Reynoldsburg, Mansfield, Newburg, Waverly and Rockville, are
situated near the western border of the " fine-grained limestone." Its outcrop
forms a continuous and crooked line from the Ohio River to Lake Erie. In the
southwest portion of the State is the "blue limestone," occupying a circular
180 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
space from West Union via Dayton, to the State line. The conglomerate is to
the east of the given towns, bending around from Cuyahoga Falls to Burton, in
Geauga County, and then eastward into Pennsylvania. Near this outcrop are
the coal-bearing rocks which occupy the east and southeastern portions of Ohio.
From Rockville to Chillicothe, the course is north, about 10° east, and nearly
corresponds with the line of outcrop of the fine-grained sandstone for an equal
distance. The dip at Rockville, given by Charles Whittlesey, is 80^°, almost
at a right angle, and at the rate of 37 feet per mile.
At Chillicothe, the other end of the line, the general dip is south 70° east,
30 feet to the mile, the line curving eastward and the dip line to the southward.
This is the universal law.
The northern boundary of the great coal fields passes through Meadville, in
Pennsylvania, and turning south arrives at Portage Summit, on the summit of
the Alleghanies, 2,500 feet above the ocean level. It then plunges rapidly to
the westward. From the Alleghanies to the southwest, through Pennsylvania,
Virginia and Tennessee, sweeps this great coal basin.
Much of the county of Medina is conglomerate upon the surface, but the
streams, especially the South Branch of the Rocky River, set through this sur-
face stratum, and reach the fine-grained sandstone. This is the case with
Rocky, Chagrin, Cuyahoga and Grand Rivers — also Conneaut and Ashtabula
Creeks. This sandstone and the shale extend up the narrow valleys of these
streams and their tributaries. Between these strata is a mass of coarse-grained
sandstone, without pebbles, which furnishes the grindstones for which Ohio is
noted. In Lorain County, the coarse sandstone grit nearly displaces the fine-
grained sandstone and red shale, thickening at Elyria to the black shale. South
of this point, the grindstone grit, red shale and ash-colored shale vary in thick-
ness. The town of Chillicothe, the village of Newburg, and a point in the west
line of Crawford County, are all situated on the "black shale."
Dr. Locke gives the dip, at Montgomery and Miami Counties, at north 14°,
east, six feet to the mile ; at Columbus, Whitelesey gives it, 81° 52' east, 22yV%
feet to the mile. The fine-grained sandstone at Newburg is not over eighty
feet in thickness ; at Jacktown and Reynoldsburg, 500 ; at Waverly 250 to
300 feet, and at Brush Creek, Adams County, 343 feet. The black shale is
251 feet thick at Brush Creek ; at Alum Creek, 250 to 300 feet thick ; in Craw-
ford County, about 250 feet thick. The conglomerate in Jackson County is
200 feet thick ; at Cuyahoga Falls, 100 to 120 feet ; at Burton, Geauga County,
300 feet. The great limestone formation is divided into several numbers. At
Cincinnati, at the bed of the river, there is :
1 — A blue limestone and slaty marlite.
2 — Dun-colored marl and layers of lime rock.
3 — Blue marl and layers of blue limestone.
4 — Marl and bands of limestone, with immense numbers of shells at the
surface.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 181
In Adams County, the detailed section is thus :
1 — Blue limestone and marl.
2 — Blue marl.
3 — Flinty limestone.
4 — Blue marl.
5 — Cliff limestone.
The coal-fields of Ohio are composed of alternate beds of coarse-grained
sandstone, clay shales, layers of ironstone, thin beds of limestone and numer-
ous strata of coal. The coal region abounds in iron. From Jacktown to Con-
cord, in Muskingum County, there are eight beds of coal, and seven strata of
limestone. The distance between these two points is forty-two miles. From
Freedom, in Portage County, to Poland, in Trumbull County, a distance of
thirty-five miles, there are five distinct strata. Among them are distributed
thin beds of limestone, and many beds of iron ore. The greater mass of coal
and iron measures is composed of sandstone and shale. The beds of sandstone
are from ten to twenty or eighty feet thick. Of shale, five to fifty feet thick.
The strata of coal and iron are comparatively thin. A stratum of coal three
feet thick can be worked to advantage. One four feet thick is called a good
mine, few of them averaging five. Coal strata are found from six to ten and
eleven feet. There are four beds of- coal, and three of limestone, in Lawrence
and Scioto Counties. There are also eight beds of ore, and new ones are con-
stantly being discovered. The ore is from four to twelve inches thick, occasion-
ally being two feet. The calcareous ore rests upon the second bed of limestone,
from the bottom, and is very rich.
The most prominent fossils are trees, plants and stems of the coal-bearing
rocks, shells and corals and crustaceee of the limestone, and the timber, leaves
and dirt-beds of the "drift" — the earthy covering of the rocks, which varies
from nothing to 200 feet. Bowlders, or " lost rocks," are strewn over the State.
They are evidently transported from some remote section, being fragments of
primitive rock, granite, gneiss and hornblende rock, which do not exist in
Ohio, nor within 400 miles of the State, in any direction. In the Lake Supe-
rior region we find similar specimens.
The superficial deposits of Ohio are arranged into four geological formations :
1 — The ancient drift, resting upon the rocks of the State.
2 — The Lake Erie marl and sand deposits.
3 — The drift occupying the valleys of large streams, such as the Great Miami,
the Ohio and Scioto.
4 — The bowlders.
The ancient drift of Ohio is meager in shell deposits. It is not, therefore,
decided whether it be of salt-water origin or fresh water.
It has, at the bottom, blue clay, with gravel-stones of primitive or sedimen-
tary rocks, containing carbonate of lime. The yellow clay is found second.
Above that, sand and gravel, less stratified, containing more pebbles of the
182 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
sedimentary rocks, such as limestone and stone, iron ore, coal and shale. The
lower layer contains logs, trees, leaves, sticks and vines.
The Lake Erie section, or "Lake Erie deposits," may be classed in the
following order :
1 — From the lake level upward, fine, blue, marly sand — forty-five to sixty
feet.
2 — Coarse, gray, water-washed sand — ten to twenty feet.
8 — Coarse sand and gravel, not well stratified, to surface — twenty to fifty feet.
Stratum first dissolves in water. It contains carbonate of lime, magnesia,
iron, alumina, silex, sulphur, and some decomposed leaves, plants and sticks.
Some pebbles are found. In contact with the water, quicksand is formed.
The Hickory Plains, at the forks of the Great Miami and White Water, and
also between Kilgore's Mill and New Richmond, are the results of heavy dilu-
vial currents.
In presenting these formations of the State, we have quoted from the experi-
ence and conclusions of Charles Whittlesey, eminent as a geologist, and who
was a member of the Ohio Geological Corps.
Ohio's rank during the war.
The patriotism of this State has been stanch, unswerving and bold, ever
since a first settlement laid its corner-stone in the great Western wilder-
ness. Its decisive measures, its earnest action, its noble constancy, have earned
the laurels that designate it "a watchword for the nation." In the year 1860,
Ohio had a population of 2,343,739. Its contribution of soldiers to the great
conflict that was soon to surge over the land in scarlet terror, was apportioned
310,000 men. In less than twenty-four hours after the President's proclama-
tion and call for troops; the Senate had matured and carried a bill through,
appropriating $1,000,000 for the purpose of placing the State on a war footing.
The influences of party sentiments were forgotten, and united, the State
unfurled the flag of patriotism. Before the bombardment of old Fort Sumter
has fairly ceased its echoes, twenty companies were offered the Governor for
immediate service. When the surrender was verified, the excitement was
tumultuous. Militia ofiicers telegraphed their willingness to receive prompt
orders, all over the State. The President of Kenyon College — President
Andrews — tendered his services by enlisting in the ranks. Indeed, three
months before the outbreak of the war, he had expressed his readiness to the
Governor to engage in service should there be occasion. He was the first citi-
zen to make this offer.
The Cleveland Grays, the Rover Guards, the State Fencibles, the Dayton
Light Guards, the Governor's Guards, the Columbus Videttes and the Guthrie
Grays — the best drilled and celebrated militia in the State — telegraphed to
Columbus for orders. Chillicothe, Portsmouth and Circleville offered money
and troops. Canton, Xenia, Lebanon, Lancaster, Springfield, Cincinnati,
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. l*^
DaTton Cleveland, Toledo and other towns urged their assistance upon the State
CoTumbus hegan *; look like a great army 6eld. The troops were stationed
" r they -uld find quarters, and food in sufficient quantities was hard o
procure. The Governor soon established a camp at M.anuville, convenient to
S:i:ati. He intended to appoint I™.''"^;^" 'V , McCMan bee' l'
r»„ ^cott to the leading command, but the friends of Capt. McClellan became
e%^"'c and apealfd to the Governor, who decided to investigate h.s case
Being satisfied, he desired Capt. McClellan to come up to Columbus But tha
Office? was busy and sent Capt. Pope, of the regular army mh,s stead. Thi
ltle,rn didLt suit Gov. Dennison. The friends of McClellan again se
forth h high qualities of this oflieer, and Gov. Dennison sent an earnes
e ue t foi- an interview, which was granted, and resulted m the appointment
of Z officer a. Major General of the Ohio militia. Directly thereafter he
rlceivcdan invitation to take command of the Pennsylvania troops, but Ohio
pnnld not siDare so valuable a leader. ^ , ^ u
For diree-years troops were soon called out, and their Generals were to be
appointed by the President. Gov. Dennison advised at once with the Wa.
Department at Washington, and McClellan received his appointment as Major
nti:n!:::nltuSe became alarmed lest Kentucky shoujd espouse the
Confederate cause, and those cities thus be left insecure against the niroads of a
cruel foe Four hundred and thirty-six miles of Ohio bordered Slave States.
K ntu ky and West Virginia were to be kept in check, but the Governor pro-
"1 Li not only should the border of Ohio be protected, but even beyond
hatwould the State press the enemy. Marietta was gainsoned and other rve
ThZ rendered impregnable. On the 20th of May, 1861, offioa dispatches
IZlrZi troop! were approaching Wheeling under the proclamation of
Letcher Their intention was to route the convention at Wheeling.
mi tary orders were instantly given. Col. Steedman and his troops crossed
at MariettJand crushed the disturbance at Parkersburg-swept in 0 the country
aong the railroad, built bridges, etc. Col. Irvine crossed at Whe^''"? ^'^
Litfd with a regiment of loyal Virginians. At the juncture of he two tiack
at Grafton, the columns met, but the rebels had retreated in mad hast The
loyal troops followed, and, at Philippi, fought the first little skirmish of the war.
The great railway lines were secured, and the Wheeling convention protected,
^nd West Virginia partially secured for the Union.
After preLinary arrangements, McClellan's forces moved m two columns
upon the enemy at Laurel Hill. One remained in front, under Gen. Morris,
7hTetheothei- under his own command, pushed around '« I^>'— '-
their rear. Gen. Morris carried his orders through promptly, but McC ellan
wriate. Rosecrans wa« left with McClellan's advance to fight the bat le of
R^h Mountain, unaided. Garnett being alarmed at the defeat of his outpost^
retreated, McClellan wa. not in time to intercept him, but Morris continued
184 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
the chase. Steedman overtook the rear-guard of Garnett's army at Carrick's
Ford, where a sharp skirmish ensued, Garnett himself falling. The scattered
portions of the rebel army escaped, and West Virginia was again free from
armed rebels — and Avas the gift of Ohio through her State militia to the nation
at the beginning of the war.
At this period, Gen. McClellan was called to Washington. Gen. Rose-
crans succeeded him, and the three-years troops left in the field after the dis-
banding of the three-months men, barely sufiiced to hold the country. He
telegraphed Gov. Dennison to supply him immediately with re-enforcements, the
request being made on the 8th of August. Already had the Confederate lead-
ers realized the loss they had sustained in Western Virginia, and had dispatched
their most valued General, Robert E. Lee, to regain the territory. Rosecrans
again wrote : " If you. Governor of Indiana and Governor of Michigan, will
lend your eiForts to get me quickly 50,000 men, in addition to my present
force, I think a blow can be struck Avhich will save fighting the rifled-cannon
batteries at Manassas. Lee is certainly at Cheat Mountain. Send all troops
you can to Grafton." Five days thereafter, all the available troops in the
West were dispatched to Fremont, Mo., and the plans of Rosecrans were
foiled.
Heavy re-enforcements had been sent to the column in Kanawha Valley
under Gen. Cox. He became alarmed, and telegraphed to Gov. Dennison.
Rosecrans again appealed to Gov. Dennison, that he might be aided in march-
ing across the country against Floyd and Wise to Cox's relief, "I want to
catch Floyd while Cox holds him in front."
The response was immediate and eifective. He was enabled to employ
twenty-three Ohio regiments in clearing his department from rebels, securing
the country and guarding the exposed railroads. With this achievement, the
direct relation of the State administrations with the conduct and methods of
campaigns terminated. The General Government had settled down to a sys-
tem. Ohio was busy organizing and equipping regiments, caring for the sick
and wounded, and sustaining her home strength.
Gov. Dennison's staff ofiicers were tendered better positions in the national
service. Camps Dennison and Chase, one at Cincinnati and the other at
Columbus, were controlled by the United States authorities. A laboratory was
established at Columbus for the supply of ammunition. During the fall and
early winter, the Ohio troops suffered in Western Virginia. The people of
their native State responded with blankets, clothing and other supplies.
In January, 1862, David A. Tod entered upon the duties of Governor.
The first feature of his administration was to care for the wounded at home,
sent from Pittsburg Landing. A regular system was inaugurated to supply
stores and clothing to the suffering at home and in the field. Agencies Avere
established, and the great and good work was found to be most efficacious in
alleviating the wretchedness consequent upon fearful battles. A. B. Lyman
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 185
had charge of affairs in Cincinnati, and Royal Taylor held the same position
in Louisville. J. C. Wetmore was stationed at Washington, F. W. Bino-ham
at Memphis, Weston Flint at Cairo and St. Louis. Thus the care which Ohio
extended over her troops at home and in the battle-field, furnished a practical
example to other States, and was the foundation of that commendable system
all over the Union. Stonewall Jackson's sudden advent in the valley created
the greatest consternation lest the safety of the capital be jeopardized, and the
War Department called for more troops. Gov. Tod immediately issued a
proclamation, and the people, never shrinking, responded heartily. At Cleve-
land a large meeting was held, and 250 men enlisted, including 27 out of 32
students attending the law school. Fire bells rang out the alarm at Zanesville,
a meeting was convened at 10 in the morning, and by 3 in the afternoon, 800
men had enlisted. Court was adjourned sine die, and the Judge announced
that he and the lawyers were about to enter into military ranks. Only three
unmarried men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-three were left in the
town of Putnam. Five thousand volunteers reported at Camp Chase within
two days after the proclamation.
Again in June, the President called for troops, followed by yet another call.
Under these calls, Ohio was to raise 74,000 men. The draft system was
advised to hasten and facilitate filling regiments. It has always been a repul-
sive measure. To save sections from this proceeding, enormous sums were
ofiered to induce men to volunteer, and thus fill the quota.
Counties, townships, towns and individuals, all made bids and urged the
rapid enlistment of troops. The result was, that the regiments were filled rap-
idly, but not in sufficient numbers to prevent the draft. Twenty thousand four
hundred and twenty-seven men were yet lacking, and the draft was ordered,
September 15. At the close of the year, Ohio was ahead of her calls. Late
in the fall, the prospect was disheartening. The peninsula campaign had failed.
The Army of Northern Virginia had been hurled back nearly to Washington.
The rebels had invaded Maryland ; Cincinnati and Louisville were threatened,
and the President had declared his intention to abolish slavery, as a war meas-
ure. During the first part of 1862, artillery, stores and supplies were carried
away mysteriously, from the Ohio border ; then little squads ventured over the
river to plunder more openly, or to burn a bridge or two. The rebel bands
came swooping down upon isolated supply trains, sending insolent roundabout
messages regarding their next day's intentions. Then came invasions of our
lines near Nashville, capture of squads of guards within sight of camp, the seizure
of Gallatin. After Mitchell had entered Northern Alabama, all manner of depre-
dations were committed before his very eyes. These were attributed to John
Morgan's Kentucky cavalry. He and his men, by the middle of 1862, were
as active and dangerous as Lee or Beauregard and their troops. Morgan was a
native of Alabama, but had lived in Kentucky since boyhood. His father was
large slave-owner, who lived in the center of the "Blue Grass Country." His
186 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
life had been one of wild dissipation, adventure and recklessness, although in
his own family he had the name of being most considerate. The men who fol-
lowed him were accustomed to a dare-devil life. They formed and independent
band, and dashed madly into the conflict, wherever and whenever inclination
prompted. Ohio had just raised troops to send East, to assist in the overthrow
of Stonewell Jackson. She had overcome her discouragements over failures,
for the prospects were brightening. Beauregard had evacuated Corinth ; Mem-
phis had fallen ; Buell was moving toward Chattanooga ; Mitchell's troops held
Northern Tennessee and Northern Alabama ; Kentucky was virtually in the
keeping of the home guards and State military board. And now, here was
Morgan, creating confusion in Kentucky by his furious raids ! On the 11th of
July, the little post of Tompkinsville fell. He issued a call for the Kentuckians
to rise in a body. He marched toward Lexington, and the southern border of
Ohio was again in danger. Cincinnati was greatly excited. Aid was sent to
Lexington and home guards were ready for duty. Morgan was not prominent
for a day or so, but he was not idle. By the 9th of July, he held possession of
Tompkinsville and Glasgow ; by the 11th, of Lebanon. On the 13th, he
entered Harraldsburg ; Monday morning he was within fifteen miles of Frank-
fort. He had marched nearly 400 miles in eight days. Going on, toward
Lexington, he captured the telegraph operator at Midway, and his messages
also I He was now aware of the plans of the Union armies at Lexington,
Louisville, Cincinnati and Frankfort. In the name of the operator, he sent
word that Morgan was driving in the pickets at Frankfort ! Now that he
had thrown his foes off guard, he rested his men a couple of days. He
decided to let Lexington alone, and swept down on Cynthiana, routing a few
hundred loyal Kentucky cavalrymen, capturing the gun and 420 prisoners, and
nearly 300 horses. Then he was oif to Paris ; he marched through Winchester,
Richmond, Crab Orchard and Somerset, and again crossed the Cumberland River.
He started with 900 men and returned with 1,200, having captured and paroled
nearly as many, besides destroying all the Government arms and stores in seven-
teen towns. The excitement continued in Cincinnati. Two regiments were
hastily formed, for emergencies,- known as Cincinnati Reserves. Morgan's raid
did not reach the city, but it demonstrated to the rebel forces what might be
accomplished in the " Blue Grass " region. July and August were passed in
gloom. Bragg and Buell were both watchful, and Chattanooga had not been
taken. Lexington was again menaced, a battle fought, and was finally deserted
because it could not be held.
Louisville was now in danger. The banks sent their specie away. Railroad
companies added new guards.
September 1, Gen. Kirby Smith entered Lexington, and dispatched Heath
with about six thousand men against Cincinnati and Covington. John Morgan
joined him. The rebels rushed upon the borders of Ohio. The failure at Rich-
mond only added deeper apprehension. Soon Kirby Smith and his regiments
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 189
occupied a position where only a few unmanned siege guns and the Ohio
prevented his entrance through Covington into the Queen City. The city was
fully armed, and Lew. Wallace's arrival to take command inspired all with
fresh courage. And before the people were hardly aware that danger was so
near, the city was proclaimed under strict martial law. " Citizens for labor,
soldiers for battle."
There was no panic, because the leaders were confident. Back of Newport
and Covington breastworks, riflepits and redoubts had been hastily thrown up,
and pickets were thrown out. From Cincinnati to Covington extended a pon-
ton bridge. Volunteers marched into the city and those already in service
were sent to the rescue. Strict military law was now modified, and the city
being secured, some inconsiderate ones expressed themselves as being outraged
with " much ado about nothing." But Gen. Wallace did not cease his vigilance.
And Smith's force began to move up. One or two skirmishes ensued. The
city was again excited. September 11 was one of intense suspense. But
Smith did not attack in force. He was ordered to join Bi-agg. On the Mon-
day following, the citizens of Cincinnati returned to their avocations. In the
spring of 1863, the State was a trifle discouraged. Her burdens had been
heavy, and she was weary. Vicksburg was yet in the hands of the enemy.
Rosecrans had not moved since his victory at Stone River. There had been
fearful slaughter about Fredericksburg.
But during July, 1863, Ohio was aroused again by Bragg's command to
Morgan, to raid Kentucky and capture Louisville. On the 3d of July, he was
in a position to invade Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. He continued his depre-
dations, bewildering the militia with his movements. His avowed intention
was to burn Indianapolis and " take Cincinnati alive." Morgan's purposes
were never clear. It was his audacious and sudden dashes, here and there,
which gave him success. Before Cincinnati was aware, he was at Harrison —
13th of July. He expected to meet the forces of Burnside and Judah, and to
cut his way through. His plans here, as everywhere, were indefinable, and he
succeeded in deceiving everybody. While printers in Cincinnati were setting
up " reports " as to his whereabouts, he was actually marching through the sub-
urbs, near troops enough to devour them, and yet not encountered by a single
picket ! They fed their horses within sight of Camp Dennison. At 4
o'clock that day, they were within twenty-eight miles of Cincinnati — having
marched more than ninety miles in thirty-five hours.
The greatest chagrin was expressed, that Morgan had so easily eluded the
great military forces. A sudden dash was made to follow him. There was a
universal bolting of doors, burying of valuables, hiding of horses, etc., all along
the route of the mad cavalryman and his 2,000 mounted men. They plundered
beyond all comparison. They made a principle of it. On the 14th of July,
he was feeding his horses near Dennison ; he reached the ford at Bufl5ngton
Island on the evening of the 18th ; he had encountered several little skirmishes,
190 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
but he had marched through at his own will, mostly ; all the troops of Kentucky
had been outwitted. The Indiana forces had been laughed to scorn. The
50,000 Ohio militia had been as straws in his way. The intrepid band would
soon be upon friendly soil, leaving a blackened trail behind. But Judah was
up and marching after him, Hobson followed and Col. Runkle was north of
him. The local militia in his advance began to impede the way. Near Pome-
roy, a stand was made. Morgan found militia posted everywhere, but he suc-
ceeded in running the gantlet, so far as to reach Chester. He should have
hastened to cross the ford. Fortunately, he paused to breathe his horses and
secure a guide. The hour and a half thus lost was the first mistake Morgan is
known to have made in his military career. They reached Portland, and only
a little earthwork, guarded by about 300 men, stood between him and safety.
His men were exhausted, and he feared to lead them to a night attack upon a
position not understood perfectly ; he would not abandon his wagon train, nor
his wounded ; he would save or lose all. As Morgan was preparing next
morning, having found the earthworks deserted through the night, Judah came
up. He repulsed the attack at first, capturing Judah's Adjutant General, and
ordering him to hold the force on his front in check. He was not able to join
his own company, until it was in full retreat. Here Lieut. O'Neil, of the Fifth
Indiana, made an impulsive charge, the lines were reformed, and up the Chester
road were Hobson's gallant cavalrymen, who had been galloping over three
States to capture this very Morgan ! And now the tin-clad gunboats steamed
up and opened fire. The route was complete, but Morgan escaped with 1,200
men ! Seven hundred men were taken prisoners, among them Morgan's brother,
Cols. Ward, Duke and Huffman. The prisoners were brought to Cincinnati,
while the troops went after the fugitive. He was surrounded by dangers ; his
men were exhausted, hunted down ; skirmishes and thrilling escapes marked a
series of methods to escape — his wonderful sagacity absolutely brilliant to the
very last — Avhich was his capture, on the 26th, with 346 prisoners and
400 horses and arms. It may be added, that after several months of con-
finement, Morgan and six prisoners escaped, on the 27th of November. Again
was he free to raid in the " Blue Grass " country.
John Brough succeeded Gov. Tod January 11, 1864. His first prominent
work was with the Sanitary Commission. In February, of the same year, the
President called for more troops. The quota of Ohio was 51,465 men. The
call of March added 20,995. And in July was a third demand for 50,792. In
December, the State was ordered to raise 26,027. The critical period of the
war was evidently approaching. Gov. Brough instituted a reformation in the
"promotion system " of the Ohio troops. He was, in many cases, severe in his
measures. He ignored " local great men " and refused distinction as a bribe.
The consequence was that he had many friends and some enemies. The acute-
ness of his policy was so strong, and his policy so just, that, after all his severe
administration, he was second to no statesman in the nation during the struggle.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 191
Ohio during the war was most active in her relief and aid societies. The most
noted and extensive organization was the Cincinnati Branch of the United
States Sanitary Commission. The most efficient organization was the Soldiers'
Aid Society of Northern Ohio.
When the happy tidings SAvept over the land that peace was proclaimed, an
echo of thanksgiving followed the proclamation. The brave sons of Ohio
returned to their own soil — those who escaped the carnage. But 'mid the
rejoicing there was deepest sadness, for a fragment only remained of that brave
army which had set out sturdily inspired with patriotism.
A BRIEF MENTION OF PROMINENT OHIO GENERALS.
George Briton McClellan, the first General appointed in Ohio, was born
December 3, 1826, in Philadelphia. His father Avas a physician of high stand-
ing and Scottish descent. Young George was in school in Philadelphia, and
entered West Point at the age of sixteen. At the age of twenty, he was a bre-
vet Second Lieutenant, tracing lines of investment before Vera Cruz, under the
supervision of Capt. R. E. Lee, First Lieut. P. G. T. Beauregard, Second Lieut.
G. W. Smith. At the close of the Mexican war, old Col. Totten reported in
favor of them all to Winfield Scott. He had charge of an exploring expedition
to the mountains of Oregon and Washington, beginning Avith the Cascade Range.
This was one of a series of Pacific Railway explorations. Returning to Wash-
ington, he was detailed to visit the West Indies and secretly select a coaling sta-
tion for the United States Navy. He was dispatched by Jefferson Davis,
Secretary of War, to Europe, with instructions to take full reports of the organ-
ization of military forces connected with the Crimean war. This work elicited
entire satisfaction. He returned in January, 1857, resigned as regular army
officer, and was soon installed as engineer of Illinois Central Railroad. In 1860^
he was President of the Ohio & Mississippi. He removed to Cincinnati, where
he was at the opening of the war.
William Starke Rosecrans was born September 6, 1819, in Delaware County^
Ohio. His people were from Amsterdam. He was educated at West Point.
When the war opened, he espoused the cause of the Union with enthusiastic
zeal, and was appointed by McClellan on his staff as Engineer. June 9, he
was Chief Engineer of the State under special law. Soon thereafter, he was
Colonel of the Twenty-third Ohio, and assigned to the command of Camp
Chase, Columbus. On May 16, his commission was out as Brigadier General
in the United States Army. This reached him and he was speedily sum-
moned to active service, under Gen. McClellan. After the battle of Rich Moun-
tain, he was promoted to the head of the department.
In April, 1862, he was succeeded by Fremont, and ordered to Wash-
ington to engage in immediate service for the Secretarv of War. About the
15th of May, he was ordered to Gen. Halleck, before Corinth. He was
relieved from his command December 9, 1864.
11)2 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
Ulysses S. Grant, whose history we cannot attempt to give in these pages,
was born on the banks of the Ohio, at Point Pleasant, Clermont Co., Ohio,
April 27, 1822. He entered West Point in 1839.
" That the son of a tanner, poor and unpretending, without influential friends
until his performance had won them, ill-used to the world and its ways, should
rise — not suddenly, in the first blind worship of helpless ignorance which made
any one who understood regimental tactics illustrious in advance for what he
was going to do, not at all for what he had done — but slowly, grade by grade,
through all the vicissitudes of constant service and mingled blunders and suc-
cess, till, at the end of four years' war he stood at the head of our armies,
crowned by popular acclaim our greatest soldier, is a satisfactory answer to
criticism and a sufficient vindication of greatness. Success succeeds."
" We may reason on the man's career ; we may prove that at few stages has
he shown personal evidence of marked ability ; we may demonstrate his mis-
takes ; we may swell the praises of his subordinates. But after all, the career
stands wonderful, unique, worthy of study so long as the nation honors her
benefactors, or the State cherishes the good fame of the sons who contributed
most to her honor."
Lieut. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman was another Ohio contribution to
the great Union war. He was born at Lancaster February 8, 1820. He
entered West Point in June, 1836. His " march to the sea " has fully brought
out the details of his life, since they were rendered interesting to all, and we
refrain from repeating the well-known story.
Philip H. Sheridan was born on the 6th of March, 1831, in Somerset,
Perry Co., Ohio. He entered West Point in 1848. During the war, his
career was brilliant. His presence meant victory. Troops fighting under his
command were inspired. Gen. Rosecrans said of him, "He fights, he fights."
A staff officer once said, "He is an emphatic human syllable."
Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson was born in Sandusky County, town of
Clyde, November 14, 1828.
Maj. Gen. Q. A. Gillmore was born February 28, 1825, at Black River,
Lorain Co., Ohio.
Maj. Gen. Irvin McDowell was born at Franklinton, Ohio, October 15,
1818.
Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell was born near Marietta on the 23d of March,
1818. His grandfather on the maternal side was one of the first settlers of
Cincinnati.
Maj. Gen. 0. M. Mitchell was a native of Kentucky, but a resident of
Ohio from the age of four years.
Maj. Gen. Robert C. Schenck was born October 4, 1809, in Franklin,
Warren Co., Ohio.
Maj. Gen. James A. Garfield, was born in Orange, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio,
November 19, 1831.
ISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 19S
Maj. Gen. Jacob D. Cox was born in Canada in 1828, and removed to
Ohio in 1846.
Maj. Gen. James B. Steedman was born in Pennsylvania July 30, 1818,
and removed to Toledo in 1861.
Maj. Gen. David S. Stanley was born in Wayne County, Ohio, June 1,.
1828.
Maj. Gen. George Crook was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, Septem-
ber 8, 1828.
Maj. Gen. Mortimer D. Leggett was born in New York April 19, 1831^
and emigrated to Ohio, in 1847.
Brevet Maj. Gen. John C. Tidball was born in Virginia, but removed while
a mere lad to Ohio Avith his parents.
Brevet Maj. Gen. John W. Fuller was born in England in 1827. He
removed to Toledo in 1858.
Brevet Maj. Gen. Manning F. Force was born in Washington, D. C, on
the 17th of December, 1824. He became a citizen of Cincinnati.
Brevet Maj. Gen. Henry B. Banning was born in Knox County, OhiO;>
November 10, 1834.
We add the names of Brevet Maj. Gens. Erastus B. Tyler, Thomas 48.
Ewing, Charles R. Woods, August V. Kautz, Rutherford B. Hayes, Charles.
C. Walcutt, Kenner Garrard, Hugh Ewing, Samuel Beatty, James S. Robinson,
Joseph W. Keifer, Eli Long, William B. Woods, John W. Sprague, Benjamin
P. Runkle, August Willich, Charles Griffin, Henry J. Hunt, B. W. Brice.
Brig. Gens. Robert L. McCook, William H. Lytle, William Leroy
Smith, C. P. Buckingham, Ferdinand Van Derveer, George P. Este, Joel A.
Dewey, Benjamin F. Potts, Jacob Ammen, Daniel McCook, J. W. Forsyth,
Ralph P. Buckland, William H. Powell, John G. Mitchell, Eliakim P. Scam-
mon, Charles G Harker, J. W. Reilly, Joshua W. Sill, N. C. McLean, Will-
iam T. H. Brooks, George W. Morgan, John Beatty, William W. Burns, John
S. Mason, S. S. Carroll, Henry B. Carrington, M. S. Wade, John P. Slough,
T. K. Smith.
Brevet Brig. Gens. C. B. Ludlow, Andrew Hickenlooper, B. D.
Fearing, Henry F. Devol, Israel Garrard, Daniel IMcCoy, W. P. Richardson,
G. F. Wiles, Thomas M. Vincent, J. S. Jones, Stephen B. Yeoman, F. W.
Moore, Thomas F. Wilder, Isaac Sherwood, C. H. Grosvenor, Moses E.
Walker, R. N. Adams, E. B. Eggleston, I. M. Kirby.
We find numerous other names of Brevet Brigadier Generals, mostly of late
appointments, and not exercising commands in accordance with their brevet
rank, Avhich we omit quoting through lack of space. They are the names of
men of rare abilities, and in many cases of brilliant achievements.
In looking over the "War Record of Ohio," we find the State a great
leader in men of valor and heroic deeds. It was the prolific field of military
geniuses.
194 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
Ohio was draped with the garb of mourning at the close of the war. Her
human sacrifice in behalf of the nation had been bitter. There wxre tears and
heart-aches all over the land. Her ranks were swept by a murderous fire, from
which they never flinched, and many officers fell.
Col. John H. Patrick will be remembered as opening the battle of Lookout
Mountain. He fell mortally wounded, during the Atlanta campaign. May
15, 1862, while actively engaged. He was struck by a canister shot, and
expired half a hour thereafter.
Col. John T. Toland, in July, 1863, was placed in command of a mounted
brigade, including his regiment, and was instructed to destroy the Virginia &
Tennessee Railroad. He reached Wytheville, Va., on the afternoon of the
18th of July. The rebels were safely intrenched in the house, and poured a
galling fire into the national troops. Col. Toland was on horseback, at the
head of his command. A sharpshooter sent a bullet with fatal certainty, and
lie fell on the neck of his horse, but was instantly caught by his Orderly
Sergeant, who heard the fervent words : " My horse and my sword to my
mother."
Lieut. Col. Barton S. Kyle accompanied his regiment to the battle of Pitts-
burg Landing. The regiment was forced back, though resisting bravely.
Lieut. Col. Kyle was at his post of duty, encouraging his men, when he received
a bullet in his right breast. He survived five hours.
Col. William G. Jones was engaged m the battle of Chickamauga, June,
1863. His regiment, the Thirty-sixth Ohio, was included in Turchin's Brigade
of the Fourteenth Corps. He Avrote in his pocket memoranda : " Off to the
left ; merciful Father, have mercy on me and my regiment, and protect us from
injury and death " — at 12 o'clock. At 5 that afternoon, he was fatally wounded
and expired at 7 that same evening, on the battle-field His remains were
taken by the rebels, but in December, 1863, they were exhumed and interred
in Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati.
Col. Fred. C. Jones held command of the Tenth Brigade, in October, 1862,
marching from Wild Cat, Ky., to Nashville, through a perpetual skirmish.
During the battle of Stone River, Col. Jones' regiment, the Twenty-fourth, Avas
on the front and left of the line. During the afternoon, when the rebel assault
upon the left became furious, Col. Jones ordered his men to lie down and hold
fire, which was obeyed. They rose to pour a deadly volley into the rebel ranks,
and rush forward in a fierce charge. The capture of an entire rebel regiment was
thus effected, but Col. Jones was shot in the right side. He was carried to the
Tear. " I know it ; I am dying now ; pay no attention to me, but look after
my wounded men." He survived about ten hours. His remains are buried in
Spring Grove, Cincinnati.
Col. Lorin Andrews went with his command to Western Virginia, where
he succumbed to exposure and severe duty. He was removed to his home,
Oambier, Ohio, where he died surrounded by friends September 18, 1861.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 195
Col. Minor Milliken was sent to repel the attacks of the rebels at the rear.
He led a superb cavalry charge against the enemy, vastly superior in numbers,
and was cut off with a small portion of his regiment. He disdained to sur-
render, and ordered his men to cut their way out. A hand-to-hand conflict
ensued. Col. Milliken, being an expert swordsman, was able to protect himself
with his saber. While parrying the strokes of his assailant, another shot him.
The regiment, again charging, recovered his body, stripped of sword, purse and
watch.
Col. Geotge P. Webster, with his regiment, the Ninety-eighth, left Steu-
benville for Covington, Ky., August 23, 1862, marching from that point to Lex-
ington and Louisville. He was placed at the command of the Thirty-fourth
Brigade, Jackson's division, Cooke's corps. He fell in the battle of Perryville,
and died on the field of battle.
Col. Leander Stem was appointed Colonel of the One Hundred and First
Ohio Infantry August 30, 1862. His premonitions that he should fall during
his first regular engagement proved too true. As the army was advancing on
Murfreesboro, the engagement of Knob Gap occurred, when Col. Stem's regi-
ment charged and took a rebel battery, with several prisoners. The army
closed around Murfreesboro, and on the evening of the 30th, the One Hun-
dred and First was engaged in demonstrations against the enemy. Next
morning, the battle of Stone River began in earnest. When Col. Stem's regi-
ment began to waver, he called out: "Stand by the flag now, for the good
old State of Ohio ! " and instantly fell, fatally wounded.
Lieut. Col. Jonas D. Elliott held his position in May, 1863. During the
summer of 1864, he commanded the left wing of the regiment at Dodsonville,
Ala.; in September, he was sent after Wheeler, and was ordered into camp at
Decatur. On the 23d, he was dispatched to Athens, to participate in the attack
of Gen. Forrest, of the rebels. Col. Elliott was sent out, with 300 men, and
being surrounded by Gen. Forrest, with vastly superior numbers, a forced resist-
ance enabled them to sustain their own ground, until a fresh brigade of rebels
arrived, under Gen. Warren. This ofiicer instructed one of his men to shoot
Lieut. Col. Elliott, and a moment later he fell. He lingered nineteen days.
Col. Joseph L. Kirby Smith took command of the Forty-third Ohio Regi-
ment. He fell at the battle of Corinth, under Rosecrans.
Lieut. Col. James W. Shane fell, June 27, 1864, in an assault upon the
enemy's works at Kenesaw, He survived but forty minutes.
Col. Augustus H. Coleman displayed the abilities of a successful commander.
He was in the first charge on the bridge across Antietam Creek. He was
fatally wounded. His last words were inquiries regarding his men.
Col. J. W. Lowe commanded the Twelfth Ohio, and was ordered to assist
the Tenth in the battle of Carnifex Ferry. Cheering his men, in the thickest
of the fight, a rifle ball pierced his forehead, and he fell dead — the first field
officer from Ohio killed in battle in the war for the Union.
196 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
Lieut. Col. Moses F. Wooster was engaged with his regiment, the One Hun-
dred and First Ohio, at Perryville. He was mortally wounded on the 31st
of December, 1862, in the grand effort to stem the tide of defeat at Stone
River.
The list of staff officers we refrain from giving, through lack of space.
At the opening of the war, William Dennison was Governor of Ohio. David
Tod succeeded him. John Brough was the third War Governor.
Secretary Edwin M. Stanton was one of the most popular war Ministers.
He was born in Steubenville, Ohio, in 1815 ; he was engaged in the United
States Circuit Court, in 1860, in a leading law suit, at Cincinnati, known as the
Manny and McCormick reaper trial ; on the 20th of January, 1862, he was
appointed Secretary of War by Mr. Lincoln.
Ex-Secretary Salmon P. Chase's public services in Ohio have already been
mentioned in these pages. In 1861, he was appointed Secretary of the Treas-
ury, in Mr, Lincoln's cabinet.
United States Senator B. F. Wade made his reputation in Ohio. This
Senator of the State stood at the head of the Committee on the Conduct of the
War throughout its duration.
United States Senator John Sherman was a leading member of the Finance
Committee, during the war. For some time he was its Chairman.
Jay Cooke was the financial agent of the Government, furnishing money for
the payment of the troops. He was born in Portland, Huron Co., Ohio.
In our brief review of the war record of Ohio, we have omitted a vast
amount of detail information that would prove interesting to our readers. We
believe we have been accurate in whatever we have given, taking as our, authority,
that accepted "encyclopedia" of Ohio war facts — Whitelaw Reid, who has pub-
lished a valuable volume on the subject.
SOME DISCUSSED SUBJECTS.
It may be well in glancing over the achievements of Ohio, her momentous
labors and grand successes, to refer to the Ordinance of 1787, more minutely
than we have done, in relation to many events, since its inherent principles are
not only perpetuated in the laws of the entire Northwest, but have since been
woven into the general Constitution of the United States. It made permanent
the standard and character of immigration, social culture and political and edu-
cational institutions. It was thoroughly antislavery and denounced involuntary
servitude, which was sanctioned in every other State at that time, with the
exception of Massachusetts. It protected religion and property. As late as
1862, Gen. William Henry Harrison, Governor of Indiana, called a convention
for the purpose of considering the slavery question, and the feasibility of intro-
ducing the system in the new States and Territories being formed. There
was at this time a spirited contest, and Illinois, Indiana and possibly Ohio,
barely escaped a decision that a full support should be given its introduction
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO 197
into these States. Its adoption was based upon certain specifications and
limits of time, which upon a deeper consideration was deemed perplexino- and
impractical.
An animated discussion arose not long since, regarding the correct author,
ship of this important ordinance, and its chief worker in gaining its sanction
by Congress.
Mr. Webster ascribed its authorship to Mathew Dane, of Massachusetts,
which statement was immediately refuted by Mr. Benton, of Mississippi, Avho
laid claim to it as the birthright of Thomas Jefferson, of Virginia.
It has been almost impossible to obtain accurate reports of the actions of the
old Continental Congress, from the fact that its meetings were held in secret,
and any reports either narrated or shown in schedules or lists, were deemed a
striking lack of trust on the part of the person who furnished the information.
It was sufficient that its acts and conclusions be proclaimed without any prelude
or reasoning process. Hence it has been difficult to obtain early Congressional
documents. But it has been conclusively proven that the great motive power
in gaining the approbation of the Ordinance of 1787, was neither Dane nor
Jefferson, but Dr. Cutler.
He arrived at New York, July 5 of that year, after a journey from Ipswich,
Mass., in his sulky. He obtained lodgings at the " Plow and Harrow," and
saw that his good horse was properly cared for and fed at the same place.
Congress was then in session, and he had come on a mission for the Ohio Com-
pany, to negotiate their grant and its privileges in the new Territory of Ohio.
He remained in New York three weeks, constantly engaged in the work vital to
the interests of the future great State. But he secured the installment of the
principles deemed the corner-stone of a future powerful State constitutioi^. Mr.
Poole, Librarian of the Chicago Public Library, searched assiduously for con-
clusive proof of Dr. Cutler's right to this honor, and in the North American
Review, Vol. 122, this is emphatically set forth with substantiating proof under
his signature.
Other facts have been discussed and proven at a very recent date, relative
to the State of Ohio, which heretofore have been omitted, and nearly lost from
the historic thread which unites the present with the past.
The first settlement of the lands of the Northwest is necessarily surrounded
with interest. But those were exciting, troublesome times, and a few links
were passed over lightly. However, the years are not so far removed in the
past but the line may be traced.
Mr, Francis W. Miller, of Cincinnati, has supplied some missing chapters.
The earliest documentary trace extant, regarding the southern settlement at
Cincinnati, is an agreement of partnership between Denman, Filson and Pat-
terson, in the fractional section of land to which the city of Cincinnati was
originally limited. It bears the date August 25, 1788. This was entered on
the records of Hamilton County, Ohio, October 6, 1803.
198 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
A letter from Jonathan Dayton to the Hon. Judge Symmes, dated Septem-
ber 26, 1789, says: "You have been selling your lands, I am told, for two
shillings specie, the acre. The price at this moment is, and seems to be, and
undoubtedly is, a good one ; but as much cannot be said of it when you find
hereafter that in consequence of the rise of certificates, another acre, in another
payment, may cost you in specie two shillings and sixpence."
A letter from John C. Symmes to Capt. Dayton, dated April 30, 1790,
says: "The land in the reserved township is held at much too high a price.
Not a foot of land beyond the five-acre lots will sell. Five shillings, specie,
or two dollars in certificates, is the utmost they will bring, and they will rarely
sell at that."
This state of aifairs was in a large degree brought about by the breaking-up
of North Bend and a removal of the town to Fort Washington, or Cincinnati,
later. A search through the old letters and other preserved documents prove
that North Bend was at one time the beginning of the great city on the Ohio,
rather than Cincinnati. Judge Symmes wrote. May 18, 1789 : " I have not as
yet been able to make a decisive choice of a plat for the city, though I have
found two pieces of ground, both eligible, but not upon the present plan of a
regular square. It is a question of no little moment and difficulty to deter-
mine Avhich of these spots is preferable, in point of local situation. I know
that at first thought men will decide in favor of that on the Ohio, from the
supposition that the Ohio will command more trade and business than the
Miami. * * * ;g^|. jf j|. ^g^.^ \)^[\^ on the Miami, the settlers
throughout the purchase would find it very convenient."
Another of the earliest selections of town sites was adjacent to the most
southerly point of what is now Delhi Township. To this the name of South
Bend was given. Judge Symmes reports November 4, 1790, of this place,
over forty framed and hewed-log two-story houses, since the preceding spring.
Ensign Luce is said to have taken his troops to North Bend, but decided to
remove to Cincinnati, on account of the object of his afiections having settled
there — the wife of a settler. But this story is refuted by contradictory evi-
dence from Judge Symmes' letters, which illustrate the fact that the post of
North Bend was abandoned by Ensign Luce and his men in consequence of a
panic, caused by Indian attacks. The removal of the troops caused a general
decline of the town. Again, history and letters from the same eminent Judge,
assert that Fort Washington was completed and garrisoned by Maj. Doughty
before the close of that same year, and was begun by him during the summer,
that Ensign Luce must have still been at his post at the bend at that time. It
has been, therefore, recently accepted that the traditional "black eyes" and
the "Indian panic," had nothing to do with the founding of Cincinnati, and
that the advantages of the position gained the victory.
Cincinnati has advanced, not only in prosperity and culture, but in national
significance. Our readers must have observed, in perusing these pages, that
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 199
from this city and the State which it represents, have emanated some of the
superior intellects which have used their wise faculties and talents, tempered by
a wise judgment, in behalf of the American Union.
The originality of the Senecas and Wyandots have been debated at some
length, while others have called the tribes the same, having two branches. We
have searched the earlier records and have found an authenticated account of
these two tribes.
The Indian tribes of Ohio were originally bold, fierce and stalwart. The
country watered by the Sandusky and its tributaries was frequented by the
Wyandot tribe, Avho came from the north side of the St. Lawrence River. The
Senecas were blood relatives of this tribe. Both tribes were numbered by the
thousands. A war originated between them, in this manner : 'A Wyandot
chief desired to wed the object of his affections, who laughed him to scorn,
because he had taken no scalps, and was no warrior " to speak of." To change
her opinion, he led out a party, and falling upon a number of Senecas, slaugh-
tered them mercilessly, that he might hasten to the side of his dusky belle, with
his trophies. This act inaugurated hostilities, which extended through a century.
The Wyandots began to fear extermination, and, gathering their entire effects
the natives escaped to Green Bay, and settled in several villages. But the Sen-
ecas made up a war party and followed them, killing many AVyandots and burn-
ing some of their villages. They then returned to Canada. Soon thereafter,
they secured fire-arms from the French. Again they followed the Wyandots,
firing their guns into their huts, and frightening them severely. They did not
succeed as well as they expected. But the third party nearly exterminated the
villages, because the young warriors were nearly all gone to war with the Foxes.
The few at home escaping, promised to return with the Senecas, but desired
two days for preparation. The Wyandots sent word to the two villages left
undisturbed, and held a consultation. They decided to go as near the Senecas
as possible, unobserved, and discover their real motive. They found them feast-
ing on two roasted Wyandots, shouting over their victory. They danced nearly
all night, and then fell asleep. A little before daylight, the Wyandots fell on
them, leaving not one to carry back the news.
The Wyandots then procured guns, and began to grow formidable. They
set out to return to their own country, and proceeded on their way as far as
Detroit, where they met a party of Senecas, on the lake. A fierce conflict
ensufd, and the Wyandots beheld the Senecas fall, to the last man, suffering
fearful carnage themselves. They soon settled in this part of the world, their
principal village being on the Sandusky. Northwestern Ohio was particularly
dangerous with new Indian tribes, and the Wyandots were cruelly aggressive.
The death of their chief, and their total defeat by Harrison, destroyed their
power forever.
On the 29th of September, 1817, a treaty was held, at the foot of the rapids
of the Miami of Lake Erie, between Lewis Cass and Duncan McArthur,
200 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
Commissioners of the United States, and the sachems, chiefs and warriors of the
Wyandot, Seneca, Delaware, Shawnee, Potawattomie, Ottawa and Chippewa
nations. All their lands in Ohio were ceded to the United States forever.
There was really not a Seneca in the Seneca nation. They were chiefly
Cayugas, Mohawks, Onondagas, Tuscarawas, Wyandots and Oneidas. But the
Mingoes were originally Cayugas, and their chief was the celebrated Logan.
After the murder of his family by the whites, the Mingoes were scattered over
the territory northwest of the Ohio.
The notorious Simon Girty was adopted by the Senecas. Girty's name was
a terror and fiendish horror for many years. He not only led the Indians in
their atrocities, but he added barbarism to their native wickedness.
CONCLUSION.
When peace was proclaimed, after the surrender of Gen. Robert E. Lee to
Gen. U. S. Grant, the volunteer troops disbanded, and a return to home indus-
tries instituted, Ohio, like many other States, gave direct attention to the inter-
ests of returned soldiers. The thrift of the State was augmented by a spasmodic,
and thereafter recognized as a fictitious, demand for products, commercial and
industrial pursuits redoubled their forces. But the great wave of stagnation
swept over this fair land — the re-action of a war excitement. Laborers were
many, but wages were inadequate. Deeper and deeper settled this lethargy —
called by many "hard times" — until the wheels of commercial life revolved
slowly, and from the workshops and the factories went up the echoes of priva-
tion and distress. There was no famine, no fever, no epidemic, it was simply
exhaustion. In the larger cities there was much suffering. Idle people loitered
about, barely seeking employment, the task seeming worse than hopeless.
During the years 1870, 1871 and 1872, the stringent measures brought
about by the depressed state of business retarded any material advancement in
general matters. The years 1873-74 were marked by a preceptible improve-
ment, and a few factories were established, Avhile larger numbers were employed
in those already founded. The year 1875 was under the direction of a Demo-
cratic Legislature. It was marked in many respects by a "reverse motion " in
many laws and regulations.
The Legislature Avhich convened in 1876, January 3, was Republican in the
main. It repealed the " Geghan Law" passed by the preceding body. At
the time of its adoption, there Avas the most intense feeling throughout the State,
the charge being made that it was in the interests of the Catholics. Among
the general enactments were laws re-organizing the government of the State insti-
tutions, which the previous Legislature had ordered according to their own belief
to follow new doctrines. The office of Comptroller of the Treasury was abolished.
The powers of municipal corporations to levy taxes was limited, and their
authority to incur debts was limited. Furthermore, this body prohibited any
municipal appropriations, unless the actual money was in the Treasury to meet
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 201
the same in full. A law was passed for the protection of children under fourteen
years of age, exhibited in public shows.
The temperance cause received more vigorous and solid support than was
ever rendered by the State previously. A common-sense, highly moral and
exalted platform was formed and supported by many leading men.
This year witnessed the serious "strikes" among the miners in Stark and
Wayne Counties. The consequences were painful — distress, riots and distruc-
tion of property.
The State Mine Inspector reported 300 coal mines in the State, with only
twenty-five in operation. Not over 3,000,000 tons of coal were raised during
the year, owing to the dullness of the times.
The State charities reported the aggregate number under public care to be
29,508. The taxation for the maintenance of these classes was one and one
six-hundredth of a mill on each dollar of taxable property.
The reports given of the year 1877 indicated a revival of business interests
and prosperity. The State produced of wheat, 27,306,566 bushels ; rye,
914,106 bushels; buckwheat, 225,822 bushels; oats, 29,325,611; barley,
1,629,817 bushels ; corn, 101,884,305 bushels ; timothy, tons of hay, 2,160,334 ;
clover, tons of hay, 286,265; flax, pounds of fiber, 7,343,294; potatoes,
10,504,278 bushels; sweet potatoes, 126,354^ bushels; tobacco, 24,214,950
pounds; sorghum, sugar, 7,507|^ pounds; syrup, 1,180,255 gallons; maple
sugar, 1,625,215 pounds ; maple syrup, 324,036 gallons ; honey, 1,534,902
pounds.
The year 1878 was marked by a more vigorous and combined efibrt of the
people to entirely overcome the stagnation of business, the influence of the
lethargy yet combating the awakened interest. This energy was amply rewarded
in 1879, by a general dawning of the "good times " so ardently desired. New
enterprises were instituted, manufactories erected, improvements carried on, and
agriculture was successful. Before the year closed, the State was basking in
the light of prosperity, and the year 1880 was ushered in when the confidence
of the people was again a permanent incentive — confidence in the nation,
their State, each in the other and themselves. The old-time crown of power,
influence and integrity, which Ohio has earned, is conspicuous in this year of
1881. The jewels have been reset, and we confidently doubt not that their
luster will remain undimmed intrusted to so faithful and so earnest a people.
202
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
POPULATION OF OHIO BY COUNTIES.
OOrNTIES
1820
1830
1840
1830
1860
1870
1880
The State
581434
937903
1519467
1980329
2339511
2665260
1
10406
12--i81
578
13183
9079
18883
12109
23813
28767
18215
11338
34600
27332
30789
17685
19782
22178
30155
188S8
33621
25674
18177
48099
20276
6966
21817
18568
30264
12726
42909
7781
17063
17827
21946
30438
156844
16751
8251
20157
ai34
25781
14119
20452
26203
12^19
29133
28872
14654
15246
38846
19162
26086
12363
10015
23735
12618
24441
17971
7712
24999
28351
38218
28385
20280
45049
20309
19185
22951
31814
21364
17187
36398
29958
35840
15738
22693
25300
33034
21461
32836
25032
23881
78033
26009
118556
23902
24474
30539
15935
50361
14043
22043
15817
26197
24474
21641U
22886
1S570
19110
8901
27773
17057
20589
26616
17941
26115
27735
15576
23249
37011
20996
29744
25831
13015
25894
15490
22517
26534
14104
29959 "
25741
52230
22119
20445
44416
20751
7016
4945
19678
23169
13643
24208
21820
12808
31158
35071
21429
24297
30868
17493
42978
27344
30656
32)63
16507
10238
13631
2690J
36268
32483
16633
17886
15596
20750
23623
21933
32517
23768
20041
39714
30802
39912
14491
24188
32070
34268
21914
38299
23600
25556
132010
32278
15719
25175
28188
31138
17170
63019
17789
25545
14190
28038
23838
260370
23847
18714
18682
14023
29133
17925
18177
28532
21759
29188
26333
15935
31380
35756
23028
30308
46722
15633
31001
16184
20092
31465
17254
32740
25779
64006
20363
18583
44886
19949
13364
8544
18453
24875
15447
24584
21809
170S1
32516
37097
25503
29302
30827
20748
52508
34674
38659
33840
18730
15823
15027
26689
40609
35116
20991
24596
18553
24004
■)
Allen
31323
23883
/\
7382
6338
14584
9787
23724
19109
87139
<i
28413
6
25443
Belmont
20329
13356
21746
28827
17867
27142
30901
22715
28173
18108
16721
16882
23106
15719
40378
21590
13152
26506
13282
49638
82726
q
Butler
42580
10
11
16416
8479
9533
15820
8085
22033
7086
12131
13114
20466
11436
35d92
11161
4791
10373
6204
27817
V
Clark
41947
13
14
Clermont
86713
27539
15
38299
16
26641
17
30583
18
6328
3717
196943
19
40498
■•o
22518
91
7639
11504
22060
12599
3192-1
10984
25049
27380
•)0
Erie
32640
23
94
Fairfield
16633
6316
10292
24786
8182
14741
34283
20364
95
86816
96
21062
97
7098
7791
10529
9292
31764
9733
15813
14801
18036
52317
813
210
20916
262
16345
4a)8
9135
13341
5941
22489
17085
13444
16297
17528
27748
60145
9986
4598
20099
2503
22269
9(41
18088
23933
9744
25030
29579
13719
9738
35096
14015
18467
9382
9025
28124
m
14255
29
an
Greene
31849
27197
31
81 3368
!jO
27788
S'l
Hardin
27028
34
14345
20455
35
20587
36
87
12308
2130
30280
21126
38
20775
39
6675
3746
18531
8326
31609
40
23679
41
83018
42
27450
43
Lake
16326
44
3499
11861
3181
5367
20869
6440
5696
39068
45
40451
46
26268
47
85525
48
67388
49
4799
6190
20^29
•iO
42867
51
6551
7560
6158
1110
12807
8768
24362
11800
14765
18352
11452
8277
19688
18521
31938
20852
20564
5?
3082
4480
21454
53
32325
54
21808
55
56
Miami
8851
4645
15999
5297
36178
26497
57
58
Montgomery
78545
20074
59
19073
60
17824
29334
38749
49780
61
Noble .
21137
69
2248
1034
19344
19725
7626
22965
19482
5189
44532
27460
10182
11192
18128
12154
84603
22560
38107
25631
8422
1577
3308
1766
20775
21006
10953
24419
21736
7221
30879
32074
14305
18428
27104
13958
398;8
27485
30490
31761
12204
4793
9353
25560
29540
32981
8018
9157
11194
19763
fiS
161
13970
16001
6024
18826
16291
230
24006
24068
2851
8740
5159
3671
26588
13490
64
8429
13149
4253
10095
10237
28218
65
66
Pickaway
27353
17927
67
27500
68
Preble
24534
69
Putnam
23718
70
9169
20619
852
5750
86306
71
Ross
40307
79
32C63
73
83511
74
86955
75
Shelby
2106
12406
24136
76
Stark
64027
77
Summit
48788
78
Trumbull
15546
8328
1996
26153
14298
3192
49
44882
79
40197
80
Union
22374
81
Van Wert
23030
89
17226
83
Warren
17837
10425
11933
21468
11731
23333
387
1102
23141
20823
35808
4465
5357
28392
84
43244
85
87452
86
Williams
23821
87
733
34026
88
W yandot
22401
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.
203
POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES.
States and
Tekeitobiks.
Stales. *
Alabama
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts . .
Michigan ,
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina..
Ohio
Oregon
Area in
square
Miles.
50,722
52,198
188,981
101,500
4,674
2,120
59,268
58,000
55,410
33,809
55,045
81,318
37,600
41,346
31,776
11,184
7,800
56,451
83,531
47,156
65,350
75,995
112,090
9,280
8.320
47.000
50,704
39,964
95,244
Population.
996,992
484,471
560,-.U7
39,864
537,454
125,015
187,748
1,184,109
2,539,891
1.680,637
1,191,792
364,399
1,321,011
726,915
626,915
780,894
1,457,361
1,184,059
439,706
827,922
1,721,295
123,993
42,491
318.300
906,096
4,382,7.59
1,071.361
2,665,260
90,9231
1,262.794
802,564
864,686
194,649
622,683
146,654
267,351
1,539,048
8,078,769
1,978,362
1,624,620
995,966
1,648,708
940,103
648,945
934,632
1,783,012
1,636,;331
780,806
1,131.592
2,168,804
452,433
62,265
346.984
1,130.9S3
5,083,810
1,400.047
3,198,239
174,767
Miles
R.K.
1872
1,671
25
1,013
392
820
227
466
2,108
5,904
3,529
3,160
1,760
1,123
539
871
820
1,606
2,235
l,612i
9.'0l
2,580,
828
593
790
1,265
4,470
1,190
3,740
179.
States and
Territories.
Slate-i.
Pennsylvania...,
Kliode Island..,
South Carolina.,
Tennessee
Texas ,
Vermont ,
Virgmia
West Virginia...
Wisconsin
Total States.
Territories.
Arizona
Dakota
Dist. of Columbia.
Idaho
Montana
New Mexico
Utah
Washington
Wyoming
Total Territoriejt
Area mi
square
Miles.
46.000
1,306
29,385
45.600
237,504
10,212
40,904
23,000
53,924
2,054,671
113,916
147,490
60
90,932
143,776
121,201
80,056
69,944
93,107
860,482
Population.
8.521.
217,
705,
1,258,
818,
330,
1,<!25,
442,
1,054,
4,282,786
276,528
995,622
1,542,463
1,592,574
332,286
1,512,806
618,443
1,315,480
49,369,595
40,441
135,180
177,638
32,611
39.157
118.430
143,906
75,120
20,788
!.27:
Aggregate of U.S.. 2.915,203 33,555,983 60,852
•Included in the Railroad Mileage of Maryland.
Miles
K.R.
1872
5,113
136
1,201
1,520
865
675
1,490
485
1,725
59.716
375
'498
PRINCIPAL COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD;
I^^OPULATION AND ArEA.
Population.
China
British Empire
Russia
United States with Alaska
France
Austria and Hungary
Japan
Great Britain and Ireland
German Empire
Italy
Spain
Brazil
Turkey
Mexico
Sweden and Norway
Persia
Belgium
Bavaria
Portugal
Holland
IV ew Grenada
Chili...
Switzerland
Peru
Bolivia
Argentine Republic
Wurtemburg
Denmark
Venezuela
Baden
Greece
Guatemala
Ecuador
Paraguay
Hesse
Liberia
San Salvador ,
Hayti ,
Nicaragua
Uruguay
Honduras
San Domingo
Costa Rica
Hawaii
446,
226
81,
38
36.
35,
34,
31,
29,
27.
16,
10.
16,
9,
5,
5,
5.
4,
3,
3,
3,
2,
2.
2:
2,
1
1
1
I
1
1
1
1
1
500,000
817,108
925,400
925,600
,469.800
,904.400
785,300
817,100
906,092
439.931
642,000
000.000
463.000
173.000
921,500
000.000
021,300
,861,400
995,200
,688.300
000,000
,000,000
,669.100
,500,000
,000.000
,812,000
,818.500
,784.700
,500.000
,461,400
,457.900
180,000
.300,000
,000,000
823,138
718,000
600,000
572,000
350,000
300,000
3,50,000
136,000
165,000
62.9,50
Date of
Census.
1871
1871
1871
1870
1866
1869
1871
1871
1871
1871
1867
1869
1870
1870
1869
1871
1868
1870
1870
1869
1870
1871
'1869
1871
1870
'isVi
1870
1871
'1871
'1871
1871
'1871
1871
1871
'1876
Area in
Square
Miles.
.3.741.846
4,677,432
8,003,778
,603,884
204,091
240,348
149,399
121,315
160,207
118,847
195,775
3,253.029
672.621
761,526
292,871
635,964
11,373
29,292
34,494
13,680
357,157
132,616
15,992
471.838
497.321
871,848
7,533
14,753
368,238
5,912
19,353
40,879
218,928
63,787
3,969
9,576
7,335
10,205
58,171
66,722
47,092
17,827
31,505
7.633
Inhabitants
to Square
Mile.
119.3
48.6
10.3
7.78
178.7
149.4
232.8
262.3
187.
230.9
85.
3.07
24.4
20.
7.8
441.5
165.9
115.8
290.9
8.4
15.1
166.9
5.3
4.
2.1
241.4
120.9
4.2
247.
75.3
28.9
5.9
15.6
277.
74.9
81.8
56.
6.
6.5
7.4
7.6
7.7
80.
Pekin
London
St. Petersburg...
Washington
Paris
Vienna
Yeddo
London
Berlin
Rome
Madrid
Rio Janeiro
Constantinople ..
Mexico
Stockholm
Teheran
Brussels
Munich
Lisbon
Hague
Bogota
Santiago
Berne
Lima
Chuquisaca
Buenos Ay res
Stuttgart
Copenhagen
Caraccas
Carlsruhe
Athens
Guatemala ,
Quito
Asuncion
Darmstadt
Monrovia
■Sal Salvador
Port au Prince.,
Managua
Monte Video
Comayagua
San Domingo
San Jose
Honolulu
Population.
,648,800
,251,800
667,000
109,199
,825,300
83.3,900
,5.54,900
,251,800
825,400
244,484
.333,000
430,000
,075,000
210.300
136,900
120,000
314,100
169,500
224,063
90,100
45,000
115,400
36,000
160,100
25,000
177.800
91,600
162,043
47,000
36,600
43,400
40,000
70,000
48,000
30,000
3,000
1,5,000
20,000
10,000
44,500
12,000
20,000
2.000
7,633
POPULATION OP FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
Amanda Township, including the
following villages 1,840
Amanda Village 375
New Strasburg Village. . 35
Royalton Village 170
Berne Township, including the
following villages 2,625
Berne Village 47
Sugar Grove Village. . . . 262
Bloom Township, including the
following villages 2,179
Greencastle Village 91
Jefferson Village 80
Lithopolis Village 404
Clear Creek Township, including
the following villages 2,080
Oakland Village 139
Stoutsville Village 340
Greenfield Township, including
the following villages 2,036
Carroll Village 288
Dumontville Village 17
Gesselville Village 50
Havensport Village 79
Hocking Township' 2,412
Liberty Township, including the
following villages 3,070
Baltimore Village 489
Basil Village..... 287
Madison Township 1,387
Pleasant Township, including
village of Pleasantville 2,281
Pleasantville Village 334
Richland Township, including
the following villages 1,502
Rushville Village 227
West Rushville Village.. 212
Rush Creek Township, including
the following places 8,604
Bremen Village 248
Generji Village 26
Lancaster City 6,802
First Ward 1,904
Second Ward... 1,400
Third Ward 1,603
Fourth Ward... 816
Fifth Ward 1,079
Violet Township, including the
following villages 2,197
Lockville Village 129
Pickerington Village. . . . 188
Waterloo Village 262
Walnut Township, including the
following villages 2,070
Millersport Village 180
New Salem Village 196
Total population 34,283
POPULATION OF PEKRY COUNTY.
Bearfield Township, including
following village 997
Portersville Village 50
Clayton Township, including fol-
lowing villages 1,164
Rehoboth Village 162
Saltillo Village 80
Coal Township, including follow-
ing villages 3,836
New Straitsville Village.. 2, 782
Straitsville Village 308
Harrison Township, including
following villages 1,562
McLuney Village 66
Roseville Village 96
Hopewell Township 1,284
Jackson Township 1,896
Madison Township, including fol-
lowing villages 714
Mt. Perry Village 108
Sego Village 32
Monroe Township, including fol-
lowing villages 1,780
Corning Village 270
Millerstown Village 84
Rendville Village 349
Thompsonville Village . . 52
Monday Creek Township 1,636
Pike Township, including fol-
lowing villages . ! 3,059
Bristol Village 116
New Lexington Village. 1,357
Pleasant Township, including fol-
lowing villages 1,053
Moxahala Village 375
Oakville Village 130
Reading Township, including fol-
lowing villages 3,367
New Reading Village. . . 118
Somerset Village 1,207
Salt Lick Township, including
village of Shawnee 3 970
Shawnee Village 2,770
Thorn Township, including fol-
lowing villages 1,900
Thornport Village 125
Thornville Village 269
Total population 28,218
206 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
COMMENTS UPON THE ORDINANCE OP 1787, FROM THE STATUTES
OF OHIO, EDITED BY SALMON P. CHASE, AND PUB-
LISHED IN THE YEAR 1833.
[It would be difficult to find a more comprehensive review of the founda-
tions of our system of laws than is given in the " Preliminary Sketch of the
History of Ohio," by this distinguished representative of the bench and the
bar of America. The work is now out of print, and is not easily obtained;
besides, its great author has passed away; so these extracts are made more
with a view of preserving old historical literature, than of introducing new ;
furthermore, the masses of the people have never had convenient access to the
volumes, which, for the most part, have been in the hands of professional men
only. The publication of the work first brought its compiler 'before the public,
and marked the beginning of that career which, during its course, shaped the
financial system of our country, and ended upon the Supreme Bench of the
nation.]
By the ordinance of 1785, Congress had executed in part the great national
trust confided to it, by providing for the disposal of the public lands for the
common good, and by prescribing the manner and terms of sale. By that of
1787, provision was made for successive forms of Territorial government,
adapted to successive steps of advancement in the settlement of the Western
country. It comprehended an intelligible system of law on the descent and
conveyance of real property, and the transfer of personal goods. It also con-
tained five articles of compact between the original States, and the people and
States of the Territory, establishing certain great fundamental principles of
governmental duty and private right, as the basis of all future constitutions and
legislation, unalterable and indestructible, except by that final and common
ruin, which, as it has overtaken all former systems of human polity, may yet
overwhelm our American union. Never, probably, in the history of the world,
did a measure of legislation so accurately fulfill, and yet so mightily exceed
the anticipations of the legislators. The ordinance has been well described, as
having been a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night, in the settlement and
government of the Northwestern States. When the settlers went into the
wilderness, they found the law already there. It was impressed upon the soil
itself, while it yet bore up nothing but the forest. The purchaser of land
became, by that act, a party to the compact, and bound by its perpetual cove-
nants, so far as its conditions did not conflict with the terms of the cessions of
the States.
This remarkable instrument was the last gift of the Congress of the old
confederation to the country, and it was a fit consummation of their glorious
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 207
labors. At the time of its promulgation, the Federal Constitution was under
discussion in the convention ; and in a few months, upon the organization of
the new national government, that Congress was dissolved, never again to re-as-
senible. Some, and indeed most of the principles established by the articles of
compact are to be found in the plan of 1784, and in the various English and
American bills of rights. Others, however, and these not the least important,
are original. Of this number are the clauses in relation to contracts, to slavery
and to Indians. On the whole, these articles contain what they profess to con-
tain, the true theory of American liberty. The great principles promulgated
by it are wholly and purely American. They are indeed the genuine princi-
ples of freedom, unadulterated by that compromise with circumstances, the
effects of which are visible in the constitution and history of the Union.
The first form of civil government, provided by the ordinance, was now
formally established within the Territory. Under this form, the people had no
concern in the business of government. The Governor and Judges derived
their appoinrments at first from Congress, and after the adoption of the Fed-
eral Constitution, from the President. The commission of the former officer
was for the term of three years, unless sooner revoked ; those of the latter
were during good behavior. It was required that the Governor should reside
within the Territory, and possess a freehold estate there, in one thousand acres
of land. He had authority to appoint all officers of militia, below the rank of
Generals, and all magistrates and civil officers, except the Judges and the
Secretary of the Territory ; to establish convenient divisions of the whole dis-
trict for the execution of progress, to lay out those parts to which the Indian
titles might be extinguished into counties and townships. The Judges, or any
two of them, constituted a court with common law jurisdiction. It was neces-
sary that each Judge should possess a freehold estate in the territory of five
hundred acres. The whole legislative power which, however, extended only to
the adoption of such laws of the original States as might be suited to the cir-
cumstances of the country, was vested in the Governor and Judges. The laws
adopted were to continue in force, unless disapproved by Congress, until re-
pealed by the Legislature, which was afterward to be organized. It was the
duty of the Secretary to preserve all act§ and laws, public records and executive
■proceedings, and to transmit authentic copies to the Secretary of Congress
every six months.
Such was the first government devised for the Northwestern Territory. It
is obvious that its character, as beneficent or oppressive, depended entirely upon
the temper and disposition of those who administrated it. All power, legisla-
tive, judicial and executive, was concentrated in the Governor and Judges, and
in its exercise they were responsible only to the distant Federal head. The
expenses of the Government were defrayed in part by the United States, but
were principally drawn from the pockets of the people in the shape of fees.
208 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
This temporary system, however unfriendly as it seems to liberty, was,
perhaps, so established upon sufficient reasons. The Federal Constitution had
not then been adopted, and there were strong apprehensions that the people of
the Territory might not be disposed to organize States and apply for admission
into the Union. It was, therefore, a matter of policy so to frame the Territorial
system as to create some strong motives to draw them into the Union, as States,
in due time.
The fii'st acts of Territorial legislation were passed at Marietta, then the
only American settlement northwest of the Ohio. The Governor and Judges
did not strictly confine themselves within the limits of their legislative author-
ity, as prescribed by the ordinance. When they could not find laws of the
original States suited to the condition of the country, they supplied the want
by enactments of their own. The earliest laws, from 1788 to 1795, were all
thus enacted. The laws of 1788 provided for the organization of the militia;
for the establishment of inferior courts; for the punishment of crimes, and for
the limitations of actions; prescribed the duties of ministerial officers; regu-
lated marriages, and appointed oaths of office. That the Governor and Judges
in the enactment of these laws, exceeded their authority, without the slightest
disposition to abuse it, may be inferred from the fact that except two, which
had been previously repealed, they were all confirmed by the first Territorial
Legislature.
At this period there was no seat of government, properly called. The
Governor resided at Cincinnati, but laws were passed whenever they seemed to
be needed, and promulgated at any place where the Territorial legislators hap-
pened to be assembled. Before the year of 1795, no laws were, strictly speak-
ing, adopted. Most of them were framed by the Governor and Judges to
answer particular public ends; while in the enactmant of others, including all
the laws of 1792, the Secretary of the Territory discharged, under the author-
ity of an act of Congress, the functions of the Governor. The earliest laws,
as has been already stated, were published at Marietta. Of the remainder, a
few were published at Vincennes, and the rest at Cincinnati.
In the year 1789, the first Congress passed an act recognizing the binding
force of the ordinance of 1787, and adapting its provisions to the Federal Con-
stitution. This act provided that the communications directed in the ordinance
to be made to Congress or its officers, by the Governor, should thenceforth be
made to the President, and that the authority to appoint with the consent of
the Senate, and commission officers, before that time appointed and commis-
sioned by Congress, should likewise be vested in that officer. It also gave the
Territorial Secretary the power already mentioned, of acting in certain cases,
in the place of the Governor. In 1792, Congress passed another act giving to
the Governor and Judges authority to repeal, at their discretion, the laws by
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 209
them made; and enabling a single Judge of the general court, in the absence
of his brethren, to hold the terms.
At this time the Judges appointed by the national Executive constituted the
Supreme Court of the Territory. They were commissioned during good
behavior; and their judicial jurisdiction extended over the whole region north-
west of the Ohio. The court, thus constituted, was fixed at no certain place,
and its process, civil and criminal, was returnable wheresoever it might be in
the Territory. Inferior to this court were the County Courts of Common Pleas,
and the General Quarter Sessions of the Peace. The former consisted of any
number of Judges, not less than three nor more than seven, and had a general
common-law jurisdiction, concurrent, in the respective counties, with that of
the Supreme Court; the latter consisted of a number of Justices for each
county, to be determined by the Governor, who were required to hold three
terms in every year, and had a limited criminal jurisdiction. Single Judges of
the Common Pleas, and single Justices of the Quarter Sessions, were also
clothed with certain civil and criminal powers to be exercised out of court.
Besides these courts, each county had a Judge of Probate, clothed with the
ordinary jurisdiction of a Probate Court.
Such was the original constitution of courts and distribution of judicial
power in the Northwestern Territory. The expenses of the system were de-
frayed in part by the National Government, and in part by assessments upon
the counties, but principally by fees, whicli were payable to every officer con-
cerned in the administration of justice, from the Judges of the General Court
downward.
In 1795, the Governor and Judges undertook to revise the Territorial law;s,
and to establish a complete system of statutoi'y jurisprudence, by adoptions
from the laws of the original States, in strict conformity to the provisions of
the ordinance. For this purpose they assembled at Cincinnati, in June, and
continued in session until the latter part of August. The judiciary system un-
derwent some changes. The General Court was fixed at Cincinnati and Marietta,
and a Circuit Court was established Avith power to try, in the several counties,
issues in fact depending before the superior tribunal, where alone causes could
be finally decided. Orphans' Courts, too, were established, with jurisdiction
analogous to but more extensive than that of a Judge of Probate. Laws were
also adopted to regulate judgments and executions, for limitation of actions,
for the distribution of intestate estates, and for many other general purposes.
Finally, as if with a view to create some great reservoir, from which, whatever
principles and powers had been omitted in the particular acts, might be drawn
according to the exigency of circumstances, the Governor and Judges adopted
a law, providing that the common law of England and all general statutes in
aid of the common law, prior to the fourth year of James I, should be in full
force within the Territory. The law thus adopted was an act of the Virginia
Legislature, passed before the Declaration of Independence, when Virginia was
210 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
yet a British colony, and at the time of its adoption had been repealed so far
as it related to the English statutes.
The other laws of 1795 were principally derived from the statute book of
Pennsylvania. The system thus adopted, was not without many imperfections
and blemishes, but it may be doubted whether any colony, at so early a period
after its first establishment, ever had one so good.
And how gratifying is the retrospect, how cheering the prospect which even
this sketch, brief and partial as it is, presents! On a surface, covered less
than half a century ago by the trees of the primeval forest, a State has grown
up from colonial infancy to freedom, independence and strength. But thirty .
years have elapsed since that State, with hardly sixty thousand inhabitants, was
admitted into the American Union. Of the twenty-four States which form
that Union, she is now the foui'th in respect to population. In other respects,
her rank is even higher. Already her resources have been adequate, not only
to the expense of government and instruction, but to the construction of long
lines of canals. Her enterprise has realized the startling prediction of the
poet, who, in 1787, when Ohio was yet a wilderness, foretold the future con-
nection of the Hudson with the Ohio.
And these results are attributable mainly to her institutions. The spirit of
the ordinance of 1787 prevades them all. Who can estimate the benefits
which have flowed from the interdiction by that instrument of slavery and of
legislative interference with private contracts? One consequence is, that the
soil of Ohio bears up none but freemen ; another, that a stern and honorable
regard to private rights and public morals characterizes her legislation. There
is hardly a page in the statute book of which her sons need be ashamed. The
great doctrine of equal rights is everywhere recognized in her constitution and
her laws. Almost every father of a family in this State has a freehold interest
in the soil, but this interest is not necessary to entitle him to a voice in the
concerns of government. Every man may vote; every man is eligible to any
office. And this unlimited extension of the elective franchise, so far from pro-
ducing any evil, has ever constituted a safe and suflBcient check upon injurious
legislation. Other causes of her prosperity may be found in her fertile soil, in
her felicitous position, and especially in her connection with the union of the
States. All these springs of growth and advancement are permanent, and
upon a most gratifying prospect of the future. They promise an advance in
population, wealth, intelligence and moral worth as permanent as the existence
of the State itself They promise to the future citizens of Ohio the blessings
of good government, wise legislation and universal instruction. More than all,
they are pledges that in all future, as in all past circumstances, Ohio will cleave
fiist to the national constitution and the nntional Union, and that her growing
energies will on no occasion, be more willingly or powerfully put forth, than in
the support and maintenance of both in unimpaired vigor and strength.
PART III.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY,
I
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
CHAPTER I.
GEOLOGY.
"In the immediate valley of the Hocking, we find the modified
Drift, in the form of sand and gravel terraces, which were once great
sand flats and bars, formed by the stream when it stood from eighty to
one hundred feet higher than now. Much of the city of Lancaster is
built on such terraces. Underneath the sand and gravel, and elsewhere
in the lower grounds, we often find the blue Drift cla}^ contaming scat-
tered boulders. In this day we obtain trunks of trees, roots, twigs, etc.,
generally of the coniferous t3^pe. They represent the vegetation which
grew in the valley, or along the hillsides, at the beginning of the Drift
era."
It is true that Lancaster stands on this accurriulation of Drift material ;
and also true that trunks of trees, roots and other vegetable growths
that once flourished on the surface, are now found from thirty to seventy
feet below the surface in sinking wells, specimens which, the report
says, "grew in the valle}', and along the hillsides, at the beginning of
the Drift era." How, then, is it possible to conceive the idea that the
bed of the preglacial river once stood from eighty to one hundred feet
highier than now.
It is also true that beds of blue Drift clay, varying from tw^o or three
to twenty or more feet in thickness, are tbund deep down below the sur-
face on which Lancaster stands, and that in this blue clay are found
granite boulders, which are known to have come fi-om near the Arctic
regions. Shallow strata of yellow drit't cla}^ are likewise found in the
same deposits, and the entire Hocking, as far down as the lower falls,
at Logan, presents the same evidence of accumulated Drift, with sand
and gravel terraces, the sand and gravel being foreign deposits, and
not native to the Hocking Valle}^ or to the surface of the County,
which is almost entirely sand stone. At the falls, the bed of the stream
strikes the bed rocks. All above the falls, so far as is known, the water
flows on the bed of the Drift deposit.
But not only the immediate valley of the Hocking, but the entire
area of the County, lies within the field of the Drift. The Drift cla3-s,
both the blue and the yellow, are also found in sinking wells and other
excavations in all the low lands of the County, at various depths and
of various thicknesses, but chiefly the blue. The sand and gravel ter-
racing also follows the water courses and table lands. The Drift boul-
ders are found all over the County, as well on the highest hills, as in
I
2 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
the lowlands, and of weights varying from a few pounds to several tons.
The largest one yet discovered in the County lies partially buried in
the ground, in the corner of the enclosure near the east bank of Bald-
win's run, about two miles northeast of Lancaster. Its two principal
diameters have been estimated to be eighteen and sixteen feet. Another
of very considerable dimensions lies on the slope of Mount Pleasant,
and near its summit. They are Qiiartzites, Granites and Diorites, as
also of other kinds of hard rock. Some of them are exceedingly hard,
as they must have been to withstand the grinding processes they were
subjected to in floating, or perhaps rolling down from the mother beds
far to the north, and from which they were torn away b}^ the ponderous
ice glaciers that moved down the continent, grinding and forcing their
way over rocks and mountains as they came, until, by the melting of the
ice, they were left scattered all over the face of the countr}'. Some of
these boulders were found to be limestone : and in some localities of
sufficient quantity to be collected and broken up for the limekiln. Such
use has been made of them in Fairfield County.
The drift clay is not found in the elevated lands, but always in the
table lands, and always below the gravel terraces, which shows it to
have been deposited by the waters before the glacial Drift set in ; and
it is believed a long interval of time intervened between the two eras.
The material of which these border terraces are formed was undoubt-
edly brought down by the general Drift flood, and distributed along
the valleys and water courses in the form of deposits, merely. The
terrace planes are found mixed, however, more or less, with the wash
from the adjacent hillsides, in particular localities. The Drift beds,
from their light and gravelly make up, are usually easil}^ drained, and
Iving on the borders of water courses, for the most part, they become
eligible sites for towns and cities, many of which are built upon them.
Lancaster stands on a drift bed — all that part of it lying below the hill,
and it is more than probable that the elevation passing through the town
from north to south, and known and spoken of as the "hill," was en-
tirely formed during the Drift age. It contains no ledges of sand rock,
as the hills surrounding the town do ; and besides, beds of blue clay
have been found on its slopes, at great depths below the surface. In
sinking a well on the east slope, in 1862, at the depth of from forty to
seventy feet, trunks and limbs of corniferous trees were found imbedded
in the blue clay Drift. Professor Andrews, in his Geological Report for
1872 and 1874, ^'^y^ •
"When we carry back the study of our surface Geology to the per-
iod imi-nediately antecedent to tlie Drift, we find that all the leading
valleys had been eraded by the same system of surface drainage which
now exists. The general surface features of the whole State were the
same as now. The Scioto, Hocking and Licking rivers drain by their
upper waters much of the central and level portion of the State, a region
now covered with a mantle of Drift materials. They drained the same
area before the Drift.
"The Drift period was of immense duration, and the great northern
currents, with their floating ice bergs, with loads of debris from northern
regions, would, in time, be able to cover the bottom of the shallow sea
with the materials we now find, and arranged as we now find them.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 3
Acrain, what force, or vis a ta-go, would have been exerted to impel the
vast glacier across the great valley of the lakes, and up and over the
high ground to the south. In all recorded movements of glaciers, the
ice is carried down slopes, so that gravity, if not positively aiding,
could not retard the movement.
" If a glacial sheet extended into Southern Ohio, it must have passed
over the vast distance between the lakes and Hudson's Bay (now re-
ported to be 1,500 feet high, which is not as high as the highest lands
of Ohio water shed, as reportad by Dr. Newberry), across a general
depression in which lie the lakes, and up over the water-shed, dividing
the waters of the lakes and the Ohio river."
There are sufficient reasons for the belief that, at a very remote
period in the past, the present bounds of Fairfield county contained a
number of small lakes, or lakelets. If lakes ever had a place here,
their existence must have antedated the Drift period. Among the local-
ities likely to have been lakes in the long ago, may be mentioned the
prairie lying immediately west of Lancaster, extending from the cross-
ing of the Logan road over the canal, south of Lancaster, embracing
the marshy grounds on the south side of the East graveyard, and ex-
tending up the Hocking as far as opposite the residence of Isaac Clay-
pool, in Greeniield township, a distance of about live miles. This was
undoubtedly once a lake, receiving at its head the waters of the two
branches of" the Hocking, and with its outlet at the south end.
The muddv prairie gives evidence of having been onte a small lake,
of two or three miles in length, by a mile or so in width.
Also the flat lying along the track of the Muskingum Valley railroad,
in the direction of Berne station, and extending perhaps as far as Bre-
men, of widths varying from a quarter of a mile to over a mile, and
with probably arms running out in the Raccoon valley, and indented by
the spurs of hills.
There are Hkewise evidences of the existence of ancient lakelets
along the course of Clear creek, in the southwest part of the county ;
also, in Walnut township, and in the vicinity of Carrole, in the north end
of Greenfield township. It is probable, since the entire bounds of the
county are within the Drift range, that these basins were filled with the
debris carried dowai from the north by the mighty flood of waters,
though thousands ol years may have passed since.
The most interesting features of Fairfield county, in a geological
regard, are those already described as being the product of the Dritt
era. Beyond that, the sandstone formations demand the next consider-
ation. The sandstone of Fairfield county is the Waverly, so named
from the circumstance of its having been first quarried at that place.
The stone at Waverly is, however, of a much finer texture than that of
Fairfield, and is shipped to all parts of the State, to be used as flag-stone,
and for other purposes. Waverly is the county seat of Pike county,
and is situated on the alluvial table land of the Scioto, sixteen miles
south of Chillicothe.
Fairfield county lies directly within the range of Waverly formations,
but the texture of the stone is different, the most of it being coarser
grained, especiall}- those cropping out at Mount Pleasant and the ledges
along down the Hocking and its adjacent hills for a considerable
4 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
distance back in both directions. The color of the Fairfield sandstone
varies from a clear white to yellow of different tints, some of it quite
duskv. The greater portion of it is, however, of a light yellowish hue.
Some of the formations are considerably firm in texture; others softer.
It has been found that when dressed and laid in walls, it hardens by
exposure, and it is believed it will endure the ravages of time even bet-
ter than limestone. Fairfield sandstone is largely shipped to other
parts of the State for building purposes. The cathedral, at the corner
of Broad and Fifth streets, Columbus, is almost entirely built of Hock-
ing sandstone, and the new court-house at Lancaster is wholly of sand-
stone, quarried in sight of the building. There is sandstone sufficient
in Fairfield county to build a hundred cities.
Some of the ledges are of great thickness, without a fissure in them.
They underlie all the hills of the southern part of the county, and crop
out from many of them, especially along Hocking quite down to the
county line. Mount Pleasant is simply an immense sand-rock from top *
to bottom, and extending to an unknown depth below the surface. In
some instances the ledges extend hundreds of feet without a crack ; in
some places they are cleft and fissured, and it is not uncommon to see
large masses of the solid rock detached from the main bod\^, and pre-
cipitated down to the low lands, as if by some internal convulsions of
the earth. There are detached fragments of all sizes, some of them
possibly amounting to hundreds and thousands of tons weight. Some
of the sandstone formations show supposed traces of iron.
A very wonderful geological phenomenon presented itself a number
of yell's ago, to which the attention of the writer was called at the time.
The Lilly brothers, stone cutters, in the preparation of a large block of
yellow sandstone that had been brought from the hills south of Lancaster
to be wrought into a monument, came across an Indian flint arrow head
imbedded in the solid sandstone. The sandstone was moulded nicely
to it on all sides, so that the flint, when finally liberated, left its mould
perfect and smooth. The flint was very white, forming a sharp contrast
with the yellow sandstone in which it was imprisoned. The position
where it was found was several inches from the outside of the block.
The stone-cutter fixed the point at which the flint was found at
about ten feet from the outside surface of the rock, as it originally ex-
isted before the quarry was opened.
Two points are indisputably settled by the discovery, viz : first,
that the flint arrow point was artificially formed ; and secondly, that it
was formed before the rock, no matter at what age of the world either
event occurred.
In some of the hills about Lancaster, as also in other parts of the
county, the sandstone material is found in concrete masses in combina-
tion with gravel, sand, and clay, thus forming conglomerates of exceed-
ing hardness, and which are used lor bouldering, and as foundations
for buildings. They are also found to make very strong walls for adobe
work. What has been known as "Green's Hill," and the hill upon
which the South Schoolhouse stands, are examples. The bodies of
both hills, as far as they have been penetrated, are conglomerate, un-
derlaid with deep beds of a fine quality of building sand, especially
Green's Hill.
HISTORY OF Fairfield county. 5
The upper strata of the Waved}- sandstone, which is known to He
immediately below the coal measures, is found in the hills facing Rush
creek, where it passes between the two villages of Rushville. It is
finer grained than the stones at Waverly, but not sufficiently hard to be
used for building purposes. In Rush creek bank, a little below the mill
south of the village of Rushville, there is a vein of sandy shale of a
bluish hue, indicating vicinity of coal. Its thickness is ten or twelve
feet, and in it are contained moluscan fossils : but those that belong to
the Waverly formation are found in the upper strata. There is also, in
the same vicinity, a very thin stratum of coal, and rocks that usually
characterize coal beds. Beyond this there are no other evidences of
the presence of coal ; nor are there within the bounds of the county, so
far as has ever been discovered, any available coal beds.
The lower stratum of the Waverly stone appears in the margins of
the ravines at Lithopolis, in Bloom township. This specimen is exceed-
ingly fine grained, and bears all the characteristics of the typical Wav-
erly stone, as originally discovered. Its color is light drab, its tissue
even, and easily worked.
Fairfield coimty is not knowai to have an}^ coal. If there be coal
below its surface it is out of reach by the ordinary means of mining now
in use. But the near proximity of apparently inexhaustible coal fields,
and with eas}- and rapid facilities for transportation, it can never feel
the privation.
The same is true of iron. So far as known there is no iron in Fair-
field count}^ Some of its surfaces indicate the not very remote pres-
ence of iron ore, and some specimens of sandstone show apparent
streaks of the iron tinge. Some of the fragments of rock, when lifted,
are of a greater weight than ordinary stone, which has given rise to the
belief that iron ore existed in the hills, but none has ever been found.
The great wealth and sources of wealth of the county exist in its
vast stone quarries, and in the richness and arability of its soil, so that
in all time to come it can never fail to vie with any other interior county
of the State in the extent of its resources. Its timber, with prudent
economy and with coal for fuel — coal obtained from the Muskingum
. mines, the Sunday creek mines, -Perry county mines, from Shawmee,
Straitsville, and the Hocking Valley, all lying within distances ranging
from twenty-five to not exceeding thirty-five miles — places Fairfield in
a position equal, if not superior, to any interior county of the West.
The idea is not yet wholly abandoned that lead exists in the county,
and that it will some day be discovered. The reliance, however, rests
wholly on the traditions brought down from the Indian times, the cir-
cumstances of wdiich are written in the chapter on Indians, found in
another part of this volume.
MlSTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
CHAPTER II.
TOPOGRAPHY.
Fairfield County is bounded on the east by Perry, on the south
by Hocking, on the west by Pickaway, and on the north by Licking
comities. It is situated in the eastern part of the State, and in the
thirty-ninth degree of north kititude, its northern boundary being about
ten miles south of the fortieth degree. Its seat of government is twenty-
one miles east of the Scioto river, and twenty-one miles south of the
National Road. It contains fourteen townships, viz. : Clear creek,
Amanda, Bloom, Violet, Madison, Hocking, Greenheld, Libert}^,
Berne, Pleasant, Walnut, Rush creek, Richland and Lancaster. Clear
creek, Amanda, Bloom and Violet form the western tier : Rush creek
and Richland lie on the east ; Madison and Berne on the south, and
Violet, Liberty and Walnut make the north tier. Its outlines are irreg-
ular. Rush creek and Richland project be3'ond the direct south and
north range of Berne, Pleasant and Walnut, thus forming two abrupt
offsets. On the south, the direct line is notched bv offsets in Madison
and Berne townships, occasioned by detaching Auburn and Perry
townships since the original formation of the count3\ and attaching
them to Hocking county. The west and north lines are direct, with
the exception of a notch on the west side of Violet township, formed by
detaching a tier of six sections, including the village of Winchester,
and attaching them to Franklin county. But Violet being originall}- an
eight-section township, its two north sect,ions still remain bordering on
the east of the old Franklin line.
Clear Creek, Amanda, Bloom, Rush Creek, Hocking, Greenfield
and Pleasant townships each contain thirty-six sections ; Libert}-, Wal-
nut and Berne each forty-eight sections ; Madison thirty ; Richland
twenty-four, and Violet forty-two sections, thus making the area of the
county four hundred and ninety-two square miles. In making this
computation, no notice is taken of the township of Lancaster. The
dimensions of the township are two miles square, but its area was in-
cluded in the original townships from which it was taken. The diameter
of the count}^, on its western line, is twenty-six miles ; its. east and west
diameter, from the east line of Rush Creek township to the west line of
Amanda township is twenty-four miles.
The principal water course that cuts the surface of the count}^ is the
Hocking river. It is a small stream, scarcely deserving the title of
river, and is formed by the junction near Hooker's station of its two
branches. The west fork, which is the principal, and therefore called
Hocking, or originally Hockhocking, takes its rise from a spring near
Greencastle, and near the center of Bloom township. The maps differ
a little as to the head of Hocking, but old residents of the township fix
it a little southwest of the village of Greencastle. From its source it
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 7
meanders along to the rocky precipice just within the edge of Greenfield
township, sometimes spoken of as the upper falls of Hocking, and hav-
ing- received the waters of two or three tributaries, becomes the water
power of the " Rock Mills," the appellation by which the place has long
been known.
The east branch, sometimes spoken of as ClaypooFs run, rises in
the north part of Greenfield township, and runs in a nearly due south
direction until it unites with the main branch a short distance above
Hooker's station. From the junction, the course of the Hocking is due
southeast, until it enters the north east of Hocking township, and after
skirting the west border of the cit}^ of Lancaster, enters Berne township
less than a mile below the city. It then curves more to the west, and
flows in a nearly due south direction to Sugar Grove, where it receives
the waters of Rush creek, and about one mile and a quarter below
passes out of the county through section ten of Berne township.
Rush creek is the next stream of importance in Fairfield county, and
is something larger than Hocking. It, likewise, has two branches, both
of which have their origin beyond the county. The principal or north
fork enters Richland township from the east, and about at its center,
and pursuing a nearl}' due west course across about two-thirds of the
width of the township, takes a direction a little east of south ; passing be-
tween the Rushvilles, still continues a south course to Bremen, after which
it curves something to the west, and passing across a part of Marion
township, Hocking county, turning nearly due west, re-enters Fairfield
county and unites with the Hocking at Sugar Grove.
The east, or south branch, takes its origin in Perry county, and en-
ters Rush creek township at its northeast corner, and forms a junction
with the north branch about one mile south of Bremen. Both branches
have numerous small tributaries.
Clear creek, in the southwest part of the county, has its origin in
Amanda township, and embodies in its course several small tributaries.
It drains some of the richest lands in Fairfield county, especially in
Amanda and Clear creek townships. Its course is very serpentine, es-
peciall}^ in Amanda township. Its general course is southeast, to where
it passes into Hocking county across the eastern line of Madison town-
ship, at the north conie.r of" section twenty-four; then passing across
the northeast corner of Clear creek township, entering Madison diagon-
ally from northwest to southeast, and near its center enters the Hocking
river several miles below Sugar Grove.
There are three small streams, all passing down out of Pleasant
township, and known respectively as Pleasant run, Ewing's run, and
Fetter's run. Of ihese three. Pleasant is the largest. They are all
tributaries of the Hocking, and mingle with its waters at different
points below Lancaster. The latter two, viz., Fetter's and Ewing's
runs, form a conjunction at a point about northeast of Lancaster, from
which, until it enters the Hocking a short distance below Lancaster, it
has been known as Baldwin's run. Pleasant run enters the Hocking
some miles below Lancaster. They all three rise in the north half of
Pleasant township, just south of the dividing ridge between the waters
of the Hocking and those of the Scioto.
The divide wiiich determines the flow of the waters respectively be-
8 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
tween the Scioto and the Hocking, so far as the surface of Fairfield
county is concerned, takes an irreguhir direction. The northern portion
of the county, inchiding the townships of Wahiut, Libert}^ and Violet,
and the north third of Pleasant, are drained by the Littk Walnut, a
tributary of the Scioto. The divide is therefore shown to he between
the south two-thirds and the north third of Pleasant township, thence
west to near the center of Bloom township, thence south through Bloom,
Amanda, and Clear Creek townships, approaching nearest the west
line at the south part of C'lear creek, for the rivulets- in the western por-
tions of these townships run oft' in the direction of the Scioto, and be-
come its tributaries.
Prairies. — Fairfield county never has had any extensive prairies.
The largest one within the bounds of the county is that which has been
known as the " Muddy Prairie," situated in Amanda township, eight
miles west of Lancaster. It is of two or three miles in diameter from
south to north, and about one mile wide from east to west. On its
north margin, and extending in the direction of Royalton, the character
of the timber, and the general appearance of the country, gives one the
idea pretty distinctly of barrens, commonly so called, such as are seen
west of the Scioto. The next largest spot of prairie in the count}^ is at
Lancaster, extending from Kuntze's Hill along up the Hocking to near
Hooker's Station, in Greenfield township. The average width of this
strip of prairie land is probably about a half mile. Much of it was at
an early day a swamp, and portions of it are yet too soft for safe travel.
There is also a strip of true prairie ground extending across the north
end of Berne township, along the line of the Zanesville Railroad, as far
as Berne Station, and again in the vicinity of Bremen, and along the
Raccoon. There are also spots of prairie land along Little Walnut
creek, in Walnut township, and along Clear creek, in Clear Creek
township. Also at several other points in the county there are typical
dispositions of the timber and surface conditions sufficiently marked to
inspire the idea of barrens.
Fairfield cc^unty has no body of water within its limits, or ever has
had within the historic age, that deserves the name of lake or lakelet.
That which approaches nearest to it is the " Big Reservoir " in the
north part of Walnut township ; but this is almost entirelv artificial, and
only a part of it lies within the county. Previous to the making of the
Ohio Canal there existed there a natural pond of water, the exact area
of which can not now be ascertained. But upon the construction of
the canal all that low body of land now constituting the reservoir was
filled with water by artificial systems of draining, for the purpose of
forming a feeder for the canal in times of low water. Its present area
is something over three thousand acres. In some of its parts the water
is of considerable depth. About one-third of its surface lies within
Licking count}', a portion in Perr^^, and the remainder in Walnut towm-
ship of this county.
The next considerable bod}' of water in the county is the small reser-
voir at the north-west corner of the city of Lancaster, which is a feeder
to the Hocking canal ; but it is also chiefly artificial. This little reser-
voir has a water surface of probably thirty acres, but unlike the big-
reservoir, contains few fish,
HlfeTORV OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 9
In the pioneer age of the county there were nmnerollS small ponds
of water distributed all over its surface, hut they have been so far
drained and dried up that, outside of the two reservoirs, there is noth-
ing within the county that would at this da\' claim hardly the dignity of
a respectable small pond. One of the principal of these was Neibling's
pond, on the site of the present Lancaster, and which is elsewhere de-
scribed in this volume. Also, at Muddy Prairie and in the prairie west
of Lancaster, were once considerable ponds, but there are no ponds in
either of them now.
Fairtield has at no former time been characterized for extensive
swales or marshes. One of the most considerable shoales, probably, that
ever existed in the county was that which passed directly through the
center of the present Lancaster, crossing Main street just where
Shawk's alley is, and where it originally dipped into a considerable
pond. This lias also been particularly described in the first chapter on
Lancaster. There were also a few swales in the northern townships,
but thev have been drained and changed into arable land. The princi-
pal boggy spots were in the prairie along the western bank of the Hock-
ing, along the line of the present Muskingum Valley Railroad, in the
direction of Bremen, at the Muddy Prairie. Claypoole's run, and Clear
Creek.
Surface. — There are few, if any, counties in Ohio with less waste
land than Fairfield. There are fevv acres within its entire borders that
are not capable of cultivation, varying, however, somewhat in richness
of soil. The eastern part of the county is mostly of a gently undulating
surface, and generally well adapted to wheat growing. The southeast
part, embracing a portion of Berne township, and the most of Rush Creek,
is level, and a great deal of it quite fertile. At Rushville, in Richland
township, along the borders of Rush Creek, there is considerable inter-
ruption in the surface, especially in the vicinity of the two villages.
The creek, in passing between East and West Rushville, cuts through
a very considerable elevation, tbrming high and precipitous banks on
both sides, which are underlaid with a fine quality of the \Vaverly sand-
stone. These interruptions continue more or less, until the stream
pushes out of the county, at its southern border. In the vicinity of
Bremen, and Rush Creek bottom, it widens out into a considerable
space of rich table land.
The northern part of the county, comprising nearly all of Richland,
Pleasant, Vv^alnut, Liberty, Violet, Bloom, Amanda, Greenfield and the
northern part of Hocking, is either gently rolling, or level, with the ex-
ception of the blufts alo'ng Ewing's and Fetter's runs, and a ridge of
hills running north of Lancaster, and again up Hocking, in the vicinity
of the Rockmill. The staple products are corn, w^heat, grass, and all
varieties of small grains and vegetables. About Lithopolis, in JBloom
township, there are also considerable interruptions in the surface, in the
vicinity of a small stream that passes the north border of the village.
Going west from Lancaster to Amanda, the face of the country is
considerably broken into hills and ledges of sandstone, especially
within the tirst tour miles out from Lancaster. Upon reaching the Mud-
dy prairie, two miles east of Amanda, the surface drops to a level, and
continues so, with only moderate undulations about the village of
2
10 lilSTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
Stoutsville, until the Pickaway county line is reached. The largest
portion of Clear Creek township, which lies directly south of Amanda,
is level, and for the most part highh^ fertile.
Immediately south of Lancaster, the hills set in, and continue more
or less rugged to the south county line, embracing the southern part of
Hocking township, all of Madison, and a considerable part of Berne.
The valle\ of the Hocking, below, or south of Lancaster, and on its
east side, for a considerable part of the distance to Sugar Grove, is lined
with out-cropping ledges of sand rock, which gives the vallc}^ a highly
romantic appearance, especialh' Irom the elevated lands about the State
Farm on the west, from some points of which the ranges of sandstone
are seen at a distance of three or four miles on the east side of Hocking.
Some of the hills rise to a considerable height. The site of the Re-
form Farm is six hundred feet above the level of the Hocking table
lands, situated only four miles to the east, and about five hundred feet
above the site of Lancaster, six miles distant. Some of the interrup-
tions south of Lancaster, and within the bounds of Berne township,
are exceedingly rugged and romantic.
The Kettle hills, so called, a romantic place, two miles south of the
Court House, is not, perhaps, equalled or surpassed in Ohio for wild-
ness and beaut}- of scener3^ It is a dip down of about one hundred
feet, forming an area of nearly level land at the bottom of about two
acres, which is thickl}^ set with forest trees and underbrush. Then pre-
cipitous and nearly perpendicular sand rocks stand up on all sides,
surmounted with pines and cedar, and other growth of timber, which,
frowning down into the depths, give it rather a gloomy appearance.
The usual place of descent is at the north-east corner, and down through
a cleft in the rock by means of projecting points, and by grasping the
bushes and roots of trees that grow out from the fissures of the rocks.
x\t the north side of the basin there are projecting rocks, forming be-
neath dark cavernous recesses quite away from the world above, with
all its noise and clamor. It is a lonely, gloomy spot to visit ; but to the
lover of nature's wild freaks, one well worth visiting.
The passage from Lancaster to the Reform Farm is, in its entire
length of six miles, over an elevated ridge, from which, to look oft' on
either side, brings into view landscapes and views not surpassed in
grandeur and sublimity b}^ the wildest views of western Virginia or
Penns3dvania. The hills, far and near, are covered with a mixture of
evergreen and forest trees, presenting to the eye a variegated scene
not often equalled — a view one loves to linger over.
Passing south of the farm a still more wild and rugged section is en-
tered, which continues over the entire area of Madison township to the
Hocking count}'^ line, yet the soil on much of this elevated land is pro-
ductive, some of it ^uelding fine crops of corn, but is probably better
adapted to fruit growing. The rocks of these hills are mosth^ of the
Waverly sandstone kind, cropping out more or less along the rugged
declivities. There are few and very small spots of table land in Madi-
son township.
As in all other counties of the State of similar topographical and
geological construction, Fairfield contains numerous fine springs of pure
limpid water, mostly of the kind called hard or limestone water ; but of
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. I J
Springs denominated mineral there are lew, it" any. Springs issue-from
the hill sides and from beneath ledges of rocks, and also from the low-
lands. Every part of the county abounds more or less with good
springs, among which Cold Spring, at Cold Spring Hill, near Lancaster,
is probably one of the best. iVt the west end of Wheeling street, Lan-
caster, there were originally a number of excellent springs, and on that
account Mr. Zane, the original proprietor of the town, donated the lot
of ground containing them to the citizens for public use, but in the con-
struction of the Hocking Valley canal the lot was taken for its use, and
now forms the basin, so-called, at the foot of the street, by which thev
have been destro^'ed. There is at the fourth lock, on the southeast
border of Lancaster, one of the strongest springs of water in the county.
None of these springs afford the same quantity of water they did in the
earh'^ days of the countr^^ The flow has been diminished by the gen-
eral drying up of the surface.
12 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
CHAPTER III.
FLORA AND FAUNA.
Flora. — Almost the entire growth of timber over the whole area of
the countv is of the hard wood kind, including hickorv in all its
varieties, black walnut, sugar tree, hackberry. beech, water beech,
iron wood, wild cherrv. swanip beech, and oak. Of the querous, or
oak lamih'. there are a great many \arieties. including wiiite oak of
four or tive kinds — black oak. red oak. jack oak. pin oak and burr oak
(the latter being perhaps the least abundant in the county), dog wood
and laurel. Of the soft woods may be mentioned chestnut, white and
pitch pines, poplar, cottonwood. silver leaf, sassatras, and soft or swamp
maple.
In some ol the northern townships the beech predominates suf-
hcientlv to have acquired the appellation of the beech woods. South
and southwest of Lancaster are the principal pine groves, mostly among
the sandstone hills. The hills skirting the State Farm road are partic-
ularl}' characterized by thick groves of both the white and pitch pines.
The oak family is distributed everywhere, as are the different varieties
of hickory. Black and white walnuts are tbund in certain localities,
and occupv generally the bottom and richer lands, as does also the
wild cherry. The sugar tree is found on all varieties of soil, but chieflv
on the most fertile. The oak family, as a rule, loves best the hills and
clay soil. Chestnut timber is most abundant in the vicinity of Lancas-
ter, and on the hills to the south and southwest. The hackberry, iron
wood and water beech prefer low-, rich lands. The burr oak is also
indigenous to the low and rich lands. Pines flourigii best among the
hills and sandy soils, and in this county they are most abundant along
the sandstone hills skirting the Hocking Valley. Poplar, cottonwood,
and silver leaf belong to rich soil, but none of them are very abundant
in Fairfield county. Sassatras grows on all varieties of soil. Swamp or
soft maple is not very abundant in the county, though it is a native, and
occupies the lowest lands. Dog wood grows everywhere, but best in
good soil. The laurel is limited to the sandstone hills along the Hock-
ing, and in the vicinity of Lancaster. Hazel has never been much of a
growth in Fairfield county, and only a few- dwarfed bushes here and
there are to be seen. The hazel seems to have retused the friendship of
civilization. The little clusters of the bush that are still to be lound
seem sicklv and pining away. The paw-paw, however, still flourishes
well on tiie rich flats along the water courses in some parts of the
county.
The ash and elm were quite abundant in the countv at an early day,
but have become rather scarce. Of the former there were three varie-
ties— the white, grav and black : of the latter two, the red or slippery
elm and the white elm. Both the ash and elm belong to good land,
HISTORY OP" FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 1 3
especiallv the elm. The slippery elm has been chiefly valuable for the
medicinal virtvies of its inner bark, used as a soothing mucilaginous
remedy. The wood of the white elm has been used in the mechanical
arts, on account of its hardness when dry. Neither of the elms will
burn when green. Ash wood burns well green or dry. Ash wood is
valuable in the arts, especially the white. The elm has been largely
destroved on account of its general worthlessness. while the ash has
been cut down lor tirewood and lumber. The white elm bears domes-
tication, and tlourishes well along the margins of solid city pavements.
But if the slippery elm be transplanted it, after a while, becomes sickly.
The same is true of the black locust ; it decays if planted in town. In
some parts of Fairfield countv the black locust originallv grew luxuri-
antlv in a wild state : it is now \erv scarce.
The honev locust still flourishes on the low lands along the streams
and flats. Bucke3'e was at no time abundant, and is now scarce.
The spice-wood bush, in the pioneer age, ver\- abundant on the low
rich lands, is now almost extinct. It would not survive in juxtaposition
with civilization. The twigs of the spice-wood, decocted, termed a highly
agreeable beverage of an aromatic flavor, and was much used by the
tirst settlers of the countrv. Teas made from the spice-wood and the
bark of sassafras root, when trimmed with maple sugar and cream or
milk, was liked by nearh* evervbodv.
The whortleberry (commonly called huckleberry), is a very abund-
ant growth on the sand}- hills of the south part of the count}'. The
fruit comes every year, and ripens in June and Julv. There are thou-
sands of bushels of the berries marketed every summer. Blackberries
and dewberries are likewise abundant annual crops, mostly in the south
part of the county. The surplus crop is shipped beyond the county.
Both the blackberry and the dewberrv seek waste fields and fence cor-
ners, or along the margins of prairies or the jungle of fallen timber.
But they also flourish under cultivation.
The ginseng plant was recognized bv its unpretentious trilobed single
stem, of six or eight inches in height, surmounted by a cluster of three
or tour red berries in August and September. During, perhaps, the
first twenty years after the settlement of the county commenced the
ginseng was found in great abundance on the low, rich lands. It grew
in clusters, or patches, like the podofillin, or May apple. For many
years extensive raids were made upon the ginseng patches by the dig-
gers, because it had a market. It was supposed to possess valuable
medicinal qualities, and was bought up by speculators and shipped out
of the country.
Its virtues resided in the root, which was a tribulb, resembling in
shape the radish, usuallv one large central bulb, flanked bv two smaller
ones. The digging season was in the latter part of August and earlv
September, and was indicated bv the ripening of the berry and the yel-
low color of the leaf. One miijht search the wild low lands now a whole
day without finding perhaps a single ginseng plant.
The sanguinaria lanadensis. or poocoon root, was of two varieties —
the red and the vellow, and was very plentv in the earlv vears of the
county. It grew on the same kind of soil as the ginseng, which it verv
much resembled. It seemed, however, to preter a limestone surface.
14 HISTORY OP^ FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
The roots of the sanguinaria, especially the red, sometimes called blood
root, were valued for their supposed medicinal properties, and were a
good deal sought after. It was claimed to be an Indian remed}-. This
plant has, likewise, nearly entireh^ disappeared. It seems, with the wild
man of the forest, to have been indigenous to a. condition of undisturbed
nature.
The snake root, known as Seneca snake root, Virginia snake root,
and black snake root, so abundant once, and so much used during the
pioneer age as teas and bitters by intusing them in whiskey or cherrv
Ijounce, are now difficult to find. The black snake root was indigenous
to sandy, rich soils, and was recognized by its stalk of eight or ten
inches in height, and its lanceohUed leaf. Its virtues resided in the
root, which was a small, dark brown tuber, giving off a profusion of
dark, hair-like fibers. It was classed among the tonics. The other
snake roots grew on higher lands, as a rule. The Seneca snake root
sent up a stalk sometimes attaining three or four feet in height. Its
root was tuberous, and of a ligiit yellow color. It was also supposed to
be used by the Indians as a medicine. These snake roots were used
both as tonics and diaphoretics, or sweating medicines. They were
found quite profusely around Mount Pleasant, and the low lands along
Hocking and the other water streams. An isolated plant of either of
them can now and then be found yet in some out of the way place.
There were, likewise, in the wild and new condition of the country
:dmost innumerable varieties of stinking weeds, grasses, and plants
that are scarcely to be seen at all now, while hundreds of varieties not
found here at first have taken their places.
The wild nettle was a native of the soil of the Northwest. It grew
very luxuriously in certain sections of Fairfield county. It was a rather
majestic weed, and rose up usuall}^ from two or three to live feet in
heigli^j standing very thick on the ground. Its fibre resembled that of
common flax, and when treated in the same way was capable of being
wrought into fine linen, and was so wrought. A nettle patch is rare
now.
The May apple was found in immense patches, even in acres, both
on the high and low lands. It also appears to be failing with each
year, so that at the present very small patches are found, probably less
than a tenth of what the woods afforded sevent}^ years ago, and these
in the least frequented spots.
The wild plum will not tolerate encroachment, nor can it be domes-
ticated and still maintain the full development and richness of its fruit.
It is strictly a forest plant. To cut away the forests about a wild plum
thicket is to consign it to decay and ultimate death. And there are
none of the luscious, large wild plums an}' more to be found, that seventy
years ago were so abundant along the Hocking Valley and in other
parts of the county. The few trees that remain are dwarfed, and yield
small, sour plums.
Black haws, of which the valleys once so abounded, have shared
the same fate with the plum. The crab-apple bears the acquaintance
of man better. It seems even to be improved by culture.
Fauna. — The wild animals found in the Hocking Valle}^, when the
first settlers arrived, are referred to in more than one place in other
HISTORY OP' FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 1 5
chapters of this work. A more particular notice of them ma}' be proper
under this head. Wolves, bears, panthers, wild-cats and deer, were
native denizens of the forest long before man came. They did not re-
main long ; even those that escaped the rifle ball and the snare took
their way farther back into the depths of the still wild forests. The
grey and red fox lingered longer among the craggy recesses of the hills
of the southern part of the county. The grey squirrel was too much
attached to the farmer's corn field to readily part company with his
newly formed acquaintance, notwithstanding the continual crack of the
cruel rifle, to which they become such easy and frequent prey. The
raccoon and black mink have become scarce, mainly owing to
the hunter's art and to the marked value of their pelts. The opossum,
ground hog and hedge hog, are also becoming rare, while the rabbit
multiplies and burrows about, both on high and low lands, aneas}' prey
to the boys and the sportsman's shot gun.
There was a class of wild birds that have mosth^ fled before the face
of man, but which were very numerous in every part of the countiy, at
its first settlement. Of these may be mentioned the owl, of all varieties,
the great and small hawk, the kite. Sometimes called the swallow tailed,
or forked tailed haw^k, the bald, gre}' and black eagle, the turkey buz-
zard and the raven. The most of these have entirely disappeared.
Buzzards are occasi^nalh' seen hovering over the hills, remote from
tow^ns and populous settlements. Black birds and black crowds are not
one five hundredth part so numerous now as in the early years of the
country, while a solitary raven is occasionally seen.
Of wild singing birds, there seem to be fewer now than in the for-
mer age, though they still. continue to make the grove merry wath their
melody. This seems strange, when it is remembered that that class of
birds are known rather to follow than lead the advance of civilization.
It is the opinion of naturalists that the chief of the singing birds were not
here at all before the white man came, and that they followed the sound of
the woodman's axe, and the tinkling cow bell. Space will not permit
special reference to the various kinds of singing birds of the w^oods.
Wild geese and ducks were, likewise, far more numerous than now.
The pheasant, once so numerous through the hills of Fairfield, and
whose drumming was so lamilliar to the ear of the pioneer families, is
still about the thickets on the hillsides, but in greatly reduced numbers,
owdng, doubtless, to the constant raids made upon them with the shot gun
and rifle.
There were two or three varieties of the crane that often lit down in
the ponds and marshy lands, such as the blue crane, the stork and the
sandhill crane, but they are now seldom seen near the habitation of man,
except in their elevated flights from north to south, and back again,
with the changing seasons.
The county^ in its native state, w^as infested with such poisonous rep-
tiles as were common to the country, including the viper, copperhead and
rattlesnake, besides all the varieties of snakes less harmful. The prairie
rattlesnake, and the spotted or mountain rattlesnake, were mostly
dreaded. The former inhabited the prairies and meadows, the latter hid
themselves about the hills and rocky crevices. Mount Pleasant furnish-
ed homes for many hundreds of them, in its fissures and recesses.
i^ HISTORY or* fairf-ield county.
The bite of either of these reptiles was dangerous, and always fatal.
The copperhead and the viper have sometimes been confounded, but
they were distinct varieties. The black snake, garter snake and water
snake were harmless. The mountain rattlesnake is probablv now
extinct in the county, but the prarie variet}'' is still occasionally tound in
the low lands along the Hocking and other localities. The big flood ol
1873, washed them out b}' the dozen, and they Avere slaughtered by the
boys, as they attempted to make landings.
The earlv settlers were greatly annoyed by the various kinds of
insects that tilled the air in countless millions everywhere. The princi-
pal torment was trom the gnat and musquito. Their numbers in modern
years are comparatively small. The black hornet and yellow jacket
were numerous enough in the earl}^ 3^ears of the settlements to prove
exceedingly annoying.
The beaver and otter, once valuable lor their rich furs, are now
about extinct, especially the former. An occasional otter is still found
along the water courses, where the}^ inhabit. The musk rat still bur-
rows himself in the banks of creeks, ditches, and along the canal, and
is read}^ on the slightest alarm, to'sink instantly to the bottom.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 1 7
CHAPTER IV,
ARCHAEOLOGY.
There are within the bounds of Fairtield county, probably, in all
about twent}^ ancient works, ascribed to the mound builders, consisting
of mounds, circles and squares, but none of very imposing dimensions.
They are found in nearly or quite every township in the count}^ The
principal ones are in Greenfield, Bloom, Clear Creek, Hocking, Berne,
Walnut, Rush Creek and Richland. Their form and general appear-
ance does not difl'er from others found in various parts of the State and
elsewhere. Some of them are simple conical mounds, others are
squares and circles.
The works at Rock Mill have been regarded as the largest and most
interesting of an}- in the county. They are situated in Greenfield
township and on the hill a short distance above the upper falls of
Hocking. They consisted, before they were disturbed, of, first, a square
of four hundred and twenty feet on each line, and standing towards
the four cardinal points. The elevation is several hundred feet above
the bed of Hocking, at Lancaster, seven miles down the stream. The
embankments of the square, when the county was first settled, were
about four feet in height.
In addition to the square, there w^ere originally two circles of the
diameters of one hundred and twenty-five, and two hundred feet, re-
spectivelv- The smaller circle contained a small mound, so disposed
as to overlook all the other works, as well as the surrounding country,
for several miles, in all directions. There were no appearances to
indicate that an3^thing of the nature of a fosse or moat had ever existed
about either the square or the circles.
Until within the last few 3'ears, the site of these remains w'as covered
with a dense irrowth of t'orest trees and under brush. But this has been
mostly cleared away, and the embankments leveled down, and plowed
over, so that any interest that the works might have possessed for the
antiquarian or archaeologist, is mainly destroyed. The clay of which
the elevations were constructed was different entirely from that of the
hill upon which they stood, and when spread upon the surface by the
leveling process, formed a very noticeable contrast with the native soil,
it being ol a bright yellow color. The settlers of the neighborhood say
there is no such clay in the near vicinity. No archaeological remains
were found in these works.
Very little attempt has ever been made to explore the mounds of
Fairfield countv, and what has been done, has resulted in finding only
a lew human bones. In some instances bones have been dug up near
the surface, which were believed to be those of the modern Indian, as
they were known to bury their dead in these ancient mounds.
A number of years since. Dr. M. Z. Kreider, of Lancaster, conducted
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
a careful examination of a mound situated about one mile southwest of
the city, on land now owned b}^ G. A. Mithoff, but at that time known
as the Creed farm. The result of his exploration was the finding of a
few bones and trinkets, probably belonging to some Wyandot warrior.
HISTORY OP' FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 1 9
The most thorough and successful examination conducted in the
county was by Professor E. B. Andrews, some two or three years be-
fore his death, in the autumn of 1880, at Lancaster. The mound was
situated near Greencastle, in Bloom township. He employed work-
men, and went through and to the bottom of it. The only discover}^
made was a large quantity of human bones at the base and center of
the mound. The bones were chiefly those of the head and face, the
long bones having almost entirely disappeared. The specimens to
which the attention of the writer was invited, at the residence of the
Professor, consisted of teeth and portions of the superior and inferior
maxillar3r bones, and bones of the head and face, with, also, a few frag-
ments of the cervical vertebrae. There was one entire skull, and sev-
eral whole and half jaw bones, still retaining the teeth in their sockets.
There were, likewise, a large number of teeth disconnected with the
jaws. Most of the bones and teeth were entirely perfect in form, but
seemed to be disintegrating from exposure to the open air.
In the anatomy and general structvu^e of the teeth and jaw bones, as
well as those of the cranium, there were no perceptible differences from
those of the Anglo Saxon race. The teeth were sound, though some
of them were from the jaws of very aged persons, as indicated by the
wearing away from attrition. There were, also, the usual signs on the
necks and fangs of old teeth, showing the absorption of the alveolar
bones which form the sockets of the teeth ; and even incrustations of
tartar, or lime, still adhering to the necks of the teeth, precisely as the
dentist of the present day finds the situation in the mouths of his pa-
tients. In one or two cases the teeth were cupped, or worn down, in
some instances to the very margins of the alveolar sockets, and show-
ing the same glossy and smooth faces now seen in the mouths of people.
In the aggregate there were near a half bushel of these specimens. The
Professor subsequently sent them to some institution of learning. Re-
garding all the circumstances, it seemed probable that they must have
been the teeth and bones of the veritable mound builders, as the Indi-
ans would scarcely have penetrated to the center of the mound to
deposit their dead. Besides, the Indian custom of burying has been
known to be superficial, or near the surface.
A mound on the land of William Pannebaker, one mile above
Sugar Grove, was opened a few years since by Dr. Brown of that place,
with no other result than the finding of a few bones, which were prob*
abl}^ those of an Indian. There are three conical mounds near together
in Berne township, which are very symmetrical and beautiful. One of
them is situated on the farm of Dr. Shoemaker, and from its summit
the other two are in view. Their average height is from ten to twelve
feet. A little to the south of the mounds there is a curiously wrought
stone ledge, that is unquestionably a work of art ; but, isolated as it is,
its design would be difficult to conjecture, unless as a breast-work
against hostile movements. There are, also, three or four mounds on
the Raccoon, in Rush Creek township, that present interesting fea-
tures, as also in various other parts of the county ; but, beyond those
already mentioned, no other examinations have taken place.
On the farm of Jacob Crawford, four miles east of Lancaster, and
in the north end of Berne township, upon the summit of a considerable
20
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
elevation, are found some highly interesting specimens of stone work.
The area of the summit is several acres, and level, with a full growth
of forest trees. Some of the margins of the hill, especially at the
southwest corner, are precipitous, and faced with out-cropping sand-
stone. Some of the points are exceedingl}- rugged and romantic.
Near the center of the summit is a stone structure that seems to have
been artificially laid together, and bearing the appearance of great an-
tiquit3^ The material had manifestly been brought from below, as
there is no cropping out on the summit. Taken as a whole, one can
easily imagine an altar, or a rostrum. At other points of the surface,
otherwise smooth, and covered with grass sod, quite a number of un-
dressed stones are set in the ground perpendicularly, presenting the
appearance of a modern rude cemetery. The compiler visited these
works in company with Mr. Crawford, whose theory was, that the
summit was a place for the entombment of the dead ; and that the
structure near the center was an altar, either for sacrifice or religious
orations. How much of this inspiration is due to the existence of grave
yards and grave stones in the nineteenth century, must be left to con-
jecture.
On Clear Creek, and in Clear Creek township, not very distant from
Abbot's store, is situated an ancient work that seems to have been skill-
fully engineered. It is a square of two or three acres, and stands paral-
lel with the four cardinal points. There are, also, in its vicinity dim
evidences of minor works.
In what is known as Tarhill hollow, one or two miles northeast of
the Reform Farm, and near the east line of Hocking township, there is
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 21
seen a very handsome conical mound, standing solitary and alone.
There are a few ancient works within the county, variously distributed,
but all of minor importance.
In a lecture given by Prof. Andrews, he expressed the belief that
the bones found in some of the mounds, especially those near the sur-
face, were the remains of Indians. While that maybe true, it seems
quite probable that those taken from the central base of mounds were
placed there b}^ the architects themselves, as the Indians could not have
reached that point without making extensive excavations, which was
contrary to their known habits. Such excavations, though made even
hundreds of years in the past, would have so disturbed the strata of
earth as to be noticeable in all time to come. No such disturbances
have been discovered.
The whole surface of Fairfield county, at its iirst settlement by the
white race, abounded inore or less with flint arrow points and stone
axes, known to be Indian relics. The flint was unquestionably obtained
by them from the quarries of Licking and Perr^^ counties, as no flint is
known to exist in Fairfield. Tomahawks, and other Indian relics,
were likewise found upon the surface, and were also turned up by the
plow. All these evidences of the sojourn of a former race are now be-
coming quite rare. It is in fact in every respect as if the}^ had never
been here at all, and history alone tells that once the Hocking valley
and the hills of Fairfield county were alive with the Wyandot and Del-
aware tribes.
22 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
CHAPTER V.
INDIAN TRIBES.
At the time of the treaty of Greenville, concluded August 3, 1795,
the Wyandot tribe occupied the present site of Lancaster. By the terms
of the treaty, the Indians surrendered all their possessions in the Hock-
ing Valley, and soon afterwards a body of them went away to join their
friends in the Sandusky countr}^ A few of their number, however, re-
mained in the valley, and hunting squads of them continued to return
during the hunting seasons, until 1812.
Their town was situated on the north bank of Hocking, and on the
same ground now occupied by the railroad and agricultural works, on
the southeast border of Lancaster. It was called Tarhetown, after the
name of their chief, Tarhe^. In English, the name was "crane,"' and
hence the town was sometimes called "Cranetown." According to the
most authentic information attainable, Tarhetown contained, in 1790,
about one hundred wigwams and five hundred souls. The Wyandot
tribe is believed to have numbered at that time about five hundred
warriors. Nothing is known as to how long they had occupied the
Hocking Valley. All that is known is that they were found here by
the first white scouts that came up from the settlement at Marietta, to
explore the valley, soon after that settlement was begun. It was learn-
ed in after years that they considered the Hocking among their best
hunting grounds, abounding as it did in all kinds of wild game and fur-
producing animals. Some of them were heard to say that they left
Tarhetown with a great deal of regret.
Those who continued to revisit the valley, and to linger about after
the white settlements began, are said, for the most part, to have been
entirely civil and wxll behaved, when well treated, and not under the
influence of whiske}^. A few exceptions occurred, mostly in the way
of stealing horses, some instances of which maybe mentioned.
In the spring of 1799, Frederick Harmon, with two or three others,
came from Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, built two or three
cabins and raised some patches of corn, at a point some five miles east
of the present city of Lancaster, with the intention of returning in the
fall to bring their families. A few days before they were to set out, the
discovery was made that Mr. Harmon's horse had been stolen. An eftbrt
was made to trace the thieves, but all that could be learned was that
Indians had been seen in the vicinity of the Hocking, having in posses-
sion such a horse. But they had two or three days the start, and
the pursuit had to be abandoned. Mr. Harmon walked all the way
back to Westmoreland, a distance of over three hundred miles.
Whether the horse escaped from the Indians, or whether they traded
him oflT, or sold him, was never learned. He was subsequently recov-
ered near Marietta, and was recognized by a brand on his shoulder.
Another time, the Indians stole two horses in the same end of the
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
23
county, and took them to their camp, near where Rushville now is.
The owner, in searching for his horses, discovered them at the Indian
camp, and demanded them. The Indians shook their heads. He
urged his demand, whereupon one of the savages approached him with
a large knife, and flourished it around the man's head, thereby indicat-
ing what he might expect if he persisted. He was compelled to go
away without his property. On the tbllowing morning he returned,
bringing with him several of his neighbors, and renewed his demand,
which was still refused, whereupon the men leveled their guns and told
him to go and untie his horses, which he did, and the matter was ended.
There were also other frequent depredations of the kind, but the horses
were generally recovered.
John Ashbaugh, related a wrestling match, between his tather and a
stalwart Indian, whose prowess at never having been beaten, caused
24
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
him to swagger along in a very self satisfied manner. But in this match
he was thrown every fall, at which he became very angr}^ becoming
silent and moody. It was only through the interference of his Indian
friends, that he at last became reconciled.
Theodore Murphy relates a stor}^ of his mother. The}^ lived a mile
^west of the present Rushville. The Indians came to her home almost
dail}^ ior something to eat, and for salt. She always provided for them.
Although they were friendly, she was afraid of them, and did all she
could to keep them in a good humor. They were fond of salt, and al-
wavs demanded the half of what she produced. She learned to bring
out a tincupful at a time, when, upon receiving one-half of it, they
would go away satisfied.
At one time, when her husband had to go to Chillicothe, to mill, a
distance of over forty miles, she took her children and dog and went
into the fodder house, and staid all night, for fear of the Indians. To
keep her babv quiet, she kept it constantly at the breast; and through
fear that the dog would bark, she kept her hand on him.
When her husband, Edward Murphy, came to look at the land
upon which he settled, before he made the entrv, an Indian showed him
five ex'cellent springs of water, and tomahawked the trees, so that he
could find them again. This was in 1802, and the springs are still
flowing in undiminished quantity and qualitv.
William Murphv was a brother ot Edward Murphy, and settled in
the north part of the county about the same time, perhaps one or two
years earlier. For a number of years he engaged extensively in trade
with the Indians, by purchasing their furs and peltries in exchange for
dry goods, and such trinkets as Indians admired, and sometimes a little
silver money.
For some imknown reason they became prejudiced against Mr.
Murph}', and, it was said, threatened his life. Whether there was
danger or not, he hid himself when Indians were known to be in the
\'icinity, and kept out of the wav till the}' left the settlement.
A favorite center for the Indians was at and about the Rock Mill,
probably mainl}' attracted there bv the whiskey manufactured by Love-
land and Smith. Mingling constantly with the white men that came
about, their habits and movements were observed. It came to be
known that they frequently had supplies of fresh lead, and that thev al-
ways had it immediately after their squads returned to camp after two
or three days absence. This circumstance led to the belief that they
procured the metal near b3^ The}' would sell or give it away, but no
promise of reward or other logic could ever induce them to tell where
they procured it. Many thought the mine was at no great distance
from the Rock Mill, but others believed it to be in the hills south of
Lancaster.
For many years the search w^as maintained in vain. One thing at
least was true, the Indians procured lead in considerable quantitv, and
there was no place within a hundred miles where it could have been
purchased in such quantities.
A serious tragedy at one time was barely averted. The Wyandots
were on a drunk, for whiskey was plenty, and was sold ad libitum in
the little log cabin village. They became for some reason greatly en-
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY)
25
raged at Joseph Hunter, the pioneer, and resolved to take his life.
The difficulty began in town. Mr. Hunter and his friends found it
impossible to appease the whiskey-infuriated savages. He fled to his
cabin, which stood half a mile west of the village. Soon finding that
they were on his track, and would be upon him, he told his wife to tell
the Indians that she did not know where he was, and then grasped his
rifle and shotpouch and fled to the woods, bur3'ing himself in a brush
heap not far from the cabin. The savages were soon there, and after
searching the cabin b}^ looking under the beds and in the loft, finally
concluded that he had taken his gun and gone into the woods. They
then returned to town, uttering all the way the most demoniac yells.
Hunter kept himself out of sight a few days, until his enemies became
sober, and that was the last of it.
ARROW AND SPEAR POINTS.
Old citizens relate that at a very early day the bo3s of both races
collected on the site of the village, and practiced various sports, such as
running foot races, hopping, jumping, wrestling, and playing at ball, in
the most friendly manner. Others speak of the faithfulness of the In-
26 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
dians in keeping their word, and fulfilling their contracts, and of their
friendship and hospitality to visitors at their camps. Jacob Shaefter, ot
Clear Creek, says they were the best neighbors he had. But when un-
der the influence of whiskey their unreasoning natures became uncon-
trollable, and when irritated they became dangerous. As a rule, the
Wvandots were not thieves, though they had thieves among them. _ So
far as is known, no white person was ever murdered by an Indian within
the bounds of Fairfield county, after the treaty of Greenville.
Chief Tarhe' is said to have been a noble Indian; in stature, tall,
and in physical strength and endurance, powerful ; in peace, just and
faithful ; m war, terrible. In his old age he had a white wife, who had
been his captive from her eighth year. Those who saw her spoke of
her as being thoroughly Indian in every respect, save her white skin
and red hair. Tarhe'sown account of her, was that in one of his pre-
datory excursions on the upper Ohio, he had stolen her from the home
of her parents when she was eight years old, and brought her to Tarhe-
town, on the Hocking, and that she had been brought up with his tribe,
and afterwards became his wife.
The chief's wigwam stood near where the fourth lock on the Hock-
ing canal now is, and close to a large spring that still continues to dis-
charge its waters into the Hocking river. The wigwams of the village
were constructed of bark, peeled from trees when the sap was flowing,
in May, and set on poles planted in the ground, joined together at the
top, forming a conical, or sugar-loaf structure. One side was lelt open,
facing a fire kept burning on the outside in summer, but in winter fire
was built inside, an opening being left at the top for the escape of the
smoke. Many of the wigwams were still standing at the time of the be-
o-innincr of the whites' settlement, and were not all removed for many
years afterwards.
There is no history to show how long the village existed, but it was
there when the white race came.
Their burying grounds were in the vicinit}'. The graves were very
shallow, as a rule. In making excavations in the surrounding grounds,
Indian bones are found to this day. At the time of the beginning of
the white settlement at Lancaster, and for many years afterwards, the
site of Tarhetown was thickly set with bushes and a few forest trees, the
undergrowth being chiefly wild plum.
At the first settlement of the valley there existed little or no evidence
that the Wyandots had ever practised agriculture. The remains of a
few peach orchards, are spoken of by the oldest inhabitants ; and it may
be that they raised small patches of corn. The strongest presumption
is, from all that can be learned, that they lived entireh^ by the chase.
The history of the Wyandots, generally, is, that when on the war
path they were peculiarly a savage and bloodthirsty people. There
was probably no tribe west of the mountains that surpassed, or equal-
led them, in rapine and murder, and general devastation, especially
along the frontier of Pennsylvania and Virginia. Simon Girty, whose
memory is forever desecrated by the whole civilized world, was for a
time among them.
Another Indian village existed within the limits of Fairfield county,
situated one mile northwest of the village of Royalton, in Amanda
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
27
township. It is supposed th^t the Indians forsook it soon after Ihe
Greenville treaty, as it was found in a dilapidated condition by the
white settlers at their first coming. The name of the village was Tobv-
town, named from chief Toby, who governed there. In General San-
derson's "Brief notes on the early settlement of the county of Fairfield,"
published in 1852, he refers to it as "another village of the Tribe,"
meaning the W^^andot tribe, in these words: "Another portion, of the
tribe then lived at Tobytown," and located it on the site of Royalton.
The actual site of Tobytown was a mile from Royalton, as has been
said, and its inhabitants were Delawares. Toby was a Delaware chiet
of inferior rank. The village was small, compared with Tarhetown.
Its previous history is not known.
Like the Wyandots, the Delawares continued to revisit the scenes of
their old home for a number of ^^ears after the pale faces came. About
the year 18 12 when the country began to fill with its new owners,
and game was growing scarce, with their neighbors, the W^^anaots,
they all disappeared and were seen no more.
FLINT PERFORATORS.
Their presence in the west part of the county is well remembered
by the oldest inhabitants. They are mentioned as having deported
themselves well, and of giving no cause of complaint on the part of
their pale faced brethren. But they required kindness and fair dealing,
and to be kept in a good humor. At that early day, attempts were
made to educate them in the arts of husbandry and letters, but they
manifested no disposition to copy after their white brethren in anything
except in using the gun and drinking whiskey.
Long after the town had been vacated, and the Indians had left the
country, relics of their former residence were found, both on the surface
and below, such as flint arrow-points, stone axes, tomahawks and
human bones, often accompanied by beads and other trinkets. Neither
in the vicinity of Tarheton or Tobytown, were there found any speci-
mens of pottery or other art.
A man named William Clark, some years after the evacuation of
Tobytown, build a house on the old site, or adjacent land, and in dig-
ging the earth for a mortar hole, came upon a quantit}^ of silver rings,
brooches and other ornaments, mingled with the bones of an Indian,
which indicated that the remains were tnose of a chief. One of his little
28 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
sons carried some of the trinkets to his rpother, but she, imagining that
they gave off an unpleasant odor, requested that they be buried again.
Tobvtown was built on both banks of a small stream, chiefly on the
east bank. The stream was in early times called Toby Creek, after the
name of the chief, and was so marked on the early maps of the county.
Afterwards the name was changed to Little Walnut, by which it is now
known.
The Indians who remained about Toby town drank whiskey freely,
whenever thev could procvn^e it, and when under its influence, easily
became enraged. The Clark family settled at Toby town in 1799, at
a time when they had but few neighbors, and most of those at consid-
erable distances. They stated in after years, that they always got
along with the Indians in a friendly way ; but that when they had
whiskey, thev found it best to let them have their own way, deeming
prudence the better part of valor. Squire Cole relates, that
Mrs. Clark told him more than twenty years ago, that on one occasion
when the Indians were drinking, a number of them came to her house
one day and demanded whiskey. Being atraid of them, she managed
to slip away with her children out of their sight, and keep hidden until
they left to continue their search somewhere else.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
29
CHAPTER VI.
SURVEYORS. — rp:fugee lands.
Very soon after the treaty of Greenville, the general government di-
rected the survey of the public lands lying within the bounds of the
territor^^ now composing the counties along the Hocking valley, with
the view no doubt of bringing it into an earl}^ market, by which immigra-
tion and settlement of the county would receive early attention. The
surface of the present Fairtield county was among the first to be sec-
tioned otf. It was laid out in full sections, first, of six hundred and
forty acres, and subsequently subdivided into half and quarter sections,
for the convenience ot purchasers, and for the greater encouragement
of a rapid settlement of the county. The section lines were, without
any exceptions, run to correspond with the four cardinal points of the
compass, for the better convenience of forming townships and ranges,
each full section being of the dimension of one mile square. Thus the
townships of Fairfield covmty, in conformity to the original surveys,
have their border lines due north and south, and east and west. The
average township of the county is a six mile square of thirty-six sec-
tions. The variations from this dimension are shown elsewhere ; but all
maintaining the same lineal direction. This is within the bounds of the
present limit of the county. All the surveys remain precisely as first
made. There are, however, great inconveniences constantly arising in
regard to bounds, and corners and lines, owing to the lack of carefully
prepared and preserved plattings and permanent corner stones.
Scarcely apiece of land ot anv dimension can be, or ever is transferred,
without the employment of a surveyor, whose principle business seems
to be to find the original bounds. After all, with the best that be done,
frequent misunderstandings and litigations arise.
The original field notes and plats of each respective surveyor, being
private propert}^ have been laid aside, and are probably mostly lost.
The sections and city lots are marked by lines on the maps and plats,
but each man's farm, or corners, are not. If there are corner stones,
they are sometimes hard to find. The same difiiculties frequently arise
in trving to find just where one man's city lot stops and his neighbors
begins. It is often set up, that somebody's wall or fence is a few inches
or feet over on somebody else. These are difficulties that it would seem
should not exist. It would seem that the surface of terra firma should
be so well platted and marked, that the only business of the surve3'or
would be to measure oft' portions of the land, sold, or to be transferred.
The names of all the original surveN'ors of land now within Fairfield
cannot be ascertained. The\' did their work, th^,>ffuits of which are
found on the maps, perfect or imperfect, as ther^se may be. Beyond
what is etched and printed, all else they did is lost. Others follow
them to find, or try to find, how near they were right. Quite a number
30 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
of law suits have arisen in Lancaster upon disputed lines, sometimes
involving individuals, and sometimes the city in expense more or less
onerous. A suit about an original line occurred three or four years
since between the city and the Cox heirs, that was attended with consid-
erable expense on both sides, and in which the city lost the case. It
grew out of a difficulty as to where the original line of Zane's section
was. Another litigation has been going on, and not yet settled, be-
tween the heirs of S. McCabe and Christ Rudolph, about one or two
feet on the dividing line between their adjoining lots. In this case sev-
eral times the value of the disputed ground has been paid in costs and
attorney's fees, besides getting up a family war, of which the end is
not yet. It is a matter of considerable doubt to-day, whetherany sur-
veyor could find the original lines of Zane's section of one mile square,
on which the city of Lancaster stands, for they did not quite corre-
spond with the subsequent sectioning, nor with the township lines.
Among those known to have been engaged in the government surveys,
at the beginning of the settlements, were James Dunlap, EInathan
Schofield and Samuel H. Smith. There were also others in the service ;
but these were perhaps the principal surveyors. Mr. Schofield did a
large amount of the work, probably more than any one man in the
field. He surveyed the lands as far down Hocking as below the falls,
at Logan, but especially in the east part of the county.
The titles to all lots of ground on Zane's section, which make up the
body of the cit}^ of Lancaster, are entirel}^ secure, and are liable to no
greater difficulties regarding bounds than are any city lots elsewhere.
But on the outskirts, where lots border, or are supposed and claimed to
border, on the original line of theZane section, difficulties are likely to
occur, and have already occui'red. The Cox heirs vs. the city of Lan-
caster, before referred to, is a case in point, because on the line. A
number of surveyors were called to settle the dispute, by fixing the
original line, one, from an adjoining county. It may be so in the other
cases. The line is lost ; and the oldest citizens differ materially and
widely as to where it originally was. The chief difficulty is that the
location does not correspond with the established sections.
REFUGEE LANDS. — The liistor}^ of what is known as the Refugee
lands is somewhat confused. Historians have described it variously
as to its extent and number of acres. In some statements its length
from west to east has been given at eighteen miles, while others make
it double that, and more. In one statement the length was given at
sixty miles. Without attempting to reconcile these discrepancies, it
may be stated, generally, that the tract is supposed to have contained
one hundred thousand acres, and that it was a narrow strip of four and
a half miles in width, and extended from the Scioto River, east, in a
due line. Upon the hypothesis that the tract contained one hundred
thousand acres, that would give it an eastern extension of near fifty
miles, if its width was four and a half miles, which is probably nearly
correct. Two miles of this strip belongs to Fairfield county, running
along the northern margins of Violet, Liberty and Walnut townships.
The other portion of it, of the width of two and a half miles, lies over
the line within the coimty of Licking, corresponding with the width of
Fairfield.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 3!
The history of this tract ot land is as follows : During the Revolu-
tionary war, there were certain men of Canada and Nova Scotia, who
sj^mpathized with, and rendered aid to the United States, some of them
joining the American Army. For this lack of loyalty to the crown of
Great Britain, that government confiscated their possessions. For their
co-operation with the colonists, in their struggle for independence, the
government of the United States caused this strip oflandtobe surveyed
and set apart for this use.
To what extent they entered upon it, is not known ; but the remain-
der was subsequently sectioned off and sold as Congress land.
R.
^ e^,. , 1^*^
^i HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
CHAPTER VII.
PIONEER HISTORY.
In April, 1798, Captain Joseph Hunter, arrived Irom Kentucky, and
settled on the Hocking, half a mile west of the present cit}- of Lancaster,
and a lew rods north of the Zanesville and Maysville Pike. This worth}-
man did not move into a populous region, but the fact that his nearest
neighbor on the east, lived somewhere near Zanesville, and on the west
at Chillicothe, did not deter him from making a stand to contest the
ground with Dame Nature, who had held the territory undisputed for
so long, and who is both a help and an obstacle to advancing civiliza-
tion ever3avhere. Captain Hunter was unquestionabh' the first white
man, who settled in the Hocking Valle}', and he of all others is entitled
to the honor of having established the county of Fairfield. He died in
1829, and was buried near the spot where his hand had first marked
"human progress," in indelible characters. His wife died in 1870, at
the residence of her daughter, Mrs. Castle, of Lancaster. Tlie work
begun by Captain Hunter, was destined to be helped forward b}- brave
hearts and willing hands, and in May a number of s,ettlers found tiieir
wa}'- into the territory now included in Fairfield cou'ht^^ among whom
were Nathaniel Wilson, Sr., Robert Cooper, Isaac^' Shaffer, John and
Allen Green, John and Joseph McMullen. These all settled about
three miles west of where Lancaster now stands, and within the limit of
Hocking township.*
Thrown upon their own resources, in a fertile, but new and wild re-
gion, these adventurers found that their lot would henceforth be one of
hardship and inevitable privation, but they faced their self-imposed trials
bravely, and after creating a shelter for their families and limited world-
ly goods, tickled the earth so effectively, that she laughed back with a
harvest of corn the same year.
This was the beginning. But where the necessity for brave men and
true presents, responses are always abundant, and in the spring of 1799
a general tide of immigration made mighty breaches in the forests,
which for centuries had stood unscathed by the attempts of the red man
for a mere animal subsistence. But mind was now exercising her do-
minion over matter and these passive grants must bow.
One of the first necessities of that period was to get to the most de-
sirable lands to which the trace could not be followed. When the set-
tlers had wagons, the tedious process of cutting a road through the
woods with axes was the only resource, and required unlimited patience
as well as great muscular exertion. Pack horses could generally be led
*The names of subsequent settlers, by townships, will be found in the respective town-
ship histories.
HISTORY OF FAIRFiKLb COUNTV. 33
between the trees, where a "M^lazed" route had ah'ead}- been laid. Roads
through the settlements or to the county seat were obtained through the
united efforts of the settlers to derive benefit therefrom. A "blaze" was
siiTiply a large chip cut from the trees between which the route lay ; the
"blaze" of course becoming unnecessary when a patli had been worn,
unless after afresh fall of snow, when the first one to make the trip re-
quired to bring it again into use. Hickor}^ bark torches were employed
to follow one of these "blazed"' routes at night.
For manv years there were no bridges, and when the water at the
usual fording places was so high as to forbid either wading or swimming,
it only remained for the traveler to tarry, till the overflow had been
carried off, and the stream fallen to something like its usual channel.
Thus the elements often interfered with the best laid plans of the set-
tlers— much ot'tener than in these days of sublime engineering achieve-
ment.
The pampered epicure and the enterprising and public spirited citi-
zen of to-day are almost equally ignorant of tho true import of tho
words, "pioneer times ;" for the "'short and simple annals of the poor"
are not the most eagerl}- sought, though they are general!}- instructive
and pathetic pages in the book of history : and the customs, laws and
superstitions of the men and women, who laid the foundation for this
broad and loft}- plane of civilization have alread^• but the place of a
child's fairy tale, in every day life. That the thinking people of to-day
fail to accord the full meed of praise to those early struggles is not due
to ingratitude, but to an imperfect conception ot the debt owed them.
That which now seems so full of poetry and romance was to them but
the monoton}^ of every-day existence, and that which now seems de-
lightful primitiveness was to the pioneers onh' a weary, painful, and all
but disheartening struggle for a bare subsistence. They had no leisure,
ifthey hada desire, to transmit their simple tale to posterity; for it
seemed not that their deeds possessed an\" degree of heroism or merit,
only continued hardships and toil. Thus tiie customs, laws and super-
stitions of the early pioneers of Fairfield county have had a narrow
escape from being consigned to the graves of their possessors.
The settlement of a family in Fairfield county, tor at least two de-
cades of the present century, meant plenty of '"elbow room," but it also
meant unremitting toil. The rude cabin had to be built, and it was gen-
erally necessary to have a crop of corn planted immediately, for,
although game was abundant and varied, the beasts of burden, upon
which the settler was so dependent, were not carnivorous, and even the
family of the pioneer could not subsist entirely upon animal food. The
truck patch was the next necessity, and as nature had never been taxed
for the maintenance of man. she was lavish in her responses to his pe-
titions for food.
The law of reciprocity was rigid, and the pioneer was compelled
both to receive and grant assistance in making these wild places habita-
ble. Thus the men felled trees, notched, trimmed and raised the
logs to their places in the rude dwelling ; rolled logs, split rails, fenced,
and cut out roads together; the women spun, wove, quilted, and, ulti-
mately, pared apples, made apple-butter and soap, and picked wool in
.company.
5
34 MISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
There is little doubt that the " Rock Mill/' built by Hezekiah Smith
and Joseph Loveland, in the fall of 1799, was the first structure of the
kind in the county. It was built of logs, and wedged in between the
rocks, so that the grist had to be taken in at the gable, and let down to
hopper by a rope. Smith and Loveland were both Yankees, and pos-
sessed the full measure of Yankee shrewdness in all that had to do with
money-getting ; and it was not long after they began to serve the
,public as millers until they went into the distillery business, and made
whisky for Indians and white men.
Before Fairfield county was half a dozen years old, its surface was
dotted by dozens of still-houses. In those days whisk}^ was regarded
as a household necessity much more than now. Everybod}' drank. It
was respectable and fashionable. The bitters were taken in the morn-
ing before prayers, and the last thing at night. Doubtless the liquor
was as pure as it was possible to make it, or at least contained nothing
worse than the strychnine and nicotine compound of to-da}^ ; but the
same paradoxical ideas regarding its qualities existed then as now, and
men drank it in the winter to sustain animal heat, and in the summer to
counteract the same ; and, despite its purity, pioneer whisky made red
noses, and ragged raiment, and empt}" larders. Whisky was generally
passed around at funerals, but just what the meaning of this custom
was, is hard to say — perhaps to drown sorrow. The green glass bottle,
with its long neck, was passed around, and to render the fellowship
closer, each drank from the same small spout.
Not only was assistance given those able to repa}^ in kind and de-
gree, but the helpless were well provided for. The settler who became
disabled by sickness or accident had no fear that his pressing work
would remain neglected. His crops were tended and gathered ; his
stock cared for ; his firewood cut, and all without expectation or desire
for reward ; the golden rule being the only incentive. When danger-
ous or protracted sickness visited the humble home of the pioneer, his
neighbor, perhaps half a score of miles distant, held it no less than his
bounden duty to minister to his wants. Even the presence of death
was made lighter to bear by the read}^ practical S3^mpathy sure to be
offered. The expense attending a pioneer funeral was light, being
limited to the cost of coffin and shroud. The measure of grief was not
seen in the nodding plumes, draped bier and long procession of magni-
ficient equipages. The body was robed for its dreamless repose by
familiar hands ; the grave dug, the body placed therein, and the little
mound raised by those who had perhaps been associated with the de-
parted one in clearing the very spot where the weary body was des-
tined to find its ultimate rest. The widow's "• cruise of oil," or "mea-
sure of meal," was not suffered to fail, and her fuel was provided, her
grist taken to mill, and all as freely offered as thankfully received.
The privations of the pioneer in the matter of clothing arose not so
much from the lack of raw material as from an absence of implements
and tools for worjcing it up. After the first two or three years, and
when the supplies brought to the frontier ran low, the settler had usual-
ly a few sheep to furnish him wool for clothing, and an occasional beef
was killed, and this furnished leather for shoes, of which one pair was
the yearly allowance. Small tan-yards were established through the
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY,
35
county at an early day, and the leather tanned on the halves. If a man
had two hides, he was especially fortunate, for he could then possess a
side of upper, and one of sole leather. Tlie stock was sometimes made
up by the head of the famil}^ and sometimes by the itinerant shoe-
maker. No thought of going shopping for clothing ever entered the
head of the early pioneer. Nearly every house had its spinning-wheel
and loom, and if a man had no sheep he bartered for wool sufficient to
clothe his family. Fulling mills sprang up through the newly opened
country, and hither the rough but serviceable "home spun" was brought
to receive final treatment belbre being made up. Fulling was charged
for by the yard. At the fulling mills the cloth w^as sometimes colored,
though the latter work was more otten performed where the cloth was
woven. Black, brown and drab dyes were most generally employed.
The great coats were nearly always drab, and made with "shingled
capes :" i. e. from two to four overlapping capes, regularly graduated
in size, the smallest or upper one being about six inches deep. The
number of capes or shingles was considered a sort of measure to the
wearer's title to gentility — or, at least, of his pride. An amusing story
is told of the wedding coat of a young man then looked upon as a
leader of fashion. The material had been woven and d^^ed after the
most approved mode of the time, and taken to a local seamstress, whose
skill was highly lauded. In due time the coat was returned, and so far
as appearances went, was perfect. But when the owner tried it on he
found, that he could not lower his arms to his sides. The sleeves had
been sewed in upside down, and the expectant groom was obliged to
postpone the ceremony until the error could be remedied.
A PIONEER HOME,
Sheep and cattle were the main dependance for clothing and shoes,
and it will be pertinent in this connection to mention the raising of these,
as well as other live stock, Man}- of the emigrants brought one or
36 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
more milch cows. It was not so difficult to winter cattle, but epidemir
diseases were more frequent and more fatal than now, and the pioneeo
sometimes found himself without a single cow in the winter season, and
with small children to whom milk was almost an imperative necessity,
murrain was quite frequent, and hollow horn greatly troubled the
milch cows.
The first sheep brought into the county soon became unhealthy, and
many died, and it was several years before they became acclimated.
The principal malady was a species of influenza, or catarrh, which, if
allowed to become chronic, was fatal. It was unquestionably a form of
the disease common to horses, and known as glanders. The disease
was at that time deemed contagious, but it is more probable that the re-
mote cause was general. Foot rot was also common, and not being as
thorough] \- understood as now, generally terminated fatalh'.
Hogs were introduced at an early day, and were far less liable to
disease than either horses, cattle or sheep. The}^ bred rapidly, and,
with the exception oi the kidney worm, were but lightly afflicted in
any waw In the wild state of the country many small droves strayed
from the plantations, and in a ver^-" few 3'ears the woods contained lai^ge
numbers of "■ wild hogs." The hills south of Lancaster were especiall}'
rich in this, kind oi" game, which haunted that locality in search of
acorns, upon which food the\ thrived and generally kept in a good or-
der through the winter. Many families relied entirely on these droves
of wild hogs for their winter's suppl}^ of pork. Sometimes the settlers
managed to keep their ear-rriark on a drove of wild hogs, and thus es-
tablished their ownership. All domestic animals, from the necessities
of the case, being allowed more or less liberty, it was a matter of law
that each stock owner should possess a peculiar mark, called an ear-
mark, because generally made on the ear, although with horses the
mark was usually burned into the shoulder. This mark was recorded
in a book, kept by the township clerk, and was selected with especial
reference to its dissimilaritv with the mark of any other man in the
township ; and when litigations arose over the dispute of ownership of
stock, the book was brought into court, and the mark on the disputed
animal compared with the record. Speaking of wild hogs, calls to
mind a story told bv Henry Leonard, of Liberty township. More than
sixty years ago Father Gundy, of that township, contracted fort}'^ head
of fat hogs to Mr. Buckingham, of Zanesville, for one dollar and fifty
cents per hundred^ net weight, which, according to the custom of the
day, was to be found by deducting one-fifth of the gross. Gundy drove
his hogs to Zanesville, a distance of forty miles, but Buckingham would
not take them, saying that the market price was only one dollar and
twent3'-five cents Gundy declined to sell his pork at any such figure, and
turning away, walked back to his home in Liberty township, leaving
the hogs to care for themselves. Within three weeks every hog of the
forty was back on the Gundy farm. Almost the entire distance traveled
was a wilderness. Gund\' afterwards got iiis price, one dollar and fifty
cents, at Chillicothe.
The wild turkey was a great fax'orite with tht* people of that time,
and C(nild be obtained with verv little trouble, as vast iiocks of this
ro^'al game then roamed the whole country. But the white man's rifle,
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 37
atid his ruthless destruction of the favorite haunts of the bird, soon
thinned the flocks out, so that it became a question both of strategy and
markmanship to bring one down. Even the pioneer's grain field would
not tempt this war^' and suspicious bird to sta}', after the w^oods became
more scanty. Experiments have shown that the wild turkey cannot be
domesticated. Eggs brought h^om their haunts have been hatched un-
der the well domesticated barn3^ard hen, but when the turkey became
half-grown, he seemed to forget any obligation he might 1)6 under to his
foster-mother, and soon disappeared, preferring the life led by his an-
cestors, who held a place in his affections far above any ties of adop-
tion. Fabulous stories are told of the enormous flocks of wild turkevs
seen here fift\' or sixty years ago. It is said that a Philadelphia mer-
chant, about that time, took a trip through the West, and on his return
had business in the neighborhood of Newark. This finished, he hired
a man to carry him to Zanesville. Their route lay through Hog Creek
valley, which was famous for its groves of beech nuts. The turkey is
very fond of beech nuts, and the remembrance of this fact caused the
driver to volunteer the statement that he had seen, in that locality, over
a thousand wild turkeys at one time. The merchant, a very tyro in
backwoods lore, seemed inclined to shave the driver's story at least
seventy-five per cent, but it was finally concluded to submit the subject
to the mjin with whom they were to take dinner, an old pioneer, and a
famous hunter. At the table, the driver boldly plunged into the sub-
ject, and a direct interrogator}^ as to the largest number of turke3's ever
seen in the valley, at once caused the man to reflect a moment, and
then came the reply, with all the positiveness of one who considers
himself indisputable authority: "Wall, I reckon about twenty thou-
sand !"
But the wild turkeys and wild hogs were by no means the most
troublesome dwellers in the forests. Wolves swarmed over the terri-
tory in great numbers during the first years of Fairfield county ; and
the settlers soon learned that foot rot and influenza w^ere not the only
enemies from which they must protect their sheep. The sheep were
placed before dark in close pens, built of heavy logs, and from night-
fall to daybreak, the wolves would keep up their hungry howls, and
woe to any unfortunate strays, who had been overlooked in penning up
the flock. Their bones, cleaned and polished b}' the rough tongues of
the marauders, would greet the eyes of the frontiersman, who came
down in the morning to liberate his frightened sheep, having heard the
din of the rapacious creatures during the night with complacent satis-
faction, confident that his property was safe from all possible harm.
Wolves rarely attacked a human being, but lor this the settlers are en-
titled to as much credit as the wolves, for the pioneer seldom ventured
far from his clearing at night alone. The wolves would howl around
the sugar camps at night, but as they share with all beasts of pre}' a
wholesome dread of fire, a Uve brand from under the boiling saps
thrown among them always secured the sugar makers a welcome im-
munit}' from their company.
Panthers were occasionally seen, but they generally found prey
enough in the forests, and when this began to fail them, they had for
various reasons about concluded to decamp. The rifle, with its small,
38 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
patched ball, was, in the hands of the intrepid hunter, a formidable foe,
and even had not large numbers of these been destroyed, they, in com-
mon with wild turkeys, wolves, and bears, were unwilling to stay and
become part of civilized society, if even permission had been granted
them. But one instance is related of an}^ fatal attack on the human
species by these savage beasts, among the settlers of Fairfield county.
A woman, living in what is now Violet township, went into the woods to
look after her cows. Her protracted absence alarmed the family, and
going in search of her, the}- found her body lying in the woods partially
devoured, and surprised a large panther in the immediate neighborhood.
One of the arms was entirely devoured, and the body horribly mutilated.
The squirrels, raccoons, blackbirds, and crows were a source of
great annoyance and inconvenience to the farmer of the earl}^ days
The birds gave the most trouble when the corn was first planted, while
the stalks were small and tender. The}^ would follow the rows, and
make systematic business of destroying the farmer's work, and the
crops had frequently to be replanted part or wholly. This was not so
hard to bear when the season was forward, but it was as apt to occur
when the crops had barely time to mature before frost might reasonably
be expected, as at any other time. The squirrels were still more ruth-
less in their attacks ; for the}^ made their appearance in the cornfield in
August and September, and when corn is in the milk ; that is, when it
is just right for the table in the form of " roasting ears," a slight injury
by beak of bird, or tooth of squirrel, is sufficient to prevent it from ac-
quiring a good, sound, plump grain ; and the squirrels came in such
numbers, and were so dainty in their feasting — perhaps eating but a
few grains from each ear — that scarcely enough sound corn was left in
a large field to supply the table of the rightful owner. The raccoon ate
what he wanted whenever he chanced to stop, but he carried on his raids,
at night, and was, therefore, almost as hard to combat as the squirrel.
Fairfield countv was formall}^ declared by Governor St. Clair, dur-
ing the session of his territorial council, on the 9th of December, 1800,
about two years before Ohio was admitted to the Union as a State. The
area ot Fairfield county was originally four times as great as now, em-
bracing all of the present county of Licking, nearly all of Knox, prob-
ably a portion of Richland, portions of Pickaway and Hocking, and
extending into Peny some distance east of Somerset. The name of
•' Fairfield " is suggestive of the broad, beautiful lands lying at the head
of the Hocking Valley to-day, and the possibilities open to these hardy
pioneers doubtless prompted them to name the district, in accordance
with their prophetic views.
Just one month before this formal declaration of Fairfield county,
Lancaster had been laid out, and lots sold, so by the same authority it
was named as the county seat, and dubbed "New Lancaster." The
first contraction of the original bounds of the county, was the creation
of Licking county, in 1808, an^thfe northern boundary of Fairfield was
thus established as it has since remained. Before thatl^ the city of New-
ark was a part of Fairfield county. On the 12th of January, 1810,
Pickaway county was formed, and the western boundary of Fairfield
thus established, has been since changed, but slightly. Perry county
sprang into existence in 1817, and thus fixed the limits of Fairfield on
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 39
the east. Hocking county on the south, was formed March ist, 1818 ;
but this boundary has since been somewhat changed. Nearly all of
Auburn and Perry townships were stricken from Fairfield, about thirty
3'ears ago, and attached to Hocking county. The townships originally
embraced in Fairtield county, were, Hocking, Berne, Clear Creek,
Greenfield, Licking, Amanda, Pleasant, Clinton. Thorn, Richland,
Reading, Pike, Jackson,, Falls, Perr3\ Auburn and Salt Creek — 17.
Many of them embraced a large territory', and some were for many
years very sparcely settled. The townships of Fairfield county at this
writing are : Amanda, Berne, Bloom, Clear Creek, Greenfield, Hock-
ing, Liberty, Madison, Pleasant, Richland. Rush Creek, Violet, Wal-
nut and Lancaster — 14.
The population of this county in 1820, the first year of the decennial
census, was 13,508; in 1830. 24,753 ; in 1840, 31,858; in 1850, 30,264;
in i860, 30,623: in 1870, 31,149; in 1880,34,283. The decrease in
population between 1840 and 1850, is due to a large emigration to Cal-
ifornia and the less remote West, during that decade.
The position of Fairfield count}-, both geographically and topo-
graphically is an important part of its history. Situated at the head of
the Hocking valley, Lancaster, its county seat, becomes of necessity the
outlet or eye of the valley as far south as Athens, by its canal and rail-
roads. Fairfield, therefore, is within and a part of the Hocking Val-
ley. Fifty years ago the Hocking Valley was little known to any but
its immediate residents. Now, by reason of its mineral wealth, no citi-
zen of this Republic, who takes an active interest in her commercial
affairs, and especially in mining matters is ignorant of her location and
resources. For fifty years the stage running between Maysville and
Zanesville, only stopped at Lancaster long enough to take meals and
change horses, and the traveler of the day was ignorant of the resources
lying just south of the station, which was merely looked upon as a con-
venient place to recruit horseflesh and appease the cravings of hunger.
Even the citizens of Lancaster, previous to the opening of the canal,
knew about as much of the true wealth of the valley, as they did of the
geological formations of the South Sea Islands. But this was not to
continue ; a wise Creator had not prepared fuel scores of centuries be-
fore the advent of those for w^hose convenience it was intended, only
that they, despising or neglecting their opportunities, should lack for
what lay at their very feet. But these opportunities were not slighted ;
and soon the people of the Hocking Valley had discovered a greater
wealth within their grasp, than could be obtained by the most patient
pursuit of pastoral or scholarly or sedentary employments ; for coal and
salt and iron were discovered, and the canal was dug and operated, and
soon found too slow, and was superceded by the swifter, and costlier
and noisier steam-giant ; and the attention of engineers and capitalists
was engrossed in calculating and developing the resources of this vast
region ; and a few years have sufficed for raising the Hocking Valley
from obscurity to a place among the richest mineral posessions of this
populous and wealthy and happy country. Immediately north of this
great field of industry and wealth, blocking the outlets of this now fa-
mous valley, is Fairfield county ; and through it must necessarily pass,
in all time to come, the chief products of this vast mining region.
40 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
CHAPTER VIII.
GENERAL GEORGE SANDERSON'S NOTES.
General Sanderson came from Kentucky to the Hockini]^ Valley,
with his father, in 1798, when he was a boy, and spent his long life in
and about Lancaster. He was identified with the beginning and pro-
gress of the town and count}^, and iilled several positions of trust and
honor, and died in 1871, at a ripe old age.
About the year 185 1, he prepared a small pamphlet of some sixty
or seventy pages, which he entitled "A brief histor}- of the earh' settle-
ment of Fairfield county." The pamphlet was published by Thomas
Wetzler, then of Columbus, and was distributed variously over the
county ; but at the end of thirty years, the compiler of this work with
great difficulty and search, at last unearthed a single copy in a mutilat-
ed condition. Extracts from its pages follow, which, though in part a
repetition of matter incorporated in other pages of this volume, will be
excused, because a history of Fairfield countv would be incomplete,
without the notes of General Sanderson. His sketches were, in fact,
outside of its political and religious history, the onh' history of the
county, ever written. The pamphlet formed the text of Howe's His-
tory-of Ohio, so far as Fairfield county was concerned. But the ex-
tracts are chiefly valuable, on account of the familiarit}- of their writer
with the scenes he describes. The following are extracts :
"The present generation can form no conception of the wild and
wilderness appearance of the county in which we now dwell, previous
to the settlement of the white people. It was m short a countrv.
Where nothing dwelt but beast oi prey,
Or men as fierce and wild as they.
The lands watered by the sources of the Hocking River, and now
comprehended within the present limits of the county of Fairfield, were,
when discovered b}^ some of the settlers of Marietta, owned and occu-
pied by the Wyandot tribe of Indians, and were highly prized by the
occupants as valuable hunting grounds, being filled by almost all kinds
of game and animals of fur. The principal town of the Nation, stood
along the margin of the prairie, between the mouth of Broad Street and
Thomas Ewing's canal basin, and extending back as far as the base of
the hill, south of the Methodist Church. It is said that the town con-
tained, in 1790, about one hundred wigwams, and five hundred souls.
It was called Tarhe^ or in English, Cranetozcii, and derived its name
from that of the principal chief of the tribe. The chief's wigwam stood
upon the bank of the prairie, near where the fourth lock is iDuilt on the
Hocking Canal, and near where a beautiful spring of water flows into
the Hocking River, The wigwams were built of the bark of trees, set
Hl5?TORV OF FAIRFIELD COUXTV .
41
42
HiStORV OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
on poles, in the form of a sugar camp, with one square open, facing a
fire, and about the height of a man. The Wyandot tribe at that day
numbered about five hundred warriors, who were a furious and savage
people. They made frequent attacks on the white settlements along
the Ohio River, killing, scalping and capturing the setders, without re-
o-ard to sex, age or condition. War parties on various occasions
attacked flat boats descending the river, containing emigrants from the
Middle States, seeking new homes in Kentucky, by which, in many
instances, whole families became victims to the tomahawk and scalping
knife.
'■'The war chief had a white wife in his old age. She was Indian in
every sense of the word, except her fair skin and red hair. Her his-
tory,' as far as I have been able to learn it, is this : Tarhe, in one of his
raids on the frontier setttlements along the upper Ohio, near Wheeling,
had taken her prisoner and brought her to his town on the Hocking.
She was then about eight years old, and never having been reclaimed
by her relatives and friends, she rem^fined with the nation, and after-
wards became the wife of her captor.
" On the 17th of May, 1796, Congress, with a view, no doubt, to an
early settlement of their acquired possessions by the treaty of Green-
ville, passed an act granting to Ebenezer Zane three tracts of land, not
exceeding one mile square each, in consideration that he would open a
road on the most eligible route between Wheeling, Virginia, and
Limestone, (now Maysville\) Kentucky. Zane performed his part of
the contract the same 3^ear, and selected one of his tracts on the Hock-
ing, where Lancaster now stands. The road was only opened b}^ blaz-
ing the trees and cutting out the under brush, which gave it more the
appearance of an Indian path, or trace, than a road, and from which
circumstance it took the name of Zane's trace — a name it bore man}-
years after the settlement of the country. It crossed the Hocking at a
ripple, or ford, about three hundred yards below the turnpike road,
west of the present town of Lancaster, called the crossing of Hocking.
This was the first attempt to open a public highway through the interior
of the Northwestern Territory.
" In 1797, Zane's trace having opened a communication between the
Eastern States and Kentuck}-, many individuals in both directions, wish-
ing to better their conditions in life by emigrating and settling in the
back woods, then so called, visited the Hock-Hocking for that purpose ;
and, finding the country unsurpassably fertile and abounding with
springs of the purest water, determined to make it their new home.
" In the spring of 1798, Captain Joseph Hunter, a bold and enter-
prising man, with his family, emigrated from Kentucky and settled on
Zane's trace, upon the bank of the prairie west of the crossings, and
about one hundred and fitty yards north of the present turnpike road.
Captain Hunter cleared away the brush, felled the forest trees, and
erected a cabin, at a time when he had not a neighbor nearer than the
Muskingum and Scioto Rivers. This was the commencement of the
first settlement in the upper Hocking Valley ; and Captain Hunter is
regarded as the founder of the flourishing county of Fairfield. He
lived to see the county densely populated, and paid the debt of nature
in the year 1829.
HISTORY or FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 43
"The general government directed the public domain to be sur-
veyed. The lands were first laid off in full sections, and subsequentl}'
in half and quarter sections. Elnathan Schofield, our late fellow citi-
zen, was engaged in that service.
" In 1800, 1801 and 1802, emigrants continued to arrive and settle-
ments were formed in the most distant parts of the county, cabin-rais-
ings, clearings and log-rollings were in progress in almost every direc-
tion. The settlers lent each other aid in their raisings and other heavy
work requiring many hands. By thus mutually assisting one another,
they were all enabled, in due season, to provide themselves cabins to
live in. The log cabin was of paramount consideration. After the
spot was selected, logs cut and hauled, and the clap-boards made, the
erection was but the work of a day. They were of rude construction,
but not alwa37S uncomtortable.
" About this time merchants and professional men made their ap-
pearance. The Reverend John Wright, of the Presbyterian Church,
settled in Lancaster in 1801 ; and the Reverend Asa Shinn and Rev-
erend James Qiiinn, of the Methodist Church, traveled the Fairfield
circuit very early.
" Shortly after the settlement, and while the stumps remained in
the streets, a small portion of the settlers indulged in drinking frolics,
ending frequently in fights. In the absence of law, the better disposed
part of the population determined to stop the growing evil. They ac-
cordingly met, and resolved, that any person of the town found intoxi-
cated, should, for every such offense, dig a stump out of the street, or
suffer personal chastisement, (the chastisement consisted of so many
stripes on the bare back, well laid on.) The result was, that after sev-
eral offenders had expiated their crimes, dram drinking ceased, and for
a time all became a sober, temperate and happy people.
" In April, 1799, Samuel Coats, Senior, and Samuel Coats, Junior,
from England, built a cabin in the prairie, at the crossing of Hocking,
kept bachelor's hall, and raised a crop of corn. In the latter part of
the year, a mail route was established along Zane's trace, from Wheel-
ing to Limestone. The mail was carried through on horseback, and,
at first, only once a week. Samuel Coats, Sr., was the post-master,
and kept his office at the crossing. This was the first established mail
route through the interior of the Territory, and Samuel Coats was the
first post-master at the new settlement.
" The settlers subsisted principallv on corn bread, potatoes, milk
and butter, and wild meats. Flour, tea and coftee were scarcely to be
had, and when brought to the country, such prices were asked as to
put it out of the power of many to purchase. Salt was an indispen-
sable article, and cost, at the Scioto Salt Works, five dollars for fifty
pounds ; flour cost $16 per barrel ; tea, $2.50 per pound ; coffee, $1.50 ;
spice and pepper, $1.00 per pound.
"The early settlers were a hard}- and industrious people, and for
frankness and hospitality, have not been surpassed by any community.
The men labored on their farms, and the women in their cabins. Their
clothing was of a simple and comfortable kind. The women clothed
their families with their own hands, spinning and weaving for all their
inmates the necessary linen and woolen clothing. At that day no cab-
44 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
jns. \Mei-c. found without their spinning wheels, and it is the proud boast
of the women that they could use them. As an evidence of their in-
dustry and saving of time, it may be mentioned, that it was not an in-
frequent thing to see a good wife sitting, spinning in her cabin, upon an
earthen floor, turning her wheel with one foot, and rocking her baby
in a sugar trough with the other.
" The people of that day, when opportunity afforded, (which was
not often,) attended public worship : and it was nothing new, or strange,
to see a man at church with iiis rifle — his object was to kill a buck,
either going or coming.
" In 1799, Levi Moore, Abraham Bright, Major Bright. Ishmael
Due and Jesse Spurgeon, emigrated with their families from Allegheny
county, Maryland, and settled near where Lancaster now stands. Part
of the company came through by land from Pittsburg, with their horses,
and part of their horses and goods descended the Ohio River in boats
to the mouth of the Hocking ; and thence ascended the latter in canoes
to the mouth of Rush Creek. The trace from Wheeling to Hocking,
at that time, was, almost in its entire length, a wilderness, and did not
admit of the passage of wagons. The land party of men, on reaching
the valley, went down to the mouth of Hocking and assisted the water
party up. They were ten days in ascending the river, having upset
their canoes several times, and damaged their goods.''
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 45
CHAPTER IX.
REMINISCENCES OF EARLY TIMES.
The first celebration on the Hocking of the birthday of American
Independence occurred in 1800. The late General George Sanderson
was an eye-witness, and the following account of the occasion came
from his lips substantially as given. The celebration was participated
in b}' the few families, who had settled in the valley and adjacent coun-
try. It was held on the knoll in Mithoft^'s meadow, west of the Hock-
ing, and on the south side of the pike, The menu of this pioneer ban-
quet contained venison and wild turkey, roasted before a log fire, corn-
bread, vegetables, and copper-distilled whisk3^ This last was a very
important factor in the day's enjo3nnent. It was not doled out b}^ the
glass, but the barrel was stood on end, unheaded, and dippers provided.
The crowd was then given perfect liberty to drink as freely and as often
as desired. Foot-races, jumping and wrestling matches,' quoit throw-
ing, and kindred amusements assisted in passing the time. There was
no reading of the Declaration of Independence, nor eloquent and patri-
otic orations, nor costly and magnificent pyrotechnic display, to make
the day memorable ; but in their stead patriotic songs, and blood-stir-
ring games and amusements, much better suited to the temper of the
people. Towards noon a solitary traveler was seen approaching from
the east, over Zane's Trace. He halted, learned the meaning or the
gathering, and was pressed to alight and sample the viands provided,
and particularly to pledge the health of the young Republic in a gener-
ous dram of the favorite beverage. Then came the usual questions,
plainly put and candidl}^ answered, as to his residence, destination and
business. He was from Virginia, and on his way to the valley of the
Scioto, where some of his Old Dominion neighbors had preceded him,
and he proposed to become one of their number, if the location w^as
pleasing. The settlers told the traveler that the valley of the Hocking
was immeasurably superior to that of the Scioto in productiveness,
health, beauty of scenery, and all else, which should be considered in
selecting a residence. Warming up to their subject, and influenced,
probably, to a certain extent, by patriotism and copper-distilled whisky,
they told the Virginian that there were better people in the Hocking
valley, than in the land towards which he was traveling. He replied
that he could better compare the merits of the two districts when he had
visited both ; and as for the people dwelling therein, he was convinced
that equally as good men could be found in the Scioto valley as in the
Hocking, and perhaps, on his arrival at his destination, there would be
a slight preponderance in favor of the former. In those davs the term
" a good man '" was used entirely to describe a man capable of engag-
ing in ordinary ph3'sical employments, and possessing a large amount
of physical courage. In this sense, therefore, the traveler luid thrown
down a challenge, which the valor of the settlers forbade them to refuse.
46 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
It was proposed that the matter be conclusively settled then and there,
and the stranger gladly acceded, only stipulating that fair play be given
him'. He was furnished with "seconds" from the throng, who were
as much bound to see him fairl}^ treated as though he had always
their confidence and their friendship. A ring was formed, the traveler
and the man selected to fight him stepped in, stripped, and the bout
commenced. No interference was permitted, and, after a stubborn
trial, in which both men were well pummeled, the traveler acknowl-
edged his defeat. He was consoled with the assurance that his courage
and prowess were highly esteemed, and again invited to remain with
this people, whose generosity and bravery he had so satisfactorily
tested. He concluded to stay, remarking that, while he knew little of
either valley, there were as good men in the Hocking as he cared to
encounter.
A roll of paper bearing the date of June 14, 1836, has been found, ap-
pended to which are the names of one hundred and sixteen persons,
who were citizens of Fairfield county at the time. The document, which
is headed " The Anarugens of Fairfield County," is a subscription list
for defraying the expenses of a Fourth of July celebration held that
year. Less than a dozen of those, whose names appear on the paper, are
alive to-day. The following shows the purpose of the paper : "We, the
undersigned, do each agree to pay the sums annexed to our names, for
the purpose of defraying certain contingent expenses for the celebra-
tion of American Independence, on the Fourth of Jul}^ by the Anaru-
gens of Fairfield Count}'." The following is nearly, but not quite,
the full list, a few names being illegible: David Iric, James Sherman,
John McClelland, William R. Claspill, Samuel Matlock, J. C. Weav-
er, George Bentley, Jacob Hite, Micheal Bissinger, Jacob Young,
Nathaniel Cook, Robert Fielding, John Stallsmith, Zachariah Clemens,
Henry Cronmer, C. Lobinger, Henry Orman, William Embich, R. M.
Ainsworth, G. H. Little, P. H. Cramer, George Leoder, E. Nigh,
John Schafier, J. E. Kinkead, William Hutchison, S. K. Hensell, J.
Flemm, Work Galbriath, Michael Garaghty, C. W. Meeker, James
Furguson, James Cross, Samuel Sturgeon, A. Crooks, James Mc-
Mames, William Phelen, David Regg, Jesse B. Hart, William Wiley,
Salem Shafer, Hugh Bo}^, Robert Sturgeon, Silas Tam, Thomas Ed-
ingfield, Jacob Schiif^er,'^William Amsbach, Thomas Pinkerton, Robert
Short, Joseph Work, Louis Levering, W. C. Embich, P. M. Kosser,
W. T. Sherman, S. B. Butterfield, William Daugherty, William Rich-
ards, H. Cook, William Medill, John Baldwin, Henry Myers, P. Van
Trump, M. E. Kreider, John G. Willock, Robert Dunkin, Isaac
Comer, Levi Anderson, Adam Guesman, L. Baker, A. Hunter, John
Ramsey, D. B. Light, C. J. Arnett, J. N. Little, Stephen Smith, Dan-
iel Riffle, J. C. Allen, Kimball Hall, Samuel S. Nigh, George W.
Claspill, Joel Smith, John Van Pearse, Joseph Lilley, Thomas Hardy,
George Reber, P. Beacher, Jr., Christian Rudolph, Henry Kestler,
John H. Tennant, Henry T. Myers, John B. Reed, Samuel Michaels.
Theodore Gunther, John M. Bigelow, B. Morgan, Samuel Hart, Geo.
Creed, Louis Thompson, Ewel Jefries, Gabriel Carpenter, Jacob Em-
bich, Sosthenus McCabe, John W. Miers, Charles Beck and William
King. There were two parties of the celebrators, the "Anarugens."
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY
47
whose rendezvous was Schofiekrs Mineral Spring, south of the Mith-
off farm, and another, to which no name was assigned, who assembled
at Cold Spring Hill. There is nothing to show whether or not the two
were in any sense rival gatherings. Frederick A. Schaefter prepared
the dinner for the " Anarugens," and Gottleib Steinman for the party
at the Cold Spring. The orator of the day at Schoheld's spring was
John M. Creed ; at the Cold Spring, a young man named Cleary officia-
ted. Two militar}^ companies, "The Hocking Spyes," Captain Jonas
A. Ream commanding, and the '' Lancaster Blues," captain unknown,
were in attendance. The occasion was made livelier, if not more en-
joyable, by two old-fashioned, /. c, rough and tumble, lights. It was
rare, indeed, that an}^ civic or military assemblage dispersed without an
entertainment of this nature. One of the belligerents of tliat memorable
Fourth of July is still living in Lancaster, at an advanced age. When
the festivities were over, the •' Anarugens" found that about thirty dol-
lars of the fund, provided for the day's pleasure, still remained in hand :
and when they learned that Mr. Steinman would lose money on his
dinner at the Cold Spring, they turned this sum over to him. It had
been the purpose of the " Anarugens " to march to the " Black Bear,"
a tavern on the Rushville road, about four miles east of Lancaster, with
" Pumpkin-head " Bill Green for orator of the day, but this idea was
abandoned, and they gathered at the Mineral Spring, as above stated,
with Mr. Creed as speaker.
The Old Court House bell has a rather romantic history ; although
much that is told about it has only a traditional foundation. It was
brought to the Island of San Domingo, from Spain, in the early part of
the last century, and placed upon a monastery, where it remained for
many years. Various stories are circulated regarding the manner, in
which it got off the island, all of which inclined to give the pirates a
large amount of credit. Some have asserted that it was among the
plunder, when these liberal-minded gentlemen sacked the island ; others
that it was sent away to prevent it from falling into their hands. As to
the manner in which it got into its present prosaic position, there is like-
wise much speculation. But it was brought to Lancaster by General
Williamson, about 1807, and mounted on the Old Court House, where
it remained for forty-five years, or until the Temple of Justice was razed
to the ground. It was then laid aside for about twent}^ 3^ears, and
now, mounted on the engine house, on High Street, does duty as an
alarm bell.
When the Old Court House was first built, it was necessary to use
green elm " back-logs " for the huge fire-places, coal being undiscov-
ered in the valley. By some means, a sprout from one of these logs
took root, and grew into a tree, the trunk of which was eighteen inches
in diameter. It stood at the northeast corner of the building, about
five or six feet from the wall, and just where the curbstone of the pave-
ment now is. Soon after the demolition of the Court House, it went
into decay and was cut down.
Another tree, a weeping willow, claims some space in the annals of
old Fairfield. It stood in front of the old Judge Irwin residence, and
was cut down in 1870, after reaching the age of fifty years. It is said
to have grown from a sprout carried by Mrs. Irwin, on horseback, and
a8 history of fairi"ij*:i.d county.
used as a riding whip tor several days, in a journey of some length.
The tree was very large, covering the entire tront of the building.
Soon after the last member of the Irwin family passed away, it was no-
ticed that the tree was slowly but surely d3Mng, and it soon shared
the same late as the elm tree just mentioned.
In the smnmer of 1825, it was learned that Henr}^ C^l^y
would pass through Lancaster, en-route from his home in Ashland,
Kentucky, to Washington. It was resolved to give him a public
dinner, and the following paper was circulated for signatures :
-July 25, 1825.
•' We, the undersigned, agree to contribute our proportion ot the
expense of a public dinner, to be given to Mr. Clay, when he shall
pass through Lancaster on his way to Washington City.
[Signed.] " William Irwin, Elnathan Schotield, John Noble, Hugii
Doyle, William Hanson, James White, Benjamin Connell, E. B.
Thompson, Samuel Effinger, Richard M. Ainsworth, Michael Garagh-
ty, G. D. Campbell, George Myers, Noah S. Gregg, Jacob SchatTer,
T. Tenny, Adam Weaver, Hocking H. Hunter, Henry Arnold, Rob-
ert McNeill, George Sanderson, R. Sturgeon, Henr\' Stanberry. John
Herman, A. Pitcher, Isaac Church."
An invitation having been forwarded in accordance with the above,
Mr. Clay's letter, accepting the honor, is appended. The letter, in Mr.
Clay's own hand-writing, together with a part of the proceedings of
the occasion, can be seen at the law office of Brazee and Drinkle.
Lebanon, O., August i. 1825.
"I received your very obliging letter on the ^yth ultimo, informing me
of the kind intentions of the citizens of Lancaster to make me a public
dinner, and to know at what time I may pass through 3-our town.
"I have been detained here upwards of two w'eeks by the illness of
my youngest daughter, whose case has alternately tilled me with hope
and apprehension. Present appearances are more favorable, and we per-
suade ourselves, that she is convalescent. But it will still be some days
(how mau}^ I cannot say,) before we shall be able to move her. It is
my intention to pass through Lancaster, and I shall be extremely glad,
if circumstances shall be such, as to admit of my accepting the hospi-
tality, with which 3^ou propose to honor me. If it should be the case, I
will endeavor to apprise you of the time of mv arrival.
In the meantime I am, with great respect, 3'our obedient servant,
Henry Clay."
"P. S. Be pleased to offer my respectful compliments to Messrs.
Schofield andEwing." H. C."
Of the twenty-nine men, whose names are affixed to the above sub-
scription, onl}' Hugh S. Gregg is living at this time. Mr. Clay arrived
and the dinner came oft' as arranofed.
Some time previous to 1820 the southern part of Fairfield county,
and indeed all the settled country, lying between Lancaster and the Ohio
River, was pestered by a gang of horse thieves and counterfeiters.
Their rendezvous was known to be "Sleepy Hollow," among the rag-
ged hills, a few miles south of Lancaster. Their number was not known,
HISTORY OF FAIRFlEiLl) COUNTY. 49
but many citizens had reason to lament their skill and cunning, and
some of the band mingled with honest meii, seemingh- engaged in or-
dinary occupations. Mr. Thomas Ewing, the prosecuting attorne}' ot"
this county at the time, was a man ot' magniliceut physique and great
courage. The capture of the band had often been tried, and alwa3^s
unsuccessfully, and Mr. Ewing asked to be sworn in as a special con-
stable, which was done. By a careful espionage he ascertained, that
eight or ten of the thieves habitually ano regularh' met at a house in
"Sleepy Hollow," and he decided that it was possible to capture them,
though several were known to be desperate characters, particularl}- the
leader, who was also a powerful and courageous man. Having defined
his plan, he selected the following men, with especial reference to their
strength and braver}^ : Nathaniel Red, Christian Neibling, Adam
Weaver, Christian King, David Reese, Elnathan Schotield, and two
or three others. This little posse started for the den of the outlaws,
sometime after dark on an evening, which was known to be appointed
for one of their conclaves. Arrived in the vicinity, they halted under cov-
er of a dense thicket and secured their horses. They quietly surrounded
the house and then broke down the door. The thieves were holding their
conference in the second story, and, being siu-prised, were soon in
bonds, with the single exception of Mr. Schotield's man, who was about
to prove more than a match for him. Seeing this, Mr. Ewing, who
had selected and overpowered the leader of the gang, jumpjed to the
assistance of Schotield, when the leader rose to his feet and threw him-
self backwards from the window, bound as he was, and actually suc-
ceeded in getting away. It is supposed that the women in the lower
part of the house aided him in his escape. The remainder of the band
were sent to the Penitentiary, after due trial.
Considerable discussion has arisen in the effort to settle the identity
ot the first white male child, born in Fairfield county. The friends of
the late Hocking H. Hunter have claimed that honor for him ; but Mr.
Hunter himself once acknowledged his belief, that Captain Levi Stew-
art, who is living at this writing, was thirteen months older — this, alter
comparing notes personally with Mr. Stewart. "Howe's History of
Ohio confers the honor upon a son of Mrs. Ruhama Green, and it has
been said that a fom^th claimant comes from Clear Creek ; but Mr.
Stewart has a preponderance of evidence in his tavor.
The Mrs. Ruhama Green, just mentioned, was born and raised in
Jefferson county, Virginia. In 1785 she married Charles Builderback,
and with him crossed the mountains and settled at the mouth of Short
Creek, on the east bank of the Ohio, a few miles above Wheeling.
Her husband, a brave man, had distinguished himself as an Indian
fighter, and the red men determined at once to rid the frontier of his
unwelcome presence, and to secure a certain measure of vengeance.
One beautiful morning, in the month of June, 1789, Captain Charles
Builderback, with his wife and brother, Jacob Builderback, crossed the
Ohio River to look for some cattle. As soon as the trio reached the
shore, a party of fifteen or twenty Indians rushed from cover and fired
upon them. They were thoroughly off their guard, as no Indians had
been seen for a time sufKciently long to raise the belief that they had
abandoned the western shore of the Ohio. Jacob was wounded "in the
7
50
MlSTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
shoulder, and Captain Builderback taken prisoner. As soon as the
savages had secured the Captain, they ordered him, on pain of instant
death, to call his wife, who had hid in some driftwood, at the first attack.
"Here," to use her own words, "a struggle took place in m}^ breast,
which I cannot describe. Shall I go to him and become a prisoner, or
shall I remain, return to our cabin ^nd take care of our children?" He
called for her a second time, telling her that her compliance with the
demand of his captors might save his life. She hesitated no longer, but
appeared and gave herself up. All this took place on the bank of the
river, in plain sight of their cabin, where they had left their two chil-
dren, a boy three years old, and an infant daughter. The Indians were
not long, however, in leaving the spot, knowing that pursuit was sure,
as soon as the news of the raid should reach the stockade at Wheeling.
Mr. and Mrs. Builderback traveled together that day and the following
night. The next morning the Indians separated into two parties, and
continued to journey westward by different routes. Mrs. Builderback
never saw her husband again. Captain Charles Builderback had com-
manded a company at Crawford's defeat in the Sandusky country, and
was both feared and hated by the savages. He was in the bloody
Moravian Campaign, and shed the first blood by tomahawking and
scalping the Moravian chief, Shebosh. When, therefore, he replied,
"Charles Builderback," on being asked his name, it is no wonder that
the keen eyes of these vindictive children of nature flashed with malice,
and it is but fair to presume, from what is know of the Indian character,
that his fate was sealed trom that moment. In a few days from the
time the fortunes of these brave pioneers met with such a terrible reverse,
the party, having Mrs. Builderback in charge, camped on the Tuscara-
was River, and were soon joined by the others ; but the brave pale-face
was not there. The anxious and suffering wife was told that he had been
killed, and to convince her of the horrible fact, a scalp was thrown into
her lap, which she was able to identify with absolute certainty as being
that of her husband. She made no complaint, uttered no moan, and
soon, overcome by excitement and fatigue, fell into a sound sleep, sit-
ting on the ground with her back against a tree. When she awoke the
scalp was gone and she never saw it again. As soon as the news
reached Wheeling, a party of scouts set oft' on the trail of one of the
bands, and finally came to the body of Charles Builderback. He had
been tomahawked and scalped, and apparently suffered a lingering
death. Mrs. Builderback was taken to the Indian town on the Little
Miami, and remained in captivit}^ about nine months, doing the drud-
gery of the squaws, but otherwise being subject to no ill treatment. At
the end of that time she w^as ransomed and brought to Fort Washing-
ton, and soon after sent up the river to her lonely cabin and the embrace
of her children, who had been provided for by the neighbors. Several
years afterward she married John Green, and together they came to
Ohio, and settled three miles west of the present city of Lancaster,
w'here she resided until her death, which occurred in 1842. Mr. Green
died ten years previously.
David Ewing narrowly escaped torture, if not death, at the hands of
the Indians, while hunting in the woods three or four miles north of Lan-
caster, about the year 1806. He saw through the bushes what he sup-
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 5 1
posed was a bear, at the opposite side of a small pond. He fired, and a
squaw jumped up and fled, screaming from fright and the pain, caused
by a wound in her arm. Ewing was \yell aware that a plea of "acci-
dental shooting" would not "go" with an Indian, and therefore fled for
his life, knowing that the squaw was certainly within hearing distance
of her people. In his flight he passed the cabin of Daniel Arnold, but
did not stop. The Indians pressed him close, but supposing he had
taken refuge at Arnold's, they broke in and would have murdered Mrs.
Arnold, who was alone with her children, but for the interposition of
the chief. Mrs. Elizabeth Sheric, of Lancaster; a daughter of Arnold,
well remembers the visit of the Indians to her father's cabin that morn-
ing, and the terror occasioned thereby. Ewing kept away from home
until the damaged arm of the squaw, and the mutilated honor of the
Indian, had been repaired by money and "presents." He then returned
in safety.
In 1812 or 1813 the whole community for several miles around Lan-
caster was thrown into a frenzy of excitement and terror by the rumor
that a large force of hostile Indians was marching upon the settlement.
Active measures, oflensive and defensive, were speedily commenced.
Some of the best buildings in the settlement were converted into block
houses, and to them the people fled for safety. Among the houses so
used was that of Judge Burton, in Pleasant township, that ol Nathaniel
Wilson, in Hocking township, and one in Berne township, where James
Driver now lives. Valuables were hid in the woods and fields, and all
sorts of tools were collected, which could by any possibility be converted
into weapons. At night the doors of the houses were securely barred,
and persons, coming to a fortin the night, had to make themselves fully
known, to secure admission. The men ran bull'ets, brightened their
firelocks and repaired to the Court House, at Lancaster, the recognized
meeting-place, when anything affecting the welfare of the community
was to be discussed. Mounted scouts were detailed to find out all that
was possible concerning the enemy, and especially the direction, from
which they might be expected, while the remainder of the force of
armed men prepared to march and give battle. Before the line of
march was taken up, however, the preparations for war came to a sud-
den and definite conclusion. A party of young men had been engaged
in a hunt and had met with the poorest possible success, being unable
to satisfy their own cravings for food, much less to obtain a quantity,
with which to fill their gaping game bags. Spurred by appetites, furnish-
ed by vigorous exercise and superabundent vitality, they had so far for-
gotten even backwood's courtesy, as to enter a cabin in the absence of
the owners, and appropriate all that was eatable about the place. Not
being satisfied with this, and, perhaps, filled with chagrin at the ill-suc-
cess of their hunt, they fired off their guns and gave utterance to several
excellent imitations of the much dreaded war-whoop of the Indian.
This was the sole foundation for all the annoyance and alarm , to which
the settlers had been subjected. Many ludicrous stories are told of the
sayings and doings of the more timid, during the scare, which, it is
better, should not be repeated, as some of the actors in the above farce,
and many of their decendants are still living.
Old Father Grabill was the best fox-hunter of his time, and was
52 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
most enthusiastic, when in pursuit of the game. Nothing bwt an inter-
Acntion of Providence could stop him or divert his attention when in
the heat of the chase. On one occasion, Re^'nard, who had made ter-
rible exertions to escape, and used all his wiles to throw the hunter
and dogs ofi' the trail, but unsuccesslully, dashed into the open church
d(K)r, which presented the tlrst opportunity for refuge, as he emerged
from a thicket. The congregation were engrossed in the service, but
the excited hounds were close upon the game, and had no notion of
abandoning it, or regard tor the proprieties of the occasion. They fol-
lowed their pre\' into the meeting house. ba\'ing lustily, and creating
the wildest confusion am(Mig the worshippers, to all of which thev paid
no heed, but dragged the lox out and killed it, just as their scarcely less
excited master entered the door — not to worship, but to "'be in at the
death." l^'he i^ame secin-ed, the old man shouldered his jjun and
marched off. proudlv conscious of having done his whole duty as he
conceived it, and leaving the congregation to get over their excitement
and think what they pleased.
In the spring of 1798, several men came h"om Virginia to make a
start in the wilderness, intending to bring their families as soon as thev
should have provided a foothold upon which to stand, while grappling
with the giants of the forest. They selected the east side of Baldwin's
Run, within a few feet of the bridge, where the Salem pike crosses the
stream. Within a few days William Green, one of their number, sick-
ened and died, with only his companions in hardship to minister to his
bodily and spiritual needs. He was buried in a hickory bark coffin,
on the west side of the Run, and on the north side of the road. Colonel
Robert Wilson, who had with a few others, settled in the Hocking a
month previously, assisted in consigning the body of the unfortunate
stranger, to its lonel}' grave. This spot was long remembered by the
citizens of Fairfield, as the grave of the first white man ever buried in
the count}-.
For sixteen \ears after the organization of the village of Lancaster,
there was no bank in the place, and the necessity for such a conven-
ience was little felt. A small amount of money was in circulation, and
this was rapidly changing hands. When a man came into the posses-
sion of an amount of coin, for which he had no immediate use, its pro-
tection from theft gave him little concern, and it was laid away in cup-
board or till of chest, often without even an ordinary lock to secure it.
The merchant crossed the mountains to purchase goods with the cash
results of his vear's trade, in a pair of ordinary saddle-bags. Almost his
only precaution was to deliver the bags to the landlord, who furnished
him lodging, for safe keeping while he slept. The hog drover pur-
chased his stock on credit, and came back from eastern markets with
saddle-bags loaded with silver, which belonged both to his creditors
and himseh'. The creditors thus ran a double risk — that of h.aving a
dishonest debtor, and also of losing their mone^• bv robbers ; but both
chances were cheerfulK' and conhdentlv taken. The only enemies
dreaded at night were the Indians, and at the time mentioned they had
about ceased to cause alarm. The only burglars, then in existence in
this country, were content when their hunger was appeased. During
the war of 181 2, the money to pay the soldiers was brought from Cin-
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 53
cinnati. on horseback in saddle-bags. -Mr. John Creed, who was after-
wards President of the old Lancaster, Ohio, Bank, once brought $10,000
from Cincinnati in this way, to pay off returned soldiers.
A religious revival occurred in the M. E. Church, Lancaster, in the
winter of 1841-2, which is without parallel in the history oi the count}^.
Rev. Wm. R. Anderson held the pastorate at the time, but he was not
regarded as a powerful preacher, or a man of extraordinary ability.
The meetings were held in the basement of the church, the auditorium
not being completed, and lasted from December until March — in all,
something over three months. The house was unable to contain those,
who wished to attend, after the first two or three weeks, and man}' were
turned awav nighth', alter all available seating and standing room had
been utilized. The altar was crowded nightly with mourners, and when
the meetings closed there were over two hundred accessions to the M.
E. Church. Other denominations came in for a large share. The
spontaneitv of this season of religious fervor is not its least wonderful
feature, tor, as betbre stated, the pastor was not a man of marked ability
in the clerical profession. The services often continued until midnight,
and religious exercises were sometimes held after the attendants of the
meetings had arrived at their homes. Many of the best citizens of the
place were among the converts, and the attendance of members of other
denominations throughout the meetings was unusually large. One
young lad}', while in the church, passed into a sort of trance, in which
she remained for seven days. Her animation seemed suspended, and
indeed, life would have been pronounced extinctbut for the animal heat,
which was perceptible. When she recovered, she declared she had
been in heaven, named those whom she had met, and said that her
earthly existence was a blank trom the time she arrived at the church
until her recovery. Hundreds of people visited her, including a num-
ber of medical men, and all were completely mystified by the condition
in which they found her.
It is much to be regretted that Fairfield count}- never had a pioneer
society, for no countv in the State is richer in pioneer reminiscences.
The first settlers of the county brought with them from the older States
the superstitions and prejudices, and the ignorance of their day, as well
as a native virtue and integritv. At the beginning of the present cen-
tur}', the belief in ghosts, witchcraft, and supernatural signs and omens
was almost universal. A matter-of-t'act philosoplw might often dispel
the ghosts in day time, but even those most skeptical of the supernatural,
and possessing the least physical fear, were not averse to compan}-, if
called to pass a graveyard at night. But the antagonism of science to
these ancient chimeras has resulted in permanently crippling them, and
their utter extirpation is a matter of but a few more years, at the present
rate of mental progress. The incidents of the tbllowing "• ghost story,"
though true, did not occur in Fairtield county, but they illustrate the
point in question most admirably. For two years the neighborhood had
been annoyed and terrified at frequent intervals by the appearance of a
*' ghost, " and no matter-of-fact solution of the mystery seemed quite to
satisfy those who '' had seen the ghost." no odds what might be the
scoffer's claims on the public respect. Intelligent men jeered at the
idea, which thev said was a relic of barbarism ; but thev were treated
54 HISTORY OF P AIRFIELD COUNTY.
to a sight of the "ghost" in due time, and had nothing more to say.
The " ghost " appeared in various locaHties, within a radius of two or
three miles, and all who saw it agreed that it took the form of a human
being, was clad in pure white, and had the field to itself — the last fact
being incontrovertibly established. Its favorite places for materializa-
tion were a deserted cabin by the roadside, and the village graveyard.
At last the myster}- was made clear. Half a dozen 3'^oung people, re-
turning from a quilting and husking " bee," were passing the cabin
just mentioned, when, by the merest chance, they saw three boys leave
the back door, and run in the direction of the graveyard, one having
under his arm a white roll. The purpose of the boys was immediately
divined, and the quick-witted young people concluded to try " fighting
fire with fire." They hurried along, and arrived at the graveyard first.
The tallest young man in the party removed his coat and vest, and lay
down near a grave, where he would not be easily discovered, while the
rest concealed themselves near by and awaited developments. The
mischief-loving trio soon arrived, and, supposing the corn-huskers still
traveling towards the cemetery, unrolled the snowy sheet, with which
they had created so much sport for themselves, and prepared for the
scare. Suddenly, the tall young man arose, his white linen presenting
quite a ghostl}^ appearance, and thus harangued the youngsters :
"Vain mortals, wh}^ do you come at this silent hour to disturb the
peaceful slumbers of the grave ? Go back to your beds and pray ; for
you, too, will soon lie with us !" The apparition dropped from sight
with a horrible groan, and the boys fled in genuine terror. It is cer-
tain that the " ghost " never again visited the neighborhood.
Many of the ills, to which fle^i is heir, now laid to common causes,
once caused accusation to fall on the heads of harmless old crones, and
gained them enemies in every household. Witchcraft was a real, and
not a fancied evil, for it ostracized from the society of the day any per-
son, howe'er guileless, at whose door it might fall. No denial, or re-
minder of an exemplary past life, had any effect — for if no more serious
results followed, the suspected one must henceforth live and die almost
wholly without the pale of neighborly" attention and mutual dependence.
If a hog had the disease now known as kidne} worm, and as such easily
cured, it was bewitched. Hollow horn in cattle, chicken cholera, poll
evil in horses, and a host of commoner maladies, were pronounced the
work of the witches, and generally laid at the door of some harmless
and unprotected old woman, to whom the person afflicted fancied he
had given offense — or his conscience, perhaps, really troubled him.
But some of the deeds, charged to the witches, were really singular in
themselves. Horses would be found in their stables in the morning,
bearing every sign of having been violently exercised ; panting, sweat-
ing, and exhausted, and leaving spur marks in the flanks, and bleeding
mouths, as from a violent reining up. Nor was this all. Even the
human species, after passing a night of unrest, and broken by troubled
dreams, would arise unrefreshed — nay, more ; stiff' and sore, as from
violent physical exercise. The theory on which this last really singular
circumstance was accounted for, was that the witches had turned the
subject of their wrath into a horse, and ridden him all night! Many
persons of fair intelligence, really deemed themselves thus persecuted.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 55
Mania, hysteria, epilepsy, and St. Vitus dance were charged to the
witches. If tlie butter failed to appear, after a reasonable amount of
churning, the " witch in the churn" was burned out by dropping a hot
smoothing iron into the milk — when the butter came without- further
trouble, The evils of being persecuted by witches, was, of course, not
without its pretended remedies. Lending an article to, or borrowing
one from a person suspected of exercising the " black art," was consid-
ered a cure, as far as the person so bprrowing or lending was con-
cerned, as long as the article remained away from the possession ot the
owner. "■ Witch doctors " there also were, who did all sorts of curious
things in exorcising the evil spirit. To draw an outline of the " witch "
on a board or paper, and then fire a silver bullet into it, or one contain-
ing silver, would kill the witchery, if not the witch. Hair from the tail
of a black cat, worn about the person of the " bewitched," was another
" cure." Placing a snake in the road, with the head laid in the direc-
tion from which the sorceress was expected, horseshoes nailed over
doors, greased broom handles, and many other practices of an equally
unphilosophic nature, would drive oft' the spell. ,
The Pioneer Home : — The real log house of the pioneer was not
the artistic and picturesque structure that has sometimes been painted.
It was one story high, and roofed with clap-boards, which were held in
place by small logs, called weight-poles. The loft was laid with clap-
boards, and the floor with puncheons, split from the trunks of trees, and
hewn level on the upper side. Sometimes there was even no floor to
these historical dwellings, and it was no uncommon thing for a family
to pass one winter, though rarely more than one, with no floor but terra
-firnia. Many cabins were built withoftt an ounce of iron. The door-
shutters were hung on wooden hinges, and closed with a wooden latch,
the string always hanging outside. The chimney was topped out with
split sticks, plastered inside with clay mortar, tempered with cut straw,
when the straw could be had. A log was cut out generally opposite
the door, and oiled paper mounted on sticks placed therein. This was
the window — generally the only one in the building. The back wall ot
the fire-place, and also the hearth, were usually of stift' clay, that be-
came very hard when thoroughly dry. The housewife often did her
first cooking when the clay was so damp that the legs of her old-fash-
ioned Dutch oven made deep marks therein. The pot-trammel was
a dog-wood or other pole, built into the chimney, about even with the
mantle-piece. On this were hung chains or iron hooks, if they could be
had ; if not, wooden hooks were used, which had to be swung aside,
when the pot was taken oft', to keep them from burning.
The furniture of the log cabin was in perfect accord with its sur-
roundings. Bedsteads were easily made, if they were not artistic or
handsome. Two inch holes were bored in a log, the proper distance
from the floor, and a pole four feet long was inserted. The other end
was supported by an upright post. This manner of making the head
and foot of the couch was easily accomplished ; slats were then laid
across the two, and the apparatus was ready for the bed clothing. Slat
benches, with pole legs, had to do duty for chairs and sofas in many
cases, tin a nearer approach to the conveniences of civilization could
be aftbrded or procured. A small looking glass hung against the wall,
^6 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
with a background of a square foot of wall paper, was an especial
luxury, and might have been carried hundreds of miles, across the
mounUiins, carefullv shielded from harm. The old sale-bill phrase,
" and man}' other articles too numerous to mention," never had its
origin in an effort to enumerate the household utensils of a primitive
pioneer home in the da3^s when Fairheld coimty was first trodden b}-
the foot of the white man. Every piece on the list of the pioneer
woman's house-keeping utensils was in daily requisition, and sometimes
one piece had to do several varieties of duty. The indispensables.(and
tew had more,) were : a skillet, round pot, one or two fr3nng pans, and
sometimes *a ten or twelve gallon iron kettle — all brought over the moun-
tains with intinite labor. These were afterwards supplemented by a
wooden bucket, a few pieces of tinware, half a dozen bone-handled
knives and ibrks, the same number of pewter spoons, and, lastly, the
inevitable gourd. This was the lull complement of the pioneer house-
wife's outfit.
Access to the loft was gained by means of a rude ladder. Beds for
children were usually provided in the lotl ; but for the grown people
the single room on the " hrst floor" served as kitchen, dining and
drawing-room, and bed-chamber. Any one who might choose to call
at sun down was invited to pass the night, albeit the guest was obliged
to content himself, in the event of an acceptance, with an utter
absence of au}^ thing like ceremony. But the hearty hospitality, so
impartially bestowed, was calculated to allay the scruples of those, who
had been unused to such fare, though this mode of living was rarely a
novelty to such as had occasion to "visit" the home of "the hardv
pioneer."
There are few women in the country to-day. who could reproduce
the corn pone, johnnycake, dodger and ash cake of those days ; but, as
these condiments were then prepared, they were both palatable and
digestible, though by no means dainty.
Even the wedding trosseau of the pioneer's daughter was made up
from the raw materials under the parental roof, including " the " dress
of linen or flannel. Carding, spinning and weaving the wool, and
pulling, watering and scutching the flax, was then as much a part of
the rural housewife's duty, as churning, baking or mending. Besides
this multiplicity ot duties, the women of the house olten helped in per-
forming the hardest work about the premises, such as felling trees and
planting crops. They were even obliged to handle the rifle in the pro-
tection of the home, during the days of Indian hostility.
The pioneer schools were kept in log pens, yclept school-houses,
although, as the word is now understood, it were a decided misnomer
to so dignify them. The oiled paper windows let in all the daylight to
be had when the door was closed, here, as in dwellings. But
one term was held in a 3'ear, and that only about three months in
length. The session usually began in November, but occasional!}' not
until Christmas. A custom prevailed of locking; the teachers out bv
I'll *'
barruig the door on the inside, on Christmas or New Year's. At such
times, the larger pupils of the school banded together, and it was rare
that they were circumvented by their teacher, who, to secure peaceable
possession, had to agree to furnish a homely " treat" of apples and
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COIjNtY. 57
elder, or, sometimes, he granted a holiday, which it was iiot customary
to observe. Sometimes the " m.aster " gained access to the school-
house, when the programme was reversed, and the object was to get
him out. This was done by placing a board over the chimney, some-
times by throwing sulphur into it, and like.bits of strategy. When the
teacher was " game," a good deal ol amusement was sure to be ob-
tained bv both besiegers and besieged. The curriculum of these primi-
tive institutions, was simple and short : — Dillworth and Webster's Spell-
ing Books, Pike's Arithmetic, the English Reader, Sequel to the Eng-
lish Reader, American Preceptor, Columbian Orator, Weem's Wash-
ington and Marion, and the Bible. The hickory switch was an inport-
ant element in school government. The teacher's duty also required
him to make and mend the goose-quill pens, and the courtesy of the
time, to take part in the indoor and outdoor games of his pupils. When
outdoor sports were possible, cat ball, bull pen, and town ball were the
favorites ; and when the inclement weather drove them indoors, the
sports of quilting "bee" and husking trolic were patronized, such as,
"Sister Phoebe," "Marching to Quebec," " As Oats, Peas, Beans
and Barley grows," and " Philander, Let's be Marching."
Signs and omens were held in great reverence. If a whippoorwill
perched near the cabin, uttering his mournful cry, it forbode a death
in the family ; if the house-dog sat upon his haunches, and crawled to-
wards the door, or across the threshold, it was a sign that a coffin
would shortly be carried out of the home; domestic animals, born
with malformations of any sort, were supposed to prophesy a death ;
the sun-dog, in the margin of broken clouds, meant misfortvnie of some
kind ; the meteoric showers was long believed to be a prophecy of the
judgment ; the jack-o-lantern was an evil spirit ; comets were har-
bingers of war — the comet of 1811, heralded the war of 1812, in the
belief of many intelligent persons ; and that of 1843, the Mexican war,
declared in 1846. Dreams had their interpretations, and it is noticeable
that nearly all the recognized signs presaged some catastrophe — "good
signs " being vastly in the minority. To dream of bees swarming,
was a sign of sickness ; to dream that a swarm ran away, i. e., escaped
hiving, was a sign of financial disaster ; to dream of fire, forboded
anger ; to dream of a snake, meant the existence of an enem}^ ; to dream
of a wedding, presaged a funeral, and so on indefinitely.
The Pioneers olten suffered from a lack ol bread-stufts, especially
in the latter part of the summer and early fall, when the little grist mills
stopped for lack ol water to turn them. Not unusually it became neces-
sary to select a few of the hardest ears of corn from the ungathered crop
to grate into meal before the family could break its fast. This was
necessarih- somewhat tedious, where the family was large — which was
generally the case in pioneer homes. Wild onions were gathered from
the woods to eke out the meal. Spice twigs and sassafras took the
place of Rio and Young Hyson as family beverages. When the stream,
which furnished power, went dr\' ver}^ early, even grated meal was not
to be had, and subsistence depended upon vegetables and game, but
the lack of breadstuffs was sorely felt, though there was no danger of
starvation. When the field corn became hard, the hominy block was
brought into use, to the great relief of all. The hominv block was a
8
^8 MiSfORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
section of a log, three feet long, or rather high, for it was stood on
end, and a conical hole burned into it. This hole or mortar would con-
tain two or three gallons. A pestle was made by fastening an iron
wedge in the end oi' a stout stick or pole. The corn was pounded until
the hull came off and the germ was somewhat broken. The finer part
was for bread and the coarser was boiled — the latter dish being named
"pounded hominy."
Salt was brought from the Scioto and Muskingum Rivers at first,
and a bushel (fifty pounds) .cost five dollars. As late as 1815, it re-
quired twenty-five bushels of wheat to pay for one barrel of salt — this,
too, when flour was worth sixteen dollars per barrel. Coffee was at
one time a dollar and a half, and spices and pepper, one dollar per
pound. Sometimes wheat was not saleable at any price, though the
seller might be willing to take trade for all he had. A farmer, who had
a surplus of wheat, went to Lancaster with a load, and could not dis-
pose of it, even for trade, at a shilling per bushel. He was about to
return home, greatly discouraged, when he was told that he could ob-
tain a sliilling per bushel in cash if he would pour his load into a certain
hole in the middle of- Main street, so that gentlemen could pass over
dry shod.
A man had the last payment on his land made up all but three dol-
lars, which none of his neighbors could lend him. The money would
be due in twenty-four hours, and all he had paid would be forfeited if
he did not make up the full sum. That night his only cow died, and he
hastily removed the hide and rode all night, arriving at Chillicothe in
time to sell it for enough t(3 make the payment in full.
A gentleman, who came to Lancaster, in 1807, subsequently bought
some land in Liberty township, near the present village of Basil. He
lived in harmony with his neighbors for some time, but, suddenly, they
began to let him severely alone, and for a long time the cause of the
coldness remained unexplained. Finally the truth came out. The Lan-
caster merchant had imported some window glass, and Mr. Heyl avail-
ed himself of the opportunity to dispense with the oiled paper windows
he had been using. The two eight by ten glass windows caused his
neighbors to say, that "the Heyl's had stuck themselves up with glass
windows, when they were no better than other people." Verily, pre-
judice and old fogyism are not distinctive features of advanced civil-
ization.
A party of young people were promenading on the summit of Mount
Pleasant many years ago, when one couple, who were very devoted,
each to the other, became separated from the main party. The young
lady, in leaning over the clift' after a flower, lost her balance and fell,
but lodged in the top of a pine tree. Her companion leaped after her,
excitement preventing him from seeing an}^ other way of rescuing her,
and fortunatel}^ lit on the same friendly tree. But they were in a ludic-
rous position, and unable to rescue themselves, though safe from im-
mediate danger. Their companions came to their relief, and both
escaped unharmed. They were married soon after, and have since en-
joyed a large degree of public confidence and private friendship. They
are now grand-parents, and possess the satisfactory consciousness of
having lived useful and honorable lives.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 59
The Methodists were the pioneers in the reHgious history of the
county. Their first class was formed at Real's Hill, in the fall of 1799,
but they were quickl}^ followed by other denominations. Religious ser-
vices were held in cabins and school houses till "meeting houses'' (for
they had no use for '-churches") could be built. In the summer they
walked to "meeting" barefoot, for shoes were hard to obtain. Lads
and lassies, who sustained the delightful relation of lovers, would pair
off into the bushes just before they arrived at the house of worship and,
seated on the same log, put on the shoes and stockings, which had been
carried in the hand. Then, when church was out, the foot coverings
were removed and the church goers plodded home as they had come.
On one occasion the preacher, a magnificent specimen of physical man-
hood, was delivering his discourse in his bare feet, one of which was
placed on the split-bottomed chair, belonging to the pulpit — the only
chair in the house. He became very earnest, and, finally, an emphatic
stamp of his foot sent it through the bottom of the chair. The removal
of the limb was not so easy and several of the pillars of the church
came to his rescue, amid the subdued tittering of the giddy young peo-
ple. The release being accomplished, the preacher cast the chair
violently behind him with the muttered command: "Get thee behind
me, Satan." Men went to meeting in hunting shirts and buckskin
breeches, sometimes with their rifles on their shoulders, to guard against
an attack by Indians ; but they were sincere, honest, and consistent in
their profession. For humanity, good will, honesty and dauntless
energy in temporal and spiritual matters, they are well worthy our
example.
The primitive Methodist camp-meeting deserves notice. The first
camp-meeting ever held in the count}- was about two miles north of the
present West Rushville, on what has since been known as the
Stevenson lands. The meetings were held here for many years, and
though the ground has since been farmed, it is still sometimes called
the "camp-ground." The preachers' stand was built between two
trees, and the preachers' tent was in the rear. Long rows of slab
benches faced the stand, and were backed and flanked with wooden
tents. Back of the wooden tents were the canvas tents, and still farther
to the rear were the canvas-covered wagons. Earth-covered stands were
placed in different parts of the grounds, and large fires built thereon,
giving both light and heat. Religious exercises were held almost hour-
ly, and great unction was manifested in all the means of grace. The
preaching was plain, forcible, and fearless — the clergy being, for the
most part, practical, hard-headed men, and some preached solely for
the love of doing good, receiving no remuneration for their spiritual
labors, and working with their hands, like . their hearers, to satisfy
their physical needs. Good fellowship and consistent Christianit}^
were leading traits of the pioneer Methodist, and all that they did
was with their whole might. The camp-ground assemblage was
called together by a blast of the horn. Everybody, who came, was
heartily welcomed to all the hospitalities of the occasion, both temporal
and spiritual. The meetings were productive of much good, and aid-
ed these struggles in " patiently bearing the yoke, like good soldiers."
The only unpleasant memory, which clusters around the old-fashioned
6o HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
camp-meetings, is that of the rowdy element, which sometimes in-
truded.
No public gathering broke up without more or less horse-swap-
pino-. Very little money changed hands, and the chances for more
or less rough-and-tumble fighting were excellent. The "bump" of
combativeness was frequently aroused by the copper-distilled whiskey
of the time, the sale of which caused numerous taverns to spring up
all along the public roads. The pioneer's copper-distilled whiskey
is claimed to have been pure, but it nevertheless influenced men in
doing some very singular things. A party of men were coming from
a drinking bout at Rushville, in the early days, and each was try-
ing to out-do the rest in some odd pranks. At last the leader jumped
from his horst- and crawled through a muddy culvert, which ran
under the road. There was barely room for his body, and he came
out well plastered with mud, and soaked with muddy water. His
example was followed by the half-dozen other members of the gang,
and they then separated for their homes, proudly conscious of being
on a mutual footing in the pertbrmance of deeds of valor.
The "Tent" is a historic spot in Fairfield county. Its locality
is south of the Lancaster and Rushville turnpike, about two miles
west of Rushville. The circumstances which gave rise to the " Tent "
are substantially as follows : In 1803 some missionaries came from
Kentucky, and began preaching for a few of their denomination ( As-
sociate Reformed Presbj^terians ), who lived in the neighborhood.
There being no meeting house, a tent was erected, and here the people
worshipped for some time. A church has since been built, and it is
now called the United Presbvterian Church. The old settlers still
call this place of worship the "Tent."
The " first " mills, churches, school-houses, still-houses, and other
land-marks, are extinct, and only the pen of the historian can preserve
them from oblivion, with the lessons taught by them and by their found-
ers, the "early pioneer."
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 6l
CHAPTER X.
AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE.
The onl}^ organization having for its object the promotion of agri-
cuhural.in Fairfield county, is that which had its inception during the
year 185 1, and cuhninated in the tbrmation of a regularly constituted
S3'stem for the holding of annual agricultural fairs, on the plan of award-
ing premiums for best specimens and samples of all products of the soil,
including fruits of all varieties, stock of all varieties, methanical arts,
the fine arts, agricultural implements and flowers. The subject had,
however, been incubating more or less for several years. The first
meeting of the societ}" was held in October, 185 1, with John Reeber as
president, and John S. Brazee. as secretary. The time for holding the
annual meetings was fixed by the constitution to be in October, viz :
always beginning on the day succeeding the state election, on the sec-
ond Tuesday of that month, and continuing four days. That rule has
never been changed. During the thirty years of the society, the
general interest has been uniformly on the increase. With the excep-
tion of three or four falls, when foul weather set in during fair week,
the meetings have been largely attended, and in all respects a success
has been attained, seldom equalled by any county in Ohio of equal or
approximating population and general wealth. A large attendance
and competition from abroad are annuall}/ present.
The first fair, in October, 185 1, was held on the grounds, belonging
to John Reeber, situated on the west side of Columbus Street, at the
north end, nearly opposite the reservoir, and within a temporary enclo-
sure. This first fair was a flattering success — greater than its sanguine
prime movers anticipated ; but as no regular system of book-keeping
was begun for several years, no statistics are possible.
In anticipation of the future and growing success of the Fairfield
County Agricultural Society, John Reeber was commissioned by the
board of trustees to purchase suitable and permanent fair grounds. In
pursuance of that trust, in the early part of 1852 he purchased about
fifteen acres of the old farm of Thomas Wright, situated at the base of
Mount Pleasant, and on the west side. The purchase was made on
very advantageous teims to the society, and the work of putting the
grounds in order for the fall meeting was speedily pushed to an early
completion, under the energetic and efficient management of Mr.
Reeber, as president, and in ample time for the October fair. Subse-
quently, a small tract of land, lying immediatel}' on the west of the fair
grounds, and known as the Widner place, was purchased, together with
two or three acres on tlie nortii side, from Mrs. Van Pearce, thus mak-
ing the aggregate of tvVenty-tw'o acres. During the fall — possibly
summer — of 1880, fourteen additional and adjoining acres, on the west.
62 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
were purchased from Henry Orman and the Weakly heirs, making in
all about thirty-six acres, which constitutes the present fair grounds.
The purchase price of the two last named lots, constituting the four-
teen acres, was $7,972. Since this last purchase of ground, the society
has expended, for fencing and grading the same, the sum of $1,588.
An additional sum has also been expended, in filling and leveling up
the " Orman pond," so called, and for the erection of a sheep barn.
A trotting park was constructed on the old grounds, of about one-
third of a mile in circumference. All of the buildings of the society
are large and ample, and very substantially built. They consist of two
very large amphitheatres, facing on the trotting park, and capable of
seating about fifteen hundred persons, each ; an art and agricultui-al
building, two stories, and about one hundred feet in length ; a music
stand, judges' stand, floral hall, refreshment booths, sheds and plat-
forms for exhibiting furniture, and boarding houses, and an unusually
large number of animal stalls and pens. The grounds are amply sup-
plied with wells of pure water, and of easy access.
Since the addition of 1880, of the new grounds, a contract has been
entered into for the construction of an extension to the trotting park, to
the distance of a half-mile track, a part of which is to be raised ground,
at a cost of $3,350. The total cost of erecting the art and agricultural
hall, erected about seven years since, was $3,111.59. The two amphi-
theatres, erected in the same year (1873) was $2,115.57.
In 1874, tl^^ total receipts of the society, from all sources, were $10, -
631.15, showing a deficit of $262.00. There was due the society from
all sources, $262.69, leaving a balance in the treasury of sixty-nine
cents.
Receipts for 1879, fi"^"^ '^ll sources, $8,098.84. Receipts for the
year 1880, from all sources, $8,000.99.
The society pays, annually, liberal premiums, and at present carries
a debt for the purchase of land.
Thirteen years ago, a sj^stemetic course of book-keeping was begun,
from which extracts have been taken. Mr. J. Reeber, who was the'
first president, served in that capacity several years, and, after an inter-
im, was re-elected. The names ot other officers, before the beginning
of the recorded series, cannot now be furnished.
In 1868, when the regular records begin, John S. Brazee was presi-
dent, and John G. Reeves, secretary. Since then the officers have-
been :
Presidents, John Reeber, 1869-71 ; B. W. Carlisle, 1871-72; A. J.
Musser, 1872-74; J. C. Kinkead, 1874-76; Thomas H. Busby, 1876-
79; Isaac Claypool, ig76-8o; A. B. Gillet, 1880-81.
Secretaries, John G. Reeves, 1869-75 5 William Davidson, 1875-81.
Treasurers, John C. Weaver, 1869-72; William Noble, 1872-1876;
S.J. Wolfe, 1876-81.
The subjoining agricultural statistics, of the county, for 1878, will
show not only the staple products, but the wealth of the farming popu-
lation. This year ma}^ be accepted as about an average agricultural
one, of the twenty-eight preceeding years, excepting corn and wheat,
which are both for this vear in excess, something, of the average. The
total number of bushels of wheat, as well as the average to the acre.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 6^
vvill be found to be a little above that of any year since 1874. ^^^^^ ^^^^
report makes manifest the status of Fairfield among the other counties
in Ohio. The figures may var}^ a little from absolute correctness, they
being the returns of the township assessors.
Wheat: — Crop for 1878, 40,849 acres; 624,707 bushels. Buck-
wheat 49 acres ; 479 bushels. Rye, 634 acres, 8,056 bushels. Oats,
6,237 acres; 158,368 bushels. Barley, 488 acres; 18,471 bushels.
Corn, 55,080 acres, 2,274,639 bushels. Timothy, 12,999 acres. Tons
of hay, 18,410. Clover, 5,787 acres; tons of hay, 5,657; bushels of
seed, 7,454. Acres plowed under for manure, 261. Flax, 2 acres ;
bushels of seed, 25. Potatoes, 1,426 acres; bushels, 104,491. Sweet
Potatoes, 95 acres ; 6,857 bushels. Tobacco, 8 acres, 1,604 pounds.
Sorghum, 175 acres, 17,075 gallons of molasses. Maple Sugar 2,645
pounds of sugar, 4,217 gallons of molasses. Bees, 3,871 hives; 45,394
pounds of honey.
Taxable land in Fairfield county, 133,331 acres; pasture, 78,847
acres ; wood lands, 52,307 acres ; uncultivated waste lands, 5,712 acres.
Total number of acres in the county, 270,197.
Domestic animals, — Below is a statement of the number and value
ol horses, cattle and mules, in Fairfield county, in the year 1879, ^^
shown by the assessors returns.
Number of horses, 9,853 : total value, $524,835. Number of cattle,
23,693; total value, $433,487. Number of mules, 168; total value,
$9'595- ^ . . ,
Number and value of sheep, hogs and dogs in the county m 1879:
Sheep, 28, 892 ; total value, $62,162. Hogs, 42,962; total value, $125,-
278. Dogs, 4,263 ; total value, $1,764.
Wool product, sheep killed by dogs, and the amounts paid for them
by the county in the year 1878: Total amount of wool shorn, 98,469
pounds. Number of sheep killed by dogs, 362; value paid, $1,138.
Number or sheep injured by dogs, 279 ; damage paid, $349.00. Ag-
gregate amount paid by the county for injury to sheep, including the
killed, $1,487.
Domestic animals died from disease in the county in 1878: Num-
ber of hogs, 4,143 ; total value, $12,475. Number of sheep, 548: total
value, $1,432. Number of cattle died, 220; total value, $4,799. Num-
berof horses died, 104; total value, $6,511.
Horticultural. — Grape culture in this county, as a specialty, be*
gan in i860, with great earnestness, amounting during several years to
almost a furor. The chief excitement was within a radius of a few
miles around Lancaster, and the vineyards were on the hill sides and
high lands, generally. Charles Dunbar first planted a vineyard on a
large scale, on his farm, three miles south of Lancaster, on the State
Farm road. He was soon followed by others, including F. J. Boving,
J. C. Kinkead, John S. Sn3^der, John A. Fetters, Mr. Moury, the
State Fai*m, and many others on smaller scales, until the maximum of
the excitement had been reached, when the grape average of the
county exceeded three hundred acres.
The principal varieties were the Isabell, Concord, Catawba and Ives
Seedling. For a number of years the growers were very sanguine ;
grapes were produced in large quantities, and found a read}'^ market
64 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
at remunerative prices. The idea of a wine company was projected,
and matured. A wine house was erected, with two stories under ground,
large preparations were made, and large quantities of wine manufac-
tured under the supervision of John S. Snyder, The wine did not at
tirst find a market to satisfy the majority of the stockholders, the en-
thusiasm began to decline, and many of the stockholders sold out,
probably at sacritices, vmtil at last Mr. Snyder became the sole owner
of the wine establishment, which he is still running with energy and
probable success.
Of all the varieties, the Catawba was most relied upon for wine.
Next, the Ives Seedling. The Catawba was found at last to fail on ac-
count of the rot, some years amounting to very little. With its tailure,
the discouragement began, and increased until man}' abandoned the
business, and changed their lands to other uses. The summer of 1881,
the number of acres in grapes within the entire county does not per-
haps exceed twenty. Mr. Snyder and the State farm are now the prin-
cipal growers. Of all the varieties planted in the county, the Ives Seed-
ling has proved the most invulnerable against the rot, and is at this
time about the sole reliance. The Concord has done well, but it is
chiefly valuable as a table grape.
Mr. Boving, who has given the grape culture careful and practical
attention from the start, says that at the time of the greatest prosperity
of the vineyards in the county, 2,000 pounds to the acre was an avei'age
crop ; equal to 200 gallons of wine. He says, also, that the grape bus-
iness, with reference to wine making, has been a failure in the county,
as money enough has not been realized on sales to reimburse the plant-
ing and other incidental expenses of the business.
It was with special reference to the culture of the vine, and the straw-
beny, that a Horticultural Society was organized in 1865, but since the
partial failure of the grape, and the assured success of the strawberry,
the society at lirst relaxed, and then ceased to meet, and may now be
said to have no existence.
The Strawberry. — The cultivation of the strawberry for the mar-
ket began to receive special attention about co-equal with the grape,
in this county, generally in the vicinity of Lancaster, and on the Reform
Farm. John Gravit and a Mr. Hill were the first to appear in the mar-
ket, with any considerable quantit3% Their culture rapidly increased,
and soon arrived at the point of shipping to outside markets. The Re-
form Farm alone, at one time, reached the capacity of more than a
thousand bushels, largely shipped to distant markets. This was some
years ago, and during the superintendency of George E. Howe, acting
commissioner. It seems that they have given their culture less atten-
tion since. At this time the farm is said to contain not exceeding three
acres of strawberry plants, in a less cultivated condition.
The chief varieties of the strawberries planted in the count}', as fur-
nished to the compiler by John A. Fetters, are the Wilson, Albany,
Kentucky, Green, Prolific and Forest Rose. Mr. Fetters, who is the
proprietor of the latter, and who is sometimes spoken of as the straw-
berry king, says of it, "The Forest Rose has now about superceded
all other kinds on my plantation. I have furnished Forest Rose plants,
that are now growing in every State and Territory in the Union, giving
HISTORY OF p-AiRFIELb COUNTY. 65
general satisfaction. The}- have been sold by luindrecls of thousands,
so rapid has been the increase of the plant My sales of berries in the
home market, have been about twent^-hve bushels per day, besides
shipping to Columbus, Cincinnati, Butialo, New York and Boston.
My average product to the acre has been about $300. worth.
The history of the Forest Rose is a little remarkable. In 1871, Mr.
Fetters discovered a stray plant among his grape vines, which he took
to be a Wilson Seedling, or perhaps an i\lbany or Russell. It was a
vigorous plant, and he removed it to a bed and cultivated it, to see w^iat
it might be. As the runners of the plant developed, they were set in a
bed of four rows, each row about four rods in length. During the past
fewv3^ears he has continued to draw^ runners for his plantation, and to
pick fruit from the old bed, for the market, at the rate of a bushel each
picking. He chose a name for this new berry from the romance of
"Forest Rose," written some thirty years ago, by Emerson Bennet,
and because his plantation is within half a mile of Mount Pleasant,
where the principal scene is laid.
Professor E. B. Andrews, State Geologist, of Ohio, wrote as fol-
lows :
"I visited the grounds of Mr. Fetters this year to see his Forest
Rose strawberry. I never before saw vines loaded with such a wealth
of berries ; and the}- eclipse those of several other varieties, such as the
Wilson, iVlbany, Charles Downing, Russell, Colonel Cheney, grown in
the same soil, side by side, receiving the same treatment. In brief, in
flavor, size and firmness, in bountiful bearing, in vigor and hardiness of
vines. Forest Rose promises to be a strawberr}- of great merit."
Dr. A. Warden, President of the Ohio State Horticultural Society,
makes use of the following language, in his report, concerning the
Forest Rose :
"This new berry promises indeed to be a great acquisition to our
stock of varieties. Here we have elegance of form, brilliancy of color,
greater size, and firmness to bear transportation, all combined with
table qualities of a higher order, than in the Wilson or Albany, which it
surpasses even in field culture.
Mr. Fetters furnished the Forest Rose plants, that have contributed
so largely to the popularity of the establishment of the celebrated horti-
cultural, berry and fruit gardens, of Leo Weltz, at Wilmington, Ohio.
The acreage of the principal growers of the county, for the summer
of 1881, is ; Fetters, 6 ; Boving, 3 ; Stalter, 2 ; Clark, 4 ; Schory, 2 ;
Snyder, 3 and State Farm, 3 acres, besides a great man}^ of less
ground.
There is probably no county in Ohio that equals Fairfield in the pro-
duction of strawberries, either in quantity or quality. Besides the
home market, which is large, immense quantities are annually shipped
away.
Other berries are cultivated with an annually increasing attention,
and are already liberally supplied in the markets, such as the different
varieties of the raspberry, especially the black, which seems to be the
most hardy. The common blackberry seems also to be greatly improv-
ed by cultivation.
Fairfield county is probably below the average of the old counties of
66 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
the State for apples. It is below what it was forty years ago. The
old orchards are failing, and the new ones are not doing as well as those
of more northern counties. It is probable that the apple culture has
ceased to be a specialty.
Peaches have received better attention, though a good crop once in
five years, is about all that is realized. The largest proportion of the
peach trees of the county are of the cultivated kind. There are also
mau}^ seedling orchards, which seem to stand the frost better than the
budded trees, and, on the average, perhaps, produce more trequently
than the cultivated trees.
Plums and quinces are ordinarily in good suppl}', and seldom fail,
especially the Damson plum.
Pears are neither very abundant in the county, nor of ver^- good
quality. Very little attention is given ^o their culture.
Horticultural Society. — A Horticultural Society was first organ-
ized in Lancaster, in 1865, whose members were distributed over the
county. Its title was, "The Hocking Valley Horticultural Society."
The object set forth in the preamble, was that of the promotion of gar-
dening, floral and horticultural interest, upon improved systems. It con-
stituent members were leading men in gardening and general agricul-
tural pursuits, grape culture, &c. The call for the initial meeting,
which was held on the 26th day of Januar}^ 1865, was signed b}- the
following gentlemen :
John A. Fetters, F. J. Boving, Charles Dunbar, John C. Rainey, J.
C. Kinkead, Ambrose Bender, John D. Martin, John Gravit. H. V.
Weakley, John S. Snyder, S. A. Griswold and John D. Clark.
The officers of the first permanent organization were as follows :
Joseph C. Kinhead, president; R. J. Black and F. J. Boving, vice
Presidents; John D. Martin, Treasurer; JohnC. Weaver, Librarian;
JohnC. McCracken, Recording Secretary.
Members.— M. A. Daugherty, H. V. Weakley, J. C. McCracken,
James Scott, John Gravit, Thomas H. White, P. B. Ewing, J. A. Fet-
ters, R. J. Blaek, S. A. Griswold, J. D. Martin, Robert Work, R. J.
Peters, C. Pairan, C. Speelman, Thomas M. Young, Emanuel Fetters,
B. F. Reinmond, Martin Lundis, D, Talmadge, J. W. Lewis, E. O.
Edwards, Robert Black, C. M. L. Wiseman, Daniel Ward, T. Broom-
field, M. Effinger, J. C. Kinkead, Henry Borchers, C. F. Garaghty,
F. J. Boving, John C. Rainey, John S. Snyder, John D. Clark, David
Stalter, John Rhodes, J. C. Weaver, A. Dennis, E. E. Meason, J.
R. Mumaugh, Kinnis Fritter, Samuel Barr, Salem Wolfe, John Artz,
L. H. Olds, J. T. Busby, R. H. Hooker, George Kauftman, Chas.
F. Schaefter, Daniel Ream, Jacob Moyer, G. A. Mithofi; John B. M.
Neill, William Van Hyde.
During the first twelve years, ten of the original members died, viz.,
H. V. Weakley. John C. McCracken, Emanuel Fetters, E. V. Ed-
wards, Henry Borchers, John C. Rainey, J. C. Weaver, E. E.
Meason, Salem Wolfe and Daniel Ream.
The special purposes for which the society was organized, hav-
ing been materialy accomplished, their meetings were discontinued.
Patrons of Husbandry. — The Order of Patrons of Husbandry,
or "Grangers," was instituted at Washington, D. C, in July, 1867,
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 67
with William Saunders, Master, and O. H. Kelley, Secretary. The
local organizations are called " Granges." The first grange organized
in Ohio was in Februar}-, 1871, and the first in Fairfield covmty, in July,
1873. The growth of the order in Ohio was as Ibllows: In 1871, one
grange was established; in 1872, 7; in 1873. 315; in 1874, 779 5 ^^
1875, 128; in 1876, 62. The first officers were: Master, S. H. Ellis;
Secretary', W. S. Miller. The members of the executive committee
were: J. H. Brigham, chairman; J. P. Schenk, O. C. Cummings, A.
R. Keller, N. H. Albraugh, H. McDowel, H. C. Ellis, and W. W.
Miller. Nineteen granges were organized in Fairfield county, namely .
Rush Creek, No, 67, at Bremen, July, 1873 ; Bloom, No. 397 : Pleas-
ant, No. 675 ; Violet, No. 683 ; Greenfield, No. 725 ; Hocking, No,
706 ; Union, No. 762 ; Cedar Hill, No. 763 ; Amanda, No. 815 ; Stouts-
ville. No. 917 ; Harvey, No. 930; Walnut, No. 931 ; Berne, No. 959;
Summit, No. 1038; Fairfield, No. 1148; Liberty, No. 929; New
Salem, No. 971 ; Richland, No. 838; Clear Creek, No. loii. Num-
bers 706 and 725 were afterwards consolidated ; likewise 838 and 1 148.
Pleasant, Greenfield, Cedar Hill, New Salem, and Fairfield granges
either built or purchased suitable halls. The largest membership, at-
tained by the order in Fairfield county, was 1200, and it began to de-
cline in 1876. At present but few of the local granges hold regular
meetings. Mr. A. R. Keller, of Fairfield, a member of the executive
committee, said, in 1876: "The excitement of organization carried
man}^ into the order, who were influenced by purely selfish motives, and
w^ho expected to grow rich without elibrt. Some of this class have
expressed dissatisfaction, and have been dropped from the rolls of
their respective granges. But the order is in a much better condition
than ever before, a majority of the most enterprising farmers having be-
come identified with it."
68 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY,
CHAPTER XI.
I^UBLIC HIGHWAYS.
Two canals (Ohio and Hocking) pass through the central part of
Fairtield county. The Ohio canal traverses its surface a distance of
nearh' thirty miles. It enters the county through Winchester, in the
southwest C(jrner of Violet township, through section thirty-two ; it then
assumes a southeast coiu'se, passing the northern border of the village
of Carroll, in Greenfield township. It then runs east, across the south-
east corner of Liberty township, passing the villages Basil and Balti-
more, entering Walnut township, turns north, and passes out of the
county through section twent3'-two.
The Hocking canal opens into the Ohio canal at Carroll. From
this point it runs southeast, entering Hocking Valley near Hocker's
Station, four miles above Lancaster. Passing Lancaster on its western
border, and entering Berne township, continuing a southeast direction,
it passes out of the county south of Sugar Grove, through section ten,
Berne township, seventeen and one-half miles from Carroll. It then
runs via Logan, Nelsonville, and Chauncey, to Athens, fifty-three miles
from Carroll.
Slack water navigation in Ohio, in the form of inland lock canals,
was first mentioned in the Legislature of 1821, under a proposition, con-
templating the connection of Lake Erie with the Ohio River, on the
lock and dam principle. This was introduced with that of a proposed
school law, and the changing of the mode of public taxation, to be more
equitable, the measures all being popular with the public at large, were
no sooner promulgated, than they began to receive the popular approval
of the people. The Act, previously passed in regard to canals, had not
taken effect. A few private individuals had been interested iu the mat-
ter, with a view of obtaining a charter, for a company to construct a
canal. For the want of popular favor they failed in that scheme. In
1821, being introduced, as it was, with the school and taxation project, it
at once became a dominant theme. M. C. Williams, of Cincinnati, was
that year a member of the Lower House, of the General Assembly, from
Hamilton county. After the meeting of the Legislature in December,
Mr. Williams began the discussion of the subject of a canal, with vari-
ous members, and presented his resolution on the sixth of that month.
This provided for the appointment of a committee of five members,
whose dut}^ it was to discuss that part of the Governor's message relat-
ing to the subject — canals. The resolution was approved and passed,
the lollowing gentlemen being appointed to act as. a committee : Messrs.
Williams, Howe, Worthington, Moore and Shelby.
Immediately after the passing of this resolution, Caleb Atwater, of
Pickaway county, presented a resolution, calling for the appointment of
five, to report on schools and school lands. The resolution offered in
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 69
regard to taxation was next introduced and adopted, so with the aid oi
these two the canal question was settled.
Mr, Williams was the leading spirit of the committee, encountering
many difficulties in the prosecution of their work, although adhering to
it with prudence, discretion, and perseverence. January 3, 1822, they
presented their report to the house, in elaborate form. This embodied
a recommendation for the passage of a law. authorizing an examination
into the practicability of connecting Lake Erie with the Ohio Riyer by
canal, at the same time introducing a bill, embodying the recommenda-
tion of the report.
The bill passed the House at its third reading, January 21, 1822, al-
though bitterly opposed for a time. In the Senate it became 'a law on
the 31st ot January. The resolution for the appointment of seyen school
commissioners passed the Senate, and both messages were carried to-
gether to the House. Both originated in the House of Representatiyes
December 5, 1821. and both became laws January 31, 1822.
Soon after the enactment of the canal law, commissioners were ap-
pointed to take charge of special duties ; first, the employment of an
engineer to examine the location of the country lying between the two
points. Lake Erie, on the north, and Ohio Riyer on the south. Mr.
James Geddes, of New York, was emplo3'ed to ferret out the most
eligible route, and report the same at an early day. He first examined
the route to Columbus, yia Cu3-ahoga Summit, arriying in Columbus in
June, 1822. During the su^mmer and fall he trayeled a distance of nine
hundred miles.
Samuel Forrer was one of the interested parties at home, trayeling
about eight hundred miles. All this preliminary examination was
completed in eight months, showing the energy with which this work
was received.
The commissioners took active interest, spending a large share of
their time in the service, taking notes of the difterent proposed routes,
in the years 1823, '24, '25.
At last it was decided to locate the starting point at the mouth of
the Cuyahoga River at Lake Erie, entering the Ohio at the mouth of the
Scioto.
The same year a canal was located between Cincinnati and Day-
ton.
While the above work was in progress, a board of canal commis-
sioners had been created by law, and a stock company organized. A
sufficient amount of money, to carry on the work of excavating on the
respective canals, for one year, was borrowed of New York capitalists.
David S. Bates, of Rochester, New York, was appointed chief en-
gineer of Ohio canals, with the necessary number of assistants. The
following notice is from an old copy of the Lancaster Gazette:
" Canal Celebration — Washington Volunteers, Attend.
" You are hereby ordered to parade in front of ' Reed's Tavern,' at
Monticello, on the Fourth of July, 1827, at nine o'clock, for the purpose
of saluting the canal boat " Hebron," which will be the first to run on
the Ohio canal. By order of the Captain.
"Jacob Bope, O. S."
70 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
Hocking Canal. — The following response of Senator Carlisle to a
toast, "The Hocking Canal," given on the occasion of the anniversary
of the Hocking Sentinel, at Logan, April 26th 1877, gives a complete
history of the canal : "In response to the subject assigned us, we beg
to be indulged, while we review in abstract, and briefly, the history and
reminiscences, of the Hocking Canal. Its history, though brief, and
to some probably monotonous and uninteresting, is fraught with facts,
important, and will be remembered by the pioneers of the Hockhocking.
We call upon you friends, who have lived for tw^o and a half or three
score years, in this beautiful valley of milk and honey, to return w^ith
us on the wnngs. of memorv and hear again the shouts of joy echo
throughout the length and breadth of this valley, as we heard them in
the earliest days of our settlement.
"The first part of the Hocking Canal was built by the Lancaster Lat-
teral Canal Company from there to Curroll, there forming a junction
with the Ohio Canal. The Lancaster Latteral Canal was put under
contract in 1832, by Samuel F. McCracken, Jacob Green, Elnathan
Schofield, Benjamin Connell and others, with Frederick A. Foster as
secretary. This piece of canal, known at that time as the Lancaster
side cut, was completed, and the first boats towed into Lancaster on
the Fourth of July, 1836, amidst the booming of cannons, beating of
drums, and the waving to the breeze of flags and banners, and being
witnessed b}^ some ten thousand of Fairfield's yeomanry, who were as-
sembled at the Cold Spring Hill, near Lancaster, where there was a
roasted ox and a free dinner served, after which the Greens, Bill
Furguson and others indulged in the popular exercise of fisticufls.
"Up to this period our farmers usually got from 25 to 40 cents for
their wdieat ; but many of them became rich from prices received for
their surplus products afterwards. Lancaster w^as then one of the large
commercial cities of the country/, getting all the grain from most parts
of the county, as well as from parts of Perry, Hocking and Pickaway
counties. There were nine dry goods stores, all doing a good busi-
ness.
"In March 1838, an act was passed b}- the Legislature of the State,
authorizing the then Commissioners to purchase the side cut from its
owners. April 6, 1838, a committee was appointed to confer with the
Lancaster company and negotiate terms ; and December 22 1838, a
contract was matured for the same, at a cost of $61,241.04.
"The Hocking Canal was projected and put under contract by the
board of public works in 1836, that board having just been made to
substitute the canal commissioners of the State. Sixteen and one half
miles, being from Lancaster to Bowner's lock, was put under contract
in 1837, '^"d to be completed in 1839; '^^^^ ^^^'^^ portion from Bowner's
lock to Nelsonville, being sixteen and one-half miles, w^as put under
contract in 1837, to be completed in 1839, ^"^ '^^''^^ "*^t completed until
1840. In September of this vear, the first boats loaded with coal, came
out of the Hocking Valle}', and served as a curiosity to most of the
upper valley citizens, who had never seen stone coal. In 1841 the canal
was completed to Monday Creek, being forty-four miles from Carroll ;
and from Monda}^ Creek to Athens, completed, and boats running
through in 1841.
HISTORY OP" FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 7I
"The Hocking Canal cost has 31 locks, 8 dams, 34 culverts, and one
aqueduct of 80 feet span.
"The total cost of construction of this canal, was $947,670.65.
"To the opening of this canal, Lancaster, Logan, Nelsonville and
Athens, owed their principal prosperit}^ in affording an opening for the
importation of goods and the exportation of grain, pork, lumber, salt,
and various minerals of the Hocking Valley- Hemmed in as you were
by towering hills, your agricultural wealth undeveloped, your
mineral wealth unknown, to the Hocking Canal vou owe your intro-
duction, to the world without. Through the medium of the canal, a
market was brought near. The latent wealth of your hills was then
developed, and the beautiful hills of Hockhocking became the hub of
the mineral wealth of Ohio.
"By the introduction of this old water horse (the canal), the long
hidden treasures of mineral wealth ol this valley, were brought into
notice, and general use ; manufactories built up in all the contiguous
towns and territories ; this affording employment to a large and needy
class of mechanics ; and the employment of an equal number of labor-
ers, in penetrating the bowels of the earth for fuel, the employment of
horses, boats, and men, to ship the tuel all along the lines of our
canals, enriching many of the citizens of the valley.
"Allow me to say in conclusion, that, although the iron horse moves
majestically along the valley, bearing the greater share of your trade,
yet the old boat-horse still lives, and possesses a large amount of vital-
ity, and is therefore not as 3^et read}- to be turned out to die, as some
would have him. And if any animated object were capable of waking
in the human breast, sentiments .of gratitude and esteem, these the
citizens of the Hocking valley owe to the canal."'
Turnpike Roads. — Fairfield county has eight turnpike roads, all
being gravel road beds with the exception of the Maysville and Zanes-
ville roads, these two being originally made of broken lime stone, and
completed between the years 1837-42. A joint stock road with toll
gates was also made at this time. This road was made substantially,
and during the forty-three 3'ears it has been in use, but little re-
pairing has been required. It enters the county from the west, crossing
the south line of the Clear Creek township, and the southeast corner
of Amanda township, thence east through Hocking township, forming
the Main street of Lancaster. From Lancaster east, it deflects a little to
the north, crossing Berne, Pleasant, Richland, and Rushville town-
ships ; it then enters Perry county.
The Lancaster and New Salem road is twelve miles long, and con-
sidered the best in the county. All the gravel roads were built under
the provision of legislative enactment, providing a pro-rata taxation on
land, lying within two miles of the road bed, on both sides, the per
cent diminishing as the distance of the land tVom the road increased.
The cost of this road to commissioner Fink of Pleasant township
was six hundred dollars. The act, however, provided that tax payers
might at their option, form joint stock companies, and erect toll-gates.
Some did so, while others made their road free.
The Cedar Hill pike intersects the Maysville and Zanesville road,
half a mile west of Lancaster, passes through Amanda township one
7i kl^TORV OF FAIRt'IELD COUlSfTY.
mile south of Royalton, to Cedar Hill ; thence to the Pickaway county
line ; it is smooth, substantial and free of toll-gates.
The Baltimore and Kirkersville road, commencing at the north-
west corner of Lancaster, continues in a northern direction through
Dumontsville to Baltimore, eight miles ; thence nortlieast through
Liberty and Walnut townships, into Licking county. A toll-road, at
first, by a subsequent act of the Legislature, it was made free.
The Amanda road, the shortest in the county, starts from a point on
the Mavsville and Zanesville pike, nearly a mile east of x\manda,
forming its Main street, and continues a distance of six miles, to the
Pickaway county line.
The Lancaster and Lithopolis pike commences at Main street, in
Lancaster, and from Columbus street enters Greenfield township ;
thence past Hooker Station, on through the villages of Greencastle and
Lithopolis, in Bloom township ; thence to the Franklin county line.
In 1881 this road was finished only to a point west of Lith.opolis. The
Lancaster and Carrol road connects with the Lithopolis road at the
canal bridge, near Hooker's Station, and running parallel with the
Hocking Canal, to Carroll, enters Bloom township, passing througli
Jefierson to Canal Winchester, there terminates.
A free road is to be graded from Lancaster to the State Farm, a
distance of six miles. Already two miles of that distance has been
graded.
Seven of the last roads mentioned, were constructed on the same
legal and financial plan, in about three years' time, and have con-
tributed largely to the convenience of the public.
Railroads. — Within the limits of Fairfield county, there are seventy-
eight miles of main track railway, and ten miles side track ; making a
total of eighty-eight miles. The total valuation for taxation for
the year 1880, was $824,704. In this summary three roads are com-
prised.
First, the Cincinnati, Wilmington and Zanesville, being the first in
the county. It was chartered by the Legislature on February 4th, 185 1,
soon after the work was put under contract west of Lancaster, and
soon completed. The western termipiation of the road being its con-
nection with the Little Miami road, at Morrowtown, in Warren county,
and in 1853 cars were running into Lancaster from the west. Its east-
ern termination was at Zanesville, in Muskingum county. It had a
mileage of twenty-eight and fift3^-two one hundreth miles. Appraised
at $411,280. In 1856 the road was completed, and regular trains run-
ning between Morrowtown and Zanesville, thus opening communica-
tion between Cincinnati and all eastern seaboards, by connecting at
Zanesville with the original Central Ohio Railroad.
To the capital stock of this road, the citizens of the county con-
tributed liberall3^ The commissioners of the county, as provided for
in the act of incorporation, subscribed $250,000, for the payment of
which, bonds were issued bearing seven per cent. The company, ne-
gotiating them in the markets at favorable rates, similar rates were sub-
jected to the market, and sold by all the counties through which the
road passed. In this way sufficient funds were raised to complete the
road, including bridges, tunnels, ties, and the principal part of the
HISTORY or FAIRFIELD COUNTV* 73
iron. The road remained, however, to be completed, by the required
stock having acquired a substantial value of hrst, second and third
mortgages; bonds were issued and sold, and with the help of an in-
come, loans were secured with these for securit}^
After three or four years of experience, the road found it had too
heavy a debt to contend with. The interest on the bonds, and the
running expenses ot the road, exceeded the earnings. The stock be-
gan to decline in the market. An effort was made by the capitalists to
save the road, by contracting the price of the shares from fifty to fif-
teen dollars, but the first mortgage bonds became due, a fore-closure
took place, the road was sold, and the name changed to that of the
Cincinnati and Muskingum Valley ; having since changed hands, it is
now the Muskingum division of the Pittsburg, Cincinnat and St. Louis
Railroad.
The county bonds and interests, together with the entire amount of
the individual stock, was a total loss. The stockholders' loss was equal
to that of the county. The first mortgage bonds were probably liqui-
dated by the sale of the road. The second, third, and income bonds
were valueless.
The route of the road through the count}- is as follows : Entering
Irom the \vest, through section nineteen, of Clear Creek township ;
passes through this township in a northeast direction, crossing the north-
west corner. It passes near Amanda, in Amanda township, entering
Hocking township, still pursuing a northeast direction to Lancaster;
from there east, through the northern part of Berne township, entering
next. Rush Creek township ; after passing Bremen, its course is north-
east, through section twelve, of Rush Creek township, here entering
the adjoining county.
The Hocking Valley Railroad has a mileage in Fairfield county
of twenty-three and fifty-three one hundredth miles, main track, and
five miles side track, making an aggregate of twenty-nine miles. It
was placed on the county duplicate for taxation, in the year 1880, at a
value of $205,364. This road was first chartered in 1864, under the
title of "Mineral Point Railroad Company," and was to extend from
Columbus to Athens, a distance of seventy-four miles. In June, 1867,
the name of the road was changed by the court of common pleas,
of Franklin county, to that of the Columbus and Hocking Valley R.
R., its present title.
The charter provided, that as soon as the company should reach the
point of a specified stock, and expended this amount in making the
road-bed, it should be authorized to issue one and one-half million dol-
lars worth of bonds, secured by mortgage on the road, these to be sold
in the market, and the proceeds to be applied to the further completion
of the road. The required amount of stock was soon taken, and the
bed of the road constructed without delay ; whereupon the bonds were
issued and sold on favorable terms to the company. Within one year
from the commencement of this road, cars were running between Col-
umbus and Lancaster. In 1868, four years after the granting of the
charter, the road was completed, and daily trains run from Columbus
to Athens.
For the construction of the Hocking Valley road, the authorities of
10
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 75
Jjancaster i^su'ed to the. company of the road, twenty thousand dollars
of seven per cent, bonds, to enable the purchase of the right of way
through the city. This, an act on the part of the city council, unauth-
orized by law, caused much dissatisfaction, at first, among the tax-
payers. Many declared their determination to resist the payment of
the levy, but. at length, acquiescence was accorded, and the bonds and
interest paid.
This road has proved to be one of the wealthiest in the State, chiefly
on account of the extensive transportation of coal out of the lower
valley.
The stock of the road has always been above par, paying an an-
nual dividend of eight per cent., at times exceeding that, as well as
carrying a large surplus fund. Their bonds, a million and a half in
number, are at a premium in the market.
The transportation of coal, in prosperous times, has been twenty
trains, each containing thirty loaded cars, these passing Lancaster
every twenty-four hours.
The Muskingum and Hocking Valley have a joint depot at the
south terminus of Broadway. The tracks cross the canal within
twenty leet of each other, one hundred and fifty yards west of the
depot.
The Hocking Valley enters the count v from the northwest, at Win-
chester, through section twenty-nine, of Violet township, and bearing
a little south of east to section thirty-six, takes a southeast course
across the northeast corner of Bloom township, entering Greenfield
township a short distance above the village of Carroll ; thence in the
same direction to Lancaster, where it takes a southern course, following
the Hocking Valley, passing into Hocking county through section ten,
of Berne township, one mile south of Sugar Grove.
The Hocking Valley has five stations in Fairfield county, viz. : Lock-
ville, Carroll, Hooker's, Lancaster and Sugar Grove. The five sta-
tions on the Muskingum Valley are, Stoutsville, Amanda, Lancaster,
Berne and Bremen. Both roads have six passenger trains daiW, three
each way.
The Central Ohio Railroad was originally projected from
Toledo, on the Maumee, to Pomero}' on the Ohio, being designed for a
mineral road to run into the coal fields of southern Ohio. It was first
chartered as the " Atlantic and Lake Erie." For nine years it strug-
gled through difiiculties, when funds were plenty, the work was con-
tinued with energy, until the ground work of the northern division was
well adyanced. During this time Gen. Thom^as Ewing, of Lancaster,
was president of the compan}^
At last the road became so involved in debt that it had to be sold,
but not until the company had endeavored to involve the stockholders,
by bringing suit against them for more than the amount subscribed by
them. Suit was entered in the court of common pleas, of Fairfield
county, to inforce the pavment of this, but the stockholders resisted,
and, pending the suit, an accommodation sale of the road was effected,
and the suit was withdrawn.
When the road passed into new hands, the name was changed to
Central Ohio, and at once completed from Columbus to Corning, in
y6 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
the Southern p?irt of Perry county, a distance of sixty-five mile^;- Irt
the early part of the summer of 1880, trains were run through. That
part running into Cokimbus is a branch, leaving the main track at
Bush's Station, in Walnut township. The southern terminus of the
road, at present, is at Corning, with a branch extending to Shawnee,
seven miles to the west. On the northern end of the main line, cars
run through to Fostoria, (Hancock count^s) in 1880, or beginning of
the year 1881. The Central Ohio enters Fairfield county from the
north, through section twenty-two, of Walnut township, and receives
the Columbus branch at Bvish's Station ; here the route turns southeast,
to Pleasantville, in the northern part of Pleasant township, from here
into Richland township, where its course changes to due south, to
Rushville, passing between the two villages into Rush Creek township.
At Bremen it runs on the track of the Cincinnati and Muskingum
Vallev road to New Lexington. The Columbus branch has six stations
in Fairfield countv, viz. : Pickering, Basil, Bush's, Pleasantville, Rush-
ville and Bremen. The mileage of this road, in the county, is twenty-
nine and six one hundredths ; the appraisement being $208,030, taxa-
tion.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 77
CHAPTER XII.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
Court Houses. — Fairfield county's first court house was built in
1806, and occupied in 1807. Four years had elapsed since the first
court of common pleas had convened in the county, during which the
courts were held in log cabins. The new temple of justice was a tw^o-sto-
ry brick, and stood in the center of Broadway, on the north side of Main
street. It was one of the first structures of the kind then complete in
the state. The brick were made by Sosthenus McCabe — it is said at
$2.50 per thovisand.
In the first story was the court room, the seats being arranged in
amphitheatre tbrm. In the second story were tw^o jury rooms, reached
by a flight of winding stairs. The roof was conical, and "hipped,"
and surmounted by a balcon^^ and steeple. A fine bell hung in the bal-
con}^ The building w^as used for nearly sixty years, and was con-
demned by the county commissioners, in 1864, on account of its sup-
posed dampness, the floor resting near the ground. Soon after the
war, it was torn down, and the fears of dampness proved unfounded,
by the remarkable dryness of the floor-lumbers. For the three years
between the demolition of this venerable edifice, and the completion of
its successor, the commissioners rented the basement of the German
Reformed Church, on Chestnut street, for the sitting of the courts. At
a very early dav, a two-story brick was built on the south side of Main
street, and in the southeast part of the public square. This building
contained four rooms, and was used by the county officers for several
years. It was called, for political reasons, probably, the "Red Lodge,"
though the exact origin of this sobriquet is not now known. The post-
office was kept in the lower stoiT, for a time. After the removal of
the county offices, and also a small book store, the Fairfield Telegraph
newspaper was published in the upper story, lor about three years, in
connection with the telegraph office. After the removal of Judge Irwin
to his farm, south of town, the county commissioners purchased his
large brick dwelling, on the north side of the square, and devoted
it to county uses. This arrangement was in effect between 1843 and
1850. Soon after the purchase of the property, a stone vault was built
on the premises, in conformity wath a statute providing, for the safe cus-
tody of the books and funds of county treasurers. In this place the
offices were continued until the completion of the new court house, in
187 1. The Irwin house, known for more than twenty years, as the
" county building," was used as a high school, for some time after its
vacation by the county officials, and finally sold by the count}-, for five
thousand dollars.
The new court house was completed in 187 1, about four years from
78 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
the time the ground was first broken for the foundation. Im-
mediately after the condemnation of the old court house, the count}-
commissioners began to move in the matter of erecting a suitable court
house, large enough to contain all the county officers. The choice of a
site was a matter of some difficulty, and, while pending, occasioned
much discussion. The northeast corner of Main and High streets was
finally decided to be the most eligible site, and the ground was pur-
chased from John S. Brazee, for $5,000. An adjoining lot, on the east,
was subsequently bought, of John Randolph, and added to the first
purchase. The whole was inclosed with a strong stone wall, sur-
mounted by an iron fence. A special act of the legislature was secured,
which authorized a levy on the county duplicate for $100,000, for build-
ing the court house, and the funds were raised by the sale of county
bonds. The plan was drawn by Jacob Carman, architect, of Lancas-
ter, who directed the construction trom the first. The corner-stone of
the new court house was laid with appropriate ceremonies, and a large
number of articles deposited therein. Among them were the names of
county, state and national officials, religious and secular newspapers,
religious pamphlets and books, several bottles of wine, and the
names of the teachers and pupils of the Lancaster high school.
When the house was finished, its cost was found to have exceeded
the original appropriation by more than $50,000, but this amount was
levied and collected without trouble, the public being full}' satisfied with
the quality ol the work. The Fairfield county court house is entirely
of Waverly sand-stone, quarried in sight ol the structure, and is three
stories high. The basement story is occupied by the heating apparatus,
rooms for storage, and the living apartments of the janitor. The main
hall, on the second floor is paved with marble, and fronting it are the
offices of the auditor, treasurer, surveyor, probate judge and recorder
of the county. The common pleas court room is on the third floor of
the south end. The jury rooms and the county clerk's office are on the
right and left of the hall, at the north end. The inside work of the edi-
fice, is all of hard wood. From the roof, a fine view of the city, the ro-
mantic country around it, and of a portion of Hocking valley, is ob-
tained.
Jails. — The first jail was built of logs, and stood in the northwest
corner of the present jail grounds. It was erected probably about 1802,
though the exact date is unknown, there being no record on this sub-
ject. The jail had but one room, and was, at that time, considered
very strong ; but prisoners sometimes escaped from it, notwithstanding.
A man and woman, confined there once, escaped in a single night, by
prying up the puncheon floor, and burrowing out under the logs. About
1816, a two-story brick jail was built on the south side of the jail
grounds, fronting on, and close to the pavement of Chestnut street —
nearly in front of the present jail. The west end was occupied by the
family of the sherift'. There was a single prison-room below, where
all prisoners were confined, besides a dungeon, for such as were con-
demned to solitary confinement on bread and water — a punishment
more common than now. In the east end of the second story was
the debtors' prison, as debtors were not kept with other offenders.
A debtor might, by furnishing a bondsman, be allowed liberty with-
HiSTORV OF FAIRJ'IELD COUNTY. 70
in prescribed bounds. The limit ot this privilege was, sometimes,
only the narrow jail-3fard, sometimes a mile square, and again the
township. If he overstepped the line, inadvertently or otherwise,
his bondsman became personally responsible lor the debt.
This jail was torn down in 1852, and replaced by the one now in
use. The new structure is of sand-stone, two stories in height, and
provided with strong cells, and large corridors for exercise. The fe-
male department is in the second stor}^ and is sometimes used tor con-
fining the milder class of male prisoners, when not otherwise occupied.
The sherift^'s residence, in front, is a two-stor}'^ brick, with all the ap-
pointments of a comfortable dwelling. The sheriff's office, a one-story
brick, is at the east end. Communication with the jail is through the
hall of the dwelling. A high, iron fence, which, in itself, is a very
good prison, surrounds the jail-yard.
The County Infirmary. — The necessity for a county infirmary
was felt about 1827. Previous to that time, such persons as became
county charges, were cared for in their respective townships, by officers
called " overseers of the poor," who let out the contract for the keep-
ing of each pauper, to the lowest bidder; such contract running one
3^ear. The conditions were that the mendicant should receive adequate
food, comtbrtable clothing, and competent medical attendance. The
county infirmary is situated two and a half miles north of Lancaster,
and the farm contains one hundred and seventv acres of land. The
first buildings were erected in 1828, and were of frame. .In 1840, these
were removed, and a two-story brick building placed on the same site.
The dimensions of the new " poor-house'" were then sufficient to accom-
modate the county poor, as well as provide a residence for the superin-
tendent. From time to time thereafter, out-buildings were erected, the
main building enlarged, and various accesspries provided, the better to
conduce to the welfare, and make the place more attractive to visitors.
The present value of buildings and grounds, is about $17,000. The
infirmary is under the control of three directors, whose tenure of office
is three years, the term being so arranged that one new director is
elected each year. The office of superintendent of the infirmary is filled
by this board, no time being fixed, the incumbent retaining his place
solely by pleasure of the board. He resides in the institution, and has
immediate charge of the inmates, attendants, and all properties belong-
ing to the premises.
The annual expense of the institution, at present, is about $12,000.
This does not include outside support, nor outside medical attendance ;
two items which, last year, amounted to about $1,000. A common
school is maintained in the infirmary, in which the common English
branches are taught by an inmate — the county incurring no expense
therefor, other than that of the few books required. The number of
inmates in the infirmary, February ist, 1881, were: males, seventy;
females, fifty-four ; and of this number, there were twenty boys, and
twelve girls. Of the whole number of inmates, there were thirty idiots,
two blind, two epiliptics, and fitty-eight infirm. Eight were above the
age of eighty, and sixteen were over seventy years. The expenses of
the institution would be vastly increased but for the farming, stock
raising, and fruit culture largely carried on by the inmates.
$0 HIStORV OF iP-AlRflELE) COUNTV.
The City Hall, of Lancaster, is of brick, three stories high, and
was built in 1859. It stands on the tbrmer site of the old Red Lodge,
before mentioned, south side of Main Street and on the southeast part
of the public square. The third story is the Hall of Charity Lodge
No. 7, L O. O. F. The lodge loaned mone}' to the city, towards the
erection of the building, conditionally that the city should provide the
Odd Fellows with a suitable meeting place. For this the city receives
a fixed rental. The second floor contains one room, which is called the
City Hall, and is used for public meetings of various kinds. It has
a stage and scenery. The hall has been a source of considerable rev-
enue to the cit}'. The front or north apartment of the lower story has
been used as a post office, for twenty years. The middle division con-
tains the Mayor's office and the cit}- council chamber. The south part
is set apart for the fire engine and hose. When first erected, the third
floor of the building was pronounced unsafe. The ceiling sank, and
examination showed that the girders and roof timbers were not well se-
cured to the walls. Iron girders were used, and ten iron pillars set in
the audience chamber, which averted the danger.
The old Market House, is situated on the west division of the pub-
lic square, and w^as built in 1824. It is two stories high. The south
room of the second story was used as city council chamber, until the
erection of the City Hall, and for various other purposes. The north
room was a Masonic Hall for many years, and is now used by a build-
ing association, for its weekly meetings. The lower rooms have
always been used as a meat market, and the sheds and adjacent pave-
ments, form the general market space. The regular markets have
sometimes been suspended for a whole year, and the building has fre-
quently been threatened with destruction, which, however, has not yet
overtaken it.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, 8l
CHAPTER XIII.
COUNTY AND JUDICIAL OFFICERS — PUBLIC MEN,
Probate Judges. — The probate court was tirst provided for b}- the
new constitution, adopted June, 185 1. Under the old constitution the
functions of the probate court, were performed by the associate judges
of the court of common ple;is, and clerk of court. The following are
the Probate Judges, for the county of Fairfield, in order of their suc-
cession :
Joel Rudibaugh, was elected in the fall of 1852 ; before his term
expired, he resigned, and Jesse Lockner was appointed to fill the
vacanc}'. In 1854, Virgil E. Shaw was elected, serving three years.
Succeeding him was Jesse Loehner, having been elected in 1857. He
served three terms, in all 9 years. In 1866 Abraham Seifert was elected,
and served until 1872, when William L. Rigby was elected, servmg two
terms. In 1878 he was succeeded by S. Theodore Shaeflfer, who is at
present filling the office. (1881.) ^
Clerks of Court. — At its first session, Hugh Boyl was appointed
clerk of the court of common pleas, in 1803, and continued to serve in
this capacity until 1833. when M. Z. Kreider was appointed in his place,
serving until 1842, in all eight years. Jacob Rudibaugh was then ap-
pointed, and served until the adoption of the new constitution, in 1851.
By the provisions of the new constitution, the office of clerk of the
court became elective, in place of appointing, as under the former con-
stitution.
Martin Cragy was the first to be elected, serving one term, of three
years. He was then suceeeded by John Rudibaugh, who also served
three years. John C. Rainey, was the next elected and re-elected,
serving in all six years. Jesse Vandemark succeeded him, serving,
likewise, two terms. His successor was Charles F. Rainey, who served
two terms. In October, 1875, George Graybill was elected, serving
two terms, expiring with 1881.
Hugh Boyl*^continued to serve as clerk of the Supreme Court, until
his death in 1841.
Shp:riffs. — Previous to the year 1824, there appears no definite way
of fixing the exact order of successions, of the early sheriffs of Fairfield
count}^. Of those, who are known to have served previous to that date,
are George Sanderson and William Crook, but the date and the length
of term cannot be given. From 1824 to 1881. the following are the suc-
cessions, in order :
Edward B.Thompson, 1824-38; George D. Seits, 1828-32; Nathan
Wetherby, 1832-34; Silas Tum, 1834-38; Thomas Edingfielcl, 1838-40 ;
Samuel Ewing, 1840-44; Elias Perry, 1844-48; Oliver H. Peny, 1848-
52; James Weaver, 1852-54; William Potter, 1854-56; Aaron Ebright,
82 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
1856-60 ; James Miller, 1860-64; Emanuel Shisler, 1864-68; John D.
Jackson. 1868-72; William Bush, 1872-76: George Lee, 1876-80. In
October, 1880, Hiram Shoemaker, was elected sheriff, and is now in
office. (1881.)
Treasurers. — The office of county treasurer was created in 1826.
Previous to that time collectors of taxes were appointed by the county
commissioners, from 1802-27. During that time, taxes were collected
and paid over to treasurers, also appointed. They were, however, requi-
red to enter into bonds, with security. The names of the early treas-
urers cannot be given. Only those who have served since 1826.
Adam Weaver, 1826 ; Jacob Beck, 1830 ; Ewel Jefries, 1837 5 ^^^
Spurgeon, 1841 ; Jephtha Newkirk, 1845 ; Francis Lill)^ 1849; Edward
Graybill, 1853; Peter C. Bennadum, 1857: O. E. Davis, 1861 ; Bat-
eman Beaty, 1863; Jacob Baker, 1867; Gilbert Schaefter, 1871 ;
Henry Martens, 1875 ; J. M. Hickel, 1879.
County Surveyors. — Not until 1823, do the names of surveyors
appear in regular order, which are from that date as follows :
Samuel Carpenter, 1823-26; Solomon Shaw, 1826-42; J. Card,
1842-49 ; Gabriel Strunk, 1849-54 ; William Hamilton, 1854-56 ; Ezra
S. Hannum, 1856-57: Frank H. Carpenter, 1857-69; Levi Hartzler,
1869-74; Ezra S. Hannum, 1874-76; Charles Boreland, Jr., 1876-80.
He was then re-elected.
The foregoing records of Probate Judges, Clerks of Court, Sheriffs,
Treasurers, and County Surveyors, is complete to 1881. In compiling
the succession of other county officers, there have been so many diffi-
culties met with, that to complete the list is impossible.
The files of the Ohio Eagle, between 1810-38, are wanting. From them
the annual and biennial elections could have been shown. In the ^^a^'-
£://£: office the files are still more incomplete. The court house records
are so voluminous and so miscellaneously disposed, as to well nigh
defy re-search, back through the eighty years of the county's existence.
County officers have however rendered important aid in facilitating the
prosecution of the search. The files of the Eagle, from 1838, are com-
plete, with the exception of one volume, and a few mutilations. The
following lists are authentic :
County Auditors. — Samuel Carpenter, 1820-28; Thomas U.
White, 1828-32 ; Henry C. Wilder, 1832-37 ; John C. Casde, 1837-44 '
Alfred McVeigh, 1844-48 ; William L. Jefries, 1848-54 ; James W.
Towson, 1854-56; A.J. Dildine, 1856-60 ; William Robinson, 1860-64;
William Shopp, 1864-68. Here a change in the law, extended the time
of the incoming Auditor, from February to the following November.
Lonis A. Blaire, the successor of Mr. Shopp, was elected to the two
terms succeeding, and under the new law held the office four years and
eight months, until November, 1873, when John C. Hite was elected,
and served four years, until 1877. The new law now requires three
years for a term. Ephriam K. Akers was elected, his first term expir-
ing in 1880, being re-elected, his second term will end November, 1883.
Prosecuting Attorneys. — -William Irwin, 1838-44; Washington
Van Ham, 1844-46 ; Emanuel Giesy, 1846-48 ; William R. Rankin,
1848-52; Virgil E. Shaw, 1852-54; Alfred WiUiams, 1854-56; James
W. Stinchcomb, 1856-60 ; William T. Wise, 1860-62 ; Tallman Stough,
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 83
1862-66; William A. Schultz, 1866-70 ; John G. Reeves, 1870-76;
Thomas H. Dolson, 1876-80 ; John McCormick, i88o,until his death in
1882.
County Recorders. — William Giiiber, 1830, succeeded by Henry
Miers. At the expiration of his term, 1837, William L. King was elected,
and served imtil 1848. Then John K. Baker, 1848-49; Abraham Seif-
ert, 1849-52; E. C. Flannum, 1852-56; Abraham Seifert, 1856-64;
Timothy Fishbaugh, 1864-81.
County Officers in 1881. — Probate Judge, S. Theodore Shaefter ;
Clerk of the Court, George Graybill ; Sheriff, Hiram Shumaker ; Pros-
ecuting Attorney, John McCormick ; Auditor, Ephraim K. Akers ;
Treasurer, J. M. Hickle ; Recorder, Timothy Fishbaugh ; Surveyor,
Charles Boreland, jr. ; Coroner, Thomas R. Tarpy ; Commissioners,
W. McClenegan, William Fink, Henry Langle.
County Officers, 1882. — Prosecuting Attorne}^, Daniel T. Clover;
Auditor, Benjamin F. Dum ; Sheriff, H, H. Shoemaker; Surveyor,
Charles F. Boreland ; Coroner, Simpson Sturgeon ; Recorder, Charles
W.Parido; Treasurer, John W. Hickle; Clerk, WilHam H. Wolfe;
Probate Judge, S. F. Shaeffer.
Judges of Court. — At the opening of the first Court of Common
Pleas, for Fairfield county, on the second Tuesday of May, 1803, Judge
Wylys Silliman was the presiding Judge. In April, 1805, Robert F.
Slaughter was on the bench, and, in 1807, Hon. Leven Belt. In the
journal proceedings, we find that William Wilson was Judge trom 1809-
19; John A. McDowell, 1820-23, In 1834, Grustavus Swan, who pre-
sided until 1839. '^^^^ journal is signed variously by McDowell, Swan,
Augustus, and Grimke. In 1839, Alexander H. Keith presided until
185 1, when Henry C. Whitman was elected, serving until 1861, at
which time he resigned, and Philoman B. Ewing was appointed, to fill
his unexpired term. In 1862, Philadelph Van Trump was elected, and
continued on the bench until elected to Congress, in 1867. Silas H.
Wright was then elected to the judgeship. In 1879, J^l^n S. Friesner,
of Logan, was elected to this bench.
Court of Quarter Sessions. — The first judicial authority of Fair-
field county was that of the Court of "Qiiarter Sessions," first organized
in January, 1801, with Emanuel Carpenter, senior, as presiding Justice,
Nathaniel Wilson, senior, David Vanmeter, and Samuel Carpenter,
associates.
The session was first held in a log school-house. A sheriff, by the
name of Samuel Kratzer, was appointed, and sworn by the bench. A
jury was also impanneled and sworn, called a "jury of inquest," and
composed of the following named persons : James Converse, Abraham
Wather, Jeremiah Con away, Arthur Teal, Conrad Fetter, Robert Mc-
Murty, Samuel Coats, Abraham Funk, Thomas Cissina, Amasa Del-
anoe, John McMullen, Edward Teal, David Reese, and Barnabus Gol-
den ; no indictments were found, and the jury were discharged.
Two attorneys were sworn, William Creighton and Alexander White.
Three county commissioners were appointed, Nathaniel Wilson, jr.,
Jacob Vanmeter, and James Denn}-.
In the proceedings of the Qiiarter Session the following record ap-
pears :
84 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
" Ordered, That a road be surveyed from the town of Fairfield, to
the head of the muddy prairie." Lancaster was probably meant by
" the town of Fairfield." The survey was made by Iluj^h Bo}!.
The first morti^age, of which an}' record appears, was recorded b}-
this Court of Qiuuter Sessions, for John Cleves S3'mmes, to Benjamin
Murphy, for the purchase of one hundred acres of land, for whicii the
payment was to be made in six years, with six per cent interest.
This paper is dated August 19, 1801, and the sum contracted to be
paid was two thousand dollars. The figures given are probably erron-
eous, as twenty dollars an acre was not likely paid for wild lands at that
early day.
First Election. — October 12, 1802, two members of the Constitu-
tional Convention were chosen by popular election, to frame a Constitu-
tion for the State of Ohio. This was the first election held in the
count\' of Fairfield. The two chosen were Emanuel Carpenter, senior,
and Henry Abrams. the former receiving two hundred and twenty eight,
and the latter one hundred and eighty-one votes.
Court of Common Pleas. — The proceedings of the first Court of
Common Pleas, in the county of Fairfield, were entered in a small
blank book, of two hundred and thirty-one pages. The paper is coarse,
of a dull white color, and unruled. The first dates are in 1803. Some
of the entries would appear odd now. These records run through a
period of six years, from 1803-9. There are no dates given to the en-
tries, other than they are a part of the proceedings of the March term,
or the June term, etc., and called " Minutes of the proceedings" of the
Court of Common Pleas " of Fairfield countv."
At the opening of the first term is wT-itten : " Before Silliman,
Esquire, President." The first Grand Jurv were : David Pvcese, Joseph
Hunter, Henry Mesner, Jacob Lamb, John McMean, Thomas Cisne,
Frederick Teather, Thomas McCall, Joseph Work, James Black, John
Shepler, John Mills, and David Shellenbarger.
A detailed statement of the proceedings of the court, through the
first six years, would scarcely be interesting. Still, the docket presents
a large number of civil cases, taking into consideration the population
at that age of the country. Licenses were granted for keeping taverns,
in several places, which contained a permit to sell intoxicating, or spir-
ituous liquors.
Several cases of assault and battery were tried, and either acquitted,
or fined. A number of men were fined lor selling intoxicating liquors
without license. Estates of deceased persons, orphans, and guardian-
ships, received attention.
Free White Male Inhai^itants. — During the early years of Ohio,
the words, " Free white male inhabitants," entered into her legal forms,
as also the word " Redemptionist." Redemptionists being a class of
persons, who, in emigrating, from foreign countries to the United
Stntes, who had not the means of paying their passage, were, upon ar-
riving in this C()unlr\-, sold to the highest bidder, or to one who paid
their passag^^ lor a specified period of ser\'ice. These persons were
Icruu'cl I'cdcMnptionists, and ccnild not claim citizenship, until the redemp-
tion jirice was paid, by the expiration of their term of service, at which
time they became free. I lence, the form " free white male inhabitants."'
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 05
At an early da}^ there were a few redemptionists in Fairfield county.
These forms have long since been obsolete, in the United States, as to
the white race.
In December, 1803, in establishing the basis of representation, the
number of "free white male inhabitants'' within the county of Fairfield,
was found to be 1,050 above the age of twenty-one years, and in 1807,
2,166 of the same class of citizens.
Votes Cast for Governor. — The votes cast in Fairfield county,
for Governor, from, and including, the years 1806-81, has a political as
well as a numerical significance. They are as follows :
In 1806, for Edward Tiffin, without opposition, 327 votes ; in 1808
three candidates were in nomination, Samuel Huntington, 973, Thomas
Worthington, 192, and Thomas Kirker, three votes: in 1810, Return J.
Meigs, 335, Thomas Worthington, 738 votes ; in 1812, Return J. Meigs,
241, "Thomas Scott, 1,213 votes; in 1814, Thomas Worthington, 945,
O. Looker, 176; in 1816, Thomas Worthington, 1,059, J^iries Dunlap,
878 votes ; in 1818, Ethan H. Brown, 1,535, James Dunlap, 239; in
1820, Ethan H. Brown, 1,794, Jeremiah Morrow, 33, William Har-
rison, 35 votes ; in 1822, Jeremiah Morrow, 87, Allen Trimble, 32, Wil-
liam Irvin, 1,819; in 1^24, Jeremiah Morrow, 1,369, Allen Trimble,
1,157 ; in 1826, Allen Trimble, 2,609, John Bigger, 5, Alexander Camp-
bell, 14, Benjamin Tappin, 2 ; in 1828, Allen Trimble, 1,234, John W.
Campbell, 2,076; in 1830, Duncan McArthur, 1,035, Robert Lucas,
1,819; in 1832, the Presidential vote was as follows:
In 1832, Andrew Jackson, 2,648, Henry Clay, 1,274, Wirt, (Anti-
mason), 2 votes. In 1834 ^or Governor: Robert Lucas, (Democrat)
2,024, James Finley, (Whig) i'349- ^^ 1836 for President, Martin
Van Buren, (Dem.) 2,906, William H. Harrison, (Whig) 1,846 votes.
In 1838, for Governor, Wilson Shannon, (Dem.) 2,717. Joseph Vance
(Whig) 1,633 votes.
In 1840, Thomas Corwin, (Whig) 2,421. Wilson Shannon, (Dem.)
3,411 votes. In 1842, Wilson Shannon, (Dem.) 3,212, Thomas Cor-
win, (Whig) 2,037. I^ 1844, Mordecai Bartley. (Whig) 2,402.
David Tod, (Dem.) 3,584 votes.
In 1846, William Bebb, (Whig) 2,116, David Tod, (Dem.) 2,931.
In 1848, John B. Weller, (Dem.) 3,573, Seabury Ford, (Whig) 2,266.
In 1850, Reuben Wood, (Dem.) 3,232, William Johnson, (Whig) 2,098
votes. In 1852, Reuben Wood, (Dem.) 2,042, Samuel F.Vinton, (Whig)
1,736, Samuel Lewis, (Abolitionist) 2 votes. In 1853, (New Constitu-
tion) William Medill, (Dem.) 2,803, Nelson Barrere, (Whig) 1,157 votes.
In 1855, William Medill, (Dem.) 2,614, Allen Trimble, (Knownoth-
i"g) 52, Salmon P. Chase, (Rep.) 2,474. In 1856, (voted
for "Attorney General," this year.) Christopher P. Wolcut, (Rep.)
1,631, Samuel Hart, (Dem.) 3,095, John M. Bush, (Knownothing),
581. In 1857, for Governor, Salmon P. Chase, (Rep.) 1,281, Henry
Pa3ne, (Dem.) 2,917, P. Van Trump, (Knownothing,) 357 votes. In
1859, William Dennison, (Rep.) 1,394, Rufus P. Ranney, (Dem.)
2,821 \'otes.
In 1861, David Tod, (Rep.) 2,137, Hugh J. Jewett. (Dem.) 3,119
votes. In 1863, John Brough, (Rep.) 2,790, Clement L. Vallandig-
ham, (Dem.) 3,478. In 1865, Jacob D. Cox, (Rep.) home vote, 2,328
86 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
army vote, 23, total 2,351. George W. Morgan, (Dem.) home vote'
3,393, army vote, i, total 3,394. In 1867, R. B. Hayes, (Rep.) 2,056
Allen G. Thurman, (Dem.) 3,940. In 1868, for President, U. S.
Grant, (Rep.) 2,439, Horatio Seymour, (Dem.) 4,076.
In 1870 for Governor, R. B. Hayes, (Rep.) 2,144, ^- H. Pendle-
ton, (Dem.) 3,831 votes. In 1873 for Governor, Edward Noyes,
(Rep.) 2,074, 'william Allen, (I^em.) 3,551. In 1877 R. M. Bishop,
(Dem.) 4,154, W. H. West, (Rep.) 2,417. In 1879, Charles Foster,
(Rep.) 2,933. Thomas Ewing, (Dem.) 4,883 votes, Gideon T. Stew-
art, II, A. Sanders Piatt, i. In 1881, Chas. Foster, 2,656, John W,
Bookwalter, 4,348, Abraham R. Ludlow^ 221, John Seitz, 4.
Public Men of Fairfield County. — This county has furnished
one United States Senator, Thomas Ewing, who was first elected in
183 1, to fill the vacancy, caused by the resignation of Thomas Corwin,
filling the vacancy until 1837. ^^ was again senator from 1850 to
185 1".
Congress Representatives. — The tollowing are the names
of men who have been elected to the house of representatives in con-
gress, from Fairfield county, since the state of Ohio was admitted
into the Union, 1802 to 1873. Since that time this district has been
represented b}^ men from other counties of the district to which Fair-
field has from time to time been assigned.
Philoman Beecher, from 1817-21, served his first term and his sec-
ond from 1823-29. William Irvin, 1829-33. John Chancy, 1833-39.
William Medill, 1839-43'. Thomas V. Edwards, 1847-48. Charles
D.Martin, 1839-81. Philadelph Van Trump, 1867-73.
Governors. — Fairfield has lurnished but one governor of Ohio.
William Medill was elected lieutenant-governor in 185 1, his term
commencing January i, 1852. During the later part of his term he
acted in the capacit}^ of governor, and in 1853 was elected governor,
serving one term.
Judges of supreme court. — Three Fairfield county men have as-
pired to the supreme bench for the district of Ohio. The first being
William Irvin, and served during the early 3^ears of the county.
Charles R. Sherman was elected in 1823, to fill the vacanc}', made
by the resignation, August nth of that year. Mr. Sherman remained
on the bench until the time of his death, at Lebanon, O., in 1829.
Hocking H. Hunter, was elected supreme judge in 1851, but resign-
ed before takino- his seat.
Ohio legislature. — The following have been the members of the
Ohio Legislature from 1808 to 1882, complete wath dates of election:
Representatives, 1808 — ^Justice Owens and Elijah B. Merwin.
1809 — Thomas Swearingen and Thomas Ijams.
1810 — the same.
181 1 — Thomas Ijams and Richard Hooker.
181 2 — Richard Hooker and Nathaniel Wilson, sr., and George
Ney, sr.
1813 — Emanuel Carpenter and Benjamin Smith.
1814 — Benj. Smith, Richard Hooker and John Leist.
18 15 — the same.
1816 — John Leist, Jacob Claypool and Jacob Catherlin.
\
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 87
1817 — Daniel Smith, Robert F. Slaughter and John Leist.
1818 — Daniel Smith, John Leist and Jacob Claypool. !
1819 — Robert F. Slaughter and John Leist.
1820 — William Trimble and Valentine Reber.
1821 — Robert F. Slaughter and George Sanderson.
1822— George Sanderson and Jacob Claypool. ,
1823 — George Sanderson and Robert F. Slaughter.
1824 — John Leist and Robert F. Slaughter.
1825 — George Sanderson and William W. Irwin.
1826-27 — Wm. W. Irvin and Samuel Spangler.
1828 — Samuel Spangler and John Chaney.
1829 — John Chaney and Dav^id Ewing.
1830 — David Ewing and John Chane}^
1831 — David Ewing and Samuel Spangler.
1832 — David Ewing and M Z. Kreider.
1833 — Joseph Stukey and John M. Creed.
1835— William Medill and John M. Creed.
1836-37 — ^William Medill and John Graybill.
1838 — ^John Brough.
1839 — Lewis Hite.
1840 — Charles Brough.
1841 — William McClung.
1842 — ^John Chaney and William McClung.
1843 — Jacob Green and Joseph Stukey.
1844-45 — David H. Swartz and Andrew Foust.
1846-47 — Salmon Shaw and David Lyle.
1848-49 — Daniel Keller.
1850 — Christian Baker.
In 1851, the new constitution was adopted, providing for the election
of members on the alternate years, the first election taking place in the
fall of 185 1, the legislature meeting the first Monday in Januar}-, of al-
ternate years.
1852 — Christian Baker.
1854 — Samuel H. Porter.
1856 — John Chane}^ and David Lyle.
1858— B. W. Carlisle and T. W. Bigomy.
i860— B. W. Carlisle.
1862— J. C. Jefries.
1864— Edson B. Olds.
1866-68— U. C. Butler.
1870 — George S. Baker and Jesse Leohner.
1872 — Jesse Leohner.
1874 — George S. Baker.
1876— A. Seifert.
1878— A. Seifert.
1880 — Robert Sharp.
In the list of senators, which here follows, the names of citizens of
Fairfield county, only, appear. When this count}^ has formed a part of
a senatorial district, members have, sometimes, been chosen from other
counties.
Senators. — 1808 — Elnathan Schofield.
88 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
[809 — ^Jacob Burton and Elnathan Schoiield.
[810 — William Trimble and Robert F. Slaughter.
[811 — Robert F, Slaughter and William Trimble.
I12-17 — William Trimble.
[818-19 — Richard Hooker.
[820-21-22 — Elnathan Schoiield.
[823 — John Creed.
[824-25 — Jacob Cla3'pool.
[826-31 — Robert F. Slaughter.
[832-41 — Samuel Spangler.
[844-45 — John Chaney.
[848-49— II. C. Whitman.
[850 — Andrew Foust.
[856— John T. Brazee.
[858-60 — Newton Schleich.
[862— Alfred McVeigh.
[864— J. M. Connell.
[870-72 — Michael A. Daughertj^
[878-80— B. W. Carlisle.
In 1842-43, Nelson Franklin, of Pickaway county, was state senator,
for the district of Fairfield and Pickawa}^.
In 1846-47, Dr. Edward B. Olds, of Pickaway, was senator from the
same district.
After the adoption of the new constitution, in 185 1, Fairfield was as-
sociated with Hocking and Athens counties, in the redistricting.
In 1852-54, Lot L. Smith, of Athens, was chosen senator for the
new^ district.
In 1866-69, ^- ^- Golden, of Athens, was senator for the same dis-
trict.
In 1874-76, Robert C. Reece, of Hocking, was the member from
Fairfield, Hocking and Athens ; after which B. W. Carlisle, of Fair-
field, was elected, serving from 1878 to 1881.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, 89
CHAPTER XIV.
BENCH AND BAR.
From an early date. Lancaster has justh' been aistinguished for the
intelligence and respectability of its bar, ranking, at least, with the best
in the state. In 1841, Thomas Ewing was at the summit of his legal
career. Lancaster, at that time, was the home of other distinguished
members of the bar, viz : John T. Brazee, Hocking H. Hunter, Wil-
liam Irvin, Henry Stanberry, Charles Boreland, Jesse B. Hart, Wm. I.
Reece, William "Medill, Philadelph Van Trump, and William Slade,
besides several younger members, who left before establishing a legal
reputation.
During the year 1840 William Irvin, one of the leading members,
was stricken with parah'sis, which, in time, terminated in death,
Of the legal members mentioned above, but one survives at writing
(1881) — William I. Reece, still residing in Lancaster, in feeble health.
William Slader who went to Europe many years ago, is possibly living,
although reported dead.
Ever}' member of the present bar of Lancaster, entered the profes-
sion since 1841, and all, with the exception of W. C. Gaston, stud-
ied law here.
Henr}' C. Whitman came from Washington City, in the spring
of 1841, and entered the office of William Medill as partner. At
that time, Medill was a member of Congress.
Mr. Whitman was, originally, from Maine. He was a man of
more than average ability as a lawyer, and rapidly arose to distinc-
tion at the bar. In 1848-49, he was elected to a seat in the Ohio
Senate, from Fairheld count}^ district, under the old constitution,
thus serving two terms. In 1852, under the new constitution, he
was elected Common Pleas Judge, serving until 1850. when he re-
signed, and P. B. Ewing was appointed to hll out his unexpired
term. Shortly after his resignation, he removed to Cincinnati, where
he resumed the practice of law, and still resides.
John S. Brazee studied law with his father, John T. Brazee, and has
since risen to the distinction of an advocate of good ability. He was a
member of a late board selected to modify the laws of Ohio, an ardu-
ous labor, requiring over three 3'ears tor its completion. His law part-
ner is H. C. Drinkle.
John M. Connell has been a member of the bar for about thirty years.
His great forte as an advocate lies in presenting the strong point of evi-
dence to the jury. He is an industrious student, and thoroughh^ ac-
quainted with books and references.
Michael A. Daugherty is a young man, just entering the profession.
He studied law with his partner, John D. McCormick.
General Thomas Ewing inherited his father's comprehension, forc-
ible brain, and excels him in forensic ability. He has not, how-
12
90
MtSTORV OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
ever, attained his eminence at tke bar, as he has directed his attention
more to raih'oads, coal-fields, and the rostrum, during the last twenty
years. He is a lawyer of great ability, especially in a ditficult suit.
Kinnis Fritter is a lawyer of twenty years practice. He is indus-
trious, and gives close and careful attention to his business.
W. C. Gaston has few superiors as an advocate, having been in the
profession over twenty years, but a member of the Lancaster bar only
three years, coming from Steubenville to this place, having previously
practiced a few years in the west.
David Stalter, formerly a citizen of Perry county, but a resident of
Fairfield county for more than twenty years, came from the farm, enter-
ing the law profession in the middle of life. Nevertheless, he has suc-
ceeded.
The firm of Hite & Dolson was established three years ago. Mr.
Dolson filled the position of prosecuting attorne}', four years, with dis-
tinguished ability.
Samuel H. Kistler commenced the practice of law in Lancaster in
i860.
The firm of Martin & McNiell stands high in the profession. Chas.
D. Martin, the senior partner, studied his profession in Lancaster, and
has practiced many years. As a manager of complicated and intricate
suits, he has few equals. John B. McNiell, the junior partner, is a son
of Doctor Robert McNiell, one of the early ph3^sicians of Lancaster.
John G. Reeves, a man of ten or fifteen years practice at the bar,
giving his work earnest attention, was elected prosecuting attorney
three times, serving from 1870-76.
Virgil E. Shaw studied law, in Lancaster, thirty years ago. He
was prosecuting attorney from 1852 to 1854, and then elected probate
judge, filling this office three years. His death occurred recently.
William A. Shultz has been a member of the bar for years, serving
as prosecuting attorney four years, being first elected in 1866, and re-
elected in 1868.
Talman Slough was prosecuting attorney from 1862 to 1866. Before
the court he is careful and concise in the management of his cases.
George L. Seitz is among the oldest members of the Lancaster bar and
one of its successful attorneys. He studied law in Lancaster, spent
several years in Chicago, and has filled positions at Washington.
/ Joseph S. Seitz, the son of a wealthy farmer of Fairfield county, stud-
ied law in Lancaster, and has been practicing successfully tor six
Tfears.
y P. B. Ewing, the eldest son of Hon. Thomas Ewing, was, for a
time, on the Common Pleas Bench. A large part of his time is devoted
to banking, and other outside pursuits.
E. P. Cartmell was formerl}^ rector of St. John's Episcopal church ;
afterwards teacher in Lancaster, from which he entered the legal pro-
fession.
George W. Alfred studied law in Lancaster. After his admission
to the bar, he settled in Logan, where he practiced for fifteen or
twenty years. In 1880, he again settled in Lancaster.
David T. Clover, alter teaching a school and educating himself
in the profession, was admitted to the bar, and settled in Lancaster.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 9 1
John G. Ewing, son of Hon P. B. Ewing, was admitted to the bar,
in 1880, and the spring of 1881 was elected city solicitor.
Edward F. Hnnter is the eldest son of the late Hon. Hocking H.
Hunter. He studied law with his father. After practicing twenty
years in California, he returned to Lancaster and entered his father's
office as partner.
John D. McCormick, served as city mayor two 3'ears. In the fall of
1880, he was elected prosecuting attorney for the county of Fairtield.
He died suddenly in September, 1881.
WilHam Hackett, Wm. Davidson, A. R. Eversole, W. T. McClen-
nigan, Charles W. McCleary, J. R. Shellenberger, are young lawyers
of Lancaster, who have been admitted to the bar within the last three
or four years. In 1879, ^^*- McCleary was elected Justice of the Peace
for Lancaster township, which he resigned after filling the office one
year.
Charles F. Schaeffer, an old member of the Lancaster bar. com-
menced practicing thirty 3^ears ago. He has however given
much of his time to other pursuits.
The Lancaster bar, in 1841, was said to be unsurpassed in the State
of Ohio. The members at that time, have since passed away, and
younger ones now fill their places.
Judge Wright, a native of Hocking county, was a lawyer of Logan,
at the time of his election to the judgeship, in 1867.
Judge Friesner, a native of Hocking count}^ but a resident of Logan,
was practicing law there, when elected to the Common Pleas Bench, in
George W. Graybill, clerk of the court, was born and raised with-
in two miles of Lancaster, and is a son of Samuel Graybill, deceased.
The present sherift', Hiram Shoemaker, is a native of Berne town-
ship, this county.
Hocking H. Hunter, was born near Lancaster, August, 1801 and
died at his residence in Lancaster, February 4, 1872, in his seventy
first year. He was a son of Joseph Hunter, the first white man that
built a cabin in the Hocking Valle}^, where he located with his famil}-,
April, 1798. Mr, Hunter was in every respect a selfmade man. The
son of a pioneer, in moderate circumstances, he had to contend with
the privations and hardships inevitable to frontier life, in the wilderness.
His early education was limited. He mastered all these hardships and
difficulties, obtained a good education and taught such schools as the
country then could aftbrd. From a humble start and meager facilities,
he worked his way to tbrtune and fame. In all the affairs of life he
maintained the reputation of a man of stern integrity of character, and
scrupuloush' honest. He early choose the profession of law, in which
he became eminent, not only in this county, but throughout the state.
Atone time he was elected to the Supreme Bench of Ohio, but resign-
ed before taking his seat. At another time he declined being Governor.
So far as known, his life was unstained, preferring the duties of his pro-
fession to the political honor bestowed upon him. His companion,
who survives him, is the daughter of Mr. Mattock.
Of his family now living, three sons and three daughters, Edward
F. Hunter, attorney, of Lancaster, is his oldest son.
92 IIISTOKY OF FAIKFIELO COUNTY.
riiiladflph Van "rninip. lamiliar]}' known as Col. Van Tninip, was
born in Lancaster, in 1811, or 181 2. The advantages ol' the day were
lirriiled. In his youth he received an ordinary pioneer log cabin school
education. He was at one time connectedvvith the Lancaster press,
when a young man, after which he turned his attention to law, and at-
tained a high position at the Lancaster bar, where for several years
he was a partner of Henry Stanberry. In 1862, he was elected
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, iilling this position until he
was elected to Congress, in 1867. He served six years in Congress.
In 1873, being in poor health, he declined the fourth term. In 1876 he
died. Mr. Van Trump, was a law student of Philomon Beecher, also
his son-in-law. marrying his youngest daughter, Louisa.
Henrv Stanberry was tV>r more than thirt}' years a distinguished mem-
ber of the Lancaster bar. Settling in Lancaster in 1832, he married
Elizabeth Beecher. oldest daughter of Philomon Beecher. After her
death, in 1845, lie married a daughter of William K. Bond, of Chilli-
cothe.
Mr. Stanberry, as a lawyer, had few superiors. He practiced in
the adjoining counties, and in the courts of the United States. He was
the peer of Ewing, Hunter and Brazee. As a pleader, he was elo-
quent and forcible. In politics he was a leading Whig of Fairfield
county, until 1850, \vhen he joined the Democrats. In 1866 he accept-
ed the appointment of Attorney General for ' the United States, as a
member of President Johnson's cabinet. He was, previous to this, for
a number of years. Attorney General of Ohio. *
In 1864, he removed to Cincinnati and established a suburban house,
on the Kentuckv side ol the river. His death occurred in New York, in
June or July, 1881, at the age of eighty years. A good storv is told of
Mr. Stanberry, which is worth the telling.
A man accused' of horse stealing was arraigned before the court and
had no council. Mr. Stanberry was assigned to defend the accused.
There being no private room, he took his client, by permission, to the
rear of the building, for consultation. He asked the man if he had
stolen the horse. The prisoner said he expected the^^'d prove it on him.
Stanberry asked him how long it would take him to run to that woods,
some three hundred yard soff. He thought he could make it in about one
minute. "Try it," Stanberry said. After the thief had been some
time out of sight in the dense woods, Mr. Stanberry returned alone to
the court room. ''Where is your client?" queried the court. "I have
cleared him," council replied.
John Garaghty, the oldest son of Michael Garaghty, former cashier
of the old Lancaster, Ohio, Bank, was a lawyer of abilitv, and for many
years a partner of H. H. Hunter. He was not a brilliant man, but
a sound lawyer. Lie served as mayor of the town in 1848-49. Twenty
years ago he removed to the \'icinitv of Cedar Rapids. Iowa, where he
still resides.
Wm. Slade, tlie son of Governor Slade ol Vermont, settled in
Lancaster, about 1834 *^'" '5- ^^^ acquired a good jiractice in the law.
In 2850, or near that time, he removed to Cle\eland. Alter taking a
tour through Euroi-)e, he returned to Cleveland.
Charles Boreland and Jesse B. Hart, were l/)r a number ol' years
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 93
law partners in Lancaster, in 1835-50. Mr. Hart removed to Califor-
nia in 1850: Mr. Boreland retired from the practice.
William W. Irvin, Washington Van Ham, Emanuel Giesy, William
R. Rankin, Adison Shaw, Alfred Williams, James W. Stinchcomb,
Alfred McVeigh, and William T.. Wise, respectively, practiced law in
the Fairheld County Court from 1838-60. Of this number, W. Van
Ham, W. R. Rankin, Alfred Williams and Adison vShaw, only survive.
(1881).
Hon. William Medill, came from the state of Delaware, and open-
ed a law office, in Lancaster, in 1832. He earl}' acquired the confidence
of the people, and rose to distinction. He was a Democrat, and an
ambitious politician. He was three times elected to the Ohio legisla-
ture, (lower house. ) In 1838-41, he was elected member of the lower
house of the National Legislature, serving tour 3'ears. He occupied
the position of Indian agent, at Washington ; and in i860, held the
office of tirst Comptroller of the Treasury. In the fall of 1852, he was
elected Lieutenant Governor, of Ohio, and acted as Governor, the latter
part of the term. In 1854 he was chosen Governor of Ohio, by the
popular vote, and served two years. He was unmarried, and at his
death in 1865, left a large estate, which he disposed of by will.
William I. Reese, settled in Lancaster at an early day, and was for
a number of years, an efficient and popular member of Lancaster bar.
He tilled municipal positions in the affairs of the city, besides devoting
a portion of his time to merchandizing. He married the oldest sister of
General and Secretary Sherman.
Several years since, Mr. Reese became partially paralyzed, wholly
untittinor him for active life. He is feeble and aged.
William Irvin was one of Lancaster's lirst lawyers. For a short
time he was Judge of the Coint. He continued to practice law until
1840. From 1829-33 he was a member of Congress. In 1839 or '40 ^^
Avas stricken with paralysis, and died in 1843, at his home, one mile
south of town.
Robert F. vSlaughter, among the tirst settlers of Lancaster, practiced
law in the first courts of the count}^ In 1805-6, he was Judge of the
Common Pleas Bench. After retiring from the judgeship, he was a
member of the lower house of the General Assembly of Ohio, in 181 7-
19-21-23-24. October, 1846, he died, at the age of seventy-seven
years.
Philoman Bee>:her, one of Lancaster's earl}' attorneys, was in Con-
gress ten years. First elected in 1817, his last term expiring in 1829.
His death occurred in 1839.
John M. Creed began the practice of law in 1831. He was an able
orator, and a success at the bar. Three times he was elected to the
Legislature, 1833-35. The last term he was Speaker of the House.
He died in 1847 or '48.
■ William Pitt Creed, was a brother of John M. Creed. He began
the practice of law in 1835. -^^ '^ speaker, he possessed extraordinary
power. His death occurred about the close of the southern war,
1S65.
Judge Charles Sherman was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, May 26,
1788. In 18 10 he was admitted to the bar, the same year marrying
94
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
Mary Hoyt, of Norwalk. In the following j^ear he came to Lancaster
with his wife and infant child, and commenced the practice of law.
Their journev from their New England home was wear}?- and beset
with hardships, exposvu'e and danger, being obliged to journey the
greater part of the distance on horse back, carr3nng the baby on a pil-
low before them. The little bo}' carried thus was the late Hon. Charles
Taylor Sherman, United vStates district judge, of the northern dis-
trict of Ohio.
Charles Sherman was elected by the legislature to the bench ot the
Supreme Court, in 1823 ; here he remained over six years, when death
called him to a higher work. His death occurring at Lebanon, Ohio,
while attending court, June 24, 1829. He was but fort3^-one years of age.
Mary Hoyt Sherman, survived him many 3'ears. Their tombs are in
the cemeter}^ east of Lancaster.
Judge Sherman was the lather of Gen. William Tecumseh Sher-
man, and Hon. John Sherman, now of the United States Senate(i88i,)
also, Mrs. W. J. Reece, of Lancaster, as well as other sons and daugh-
ters, not here mentioned.
John Trafford Brazee was born in the State of New York, the
place of his birth being Hinsdale, Columbiana county, December 24,
1800. Regarding the humble origin of his earlv life, his career has
been attended with unbounded success.
When a mere child he was left an orphan ; he had one brother
older than himself, and a sister, 3'ounger ; for a time he and his sister
were taken care of by their grandmother.
He acquired his education in the Ohio University at Athens, and
studied law with Joseph Dana, one of the professors in the university.
After his admission to the bar, he opened an office and commenced
practice in the town of Gallipolis.
During his course at the universit^', he accepted a proposition, (the
solicitation of Thomas Ewing,) to teach a six months' term of school
in Lancaster, at $200.00 for the term. During his stay in this place,
he formed the acquaintance of Marj' J^ne Schofield, daughter of
Judge Schofield, to whom he was married in November, 1829. He
practiced his profession in Gallipolis until 1833, when he removed to
Lancaster.
For a period of nearly thirty 3-ears he was a member of the Lancas-
ter bar, practicing also in other counties. In 1855, he was elected to
the Senate of Ohio, and, during the session of 1856 and 1857, took
active part in the perfecting of an act, providing for the establishment
of the " Bank of Ohio."
He possessed a taste for agricultural pursuits, to which he gradually
directed his attention. During the last 3^ears of his lite, he withdrew
from the 4aw business and gave his time to the management of his farm.
In 1878, under his dictation, a sketch of his life was wa^itten, and
published in the Lancaster Gazette, shortl3' after his death, October
27, 1880. From its paragraphs we (ind the following accounts, which
we quote for our readers :
" Jn his tenth year he was left under tiie care of a man bv the name
ol Lane,'" who, to use Mr. Brazee's terms, " was an ignorant, high-
tempered, profane, stu])id man, and his wife no better."
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. g^
" At the end of two years of hard work, scanty provisions and
clothing, he was taken awa}^ by his grandfather. From that time he
hved at different phices, earning small sums of money at anything he
could get to do. At one time, working for a blacksmith ; another time,
selling ginger bread ; then a clerk in a small establishment ; at length
he saved a small sum of mone}', and, at the age of fifteen, he went to
Hudson in search of emplo3'ment. After clerking six months in Can-
andugua, he concluded to come to Ohio. and. with the assistance of
two of his employers, who gave him $25.00 each, he started on his
journey, in company with a tailor and tin peddler ; they came by water
to Wheeling, and from there to Cincinnati ; remaining there but a sin-
gle da}', he started on foot tor Williamsburg ; here he obtained employ-
ment, as assistant to the clerk of the court, for iifteen dollars a month :
obtaining board for five dollars a month. While tilling this position,
he was inspired with the idea of becoming a lawyer. He was recom-
mended to go to Athens ; this he did at once, walking most of the way.
Here he entered the school, earning his way by teaching and assisting
the clerk of the court."
Hon. Thomas Ewing was born December 28, 1789, near West
Liberty, Ohio county, West Virginia. His father, George Ewing, was
reduced in pecuniar}^ circumstances, from selling his property in Cum-
berland county. New Jersey, for which he received, in payment,
continental script, then at par, but shortly after, worthless. After
this misfortune he moved west, and settled on a small farm near West
Liberty. In April, 1792, the family removed, and settled at the mouth
of Ohio Creek, on the Muskingum. The}^ moved soon again, and set-
tled in what is now Athens county.
In the meantime Thomas was taken back to West Liberty, for the
purpose of attending school, he then being eight years old ; here he
remained seven months. He had previoush^ been taught to read b}'
his sister, while the famil}^ were staying at the block-house, at "Olive
Green," a refuge from hostile Indians. The Bible being about the
only book the block-house could afford, he read much in it, causing him
to be named " The Bishop."
His home on Federal Creek, Athens county, was in a wilderness,
seventeen miles west of the frontier. Here, for three years, the famil^^
was deprived of all intercourse with human beings. During this time,
Mr. Ewing's hbrary consisted of '-' The Vicar of Wakefield," " The
Fool of Quality," and the Bible.
In 1800, several other families having settled in the vicinity of the
Ewings, a school was opened, in which Thomas studied the rudiments
of Enfjlish sframmar under Charles Cutler and Moses Everett, two
graduates of Cambridge College.
In a published letter of Mr. Ewing's, found in Walker's Histor}^ of
Athens County, he gives the following :
" My father settled in what is now Ames township, Athens county,
early in 1798. There were a few families settled on or near the present
city of Athens ; but no roads, or even pathways, led to them ; the dis-
tance was about twelve miles. There was also an old pioneer settler,
encamped at the mouth of Federal Creek, ten miles away. This, as
far as I know, comprised the population statistics, of what is now
C)6 IIISTOKV OF I \IRF1EI.D COUN'J'V.
Athens county. I do not know the date of what is called * No. 5,'
in Cooley's settlement, but it was early.
" At this time of my father's removal, I was with my aunt. Mrs.
Morgan, near West Liberty, Virginia, going to sciiool, then near nine
years old. In May, 1798, my uncle brought me home. We de-
scended the Ohio River, in a flat boat, to Little Hocking, then came
along a dim foot-path, some ten or fifteen miles, stopping over night at
Dailej^'s camp. I was tired, and slept well on a bear skin bed which
the rough old dame spread for me. ' In the morning my uncle engaged
the son of our host, a boy about eighteen, to pilot us.
" I was now at ni}' home, and fairly an inceptive citizen of the
future Athens county. The young savage,, (our pilot,) w'as much im-
pressed with some of the rude implements of civilization, which he saw
my brother using, and expressed the opinion, that with an axe and augur
a man could make ever3^thing he wanted, except a gun and bullet
moulds. My brother was engaged in making some bedsteads. He
had also finished a table, in the manufacture of which, he had also used
an adze to smooth the plank, which he split in good widih, from straight
grained trees.
" Transportation was exceedingl}^ difficult, and our furniture, of the
rudest kind, composed of articles of the first necessity.
Our kitchen utensils were the big kettle, little kettle, bakeoven,
frying pan and pot. The latter had a small hole in the bottom, which
was mended with a button, keyed with a nail through the eye, on the
outside of the pot. We had no table furniture that would break, little
of any kind. Our meat consisted of bear or raccoon, with venison and
wild turkey cooked together, and seasoned to the taste, then cut up in
morsels and placed in the center of the table. Whilst the younger
members of the family, armed wath sharpened sticks, helped themselves
about as well as with four fined forks, great care was taken in selecting
wholesome sticks, as sassafras, spice bush, hazel and hickory ; some-
times the children were allowed to cut with the butcher knife, then-
slices from the fresh bear's meat, and venison, and stick them alternate-
h' on a sharpened spit, and roast before a fire. This made a royal dish.
Bears, deer and raccoon remained in abundance until replaced by
herds of swine. The great west w^ould have settled slowly without
corn and hogs.
We had wild fruit of several varieties very abundant. There was a
sharp ridge quite near my father's home. On which I had selected four
or five service, or Juniper bushes, that I could easily climb, and kept
watch of them, until the}' should get fully ripe. At a proper time, I
went with m}^ sister to gather them ; but a bear had beeri in advance of
me. The limbs of the bushes were brought down to the trunk, like a
folded umbrella, and the berries all gone.
The first year I was a lonely boy. My brother was eleven 3'ears
older than myself, and my sister could not always be with me in the
woods among the rocks and caves.
A small spaniel dog was my daily companion. I was the reader of
the family, but we had but few books, one besides "Watt's Psalms and
Hymns," that being, "the vicar of* Wakefield," which was by me al-
most committed to memory.
HISTORY OF FAIRFtELt> OOUNTY. 97
Space will not permit to follow Mr. Ewing's career throughout, as
he aivesit. His father was never able, to give him more than a fair
common school education, but Thomas, by his diligence, in earnmg
small sums of money in various ways, at length entered the Univer-
sity at Athens, where he graduated : chose the profession ot law ;
came to Lancaster in 1815, and entered the office of Philoman Beecher,
as a law student. Two^ brief anecdotes of his life may here be permitted.
At one time, when l\e was chopping wood in the forest, a pioneer
Methodist preacher came along. By a recent rain the stream to be
crossed was swollen. The missionary was afraid to attempt to lord it.
Mr EwintJ-, being a young man, strong and tall, took the preacher on
his shoulders, the horse by the bridle, and landed them safely on the
other side of the stream, and then returned to his ax.
After being admitted to the bar, he began to cast about for a place
to locate. Hearing a favorable report of Urbana, he visited the town on
horseback. Two or three lawyers had already settled there. Mr.
Ewino-, after making his business known, and receiving little encourage-
ment "mounted his horse, and returned to Lancaster. As he rode away,
the idle group of loungers about the tavern door, learning something
of his history, expressed the opinion that the best thing he could do,
would be to go home, and go to chopping wood.
In physical strength, Mr. Ewing had lew equals. At one time as he
was passing the court house, a number of stout men were trying to
throw a chopping ax over the building, they had all tried their mus-
cle but not with success. Mr. Ewing halted just long enough to take
the' ax-handle in his hand and send it sailing five feet or more above the
steeple and then walked on down the street.
In oratory he was not eloquent, but he could say more m fewer
words than any one, and in that lay his great success.
By some he was considered unsocial, as he seemed, when his mmd
was at work, but when once reached, his social quahties were warm,
cordial and sincere ; his mind worked on an elevated plan, leaving the im-
pression, that he knew little of the small affairs of life, but at the same time
he could often tell a farmer more about plows than he could tell himsell.
During the latter part of his professional life his business was chiefly
in the higher courts, mostly at Washington City.
He first entered political life in 1830, when he was elected to the
United States Senate, serving there two terms, and two in the cabinet.
Upon the death of President Harrison, (April 4th, 1841) Vice President
Tyler invited the cabinet in a body, of which Mr. Ewmg was at that
time a member, to remain. He was originally intended for the Post-
Office— but was Anally assigned to the Treasury Department, which he
accepted but upon the meeting of the extra session of Congress, feel-
ing confident in his mind that Mr. Tyler would betray the trusts and
disappoint the hopes of the party that elevated him to power. Mr. Ew-
ing indignantly resigned his place m the caoinet.
On the lid of his burial casket was engraved the following:
THOMAS EWING.
Born December 28th, 1789,
Died October 26th ,1871.
13
q8 history of fairfikld county.
The following members of his family still survive him : Mrs. Gen.
W. T. Sherman, Hon. P. B. Ewing, Hugh Boyle Ewing, Gen. Thos.
Ewing, Mrs. Col. Steele and Gen. Chas. Ewing.
Mrs. Mariah Ewing, wife of Hon. Thomas Ewing, was born in
Lancaster. She was the oldest daughter ot Hugh Boyle, and was
married January 1820, to Mr. Ewing, her death occurring in 1864.
Both are entombed in the Catholic cemetery on the east border of Lan-
caster.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 99
CHAPTER XV.
OHIO REFORM SCHOOL.
The first action looking towards the establishment in Ohio ot a re-
form school for boys, took place in session of the legislature for 1857.
James Monroe, member from Oberlin, introduced a bill providing . for
an appropriation of $1,000 to defray the expenses of commissioners, to
inquire into and examine existing institutions. The bill was not passed..
The suggestions made by Charles Remelin of Cincinnati, upon his
return from Europe, where he spent some time in the examination of
reformatory institutions for youth, gave the tirst effective impetus to the
project in Ohio. In 1858 an appropriation was voted, commissioners
appointed, and a site purchased. Cheap log buildings were forthwith
erected and titted for occupancy, and on the 30th day of January, 1858
ten bo3^s were brought from the House of Refuge of Cincinnati, and
placed there.
The general management of the Reform Farm was, by law, vested
in three commissioners, one of whom, Geo. E. Howe, was constituted
acting commissioner, who with his famil}^ resided on the farm. In
the acting commissioner was lodged the duties of general superintend-
ent, purchasing agent, disbursing agent, Stewart, and bookkeeper. He
also had the power of appointing and discharging all subordinates, sub-
ject to the concurrence of his associates. The law also provided for an
assistant superintendent ; and James G. Randall was appointed. Mrs.
Howe, wife of the acting commissioner, was appointed matron, and
Mrs. Sarah Randall, wile of assistant superintendent, assistant matron.
Mr. Howe held the position of acting commissioner from, the beginning
until the spring of 1878, in all, nine years. Mrs. Howe was matron
during the time. Mr. and Mrs. Randall have also held their positions
from their first appointment, and are still acting.
During the session of the Legislature of the winter of 1878, a new
Act was passed, reorganizing the benevolent institutions of the State.
The Act provided for the appointment, by the Governor, of five trustees,
to take the place, of the three commissioners. These trustees were
vested with the duty of electing one superintendent and matron, out-
side of the board of trustees ; also, an assistant superintendent and
matron.
At the first meeting of the board of trustees, John C. Hite, of
Lancaster, was elected superintendent, and Mrs. Hite, matron. Mr.
and Mrs. Randall were, at the same time, elected assistants. At the
end of one year, viz: in the spring of 1879, ^ol. G. S. Innis, of Colum-
bus, was elected superintendent, vice J. C. Hite, and Mrs. Innis, mat-
ron. In the spring of 1880, Charles Douglass, of Toledo, was elected
superintendent, and Mrs. Douglass, matron, Mr. and Mrs. Randall
being annually continued.
lOO HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
The same act of reorganization also provided for the appointment of
a secretary and steward. Mr. Berr}-, of Cincinnati, was appointed
secretary, and William Van Hyde-, of Lancaster, steward. Subse-
quently, the functions of the secretary and steward were consolidated,
and Mr. Berry filled both positions until his resignation, in the spring of
1880. At the annual election of that spring, C. M. L. Wiseman, of
Lancaster, was elected secretary and steward.
A further Act of the Legislature, supplementing the reorganizing
Act of 1878, provided for the annual appointment of one trustee, as the
terms of the incumbents respectiveh' expired, in such manner, that the
board should consist of four members, with the acting Governor of the
State as the fifth member, but only to act when a deciding vote became
necessary ; and further, that said board of four trustees should be so
appointed as to consist perpetually of two Democrats and two Repub-
licans.
The Ohio Reform Farm consists of 1170 acres, and is situated six
miles from Lancaster, a little south of southwest. The surface is ex-
ceedingly rugged in some of its parts, being cut with sharp ravines,
with out-cropping sandrock. The soil, for the most part, is poor, being
mixed all over the farm with the grindings of the old red sandstone,
which underlies the entire surface. The timber is chestnut, white and
pitch pine, scrubb}^ oak ot several varieties, laurel, and whortleberry.
There are some belts of fair soil. The hill slopes are well adapted to
grape and peach growing, while the upper tablelands have been recov-
ered, and are used for gardening and vegetables generally.
Very little grass can be produced on the farm ; in dry seasons, not
even green pasturage, sufficient for the few cattle that are required.
The poorest of the hills produce nothing but ferns, whortleberry, and a
few scrubb}^ bushes. Small quantities of wheat and oats can be pro-
duced. Peaches, as a rule, have done well, as also strawberries and
blackberries. Both of these have received considerable attention. In
1880, there were 30 acres of gardening, 8,000 peach trees, and besides,
about 400 acres of tillable ground. Apples are produced in consider-
able quantities. The highest surfaces are about six hundred feet above
low water in the Hocking, four or five miles east, and about five hun-
dred above the site of Lancaster.
The farm is reached, from Lancaster, over a good summer road,
along pine-covered ridges, that, in warm days, make the air redolent
with resinous exhalations, and presenting to the e3^e, on either hand,
stretching of^' in the distance, romantic scenery, nowhere surpassed in
Ohio. From its elevated position, the air is healthful and bracing in
summer.
From a very humble beginning, in January, 1858, when ten boys
were brought from Cinciniuiti, and placed in the first rude wooden
buildings erected, the farm has grown into a place of gigantic propor-
tions and beauty. The idea seems to have been popular from the start.
.Soon other boys were brought, and the need of more room became ap-
parent.
The iitti'utioii ol'the Legislature was awakened, and .ample appro-
priations were not wanting. The log structures soon disappeared, and
fine brick buildings took their place.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. lOI
The main building is i6i feet in -length, with projections. It con-
tains offices, reception rooms, parlors, dining rooms, residences, guest
rooms, storage rooms, council chamber, and telegraph office. The
kitchen, culinary department, and boys' dining rooms, are all in pro-
jections of the main building.. This is situated centrally, with regard
to the other buildings.
What are denominated family- buildings are two stor^^ bricks, with
basement story. The basement is the wash room and pla}' place for
the boys ; the second story is the school room, and apartments of the
elder brother and his family ; the third story is the sleeping apartment
for boys. There are nine of these family buildings, besides union fam-
ily buildings. The other buildings of the farm are : first, the chapel ;
then shops, laundr}-, antl wash house, water tower, bake house, engine
house, stables, hot houses, coal houses, hospital, ice house, mending
room, knitting room, piggery-, and chamber of reflection, besides man}^
other out-buildings. The buildings are disposed in squares, more or
less spaced, and altogether occupy an area of probably twenty acres.
The Ohio building, which is the home of the small bo3^s of ten years
and under, is isolated from the others, and stands oft' nearl3-a mile to
the east, anti is in connection with the chapel and main grounds by a
good plank walk. The grounds are laid oft' with gravel drives and
plank walks, and are beautifull}- decorated with evergreen trees, arbors,
flower houses, and grass lawns.
The family buildings are named after rivers in Ohio, thus : Mus-
kingum, Ohio, Hocking, Scioto, Cuyahoga, Huron, Maumee, Miami,
and Erie. The family of boys of each building take the family name
after the building, as the Maumee family, Muskingum famih', Hocking
family, etc.
In the incipient state of the school, some discrepancy of opinion ex-
isted in regard to modes of discipline. B}"^ some it was proposed to
adopt the House of Refuge plan, in part, in connection with the open
s3-stem. The latter wds adopted. The time of the bo3^s is divided be-
tween work of some kind, school, and recreation. Ever3' bo3^ is half
the da3^ in school, and the other half at work. There is an hour for
dinner. Recreations are taken after supper, on Saturday afternoons,
sometimes, and on holida3's.
Each famih' is under the management of an officer, denominated the
elder brother, whose wife, with lew exceptions, is the teacher. The
branches taught are those of a common school English education.
Within the last three years, a grammar school department has been
added. The bo3^s are held to close and rigid discipline, but treated
with uniform kindness and trust, whenever trust can be extended. One
of the leading features of the discipline is to inspire the inmates with
the ambition of earning a good reputation, and trustworthiness. In
man3- instances, bo3S are permitted the freedom of coming and going,
and even to transact business. Corporal punishment is onh' resorted to
in extreme cases, and is alwa3\s v\ith the rod. A lock-up is j)rovided
for the most incorrigible, and is denominated the " chamber of reflec-
tion." Here, those condemned to this mode of discipline, are left to
solitary' confinement, until they- are willing to make proper contession
of their wrong doing, and promise of amendment. In a few instances,
I02 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
the chain and ball have been foimd necessary to restrain the vicious, or
to prevent escapes.
A constant care is observed to prevent escapes by running awav,
but numerous escapes have taken place notwithstanding. The boy
who escapes, and is returned, loses credit on his good conduct, the
effect of which is to protract the time of his detention. Credit is
given for merit, and good boys work themselves out in shortened
time. No specified time is fixed in the commitment. The time is
left to the superintendent, and depends very much on the conduct of
the bo3% The State pays fi\e dollars each for the return of nmaway
boys.
In addition to school education and manual labor on the farm, me-
chanical branches are also taught. The institu.tion has a shoe and boot
manufacturing establishment, a brush factory, a tailor shop, a cane-seat
making department, and a telegraph ofHce. Several good telegraph
operators have left the farm, and are doing well. Other mechanical
trades have been learned there, that have been highly creditable to the
institution, and greatly advantageous to the boys. It is one of the cares
of the management to fiild homes for such boys, on their discharge, as
have no home to go to, and this duty is always carefully carried out.
Boys under sixteen years of age, who commit penitentiary crimes, are
usually sent to the Reform Farm ; and some, who have been sentenced to
the state's prison, have been commuted to the farm.
There is a hospital, for the sick, always provided with competent
nurses ; and it is the duty of the matron to visit the hospital in person,
as otten as may be necessary, to see that all is right, and that the wants
of the sick are properly attended to. A physician is appointed espe-
cially for the inmates, who resides in Lancaster, and can be called at
any hour. But this does not prevent the right of parents, or others,
from emplo3'ing physicians of their preference to attend their sick boys,
at their own expense.
Religious services are held in the chapel ever}' Sabbath. This has,
tor the most part, been done by the clergy of Lancaster, by alternation,
and for a compensation of live dollars for each visit. A Catholic priest
visits the farm, at stated periods, for the instruction of Catholic boys.
During the summer of 1880, a stated pastor was arranged for, and set-
tled at the farm, but who, after a few months residence, resigned.
A Sabbath school is maintained, at which all the boys are required
to attend, Catholics as well as Protestants. There is, also, a library,
provided by the state, for the use of the boys, and from which they
draw books under regulations.
The number of inmates is constanth' increasing. In commissioner
Howe's annual report to the governor for 1876, the number who had
passed through the institution, from the beginning to date, was given at
2,019: and in superintendent Douglass' report, of the date of Nov.
15, 1880, the number received at the farm, from the first, is given at
3,170, and 514 remaining. In June, r88i, the number of inmates ex-
ceeded 550.
It is the concurrent testimony ot all the official reports, that a large
majority of the boys, who have passed tlirough the Reform Farm school,
have turned out well. Mr. Howe gave the proportion of those who
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. lO^
were discharged during his nineteen years of control, and who did well,
at eighty percent. ; and superintendent Douglass, in his report of Nov.
15, 1880, gives a similar favorable account. A few have turned out
badly.
A complete history' of the tinances of the farm, from 1858 to the present,
cannot be easih' obtained ; nor would the specifications be important.
It may suffice to say, that the present value of the farm, with all its
buildings, improvements, and fixtures, exceeds half a million of dollars,
and that the appropriation asked for, by the trustees, tor the year end-
ing Nov. 15, 1871, was $105,340.
I04 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
CHAPTER XVI.
THE LO(; CABIN CAMPAIGN OF 184O.
When General William Henry Harrison and John T3der were placed
in nomination tor the presidency, by the national convention, an indis-
creet, and not far-seeing" Democratic editor, thinking, doubtless, to
make a coup de main in the start, penned a paragraph to the effect that
General Harrison was better qualified to sit in his log cabin, and drink
hard cider out of a gourd, than to be President of the United States. It
was, of all other things that could have been said, the worst for the op-
position.
From Maine to Florida, and from Charleston to Detroit, ever}- Whig-
organ saw its advantage, and turned it to account. It was not two
weeks before the whole country was in a blaze. The yeomanry did
not relish the idea of having their log cabins and hard cider referred
to derisively. It was their proud boast, that they and their ancestors
had been dwellers in log cabins, and they did not want people, who sat
in cushioned chairs, or rode in "English coaches,'' to make fun of them.
But the paragraph had become public property and could not be recalled.
•' Tyler, too," chiming in so euphoneously with "Tippecanoe," it
became of easy construction in song, and at once Harrison was raised
to the hero of Tippecanoe, and the refrain, " And Tyler too," was soon
adopted by the people, and nothing could check the avalanche.
Mr. Allen, notwithstanding his accustomed discretion and good
sense, made a mistake, when he said that the ladies of Chillicothe voted
General Harrison a " petticoat," for his prowess at the Thames, for, no
matter about the truth or untruth of the allegation, he should have fore-
seen that the not very dignitied title of " Petticoat Allen" would be at-
tached to his name. He should have been astute enough to comprehend
that in the excited state of the popular mind, the masses w^ould not stop
to inquire into the truth of his statement.
They simply accepted it as a thrust at the log cabin candidate. Such
are the foundations of the log cabin and hard cider campaign. The
excitement came just on the heels of the universal financial crisis of
1837, '^^"^^ '^t '^ time when scarcel}' a bank bill in the whole country was
at par, and when the circulating medium consisted largely of corpora-
tion and individual shin-plasters. With few exceptions, the banks were
in a state of suspension, and the country was flooded with irredeemable
notes. The Bank of the United States had been suspended, and the
prospect ahead was gloomy enough, being one of these general condi-
tions of any country that incites the people to desire a change in the
administration of the public affairs. The occasion was opportune, and
the uprising of the masses was natural and legitimate.
General Harrison and John Tyler were elected by an overwhelming
majority of the popular vote, as well as of the electoral college, having
two hundred and thirty-four electoral votes, to sixty for Van Buren and
Johnson.
General Harriso*i died on the fourth da}^ of April, 1841, thirty-one
days after his inauguration. At this time, the administration passed
into the hands of the Vice President. But a revulsion soon followed,
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 105
and the same people who elected " Tippecanoe and Tyler too," in 1840,
without the experience of a test of his policy, undid all they had done.
Thomas Corwin, who was elected Whig governor of Ohio, in 1840,
over Wilson Shannon, Democrat, by a majority of sixteen thousand,
was, in 1842, defeated by Shannon by a majority of over 2,000 ; and in
1844 James K. Polk was elected President by the Democratic party.
The emblem of the Whig party was the bucke3'et that of the Demo-
crats, the hickory — originating from the term, " Old Ilickory, as ap-
plied to General Jackson. The emblems adopted by the Whigs, during
the campaign, were coon-skins, cider-barrels, live coons, blood-hounds,
and log cabins ; while the Democrats added to their hickory pole, the
rooster and the petticoat. But the log cabin was the central and lead-
ing feature of the "Tippecanoe, and Tyler too," rall}^. They were to
be seen everywhere, from the miniature cabin of a foot square, nailed
on top of the gate-post, to the log cabin of a thousand capacity, covered
with clapboards. Almost every village had its log cabin, in which the
people assembled to sing, and make speeches. They were built in the
most primitive style, of unhewed logs and poles, and, sometimes, the
primitive stick and mud chimney. For the most part, their decorations
consisted of cider-barrels and coon-skins, attached to the logs on the
outside. On special occasions, the spectacle of a live hound, secured
on the roof, was no strange sight. Sometimes a rifle was to be seen,
lying in the wooden hooks on the wall, a gourd hanging beside the
door outside, etc.
The Whigs of Lancaster built their log cabin near the old court
house. It was a very primitive appearing structure. However, many
a merry crowd was entertained within its walls, and it was, in fact, the
instrument of proselyting many a voter. Only a few can remember
it, and the echo from the following, among other doggerels :
" We'll cut out a window, and have a wide door in,
We'll lay a good loft, and a first-rate floor in.
* « * « » * * ;•;■* * »
On the fourth day of March Old Tip will move in it,
And then little Martin will have for to shin it. .
Hurrah ! hurrah! for Harrison and Tyler;
A nice log cabin, and a barrel of hard cider."
" Oh ! what, tell me what, will be your cabin's fate ?
We'll wheel it to the Capitol, and place it there in state,
For a token, and a sign, of the Bonnie Buckeye State. "
" What has caused this great commotion?
Motion, motion, motion.
It is the ball a rolling on.
For Tippecanoe, and Tyler too,
For Tippecanoe, and Tyler too.
And with them we'll beat little Van,
Van, Van, Van's a used-up man.
And with them we'll beat little Van."
" Three cheers for the old log cabin's friend,
Long time ago.
The cabin boys on him depend.
Long time ago.
In English coaches he's no rider.
But he can fight, and drink hard cider.
Long time ago."
14
lo6 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
The processions of the Whigs were comical enough, sometimes.
Every possible kind of vehicle was brought into requisition. Immense
wagons were improvised by iixing long poles on two pair of wheels ;
and, when they could be procured, buckeye limbs and bushes were
either nailed on, or inserted into the poles, so as to present the appear-
ance of a moving grove of green buckeyes. Seats were arranged, and
sometimes from seventy-five to one hundred persons would be crowded
into one of these large wagons. Flags, banners, songs, and cheers
brightened the scene, and the levity of one of these occasions was par-
ticipated in by the men, women, and children of the best families.
The wagons often displayed the emblems and insignia of log cabin
life. The cider barrel usually is a prominent feature. Also, plows,
wooden harrows, pitchforks, flails, flaxbrakes, scutching board, hat-
chets, johnny cake boards, Dutch ovens, old-fashioned looms, and
women "making believe" they were weaving on them.
Sometimes men appeared, as if in the act of threshing wheat ;
others breaking and scutching flax ; at other times, blacksmiths with
their sleeves rolled up appeared at their work ; coopers were seen driv-
ing on hoops, others slinging the maul ; women were represented as
being at the wash tub ; perhaps a blood hound was visible ; gourds
hanging on nails, and coon skins tacked up, were common appendages.
Raccoons were very common.
One of these processions passed through the principal street of Lan-
caster, with "Mother Green," as a prominont feature. Mrs. Ruhama
Green, the pioneer mother, who was identified with the beginning of
Lancaster and Fairfield county, only survived this occasion two
years.
When Gen. Harrison was to speak in Chillicothe, a large delega-
tion from Lancaster went down. The delegation left Lancaster very
early in the morning, and consisted of a long line of carriages and
horsemen. Arriving in the vicinity of Tarlton, a tall hickory pole, by
the roadside, indicated the residence of a Democrat. From its top flut-
tered a red petticoat. The boys called a halt, and said it must come
down,, and began to look about for an axe. "Uncle Christ," over forty
years younger than he is now, was there w^ith his four horse coach, fill-
ed with Whigs, He thought it would not be right to cut it down, and
proposed to climb the pole, and take down the offensive rag. When he
had reached about ten feet from the ground, his hands slipped and he
slid back to terra firma. Nothing could induce "Uncle Christ" to make
the second attempt, and the procession moved on, while possibly the
owner of the offensive pole was convulsed with laughter, as he viewed
from his concealment their discomfiture.
The Whigs of Pickaway, Madison, north Clinton, Fayette and this
count}^ took up the line of march from Washington court house, about
the twentieth of July, for a grand march to the Hillsboro mass meeting,
leaving with three thousand strong. They were gone about three days,
leaving but very few Whigs at the court house, to take care of things.
Upon their return it was contemplated to hold a rousing meeting, in the
log cabin, standing near the south-west border of the town, with a seat-
ing capacity of about five hundred. It had been the scene of speech,
song and jubilation, all summer. The crowd that assembled there
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. IO7
nightly consisted largely of ladies, but during this lull in the merri-
ment, the Democrats took advantage of the absent ones, having
things pretty much their ow^n way. The log cabin, upon the return,
was found not only untenable, but unapproachable, so much so, that
renovation was rendered impossible ; subsequently, as the only way of
abating an unendurable nuisance was to reduce it to ashes.
In this dilemma, small posters were displayed about the town, in the
afternoon, to the effect that the "Tippecanoe Club," would meet to-
night in the court house. Word was brought to the Whig headquar-
ters, that the Democrats had stolen into the court house, and organized
a meeting. Inside of twenty minutes forty stout Whigs marched
down the pavement by two's, seized the dozen Democrats, who were
going through the formula of a meetmg, and set them down in the mid-
dle of the street. The president, whose avoii^dupois fell but little short
of three hundred pounds, required a double force to transfer him.
It amounted to nothing more than a big joke, not a word having
been spoken.
On their way from the "Queen City," the stage (with the nine oc-
cupants,) stopped in a village to change horses and the mail. One of
the passengers was a grocer, and had in the coach a number of hideous
false faces. As they neared the town, the passengers, thinking to be-
guile the monotony of stage travel a little, concluded to have a little fun,
and, accordingly, each man drew on a mask. When entering the town,
seeing green buckeyes growing along the side-walks, they, legitimately
enough, concluded they were entering a good Whig village. When the
stage stopped in front of the tavern, they commenced to sing at the top
of their voices,
"Old Tip's the boy to swing the flail,
Hurrah, Hurrah, Hurrah,
And make the Locos all turn pale,
Hurrah, Hurrah, Hurrah,
He'll give them all a tarnal switchin',
When he begins to ''clear de kitchen."
The refrain was not sung, for just at that point a big fellow stepped
to the coach window from the crowd that had collected, wanting to
know if anybody in there thought himself man enough to give a
Democrat a "tarnal switching," and seemed determined to press his
demand. He was pulled back with the words, (in rather a low voice,)
"Why, Jim, you fool, keep away from them, they're Indians,"
At this point, the new team having been hitched, "Old Hundred"
welled up, and the stage dashed away, under a tremendous "Hurrah
for Van Buren,"
A special feature of the log cabin campaign was a kind of drink
sold all over the country, known as "coon oil," It had a sweetish lemon
flavor, yellowish in color, and rather oil}' consistence. Its special pe-
culiarity was its efficiency in making men drunk, and that, in a shorter
time, than any intoxicating liquid, ever before known, perhaps by its
seductive taste. As the coon was an emblem of the Whig canvass, this
drink, which it was said, left men without headaches or other bad feel-
I08 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
ings, was named "coon-oil," and the place of rendezvous was to be
known as "coon boxes."
These extravagances were almost entirely on one side. The Demo-
cratic partv had its hickory poles, standing as sentinels all over the
country, whilst roosters and other insignia decorated their banners.
In their processions, hickor}' bushes and roosters were carried, but they
were visibly weak, and expended their principal batteries against
"The wild delirium and extravagance of the Whigs." They were
rather overwhelmed, and their enthusiasm was moderate, the field pieces
being chiefly the hickory, rooster and petticoat.
There was not, on either side, separate from paraphernalia, very
much displa}' of logic,
]
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. IO9
CHAPTER XVII.
STATISTICS.
The number of children in Fairlielcl county eligible to enter the com-
mon schools, that is between six years and twenty-one years ot age,
in 18/9, was 11,904.
The number of civil judgments entered in Fairfield county court
of common pleas, for the year ending June 30, 1879, ^^^^ -^9- ^^
these, 195 were rendered for mone}' alone, and 94, where money was
included. Amount of judgments, $131,900. Within the same time,
26 decrees were rendered by the county, for the year ending March 31,
Number ot births in the county tor the year ending March 31, 1879,
725-
Number of letters of guardianship issued by the probate court, for
the year ending March 31, 1879, 47' i^umber of wills probated, 40;
letters testamentar3^ 24; letters of administration issued, 51; estates
administered on, 75.
Number of persons sent to insane asylums from Fairfield county for
the year ending March 31, 1879, ^7 ' I'^ales, 6; females, 11.
Number of paupers supported by Fairfield county, for the year end-
ing March 31, 1879, 2^9- Total expense to the county, including out-
side support, $12,420. Average cost of each pauper per diem, twenty
cents.
Political. — Since 1832 the county of Fairfield has been Democrat-
ic by majorities ranging from 800 to 1000. As is well known, the
birth of the Democratic party was coincident with Andrew Jackson's
presidential canvass. The numerical relation between the Republicans
and Democrats of the present day is almost the same as existed between
the old Whigs and Democrats. Prior to the Rebellion the Abolition
party had no existence in this county, there never having been more
than three or four votes cast.
There is hardly a civilized nation on earth that is not represented in
Fairfield county, some countries having furnished thousands of its
present population. In 1798, when immigrants first began pouring into
the Hocking Valley, Pennsylvania furnished the most, followed by Vir-
ginia, Maryland and Kentucky. In 1799 and 1800, several small col-
onies of Swiss arrived and settled in the neighborhood of what is now
Basil, Liberty township. This continued until a considerable Swiss set-
tlement was formed, and the name "Liberty"' was given to the town-
ship by them. Soon after the population of Fairfield county was great-
ly and rapidly augmented by arrivals from "Der Faderland" and Hol-
land. The dialect of every German province is spoken in Fairfield
county, the Teutonic being second only to the English tongue, in th e
number of its representatives.
There is not a European state or province, or one of the original
I lO HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
thirteen United Colonies of America, not represented in Fairfield
county, the New England States and Carolinas furnishing the smallest
number of settlers.
Marriage Licenses. — By reference to the records of the clerk of
court, and those of the probate court, it is found, that within a period
of forty-six years, viz., from April 1835 to April 1881, there were is-
sued within and lor Fairfield county, 13,243 marriage licenses, being
an average of 290 to the year. This would give the number of per-
sons married within the same time at 26,680. This seems wonderful,
because the average population of the county for the same years, has
been below thirty thousand souls, all told, including children and aged
persons; and yet this is true. Even the present population is but little
above thirty thousand.
Some Mortality Statistics. — The average duration of human
life in Fairfield county, until recently, has been estimated at 33 years ;
it is now supposed to be between 35 and 37 years, undoubtedly owing
to improved sanitar}^ conditions and better modes of living. To throw
some light on the subject of longevity, the births and deaths within
the county for the year 1877 are here given. City of Lancaster, first
ward, births, 30; deaths, 16; second ward, births, 14; deaths, 8 ;
third ward, births, 22 ; deaths, 14 ; fourth ward, births, 14 ; deaths, 4 ;
fifth ward, births 17: deaths, 5. Total for the city of Lancaster —
births, 97; deaths, 47. Hocking township, births, 28 ; deaths, 9 ;
Amanda township, births, 48 ; deaths, 10; Pleasant township, births,
44 ; deaths, 28 ; Richland township, births, 28 ; deaths, 9 ; Rush Creek
township,, births, 58; deaths, 16; Greenfield township, births, 33 ;
deaths, 12 ; Madison township, births, 25 ; deaths, 17 ; Bloom town-
ship, births, 46; deaths, 9; Walnut township, births, 40; deaths, 17 ;
Violet township, births, 66 ; deaths 18 ; Berne township, births, 31 ;
deaths, 15; Liberty township, births, 58; deaths, 15. Total births for
the county, outside of Lancaster, 525 ; total deaths in the county, out-
side of Lancaster, 187. Total births, city and county ,622 ; total deaths,
cit}' and county, 236. It will be noticed that the number of deaths in
proportion to the births, is greater in the city than in the country.
The population of the county in 1877 varied a little either way
from 34,000 ; the inhabitants of the city of Lancaster, for that year,
numbered about 6,000.
The number of deaths in Fairfield county for the year ending March
31, 1879: White, males, 137; white, females, 129; colored, males, 3;
colored, females, 2 ; deaths, where sex was unknown, 14. Total deaths
for the year, 285.
Causes of death in the count}' for the year ending March 31, 1879:
Measles, i ; scarlet fever, 5 ; diphtheria, 12 ; croup, 9 ; whooping cough,
2; typhoid fever, 9; erysipelas, i; influenza, i; cholera infantum ,8 ;
ague, 2; rheumatism, 4 ; gout, i ; dropsy, 9; cancer, 6 ; mortification,
I ; scrofula, 3 ; consumption of the bowels, i ; consumption of the
lungs, 49 ; drops}' of the brain, i ; inflammation of the brain, 3 ; apo-
plexy, 2 ; paralysis, 7 ; epilepsy, i ; convulsions, 4 ; brain disease, 7 ;
inflammation about the heart, i ; heart disease, etc., ig ; bronchitis, 2 ;
asthma, 3 ; lung disease, etc., 29; inflammation of the stomach, i ; in-
flammation of the bowels, 2 ; fistula, 2 ; liyer complaint, 2 ; diabetes.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. lit
2 ; joint disease, 6; carbuncles, i ; skin disease, i ; child-birth, 3 ; old
age, 20; atrophy, 2; fractures and contusions, i ; burns, i ; suicides,
2 ; sudden deaths and causes unknown, 17 ; still-births, i.
Inquests — The number of inquests held in Fairfield county by jus-
tices of the peace, for the year ending June 30, 1879, '^'^s 5 5 ^Y the
county coroner, 6 ; of this number two were suicides, three were homi-
cides, and six by accident. Of the eleven, thi-ee were foreign born,
three were native born, and five nativity unknown.
112 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE WAR OF l8l2 AND MEXICAN WAR.
Though war with England was not formally declared by Congress
until June i8, 1812, histor}^ shows that a company of infantry was
mustered in Fairfield county in the month of April of the same year,
to operate on the northern border against the British. The company
was recruited by the late General George Sanderson, with headquarters
at Lancaster. When the company started for the frontier, it numbered
forty-two ; and was officered as follows : Captain, George Sanderson ;
First Lieutenant, David McCabe ; ensign, Isaac Larimar ; sergeants,
John Vanmeter, John Smith, James Larimar and Isaac Winter ; cor-
porals, James White, Daniel Hudson, Robert Cunningham and William
Wallace.
Privates, George Baker, William Brubeck, Daniel Baker, Robert
Cunningham, John Dungan, John Davis, William Edmunds, Reese
Fitzpatrick, John Hiles, Christopher Hiles. Thomas Hardy, Philip
Hines, Archibald Darnell, William Jinkins, Samuel Johnson, Isaac
Finkbone, John Kerley, Joseph Loveland, John Collins, Charles Mar-
tins, John Mclntire, Jacob Monteith, James Monteith, Jacob Mellon,
Daniel Miller, William McDonald, William McClung, Henry Martin,
William Nelson, Joseph Oburn, Cornelius Post, William Ray, John
Swiler, Daniel Smith, Jacob Sharp, Thomas Short, Samuel Work,
Joseph Wheston, Henry Shoupe, John Huffman, Samuel Nolan, in all
tifty-three.
This entire company, with all its officers, was included in the sur-
render of General Hull, when in front of Detroit, August 16, 181 2,
and were paroled by order of the British General Brock, then in com-
mand of the post, not to take up arms against the British army until
regularly exchanged, which exchange did not take place until in May,
1812.
This surrender of the American forces under the command of Gen-
eral Hull, including all the military stores and munitions of war within
his department, was in violation of the best judgment of his officers,
who solemnly affirmed there existed no necessit}^ for it, and at the same
time so enraged the soldiers, that subsequently many of them disre-
garded their parol, and re-enlisted. The majority of the Fairfield
county men subsequently re-entered the service, and remained in it
until the close of the war, including Captain Sanderson.
In April, 1813, Captain Sanderson recruited a second company-,
partly from Fairfield county, and partly from Franklin county, Dele-
ware county and the Western Reserve, numbering, when they struck
tent to march to the front, one hundred and fifty-seven men. This
company served until the close of the war, and was honorably dis-
charged. The officers were — George Sanderson, Captain; First Lieu-
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELII COUNTV. II3
tenants, Aurora Butler, Andrew Bushnell, John A. Miftbrd, Abraham
Fish, Second Lieutenant, Ira Morse ; Third Lieutenant, Wm. Hall ; En-
sign, John Vanmeter ; First serg't, Chaney Case : Second serg't., Robt.
Sanderson ; Third serg't., John Neibling ; Fourth serg't., John Dugan :
Corporals : John Collings, Peter Cor3^ Smith Headl}-, Daniel
T. Bartholomew. Musicians: John C. Sharp, Drummer; Adam
Deeds, Filer. Privates : William Anderson, Joseph Anderson, John
Atkins, Joseph Allowa3^s, Thomas Boyle, John Bartholomew, John
Berrimen, Henr}^ Bixler, Abraham Bartholomew, Samuel Bartholomew
James Braden, Sheldon Reeber, James Brown, JoknBeaty, Eli Brady,
Charles Berdinoo. John Batiere, Daniel Baker, John Burley, Thomas
Billings, Daniel Benjamin, Flenr}- Case, Archibald Casey, Joseph Clay,
Holden Collens, Blader Cremens, Chester P. Cabe, Nathan Case,
Chaney Clarke, Almon Carlton, Stephen Cook. David Crosb}^, Jesse
Davis, Asa Draper, Walter Dunham, Geo. Daugherty, Enos Devore,
Benj. Daily, John Evans, Joseph Elinger, Peter Fulk, John Forsyth,
Daniel Filkall, John Faid, Ephraim Grimes, William L. Gates, Elna-
than Gregory, Joseph Gibson, Samuel Gause, John Hunt, James liager-
ty, Josiah Hinkley, John Hall, Fred. Hartman, David Hughs, Perlin
Holcomb, John Harter, Jacob Headly, John Harbeson, John leas, Am-
brose Joice, James Jones, John Johnson, James Jackson, John L. Jack-
son, John Kisler, James Kincade, George Kissinger, Jonathan Kitts-
miller, Samuel Kinsman, Joseph Lariman, Fi-ed. Leathers, Henry Lief,
Amos Leonard, Marinas Leonard, William Lauther, John McClung,
John McElwayne, Francis McCloud, Hosea Merrille, John McClark}^
Josh Merrill, James Moore, Joshua Mullen, Thomas Mapes, John Mc-
Bride, WilHam M. Clare, Henry Mains, Andrew Miller, John McCon-
nell, Alex. McCord, William Harper, Isachar Nickerson, George Os-
born, George Parks, Samuel Pratt, Powel Pain, Benjamin Berkhart,
Luther Palmer, Arzell Pierce, John Ray, David Ridenor, William Reed,
George Raphy, Elijah Rogers, Asa Rose, Joseph Straller, Henr}^ Shad-
ley, Christian B. Smith, Perry Spry, John Sunderland, Christian Shy-
power, David Seress, John Seress, Henry Skolls, Ephraim Summers,
Henry C. Strait, Jonathan Sordan, Jacob Shoup, Charles Smith, Myn-
der Shears, Adam Senor, John Smith, T. Sharp, S. Shenor, G. Shad-
wick, S. Taylor, J. Trorenger, F. Tesler, B. Thorp, F. Tucker, L
Thorp, J. Twadle, P. Vancleaf, L Vanney, Thomas Thorp, J. Twadle,
B. Thorp, A. Walker, A. White, L Weaver, T. Wheatlev, D. Walters,
J. Wright, J. Welchaus, C. Wolftly, F. Williams, W"^. Wallace, A.
Wilson, W. Watson, J. Young, H. Zimmerman, D. Zeigler, D. Wood-
worth, S. Tyler, G. Tennis, L. Vanney, J. Wilson, L Wheeler.
The first company commanded by Captain Sanderson, and which
marched trom Lancaster in April, i8i 2, formed apart of Colonel Lewis
Cass's Regiment of Ohio Volunteers. There was another company,
* which was in part recruited in Fairfield but of which very little infor-
mation is to be obtained. The company was attached to Colonel Paul's
regiment of Twenty-Seventh United States Infantrj'.
The}' were honorably discharged at Detroit, in 1814. Accident
placed in the hands of Dr. Scott an old blank book, which was pur-
chased with a lot of odds and ends at the executor's sale of the effects of
the late venerable John Leist, one mile west of Amanda, b}^ a son of
15
114
HISTORY OF FAIRP'IELD COUNTY
the late William Graham, of Hocking township. It is a journal in
diary form of a third company ot Infantry recruited in Fairfield county,
with headquarters at Lancaster. The company was commanded by
Capt. Jesse D. Courtright ; John Leist. First Lieutenant ; but no other
oflicers or other specifications of the constitution of the company are
written in the memorandum. The record seems to have been kept b}-
one, Samuel Taylor, probably an orderly sergeant. The Journal opens
thus: "Rendezvoused at Lancaster, on the 26th day of August, 1812,
for a six months tour on an expedition towards Canada."
The record then proceeds in the form of a regular kept diary, giv-
ing particulars of the dail}' marches and encampments, until the Mau-
mee countr}" is reached, when it terminates abruptly with. this brief
paragraph.
"General Harrison arrived at the rapids, and started next day with
a thousand men, commanded by General Perkins, to reinforce General
Winchester. They did not get far, when they met some of Winches-
ter's men, who told them that Winchester's army was all taken prisoner,
or killed."
There was also a rifie company ofganized in 1812, numbering from
eighty to one hundred strong, raised chiefiy along Ewing's Run, and
north of Lancaster, marching first to Upper Sandusky, where they
were encamped for some time. What part they further enacted in hos-
tile movements, does not appear.
They enlisted for six months, and at the expiration of this time the}^
were honorably discharged.
This company w^as commanded by Captain David Ewing, Thomas
Ewing, First Lieutenant and John Burton Second Lieutenant.
To give a minute account of the part taken in the war with Mexico
by Fairfield count}^ in 1846 and in 1847, at this late day, in the ab-
sence of muster rolls, is almost impossible, nor would a specific detail
of the particularities serve any special purpose to future history. But it
may be said, that Fairfield furnished as man}- soldiers as any county in
Ohio in proportion to her population, and that she was as prompt in re-
sponding to the call. There were two companies from the county. The
first company left for the seat of war in 1846, and was commanded by
Captain Wm. Irvin, with Aaron Julien as First Lieutenant. The com-
pany went out full, and served one year, and was honorably discharged.
They were in several sharp engagements, but did not suffer greatly.
A few of their number died from disease. The second compau}- started
out in the month of May, 1847, sixty strong, and filled up at Cincin-
nati. They were absent a little more than one year, their return being
in July 1848; they suffered some from sickness. This company did
mostl}^ guard duty. It was commanded b}^ W. F. Furguson, First
Lieutenant, W. Rice ; Second Lieutenants, Alva Perry and Perry
Steinman. The company was honorably discharged.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 115
CHAPTER XIX.
WAR OF THE REBELLION.
To Fairfield count}- belongs the distinguished honor of sending the
first company of soldiers to the state capital under President Lincoln's
first call for 75,000 men just after the fall of Fort Sumter. As the in-
telligence of the surrender of this fort flashed over the country, at
Lancaster it enkindled the same intense patriotism, and aroused the
same righteous indignation that was displayed throughout the entire
north. The colors of the nation had been assailed and trodden under
foot, and under this national insult, party differences were for a time
forgotten, and the wildest excitement prevailed. The call for men was
made April 15th, and on Tuesday, i6th, Lancaster was in arms. The
Lancaster Guards, a military company, had just lost its captain by re-
moval from the count}', and J. A. Stafford, a young shoemaker of
Lancaster, had been elected in his place. Tuesday evening a large
and enthusiastic citizens' meeting was held, volunteers were enlisted
and one thousand dollars were contributed by the citizens for the bene-
fit of the families of those, who obeyed their country's call. Wednes-
day all was confusion and excitement. The company paraded the
streets with the stars and stripes and with mnsic. The little military
band by enlistments, had swelled its numbers to over one hundred pri-
vates, and about four o'clock in the afternoon formed into line on
Broadway and marched to the depot, escorted by an immense throng
of citizens, led by the Lancaster Brass Band. Farewells were spoken
to parents, wives and sweethearts, and at five o'clock the train depar-
ed for Columbus, via Zanesville. It was the first to arrive but was
speedily followed by the Dayton Guards and other companies.
The First Ohio Volunteer Infanrty was organized on the morn-
ing of April 18 at Columbus, with A. M. McCook as Colonel, and before
the dawn of the next day together with the Second Regiment, was on
its way to Washington. The Lancaster Guards had the proud distinc-
tion of being Company A. So speedily had come the clash at arms,
that equipments were unprovided for, but the regiment was ordered to
proceed to Washington without arms. It made a halt of a day or two
at Harrisburg. where the soldiers were hospitably entertained by the
ladies of the city. At Lancaster, Pennsylvania, they halted for arms
and equipments, and after several vexatious delays, reached Baltimore
a few days after the Massachusetts Regiment had been fired upon in
the streets.
One of the boys in a letter home, after his arrival at Washington
says : "Well, here we are at the capitol. When we arrived at the de-
pot at Baltimore, some of our boys were timid about going through the
city, remembeVing the assault on the Massachusetts men ; but ils we
could not crawl under it, nor fly over it, and would not go around it,
we marched through the streets with our guns well charged and our
fingers on the triggers."
Il6 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
The First and Second Regiments crossed the Potomac, and went
into camp, six miles west of Washington, at Camp Upton, Fairfax
count}', Virginia. The earliest action of the First was at Vienna, where
General Schenck unexpectedly met the enemy, and lost six or seven
men. Company A was detailed for guard duty, at the Cross Roads,
near Falls Church, a few miles from Vienna. The three months' term
of service expired a few days before the battle of Bull Run, but the
regiment remained, and did efficient service in covering the retreat.
The only loss Compan}' A sustained was one man taken prisoner. He
found his way back to Lancaster, about the close of the war. The
company was sent home, and discharged in August. It numbered one
hundred and fourteen men. J. A. Stafi'ord was Captain; Thomas M.
Hunter, First Lieutenant, and Ezra Rickets, Second Lieutenant.
Within a tew da3's after its discharge. Company A re-enlisted. The
place of rendezvous was at Camp Corwin, near Dayton. The organ-
ization of the regiment was not completed until October. November
4th, it received arms at Cincinnati, and on the i6th, at Camp Nevin,
Kentucky, reported to General McCook, then in command of the Sec-
ond Division of the Army of the Cumberland, and assigned to the
Fourth Brigade. December 17th, it marched to Green River, where it
was first engaged. It remained in camp here until February 14, 1862,
when orders were received to join the forces of General Grant, then
moving on Fort Henry. At Upton Station, news was received of the
fall of Fort Henry, and a retrograde movement was begun. It reached
Nashville, March 3d, and encamped, late at night, five miles out on the
Franklin Turnpike. The men had neither tents, blankets, nor shelter
of any kind, and the rain, snow, and sleet was falling fast. Encamp-
ing in an open field, the men suffered terribl3^
Its first severe struggle was at Pittsburgh Landing. At daybreak,
on the morning of April 7th, the regiment reached Pittsburgh, after a
forced march, and, at six o'clock, moved to the front, and formed in
line of battle. It was engaged in the hottest of the fight all day, and
lost sixty men, killed and wounded. Captain Hooker was among the
severely wounded.
The regiment participated in the tedious movement on Corinth, hav-
ing occasional skirmishes. Under Major Langdon, it had a brisk fight
at Bridge Creek. The First did not participate in the pursuit of the
enemy, but remained in and about Corinth, doing picket and guard
duty till June 10, when it received marching orders for Nashville. After
several diversions, it reached Nashville, September 10, and continued
its march, in company with General BuelTs army, in pursuit of Bragg's
Rebel army, then on its way to Louisville. The National forces
reached Louisville first, through forced marches, but the extremel}^ hot
weather, dusty roads, and absence of drinking water, occasioned great
loss.
October 9, at Dog Walk, a brisk engagement was had with the en-
emy. A number of arduous marches, and sliarp skirmishes followed,
and December 31, the First was engaged in heavy fighting at Stone
River. It was stationed in the front line of battle, and maintained that
position, after a litUe confusion, until the close of the action. January
6, 1863, the regiment went into camp, four miles from Murfreesboro.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. II7
On June 24, 1863, the movement on Tullahoma commenced. The
First was not actively engaged at Liberty Gap, being held in reserve,
but was under a heavy artillery hre. Rapid and tedious marches were
made, and at one o'clock in the night of July i, the deserted Rebel
camps, with tents standing, and artillery, etc., lying about at Tulla-
homa, were reached. August 16, the march was resumed, and Belle-
fonte reached on the 2 2d.
The First was engaged in the Chickamauga campaign. September
18, it was placed on picket, near the right of the National lines, and
during the da}' there was constant tiring between the pickets. On the
morning of the 19th, the regiment was relieved from picket duty, and
marclied to the support of General Thomas. It was placed in the Iront
line of battle, with the Second Division on the right of the Fourth
Brigade. A charge was made, and the enemy driven a mile and a
half, their artillery captured, and the ground occupied by General Baird
fully recovered. The enemy attempted to regain their position, but
were handsomely repulsed.
About dusk, the rebels reappeared in great torce, and, driving in
the center, the First Ohio was compelled to change its position, to con-
front the enemy. It fell back about one hundred and fifty yards, re-
formed its lines, and, in the gathering gloom and smoke, a terrible
carnage ensued, from which the enemy soon retired, and the National
division received orders to fall back.
On the lollowing morning, the First occupied the second line of in-
trenchments. About one o'clock it made a charge, with the Louisville
Legion, upon a heavy Rebel force marching around to the left, and put
it to flight. The loss of the regiment, during the two days, was one
hundred and twenty in killed and wounded.
October 20, it formed part of the important expedition down the
Tennessee River, which resulted in the capture of the ridge command-
ing Brown's Ferry, and the roads, thus enabling supplies to reach Chat-
tanooga.
November 23, the battle of Orchard Knob was fought, the opening
of the battle of Mission Ridge. About noon, the First Ohio and Twen-
ty-third Kentucky consolidated, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel
Langdon, and was formed in column doubled at the center, to the right
of Hazen's Brigade. It advanced on the enemy, and captured his rifle
pits, and one hundred and fifty prisoners. This position was held till
the afternoon of the 25th, when the First was placed in the front line,
on the right of the brigade and division, and advanced on the rebel
works, about a mile distant, on the double quick. The rebels were
fairly lifted out of their works, almost without firing a shot.
After taking possession of these abandoned works, the troops were
exposed to a galling fire irom the crest of the ridge. A charge was
made upon the works at the top of the ridge, under a withering fire,
in which Lieutenant-Colonel Langdon and Major Stafford were
wounded. The crest was gained, but tlie First lost five officers and
seventy-eigiit men, killed and wounded.
January 17, 1864, it had a hard fight at Strawberry Plains. On May
4, it started with Sherman, on the Atlantic campaign. During the
next two months, it was engaged at Buzzard's Roost, Resaca, i\dairs
Il8 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
ville, Burnt Hickory, Kcnesavv, and Chattahoochie River. In all of
these engagements it sustained losses. August 15, 1864, Company A
was mustered out, with twenty-seven men, only one-fourth the number
which enlisted.
In all, it participated in twenty-eight battles and skirmishes. Cap-
tain Stafford was promoted to Major, and was mustered out with Com-
pany A. He had command of the regiment a great part of the time.
Lieutenant H^ooker succeeded him in the captainc}' of Company A.
Seventeenth O. V. I. — This regiment belonged more distinctively
to Fairfield county, and contained a greater number of her men than
any other in the field. After Company A, of the First, had reached
Columbus, on the 17th of April, Sergeants A. H. Geisy and Theodore
Michels, and Leo Noles, Abraham Ogden, and J. W. Stinchcomb were
detailed to return to Lancaster, and raise another compan}-. By the
20th of April, one hundred and eighty-five men had been recruited, and
two companies were organized, for three months service.
The second call of the President for troops, found these two com-
panies encamped at the Lancaster Fair Grounds, christened Camp An-
derson. Thev were at once made the nucleus of the Seventeenth Reg-
iment, which John M. Connel was ordered to recruit, and which was
rapidly formed here. Within a few days, eight companies, from sur-
rounding counties, reported, and on the 20th the regiment started for
West Virginia. J. M. Connel was its Colonel. The two Fairfield
county companies were officered as follows : Compan}^ A, A. H. Geisy,
Captain ; Abraham Ogden, First Lieutenant ; Leo Noles, Second Lieu-
tenant. Company I, J. W. Stinchcomb, Captain; John Wiseman, First
Lieutenant, and J. C. Watson, Second Lieutenant.
Its first dut}^ was to guard trains to Clarksburg, Virginia. Company
A was there one of two companies detailed as guard to General Mc-
Clellan. Company I was sent dowai the river, with several others, to
operate against the guerillas. It was stationed at Ravenswood, with
another company, and pertbrmed good service in breaking up rebel re-
cruiting camps. Governor Wise, of Virginia, made preparations to
capture the two companies, but they were reinforced, and he wisel}^
forebore. The regiment consolidated at Buckhannon, and was order-
ed to occupy and fortify Sutton, Virginia, which was done. August 3,
the regiment started for home, reached Zanes ville on the 13th, and
were mustered out on the 15th.
Efforts were at once made to reorganize the regiment for three years,
and August 30, it assembled at Camp Dennison. In the newM^egiment,
Colonel Connel commanded, and one-half the companies belonged to
Fairfield county, as follows: Companv A, Benj. F. Butterfield, Captain
Benjamin Showers, First Lieutenant ; Hemy Arney, Second Lieutenant.
Butterfield was promoted to Major, December, 1862. Lieutenant
Showers, in May, 1864, was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel. Lieu-
tenant Arney was promoted to the Captaincy, in December, 1863.
Compan^' I>, James W. Stinchcomb, Captain ; Aaron P. Ashbrook,
First Lieutenant, and Owen W. Brown, Second Lieutenant. Stinch-
comb became Major in December, 1863.
Company F. — Ezra Rickets, Captain ; Irvin Linn, First Lieutenant,
and Daniel Sullivan, Second Lieutenant.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. Hg
Company I. — Abraham Ogden, Captain : Leo Noles, First Lieuten-
ant, and Theodore Michaels, Second Lieutenant.
Company K. — Daniel M. Rea, Captain ; Wm. Cook, First Lieu-
tenant ; and Seth Collins, Second Lieutenant. Rea resigned in Au-
gust, 1862, and was succeeded bv Captains Kumler, Clark, and
others.
September 30, the regiment was ordered to Kentucky, reporting
at Camp Dick Robinson, October 2. Thence it moved to Wild Cat,
participating in the fight there, and losing several men. It also par-
ticipated in the battle of Mill Springs.
When in the vicinity of Mill Springs, Colonel Connel, in com-
mand of the Seventeenth, was ordered to defend a ford on the Cum-
berland River, When some two or three miles from the rebel posi-
tion, he took with him Captain Rickets, Lieutenant. Sifer, and ten
men, and advanced to reconnoiter. He stationed his men as
pickets along the road, and advanced, alone, to an eminence in
front of the enemy's camp, where, at a bend in the road, he suddenly
encountered a band of m'ounted rebels, about thirty yards distant.
They dashed towards him, unslung their carbines, and shouted the
challenge. The Colonel put spurs to his horse, and the fire of his
pursuers passed harmlessly over his head. Unfortunatel}^ his charger
stumbled and fell, throwing the rider, then galloped off.
Captain Rickets, attracted bv the fire and challenge, dashed up
to his fallen and injured Colonel, dismounted, and assisted him to his
own saddle ; then, instantly turning, he discharged his revolvers at
the advancing rebels, and plunged on foot into the thick woods that
lined the roadside. Both reached the camp in safety.
From this place the regiment proceeded to Nashville, arriving
March 3, 1862. Thence it guarded a wagon train to Shiloh, but did
not arrive in time to take part in the battle. It participated in the siege
oF Corinth, and was engaged in several severe skirmishes, in one of
which Company B, with sevent}- men, penetrated the rebel lines,
drove the rebel pickets on their reserves, and held the position two
hours, losing six men wounded.
At the battle of Perryville, the Seventeenth did not participate,
though it was under fire, in the rear of General MitcheFs command.
At Stony River, the brigade to which the regiment was attached,
was stationed on the extreme right, until December 29, when, after
night, it marched from Nolinsville, to the Murfreesboro' Pike, and
next day had a severe skirmish with Wheeler's Cavalry, at Lavergne,
and recaptured the wagon trains he had taken. About one o'clock De-
cember 31, the regiment went into battle line, and with the brigade
charged the Rebel General Hanson's Brigade, drove them in confusion,
killing their general and about one hundred and fifty of the rank and
file. The loss of the Seventeenth was twenty wounded.
After the long rest at Murfreesboro', General Rosecrans inaugurated
the Tullahoma campaign. The Seventeenth moved w^ith its brigade,
and at Hoover's Gap, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Durbin
Ward, charged the Seventeenth Tennessee Rebel Regiment, strongly
posted in a belt of woods. In making the charge, it was compelled to
cross an open field, and receive a full fire directly in its left flank, from
120 HISTORY OF FAIRFlEI.t) COUNTY.
a rebel brigade and batter3^ yet it drove back the Seventeenth Tennes-
see, and occupied its position.
At the battle of Chickamauga, the regiment was on the extreme
right of the center, attached to the corps, commanded by General
Thomas. When General Wood's division was double-quicked out of
the line, the gap left exposed the right flank of the regiment, of which
the rebels took immediate advantage, and opened fire, both on the right
and front flank, causing it to lose heavily, and scattering its men in con-
fusion. Halting about three hundred yards from where they had been
driven, about two hundred of the Seventeenth were collected, and
charged back on the enemy, but to little purpose, as they outnumbered
them ten to one. Falling back again, they held a given point and
faught throughout the da}', leaving the field with but fifty-two men.
The loss of the. Seventeenth in killed and wounded, not including those
with slight flesh wounds, was over two hundred. It was the severest
fight, in which the regiment participated. The gallant Captain Rick-
ets, lell dead in the early part of the fight, and Lieutenant-Colonel
Ward, fell about the middle of the afternoon, on the front line, badly
wounded.
During the siege of Chattanooga, the Seventeenth was in several
severe skirmishes, and at Brown's Ferry, it won honor, along with the
brigade to which it was attached. At Mission Ridge, though in the
rear when the battle commenced, it was at the front when the top of tlie
hill was gained. In this brilliant charge, the braive and gallant Major
Butterfield fell mortally wounded, while leading the regiment.
January i, 1864, the subject of re-enlisting as veterans having been
agitated, three hundred and ninety-three members of the Seventeenth
agreed to enlist tor a second three years term, if it became necessary.
January 22 the regiment started home on furlough, and on the 7th of
March, returned to the field with over four hundred recruits. It went
with Sherman to Georgia, and at Resaco, May 13, bore its full share of
the conflict. An assault having been ordered, it moved forward witli
Turchin's Brigade, until", unsurported on either side, it could go no fur-
ther. Stfll it held the position it had gained, until the commanding
General decided to abandon the attack on the enemy's works at that
point. Its loss here, was quite heav}-.
At New Hope Church, Pumpkin Vine Creek, Kenesaw Mountain,
Peach Tree Creek, and several other places, the regiment was actively
engaged. Moving with Jefl'. C. Davis' corps, to the rear of Atlanta,
the Seventeenth was among the claimants tor the honor of having been
the first to strike the railroad. The next da}'^ Hunter's Brigade, tormer-
ly Turchin's, in which the Seventeenth had been placed through the
campaign, sustained Este's and advanced under a galling fire of mus-
ketry and artillerv, to the assault on Jonesboro. This ended the cam-
paign.
The Seventeenth was always at the front, never doing a single day's
service in mere garrison duty. It was never driven, except at Chicka-
mauga. Even then it quit the field only under orders, and that at night-
fafl.
The Seventeenth Regiment Band, was composed of eighteen mem-
bers, all of whom were from about Lancaster. It served with the regi-
I
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD C'OlJN'ry. I2l
ment lor about a year, in the Army of the Tennesee, and was discharged
September 9, 1862. There were three deaths in the band, dming the
term' of service. Its leader was Geoi'ge Blaire, who was subsequently
commissioned Lieutenant, captured and imprisoned in Libby for nearly
a year.
Sixty-First O. V. I. — This regiment, though organized at Camp
Chase, is more intimately connected with Lancaster. During the win-
ter of 1861-2, General Newton Schleich, maintained a recruiting office
in Lancaster, using the starch factory building for a barracks. Several
companies were recruited, but transferred to complete other regiments
as fast as recruited. In x\pril, 1862, under astringent call for imme-
diate troops, three regiments, partially formed, the Sixty-tirst, Fiftieth
and Fifty-second, were consolidated at Camp Chase, under name of
the Sixty-first. The other two regiments were afterwards organized.
Colonel Newton Schleich commanded the regiment, and Captain
Daniel J. Schleich, Company B, the only Fairfield company. George
J. Wygum and Edward Hay, were the Lieutenants of the company.
The regiment was mustered in for three years, and left Camp Chase
for Western Virginia, May 27, 1862, where it was connected with Gen.
Fremont's (afterwards Pope's) armv. It first saw the enemy at Cedar
Mountain, where it arrived too late to participate actively, but in time
to receive a severe shelling from the enemy's guns, and sustained some
little loss. A number of brushes with the rebels occurred, and in the
second Bull Run battle, the regiment assisted in covering the retreat of
the National forces, and lost twent3'-five men, killed and wounded.
September 2, it was engaged with the enemy at Chantilly, then fell
back towards Washington, and formed part of General Sigel's reserve
force. It went into winter quarters at Stafford C. H.
On May 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th, it stood under fire at Chancellors-
ville, and sustained loss. It joined in the pursuit of Lee's army, and
Jul}^ I opened the battle at Gettysburg as skirmishers. It was so fur-
iously received, that it was obliged to fall back to Cemetery Hill with
great loss. It held its position here, till the close of the fight, and then
joined in pursuit of the flying enemy. Captain J. M. Reynolds of
Cincinnati, in command of company' B here, was killed by a shell.
During the night of October 28, a fierce fight took place between
the Sixty-first and the rebels at Wauchatchie Valley, in which the lat-
ter w^ere routed. November 22, it crossed the Tennessee River, and
joined the main army. On the three succeeding days, it was engaged
at Mission Ridge. Several marches were made and the regiment went
into winter quarters at Bridgeport, Tennessee.
In March, 1864, i^ re-enlisted, and returned to Ohio, on thirty days
veteran furlough. Re-assembling at Camp Dennison, it started for the
front and joined the main forces at Rocky Face Ridge, May 7. From
this time it was almost constantly engaged with the enemy in the At-
lantic campaign. May 14, in the vicinity of Resaca, it rescued the
Fifth Indiana Batter}^, which had been deserted b}^ its support, and
drove the enemy before it. The next day the battle of Resaca was
fought and won, and the continued pursuit of the enemy commenced.
Ma}^ 19, the army again caught up with the enemy, and again routed
them. On the 25th, near Dallas, Georgia, it was again found. The
16
122 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
Sixty-first was here deployed as skirmisliers, and in performing this
duty lost six men killed and seventeen wounded. Skirmishes, many
of them severe, w^ere constantly had, till June 22, when the army reach-
ed Kenesaw Mountain, and commenced building' works at Gulp's Farm.
While thus engaged, the enemy made a dash upon the National lines,
and for a few moments luid things their own way, but the troops rallied
and drove them back. In this atlair, Major Becket was killed, and a
number wounded. While the fight was in progress, Colonel McGroarty
was ordered to advance his regiment to a certain point, but in executing
the order, he placed it far beyond the line intended, and in the darkness
became almost isolated from his brigade. An attempt was made by a
rebel regiment, to capture them, but in moving through the dense
woods in the dark, the rebels were detached from their officers, and,
becoming alarmed, attempted to hide themselves in the thickets. The
Sixty-first, in falling back to its proper lines, stumbled across these fel-
lows, and captured a large number of them. Colonel McGroarty alone
brouglil in seventeen of the scared rebels.
Peach Tree Creek was the next severe engagement, in which the
regiment participated. In it five officers were wounded, one fatally.
Over seventy men were wounded, and about twenty killed. The corps
to which the Sixty-first was attached was the first to march into Atlanta.
It remained here nndl November 15th, and then started with Sherman,
on his march to the sea. At Benton ville the last real battle of the
campaign was fought, and our regiment performed its part of it. At
Goldsboro', North Carolina, they went into camp, and here the Sixty-
first was consolidated with the Eighty-second Ohio, under the name of
the latter.
The name of the Sixty-first was thus extinguished from the rolls of
the army. It was always a reliable regiment, and always found at its
post, as the numerous losses it sufTered will attest. At its last roll call
but fifty-five men answered to their names. Tiie consolidated regiment
marched to Washington, participated in the grand review there, and
returned home. It was mustered out of service at Columbus, in Sep-
tember, 1865.
The Regimental Band was organized at Lancaster, with E.W.Wolfe
as leader. It remained a 3^ear with the regiment, and in May, 1862,
was mustered into General Hugh Ewing's Brigade, as Brigade Band.
During the operations about Vicksburg the band became disabled, by
death and sickness, and was again discharged by special order from the
War Department, in May, 1863. After this, the band was reorganized
as Post Band, at Camp Chase, where it remained till the close of the
war, and was finally mustered out February 4, 1865.
The Forty-third O. V. I contained one Company, I, enlisted
in Fairfield county, during the winter of 186 1-2. Peter Brown was the
original Captain, but he soon resigned, and Lieutenant Peter Hewiston
was promoted to the vacancy, where he remained until he was mustered
out, in October, 1864.
Henry S. Beck was made Captain of this company, on its re-enlist-
ment. O. W. Rigby and S, J. Morrell were the Lieutenants. The
gallant and lamented J. L. Kirby Smith was the original commander of
the regiment. It was organized at Mt. Vernon, February 7th, 1862,
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 1 23
and was assigned to the Army of the Mississippi ; and in all the opera-
tions that distinguished that army, in its first campaign, it bore a con-
spicuous part. At New Madrid, Missouri, Island Ten, Tiptonville,
Tennessee, Fort Pillow, and luka, it rendered most efficient service.
At Corinth, October 4th, the Fort3'-third and Sixty-third Ohio deserve
particular honor. They were posted on either side of Battery Robinet,
and, without any support, bore the brunt of the rebel hand-to-hand
charge, and ^cceeded in hurling back the opposing columns, when
our lines were breaking in all other parts of the field. Colonel Smith
fell at the first onset, mortalh^ wounded, and over one-fourth of the
Fort3^-third was killed or disabled.
It was with Grant at Oxford, Mississippi, and in the campaign
against Forrest, in West Tennessee, and General Dodge's raid, in North
Alabama, in April, 1863.
In December, 1863, it re-enlisted almost unanimously, and at the ex-
piration of its veteran furlough returned and captured Decatur, Ala-
bama. May 3rd, 1864, it took the advance of the Army of the Tennes-
see in the Atlanta campaign. It participated at Resaca, on the 13th,
and the two following days was engaged in heavy skirmishing. At
Dallas it took an important part. In all the general movements of
its corps — the Sixteenth — during the campaign, the Forty-third partici-
pated. July 22nd, it started with a train of some fifteen hundred wagons,
with the Ninth Illinois Mounted Infantry, from Marietta to Decatur,
and by its prompt and fearless action, prevented the train from falling
into the hands of the enemy.
When Hood attempted to cut ofT General Sherman's communica-
tions, the Forty-third assisted in the chase, and on its return to Atlanta,
joined in the '* March to the sea."' It participated in the grand review
at Washington, and, returning to Ohio, was mustered out July 13th,
1865.
The Forty-sixth Ohio rendezvoused at Worthington, Franklin
county, and was organized October i6th, 1861. Two companies were
recruited in Fairfield county — C and F. Company C was officered by
John Wiseman, Captain ; Frank Linnville and John Lutz, Lieutenants.
Company F b}" Henry Geisy, Captain ; John J. Carron and C. H. Rice,
Lieutenants. Captain Geisy was promoted to Major, and was killed at
Dallas, May 28, 1864. Colonels Thomas Worthington, C. C. Walcutt,
and E. N. Upton successively commanded the regiment.
It left Camp Chase for the field, in February, 1862, and reported a
few days later at Paducah, Kentucky. Its first important battle was at
Shiloh, in April. It was engaged during the entire fight, and received
a total loss, in killed and wounded, of two hundred and eighty seven
men. April 27, it moved with the arm}^ upon Corinth. 'The summer and
part of the autumn of 1862 was spent in garrison and provost duty.
Early in June, 1863, it was transported to Vicksburg, and participated
in the seige there. At the battle of Mission Ridge the regi-
ment was engaged severely, and sustained a heavy loss. It then
moved on the Knoxville campaign, and marched to Scottsboro, Ala-
bama, for winter quarters. Here the regiment was armed with Spen-
cer's repeating rifled muskets, and here, too, it re-enlisted as veter-
ans, and was furloughed.
124
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
At Resaca it was actively engaged. May 13th, 14th. and 15th,
but met with small loss. It arrived at Dallas on the 26th, and took
a position on the extreme right of the army, where it twice aided in
repelling a rebel assault. The Spencer riftes produced sad havoc in
the ranks of the opposing columns, and caused the Forty-sixth to be
thenceforth dreaded. At New Hope Church it gained a position with-
in eighty yards of the enemy, and Colonel Walcutt, commanding the
brigade, by strateg}' caused the rebels to abandon their lines in confu-
sion. At Kenesaw, Walcutt's Brigade led several brilliant charges, but
suffered considerable loss.
Jul}^ 20th found the regiment in line i)efore Atlanta, and here it per-
formed noble service. x\t Ezra Church it was again engaged, and find-
ing the rebel regiment, ""{'hirtieth Louisiana, that had confronted it at
Pittsburg Landing, assailed it with such vigor that the rebel Colonel,
ten of his officers and half of his men were killed, and their colors
taken.
During August the regiment was frequently engaged in skirmishing,
and on the 29th, took part in the battle at Jonesboro. At Lovejo3-'s
Station, the Fort3'-sixth and the Sixty-sixth Illinois was deployed in
front of the army, aiid a challenge passed between the two regiments,
as to which would first occupy the enemy's lines, about a mile distant.
As they neared the lines, the conflict became hand-to-hand. The ene-
mj^ were forced to retire, and the Forty-sixth gained its part of the line
first, capturing about fifty prisoners. Next the regiment participated in
the campaign against Hood, in northern Georgia.
November 25th, it left Atlanta with its brigade for Savannah.
When near Griswoldsville, the brigade was attacked by a greatly su-
perior force. The men waited until they had advanced to within one
hundred and twenty-five yards, then opened fire upon them with fear-
ful effect. Five times the enemy was broken and driven back, the
last time not to return.
Early in 1865, it charged the enemy at Bentonville, and captured
the works. For its service here, it was especially complimented for
gallantry. The regiment marched northward, via Petersburg and
Richmond to Washington. It was mustered out at Louisville, Ken-
tucky, July 22nd, 1865. During its term of service, the Forty-sixth
lost twenty men captured, and seven hundred and five men killed,
wounded, and died of disease.
The FiFTY-EiGHTM Regiment contained Companv I, recruited in
Pickaway and Fairfield counties, by Captain Samuel M. Morrison.
William Robv and Stephen Defenbaugh were Lieutenants. February
loth, 1862, the regiment left Camp Chase, and arrived at Fort Donald-
son, Tennessee, on the morning of the 13th. Stopping only long
enough to prepare their coffee, the regiment, then within four miles of
the fort, pushed on with energy, over rough and circuitous roads, but
did not form in line in time for action that da\'. On the 14th, however,
it engaged in the assault, and on the 15th marched into the loi't at its
sui'render.
After Pittsburg Landing and the march on Corinth IkuI been expe-
rienced, the regiment participated in various expeditions. Battles and
skirmishes were participated in at Milliktn's Bend, Haine's Bluff",
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 1 25
Greenville, Bolivar Landing, and Johnson's Landing, at which latter
place the regiment lost forty-seven per cent, of the whole number en-
gaged. It remained in the vicinity of Yazoo River till January, 1863,
when it assisted in the capture of Arkansas Post, April 29th the battle
of Grand Gulf was fought, where it lost heavily. Its last service was
at Vicksburg, January 14th, 1865, at'ter which it was mustered out at
Columbus.
Eighty-eighth O. V. I. — This regiment contained one full com-
pany (A), from Fairfield county. Its history is somewhat confused
with that of the Eighty-tit"th. James C. Henley was authorized to
recruit a company for the Eight\'-eighth, and he raised the company
and received his commission as Captain June 10, 1862. June 14, 1862,
the company was. for some reason, transt'erred to the Eight3'-lifth, the
organization of which was never completed. It consisted of a battalion
only (four companies), and rendered service in guarding rebel prison-
ers at Camp Chase. At the expiration of three months this partially
formed regiment was discharged. Captain Henlev's Company in this
regiment was K. His Lieutenants were George Orman and Henry C.
Sites. During Morgan's raid this company was ordered to Kentucky,
under command of Lieutenant Orman.
In September, 1862, Captain Henley recruited another company
from near Pleasantville and Royalton principall}-, Its term of service
was three years. It became Company K of the Eighty-eighth.
Though enlisted for regular service its duties were largel}-^ confined to
Camp Chase. Henry E. Howe and Harlow Park were First and Sec-
ond Lieutenants. Colonel George W. Neft' commanded the regiment.
After a few months the guard duty at Camp Chase became exceed-
ingl}^ irksome, and the men clamored to be placed in the field. Their
hopes for a change, however, were delusive. Though detachm'ents
were occasionally sent abroad for short periods of time, the greater
part of the three 3'ears' service was spent in and about Columbus.
Company A was ordered to Williamsport, Maryland, and from there
to guard the ford at Blennerhasset's Island against Morgan's escape
from Ohio. It also marched twice to Grafton, Virginia. Companies
A and B were the two companies sent to Holmes county, under Colonel
Wallace, of the Fifteenth, to quelch the insurrection of those who
attempted to resist the draft. The insurrectionists had built a fort and
entrenched themselves behind it, but, after a few shots were fired, con-
cluded that they preferred war abroad to war at home, and fled igno-
miniously. The company also served a short time in Cincinnati on
guard dutv. The regiment was well drilled, and had it been given a
chance would undoubtedly have performed good service in the field.
It was mustered out July 3, 1865.
The Ninetieth O. V. I. contained two companies from Fairfield
County. Of these Company D was ofiicered by Alvah Perry, Captain ;
John M. Sutphen, First Lieutenant, and George W. Welsh, Second
Lieutenant ; Company I, by Lewis R. Carpenter, Captain ; Augustus
R. Keller, First Lieutenant, and Samuel L. Weidner. Second Lieuten-
ant. Captain Perry was promoted to the rank of Major in April, 1863,
and Lieutenant Sutphen succeeded him as Captain of Company D, and
was mustered out with the regiment. Captain Carpenter resigned in
126 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
December, 1862, and Lieutenant Keller was promoted to Captain.
Lieutenant Weidner also attained this rank. The Colonels of the regi-
ment were Isaac N. Ross, Charles H. Rippey, and Samuel N. Yeo-
man, successively.
The two Fairfield companies were organized at Lancaster and ren-
dezvoused at Circleville. The_y were mustered into service August 28,
1862, for three 3^ears. Their tirst duty was outpost picketing at Lex-
ington, Kentucky. A forced march of over one hundred miles was
made from this place to Louisville in eighty-six hours. The new
recruits were compelled to quench their thirst with stagnant pool water
and march through stifling dust. Their suffering was intense, and
man}^ sunk under it. October 15, the enem}^ was met and conquered
at Wildcat Mountain, and on the 20th the regiment surprised twelve
hundred of the enem3^ and captured two hundred of them.
The morning of December 31 found the regiment in line at Stone
River, where they fought with the intrepidity of veterans, losing one
hundred and thirtv men, killed, wounded, and missing. Captain Perry
was captured here and sent to Libby Prison. He was afterward
exchanged and rejoined his regiment. January i, the Ninetieth was in
line all day, and on the morning of the 2d it occupied the hill on which
was massed the forty pieces of artillery which sent Breckinridge's Rebel
Corps howling back over Stone River. At five P. M. the Ninetieth
Ohio and Thirty-first Indiana were ordered to move over an open
field. They obeyed and charged a rebel position, still held on the
national side of the river, and, with but little loss, became masters of it.
On September 12, after the Tullahoma campaign, the regiment
found itself on West Chickamauga Creek, On the i8th it was ordered
to move with its brigade to the support of General Thomas's Corps.
The line of battle passed at quick time over a corn-field and through a
strip of timber, and, on debouching from the timber, discovered the
enemy at close range in the act of completing their movement of turn-
ing and enclosing General Thomas's right flank. A charge was made
which succeeded in driving back the enemy until the brigade formed
on the prolongation of General Thomas's right flank. This line was
established at one o'clock P. M., and, notwithstanding the repeated
eflbrts of the enemy, was held until half-past tw^o P. M., when the
supply of ammunition became exhausted, and Colonel Rippey received
orders to retire his regiment to a strip of timber one hundred and fifty
yards in the rear. Here a section of a battery was obtained and the
enemy held in check till a fresh supply of ammunition was obtained.
The rebels again attempted to flank their position, and to meet this
new movement the regiment made a right-half wheel, about faced, and
was in position to meet the impending charge. To save a rout of the
right it was plain that a counter charge must be made. The Ninetieth
led the charge in gallant style, and caused the enem}- to retreat in con-
fusion. It was next ordered to the support of General Jackson's Divi-
sion, then hard pressed. September 20 tiie brigade constructed works
and repelled his assaults. The Ninetieth then relieved the Second
Kentucky under a heav}'^ fire. The line was afterwards broken on the
left of the brigade and the regiment exposed to a rear and flank fire.
The enemy was driven back, but again turned the right flank, which
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 1 27
compelled the abandonment of the works. The retreat was made
under hre on the Dry Valle}- road. The loss of the regiment in this
engagement was three officers killed, and eighty-three men killed,
wounded, and missing.
Ma}^ 3, 1864, the regiment joined in the great Atlanta campaign,
and for one hundred and twenty days marched, fought, and suffered,
till the objective cit}- was entered. October 3 it left Atlanta, and, with
the Fourth Corps, repassed the scenes of its advance, and participated
in the desperate battle of Franklin, and others. It was also at Nash-
ville, and after the victory joined in the pursuit of the rebels. Return-
ing, March I, 1865, it remained at Nashville until the surrender of the
rebel armies, and was then sent to Ohio and mustered out of service.
Company K, of the One Hundred and Fortieth O. V. I. was
recruited from Fairheld and Pickaway counties. It was intended for the
Ninetieth, but that regiment was full before the company was com-
pleted. George W. Hurst of Williamsport, was its first Captain and
Isaac Butterlield and Joseph Bury its Lieutenants. Hurst soon. resign-
ed, and the two Lieutenants were successfull}^ promoted to the Captain-
cy. The regiment was mustered in, September 11, 1862, aud was or-
dered to Memphis. Thence it moved down the Mississippi River to
Johnson's Landing on the Yazoo River to join General Sherman. De-
cember 26th, it participated in the assault at Chickasaw Bayou, and
after the retreat assisted in taking Arkansas Post. It next moved down
the river to Young's Point, Louisiana, where it lost over one hundred
men from sickness and death.
The regiment was in the whole of the Vicksburg campaign and par-
icipated in the battles of Thompson's Hill, Champion Hills, Big Black
Bridge and the siege of Vicksburg; It sustained considerable loss
here. It was on duty in Louisiana until November 28th, when it was
embarked for Texas, landing at Decrow's Point, on Matagorda Penin-
sula, December 3. It remained on this barren sand coast until January
14, 1864 and then moved to Matagorda Island. April 18th it was or-
dered to Alexandria, Louisiana, and arrived on the 26th. Here it was
engaged for six days and retreated with General Banks' army. At
Marksville and at Yellow Bayou the enemy was met and defeated.
This campaign was very severe. Forced marches of twenty-five
miles per day and ten days duration were endured. The arm}- was
continually harassed by the enemy, both on flank and rear, and suf-
fered greatly from the stifling heat and dust. The weary march ended with
the approach of the Mississippi. November 21, it was ordered to the
mouth of White Ri\'er, Arkansas, and was here consolidated with the
One Hundred and Twentieth Ohio.
December 6th, the regiment was ordered to Morganza, Louisiana.
January 8th, 1865, it moved to Kenna and, on the 24th, was ordered to
Barrancas, Florida. It remained at this point until May and was sent
to Texas. On the way it helped take Mobile, remaining there eight
days. From Texas the regiment came home and was discharged in
During its term of service it was engaged in eight hard fought bat-
tles and many skirmishes. Its loss in killed and wounded was eighty-
six. During the first year about two hundred men died from disease
128 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
and many were discharged lor disability ; but the latter part of the ser-
vice was sing-ularly tree troin casualties. It performed dut}' in ten dif-
ferent States and marched by land and water over ten thousand miles.
The One Hundred and Twenty-sixth was organized at Camp
Steubenville. Eight companies were ready for marching, when three
arrived from Fairfield and Perry counties, which had been raised for
for the Ninetieth. The organization of the regiment was complete how-
ever before thev could join it and they were transferred to the One
Hundred and Twenty-sixth. The three companies were consolidated
into two, Company I being principally Fairfield county men and K,
Perry county men. Company I was recruited principally from Rich-
land, Walnut, Rush Creek and Pleasant townships. Captain, Henry
C. Yontz of New Salem commanded and Jacob Lamb and Joseph C,
Watson were Lieutenants. The Lieutenant-Colonel of this regiment,
the brave Aaron W. Ebright of Fairfield county, was killed at Winches-
ter, Virginia, September 19th, 1864. Col. Benj. F. Smith commanded
the regiment throughout its whole career.
The first winter was spent among the mountains of Virginia. The
regiment suffered greatly from typhoid fever and small-pox. June 13th
at Martinsburg the brigade, to which this regiment was attached, was
attacked b}^ Lee's advance army and about seventy men of the One
Hundred and Twenty-sixth, mostly from Company I, were captured.
The 14th was consumed in hard fighting and in the evening the Union
forces retreated to Harper's Ferr}-. At Manassas Gap it had a brisk
fight with the enemy. In August 1863, it went to New York to aid
in enforcing the draft there. In the spring of 1864 it participated
in Grant's march on Richmond. May 12th it suffered severely from
an engagement with the enemy at the Rapidan. It participated in all
the engagements of the campaign up to June 7th. At Cold Harbor,
Monacac}^ and Winchester it lost heavily. It arrived at Cedar Creek just
in time to take part in that memorable battle.
During the first months of 1865 part of the regiment were on picket
duty and in the trenches within sight of the enemy constantl}^. On the
morning of April 2d, it performed an important part in the charge on
the enemy's intrenched lines. During the next few daj^s it participated
in the pursuit of Lee's army, and on the night of the 5th was detached
for guard dut}'. It was mustered out near Washington, June 25, 1865.
During its term of service the regiment lost nine officers and one hun-
dred and eleven men killed ; ten officers, and three hundred and seven-
ty-nine men wounded, an aggregate of five hundred and nine, or more
than one half the regiment.
The One Hundred and Seventy-eighth was commanded by
Col. J. A. Stafford. It was recruited for one year's service in the fall
of 1864. Company C was composed of Ross and Fairfield county
men. The Fairfield quoto was recruited b}^ Lieutenants P. H. Mc-
Grew and J. A. Sears. Charles Cavinor of Ross county commanded
it.
The regiment was dispatched to General Thomas" command in
Tennessee, and during the siege at Murfreesboro was severely engaged.
In this engagement Company C lost its two color bearers, Irvin Linn
and George Crumley. Both were shot dead. In the affair at Wilker-
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, 1 29
son's Pike, in which two fine twelve-pounder Napokiorts dnd two hun-
dred prisoners were captured, tlie One Hundred and Twenty-sixth par-
ticipated. After tlie defeat of General Hood's rebel army, at Nash-
ville, the regiment was engaged in a smart skirmish with the enemy at
Wise's Fork. After the advance to Raleigii it performed garrison
duty at Charlotte, North Carolina, till mustered out of service. June 29.
1865. It was discharged at Camp Chase, July 10, 1865.
The First Ohio Volunteer Cavalry was organized at Colum-
bus during the latter part of the summer of 1861, under the first call of
President Lincoln for three years" service. As it was the first organiza-
tion of the kind in the State, there was a great anxiet}^ and in the
selection ot its members, a fine, physically developed regiment was
procured. The strictest military discipline was inaugurated, and a
high degree of efficiency soon attained.
Company F was from Fairfield county, recruited by its Captain,
Valentine Cupp, who was afterwards promoted to Major and Lieuten-
ant-Colonel, and fell at Chickamauga. Lafayette Pickering, the First
Lieutenant, succeeded to the Captaincy. The other Lieutenants
of the company, during its services, were J. H. Pierce, resigned ; Allen
T. Overly, mustered out ; Wm. G. Lowder, mustered out as Captain ;
George V. Ward, mustered out ; Henry G. Ward, resigned ; Wm. T.
Brison mustered out, and Geo. W. Keys, honorably discharged.
December 9th the First proceeded to Louisville, the first regi-
ment of cavalry to enter that department. It will be impossible to
even mention all its services, and only the most important will be no-
ticed. It was almost constantly engaged in scouting, skirmishing, raid-
ing and clearing the country of guerrillas and bush-whackers, when
not charging the enemy in battle. In Januar}^ 1862, among other
rebel parties encountered in Kentucky, was a detachment of the John
Morgan guerrillas, who were severeh' handled. The regiment partici-
pated in the advance on Corinth, and frequentl}^ engaged the enemy in
the vicinity of Murtreesboro ; from December 26 to 31 it was repeat-
edly in conflict. On the 31st it covered the retreat of our infantry.
The brave Colonel Milligan in command of the regiment. Major Moore
and Lieutenant Condit, and a long list of men were slain in checking
the overwhelming, advancing foes. Perceiving the imminent danger of
the infantry, the Colonel dashed fearlessly into the pursuing rebels
without any svipport, until entirely surrounded. He succeeded in check-
ing the advance momentarily, and then cut his way out of the lines
again, but the gallant strike cost him his life. In June, 1863, the
brigade to which the First was attached, moved on the extreme left of
the army in its advance on Tullahoma. On August 18, the regiment
under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Cupp, crossed the Cumberland
Mountains with its brigade, and captured a number of prisoners.
On Sunday, September 19 the First arrived at Chickamauga and
was immediately led into the fight on the right. Through some misap-
prehension the Lieutenant-Colonel was ordered to charge the enemy's
line, and wath drawn sabers the little band of about two hundred and
filty men — four companies being detached — started across the interven-
ing space to precipitate themselves upon the foe when the order was
countermanded. A moment later and scarcely a man could have re-
17
130
lITSTOKY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
turned. As it was, the dashing and brave Cupp was slain and one-
tifth of the rank and file were killed or wounded.
In September the First rendered General Crook's Division in East
Tennessee signal service by encountering a vasdy superior force of
rebel cavalry under General Wheeler.
In November, with five other cavalr}' regiments under Colonel
Lonti-, the First moved from about Chattanooga, crossed the river and
made a raid in the rear of Brigg's position, which was brilliantly suc-
cessful. Twenty miles of railroad and the largest percussion-cap and
torpedo manufactury in the Confederacy were destroyed, two hundred
wagons burned, six hundred horses and mules and five hundred prison-
erscaptured and brought into Chattanooga. Other successful raids fol-
lowed.
In Januar}^ 1864, about three hundred men re-enlisted and the regi-
ment was recruited. May 26 it participated at Moulton and lost about
twenty men. In front of Kenesaw the First had frequent and severe
skirmishing. Captain Pickering was wounded here. When surround-
ed by the enemy at Lovejoy's Station the regiment distinguished itself
by holding in check, for some time, a force from Cleburne's rebel in-
fantry, suffering a loss of fifty men. After the evacuation ot Atlanta
the non-veterans were mustered out and the regiment weakened some-
what. October 13, it carried the advance of Garrard's Division in the
fight near Rome, Georgia. Soon after the First was sent to Louisville,
Kentuck}^ to be refitted for the field.
December 28, it left Louisville to join the cavalry corps near Grav-
elly Springs, Alabama. From March 19,1865 to April 22, when it entered
Macon, the First was in continual active service. The last severe en-
gagement in which it participated was the night assault on Columbus,
by the capture of which its arsenals and factories were possessed, and
twelve hundred prisoners and ninety-six cannons taken. The regi-
ment continued to garrison Georgia and South Carolina until Septem-
ber when it was mustered out and discharged.
The Eleventh Ohio Cavalry also contained a company which
was largely recruited from Fairfield county, Company C. John Van
Pearce was first authorized to recruit a company for the Sixth Cavalay,
but before it was completed, orders were issued to stop the enlistment
of cavalry, and the partially formed Sixth and Seventh Regiments were
consolidated. Of the new regiment thus formed a battalion of four
companies were mounted and equipped, and these, impatient at delay,
were ordered to St. Louis, Missouri, leaving the other two battalions in
Ohio. They never met afterwards, and the connection between them
was permanently dissolved.
The Western Battalion contained Company C, which was officered
by Thomas L. Mackey, of Chillicothe, Captain ; John Van Pearce, of
Lancaster, First Lieutenant, and Thomas P. Clark, of Springfield,
Second Lieutenant. Through the promotion of Mackey, Van Pearce
became Captain, and John P. Reeves, of Lancaster, Lieutenant.
The four companies were known as the First Independent Battalion,
Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, until the summer of 1862 when two battalions
were added and the organization denominated the Eleventh O.V.C.
While the battalion was at Benton Barracks, aw^aiting the move-
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. I3I
ment of an expedition to the southwest, of which it was to form a part,
the Indians, instigated by rebel agents, became hostile and cut off all
communication, overland, with the Pacific. The battalion was ordered
to proceed at once across the plains to open and protect communication.
It left St. Louis April 4, and reached Fort Laramie after great suffer-
ing. May 30. From this point the battalion was scattered in small de-
tachments almost to Salt Lake City. The small number of troops and
the vast extent ot territory under their charge made the services ex-
tremely active, arduous and hazardous.
Company C was scattered between Sweet Water Crossing to South
Pass during 1862, chiefly in three detachments under Captain Mackey,
Lietenants Clark and Reeves. In the fall the company was re-united
and built Fort Halleck, where it remained the following winter. The
summer of 1863 was spent on the River Cache la Poudre to protect the
Overland Mail Route from Indian depredations.
The troops at Fort Halleck were menaced by the Ute Indians in
Februar}^ 1863, and Company C was ordered to march to their relief.
While on the route a terrible snow storm overtook them, from which
all suffered to a greater or less extent. Two men, John Griffith and
Courtright, were frozen in their saddles. This is only one of many inci-
dents that happened to the Eleventh in its frontier service. The first
battalion was mustered out April i, 1865, having served about three
years and a half.
There were many other regiments which contained a number of
Fairfield county men, yet few, if any, that contained an entire com-
pany. The aggregate, however, was very considerable. In all, the
county had in service more than three thousand soldiers. These were
almost all volunteers. Only one or two drafts were made, and they
were quite small.
In the Sixty-second, Clement F. Steele, of Lancaster, was commis-
sioned Major at its organization but rose to the rank of Lieutenant-
Colonel. The regiment contained a few Fairfield county soldiers.
Henry B. Hunter, of Lancaster, was Lieutenant-Colonel in the One
Hundred and Twenty-third.
The Fourth and the Tenth Ohio Cavalry each included in its ranks
a quoto from this county. The Twelfth U. S. Regulars, Company A,
was partially recruited here. The Seventy-third, One Hundred and
Seventy-sixth, Eighteenth, Sixtieth and many others were also repre-
sented.
Generals. — Fairfield county may well pride herself on the number
and ability of the commanders she furnished for the war. Besides the
regiment and company officers, whose record for brave and gallant ser-
vice is not surpassed by any other county, she can claim a Lieutenant-
General, two Major-Generals and several Brigadier-Generals.
William T. Sherman, now General of the United States Army, was
born at Lancaster, Februar}^ 8, 1820. His father, an eminent lawyer,
died when William T. was nine 3^ears old and he was adopted into the
family of Hon. Thomas Ewing. He entered West Point in 1836 and
graduated fovu- years later. Remaining in the regular service thirteen
years, he resigned his commission to engage in banking business at
San Francisco. In 1857 he turned his attention to law and practiced
132 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
for a year or two in Kansas. He conducted the Louisiana Military
Academy tor a year or more but resigned on the tirst intimations of the
approaching war. When called to his nation's service he was Presi-
dent of the St. Loui's Street Railroad Company. His brilliant career
throughout the four years' struggle has immortalized his name and
made it a familiar household word of devoted patriotism.
Thomas'^ Ewing, the son of Hon. Thomas Ewing, was born at
Lancaster, August 11, 1829. He received a liberal education and be-
gan practice at the bar. In 1856 he removed to Leavenworth, Kansas,
and soon rose to the* rank of a leading lawyer. He recruited the
Eleventh Kansas Infantry, of which he was appointed Colonel. For
gallant services at Prairie Grove he was promoted to Brigadier-General
in March. 1863, and soon after assigned to the command of the Dis-
trict of the Border, afterwards to the St. Louis District. At Pilot
Knob, September 27, 1864, he commenced one of the most stubborn
and sanguinary conflicts of the war, with an enemy vastly exceeding
him in the number of men. His withdrawal from the place and the
retirement of his forces to Rolla was masterly, and won for him the
rank of Brevet Major-General. He resigned his command March 12,
1865.
Hugh Ewing, the brother of Thomas Ewing, was engaged in the
practice of law at the breaking out of the war. He was appointed
Brigade Inspector of the Third Brigade, Ohio Militia, in May, 1861 ;
]iarticipated in the battle ot Rich Mountain, and in August, 1861, was
appointed Colonel of the Fortieth. He rose to the command of a
brigade and served efficiently throughout the war. For meritorious
services he was bre vetted Major-General, March 13, 1865.
The connection of Jacob A. Stafford with the First Ohio, and as
Colonel of the One Hundred and Seventy-eighth, has already been
mentioned. March 13, 1865, he was brevetted Brigadier-General.
No officer in the army possessed the confidence of his men or was more
intensely liked than General Stafford. Though a severe disciplinarian
he was generous and brave, accustomed to spring from his horse and
lead his regiment atbot to victory.
Newton Schleich was appointed one of the three Brigadier-Generals
to command Ohio troops during the three months' service. At the ex-
piration of that time he recruited and commanded the Sixty-first Ohio,
as already narrated.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 1 33
CHAPTER XX.
EARLY HISTORY OP^ LANCASTER.
Ebenezer Zane was the owner of a section of land, one mile square,
upon which Lancaster was built. He acquired this section from the
Gov^ernment, as part compensation for opening " Zane's Trace," from
Wheeling, Vv'^est Virginia, to Limestone, (Maysville), Kentucky, in
^797- ^ ^ . • ^
His article ot agreement, with the lirst purchasers ol lots, is as fol-
lows :
Article of agreement, made and entered into by and between Eb-
enezer Zane, of Ohio county, Virginia, and the purchasers of lots in
the town of Lancaster, county of Fairfield, Territor}^ northwest of the
Ohio River, now for sale in lots, on the east side of the Hocking River,
by Ebenezer Zane.
Section L — The lots to be numbered in squares, beginning at the
northwest corner of the town, and thence alternately from north to
south, and from south to north, agreeable to the general draft of the
town.
Section IL — One-fourth of the purchase money will be required to
b« paid two weeks from the date of this article. The residue of three-
fourths will be required on or before the fourteenth day of November,
one thousand eight hundred and two, to be approved by secured notes,
bearino- lawful interest, from the fourteenth dav of November, one thou-
sand eight hundred.
Section HL — vSquare number sixteen, including five lots situated in
the southeast corner of the town, was thereafter to be held in trust, for
the use of a graveyard, tlie erection ot a school-house, a house of wor-
ship, and such other buildings as may be found necessar}'^, all of which
to be under the direction of trustees for the time being.
Also, foin* lots at the intersection of the two main streets, running
east and west, north and south, known by appellation of the center
square, are given for the purpose of erecting public buildings not here-
tofore specified, but under the supervision of the trustees.
Section IV. — Possession will be given immediately to pmxhasers
complying with Section II of this article ; when fully complied with, the
said Ebenezer Zane and heirs bind themselves to make a deed to the
purchasers, their heirs and assigns. If the terms be not fully complied
with, the lot shall be considered forfeited, and returned again to the
original holder.
Section V. — For the con\ onience of the town, one-fourth part of
an acre, lying west of the lot numbered two, in the square numbered
three, including two springs, will be, and are hereb}- given for the use
of its inhabitants, as the trustees of the town may think proper.
134 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
Section VI, — In consideration of the advantages that arise from
the early settlement of mechanics in a town, and the encouragement of
those who may first settle, lot number three, in the twentieth square ;
number six, in the fifteenth square ; number six, in the twelfth square ;
will be given, one to a blacksmith, one to a house carpenter and joiner,
and one to a tanner, all of whom are to settle, and continue in the
town, pursuing their respective trades, for the term of four years, at
which time the aforesaid Zane binds himself to make them a free deed.
In testimony of all and singular, the premises, the said Ebenezer
Zane, by his attorneys, Noah and John Zane, hath hereunto set his
hand and affixed his seal, this fourteenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord 1800. Ebenezer Zane.
A full list of the names of the first settlers of Lancaster are here
given, the last one djdng more than forty years ago. They purchased
their lots during the 3^ears 1 800-1 -2 :
Emanuel Carpenter, Noah McCullough. Jacob Taylor, Ralph Dud-
dleston, Ebenezer Marten, Peter Reber, John Barr, John Reed, J.
Denny, Benjamin Allen, Nathaniel Willes, Thomas Worthington,
Thomas Terree, Noah Zane, John Zane, Jeremiah Conaway, Jacob
Teller, Peter Teller, Philip Teller, B. Teller, Abraham Reeger, Nath-
aniel Johnston, William Trimble, William Stoops, Thomas Barr, Joseph
Beard, Nathaniel Wilson, James Denny, Kerp, Grubb, and Hampson,
Michael Skoag, Joseph McMullen, John McMullen, Thomas Sturgeon,
John Overdear, Rudolph Pitcher, Ralph Morris, Joseph Hunter, Jacob
Woolford, Henry Meison, James Converse, George Coffenberry, James
Hanson, John Williamson, Samuel Coats, William Harper, Mary Pas-
tor, John Vanmeter, Solomon Reese, James Hardy, William Rabb,
John Lynch, John Jups,John Carson, Amasa Delano, Henry Westwine.
Lancaster, the county seat of Fairfield county, received its name as
complimentary to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, many of its first citizens be-
ing tbrmer residents of that town and county.
It was first called New Lancaster, but it soon became obvious that
confusion would arise in the mail service between New Lancaster,
Pennsylvania, and New Lancaster, Ohio. To avoid this, the Legisla-
ture of 1805 changed the name to that of Lancaster.
The place continued, however, to be called New Lancaster for
years afterwards, and mistakes in sending letters continued to occur,
until 1840, Pennsylvania mail being received at Lancaster, Ohio, and
letters intended for the latter place, were carried to the former.
Lancaster is situated on the east bank of the Hocking River, and in
the northeast corner of Hocking township. In 1877, its eastern bound-
ary was parallel with the western line of Berne township, where Maple
street is now located, running due north and south, so that citizens re-
siding east of that line, and all of East Lancaster, were in Berne town-
ship. By an act of the Legislature, East Lancaster was annexed to
Lancaster, and constituted the Fifth ward. By the same act, the
boundaries of Lancaster were extended one mile each way, making a
square of two miles, which territory was by law annexed to Lancas-
ter township, with a municipal organization independent of the cit}-
proper.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 135
The boundary lines of Zane's section of land has been variously lo-
cated by the old" citizens of Lancaster. It has been generally under-
stood that " Lundy's Lane'' was the north line of the section. Good
authorities locate this line ten miles south. No dispute has yet arisen
in regard to the east boundary.
The southeast corner of the section is near the residence of Squire
Thomas H. White (Kuntz's Hill), thence west to the residence of G.
Mithoff; then north to the intersection of the northern line.
In November, 1800, one month prior to Governor St. Clair's declar-
ation of Fairfield county, Lancaster was surveyed, and the sale of lots
begun, the prices ranging from five to fifty dollars, according to loca-
tion.
A lot of two acres was donated by Zane for public use. This is
divided into tour equal parts by the crossing of Main street and Broad-
way.
In after years legal opinions were at variance in regard to the use
to be made of this donation. It was contended by some that the city
authorities could not sell and convey the ground without forfeiting the
title, yet they had the right to erect upon it any kind of buildings the}'
wished, providing the rent or other income should be used for public
purposes. Others contended that no buildings, except those to be used
exclusively for the public, could legally be erected.
In 1879-80, a test was made in the case, where the city authorities
leased the west half of the square, lying on the north side of Main
street, to a company, to erect an opera house, city hall, and offices,
the lower rooms to be used as offices. On the west half it was leased
for the building of a business block.
The leases were perpetual, or ninety-nine years. An injunction
was served and sustained by the Common Pleas Court, and this part of
the public square remains yet (1881) vacant.
A part of the ground upon which the injunction w^as allowed was the
allegation by the heirs of Frederick Schaefier, contending that the erec-
tion of such buildings as proposed would materially damage the Shaef-
fer property, they claiming the required right of the pavement on the
east side of the Shaefter block, this being a public thoroughfare.
In 1824, the market house was erected on the south side of the
square, and later the City Hall, "Old Red Lodge" building, and
public scales.
At the time of the founding of Lancaster, and the sale of lots, not
more than two or three small cabins were built on the east ot Hock-
ing. The entire site of the present citj^ from Mount Pleasant south
to the bank of Hocking, was a wild forest of trees and underbrush, in-
terspersed with ponds of water and deep marshy swales. One of the
swales at the north crossing of Main Street was filled with water the
year round and used as a watering place for stock. Another, where the
Talmage block now stands, was at times deep enough to swim a horse.
These places have since been filled up for building lots. As late as
1841, Neibling's pond, north of King street, was inclosed with trees and
thickets of under-brush, affording resort for flocks of wild geese and
ducks, for the pleasure of sportsmen, and in winter, affording a fine
sliding place for the boys.
T36 IIISTOUV OF FAIKKIICLH COUNTY.
In 1841 nearly the entire northern pari, of the city was either
vacant land, or fields of grain. A few huil'dinos extended out on Col-
nmbus street north to the Wagenhall neighborhood.
On Broadway, tiie most northern building was a small frame, oc-
cupied by Mrs. Peebles, and now owned by F. J. Boving.
East of Neibling's pond, were several smaller ponds, also in the di-
rection of Mount Pleasant. They are now all tilled, and built upon,
first being drained b}^ sewers from King street, passing out under the
canal.
The square on the hill, donated by Zane, for a cemetery and the
erection of a house of worship, is located between High street on the
west, Chestnut street on the north. Broad alley on the east and the
Methodist church lot on the south.
Zane sold the south half of his section to Emanuel Carpenter, who
laid a portion of it out into town lots, and sold to purchasers. In the
original survey of Lancaster, the principal streets were Chestnut, Main
and Wheeling, running east and west, and the cross streets were Col-
umbus, Broadway and High. These still remain unchanged.
The exact route of ""Zane's trace" through Lancaster is supposed
to have entered from the east on Wheeling street to Columbus street,
here diverging to the left, crossing Main street, east of the present
canal, passing between the canal bridge and the first lock, thence to the
crossing' of the Hocking.
At an early day Christian King, one of the merchants of Lancas-
ter at that time, assisted by his brother William, built a toll bridge over
Hocking, which was kept up until the enterprise of constructing the
Maysville and Zanesville turnpike road, when the company purchased
his right, and located their road on the same route, the bridge at that
day being a public necessity. The Hocking, at times, overflowed its
banks, making the road, during a freshet, impassible. The bridge ex-
tended in both directions, over the marshy ground, and was an accom-
modation to the public.
It is said that many of the first settlers ot Lancaster were mechanics,
building their small one story cabins, of logs cut from the lot upon
which they were built, probably covering it with clapboards, made from
a sturdy oak, slabs or puncheon being used for floors. At times
mother earth served as this last purpose, while the smoke curled forth
from the stick and mud chimne}'. The newly opened streets were cov-
ered with stumps and unremoved logs. Rail fences, if any, inclosed
the lots. Few domestic animals were to be seen. Small patches of
ground, were cleared for garden patches. vSuch w^as Lancaster more than
eighty years ago.
x\t that time, (1800) squads of Indians were still lingering in the
valley of the Hocking ; camping near Lancaster ; spending their time
hunting during the summer and fall, but in the winter disappearing.
They were daily visitors at the cabins of the villagers, always
peaceable and friendly, never causing trouble, unless under the influence
of liquor, when they required careful watching.
In a very early day a sickle factory was in operation at Lancaster.
It was located on the north bank of the Hocking, near the fourth lock.
It obtained water power from "Baldwin's Run." It was in operation,
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 137
a.s near as remembered, previous to 1810. it wati estabiished for the
manufacture of reaping sickles, and the buildinj^ is reported by David
Foster not to have been moved until 1828. The builder and ow-
ner's name being disputed, it is given bv some parties as Frank, by
others as Roland.
In the winter of 1876-7 a tunnel was sunk under the canal, to give
oudet to the water from the low lands on the north side. In doing this
the foundation of this factor}^ building, including the water wheel part
of a grinding stone and other relics, were found buried two or three feet
below the surface.
A quarter of a mile south of the sickle factory, a water power mill
lor breaking and scutching flax, was in operation. This, as reported,
by Mr. Foster, belonged to the owner of the sickle tactor}^ and was "
built on the site of the frame dwelling, belonging to the Giesy mill, and
is tirst remembered as being in operation, in 1816. Every" vestige of
the building has long since disappeared.
A powder mill, owned and run by George Bickler, was in operation
about the same time, on the Fricker farm, a short distance southwest of
Lancaster.
Dr. Charles Shawk, came with his father from Kentucky, and set-
tled in Lancaster in 1806, then a small boy, but now over eighty years
of age. He has a distinct recollection of the infant days of Lancaster;
remembers sfeeing horses swim the pond, (spoken of elsewhere) now
covered by the west end of the Talmadge block ; wagons swam-
ped in the mud in Main street, and men pryiug them out with long poles ;
hearing Governor Worthington make a speech in the old court house
yard, in 1810, when he was a candidate, and how he was cheered, be-
ing a favorite of the people.
He mentioned Governor Worthington and Judge Abrams, being en-
gaged in surveying the land, in the vicinity of Lancaster, and down
Hocking, into wdiat is now Hocking county ; remembering that at
that time a part of Main street was bridged with poles, called cordu-
roy ; that bears and deer often came into town, and flocks of wild
turkeys straying through the woods near the cabins in day time, was a
common occurrence. When he came, (1806) but six or eight cabins
were then built on Wheeling street, and on Main street about thirty.
These constituted the village. On account of the condition of Main
street in muddy weather. Wheeling became the principal thoroughfare.
He remembered the rough and tumble tights so common on muster
day, or other public gatherings. In 18 17, he shot and killed a huge
bear on Kuntz's hill, now within the corporation. About the same time
John Rhodes killed a panther near there. It measured seven teet from
the tip of the tail to the tip of the nose.
In 1812, Mrs. Flovd Butler King, relict of Christian King, came to
Lancaster, and taught school in a small log cabin, where Dr. Turner's
brick office now stands, on Main street. She was the first lady teacher
in Lancaster.
At this time, (1812) William King and John Creed were the princi-
pal dry goods merchants, though there were several others selling dry
goods. The doctors were, Wilson, Torrence and Shawk ; leading
lawvers, Philomon Beecher, William Irwin and Robert F. Slauohter
l8 ^
1^
r:;8 IILSTORV OF FAIKFIELI) COUNTY.
The principal tiuerns were kept b\- Thomas Stur<j^eon and Joh
Sawyer.
Frederick A. Foster, who died in the early part of 1880 at the age
of eighty-nine, came to Lancaster in 1810. A short time before his
death he stated that when he arrived in the place, there was but a sin-
gle brick house in the village, that being built on the Schofield property,
now the gunsmith shop of Herman Peter, previously the law office of
John T. Brazee.
In the tall of the same year (1810) Philoman Beecher built his brick
office adjoining his residence, on what is now known as the Rising cor-
ner. The third brick building was the residence of John Wright, on
the north side of Main street, now the residence of II. J. Reinmund.
Mr. Foster also referred to the typhoid epidemic that prevailed in
Lancaster in 1823, and that not more than two persons in the village,
Christian Weaver and himself, escaped this fatal disease. A great
many of the prominent citizens died. He and Mr. Weaver escaping
the malady, the care of the sick, as w-ell as the burial of the dead, de-
volved upon them.
In 1799 the government established a mail route from Wheeling, Vir-
ginia, to Limestone, Kentuck\% to be carried on horse back over "Zane's
Trace," once a week, each wa}', the w^hole distance being two hun-
dred and twenty six miles. With the exception of a few cabins at the
crossing of the Muskingum, Hocking and Scioto RiverS, almost the
entire distance was an unbroken wilderness. The line\vas divided into
three routes. The first extended from Wheeling to the Muskingum ;
the second, from the Muskingum to the Scioto, and the third, from that
to the Ohio at Limestone. This was the first mail route established in
the "Northwest Territory.''
A post office was established at the same crossing of Hocking. This
was about one year before Lancaster was laid out. Samuel Coates,
sr., was appointed postmaster, and kept the office in his cabin, at
the crossing.
Samuel Coates, sr.,and his son, Samuel Coates, jr , were Englishmen,
who came from England to the United States for the purpose of mak-
ing the new^ country their home ; having penetrated as far as the Hock-
ing, they stopped at the crossing, put up a cabin, and planted a patch
of corn. As soon as they established a settlement, their families were
sent tor. The elder Coates did not long survive, and his place in the
office was taken charge of b}^ his son.
After Lancaster began to assume the appearance of a village, the
post-office was removed to a cabin at the west end of Wheeling street,
on the same lot where James Kinney now lives. Previous to the rebel-
lion, the post-office w^as removed to an apartment in the new city hall
building, where it still remains.
The following are the post-masters that have served since 1799, to
1881 : Samuel Coates, Senior, Samuel Coates, Junior, Jacob D. Dit-
rich, E. Scofield, H. Drumm, Thomas N. White, Daniel Siffi3rd, Henry
Miers, James Craumer, John C. Castle, Benjamin Council, J. L. Luth-
ill, C. M. L. Wiseman, and John M. Sutphen, now (1881) serving his
third appointment. '
The late General George Sanderson, when a boy fifteen years old,
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 1 39
carried the mail between Lancaster and Chillicothe. Christian Ru-
dolph, one of Lancaster's oldest citizens, was at one time mail boy be-
tween Lancaster and Zanesville. He was hired by Richard M. John-
son, Avho, at that time, had the contract for carrying the mail between
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and Limestone (Maysville), Kentucky. Mr.
Rudolph began the service in October, 1815. His route required him
to be out, sometimes, all night, which, over narrow roads through for-
ests, dark nights, and cold weather, made it a dreary and lonesome
task for a young boy.
On one occasion, arriving at Za=nesville late in the night, and being
behind time, he received his mail and turned back, coming as far as
Somerset witliout feeding his horse or taking anything to eat himself.
He had several streams to cross, sometimes when the water was danger-
ously high from a freshet. The river was crossed in canoes, and horses
changed on each side.
Two or three 3'ears after he began to carry the mail, open box-
wagons were placed upon the road, the new contract requiring the mail
to be carried six months in wagons, and six on horseback, this contract
being with John Dugan. In 1820, stage coaches were introduced on
this line.
The mail carriers in early times carried tin horns, or trumpets,
which were blown when approaching the post-offices. These were de-
nominated the " post-boy's horn. Sdme of the carriers acquired the
art of blowing tunes on their long, tin trumpets, which, on quiet even-
ings, wakened the country far and near. The sound of the " post-
bov's horn " aroused a lively cheer as far as the sound penetrated, often
bringing joy to many a weary heart.
The charges for carrying letters then was regulated by distance, and
not weight, as now. For fifty miles, and under, the rate was six and
one-fourth cents. Over fifty miles, and under one hundred and fifty,
twelve and one-half cents. Between one hundred and fittv and three
hundred miles, eighteen and three-fourth cents, and over three hundred
to any part of the United States, twenty-five cents.
It was the dut}' of the post-master to mark the price of the letter in
figures on the outside. If the postage was prepaid, the word "paid" was
also written. If not, the price marked was paid by the person addressed.
Two sheets folded together was charged double rates.
These old-fashioned letters were written on the pages of the sheet,
which was afterwards so folded as to allow the blank side to form the
outside of the letter, upon which the address was written. The fourth
page of letter paper was left unruled for this purpose. The old-time
letters were sealed with sealing-wax in the form of wafers, which were
for sale in all stores and groceries. They were in color, red, blue, black
or green. Now they are not to be found anywhere, except as unsold
rubbish, pushed on the back shelf. The introduction of envelopes has
superceded them.
Colored People of Lancaster. — There were colored persons
among the verv early settlers of Lancaster, as a number are remembered
to have come to the place previous to the 3'ear 1810. They were most-
ly emancipated slaves from the state of Virginia. A few were brought
out with their tbrmer masters, who emigrated to Ohio. Since the be-
140 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
ginning of the War of the Rebellion, many have came into the county
from the Confederate states.
The Lewis family, it is believed, were among the first of the race
who came to Lancaster — the father, mother and three children. Ste-
phen, the oldest, married Judy Jones. He died many years ago. His
wife, tamiliarlv known as "Aunt Judy," survived him many years, and
died about 1880. "Aunt Disa '' was the sister. She lived to a
great age, and has been dead a few years. She boasted of having
nursed General Washington. Problematical. Elijah Jones is still a
locum tenens^ at an age tliat the memorv of man runneth not therewith.
Scipio Smith was a very early settler. He came from Virginia, and
was a tinner bv trade. His death occurred not far from i860 — probably
a little earlier. He is remembered by his artificial leg, and his exceed-
ingly black face. Reuben Banks dated the time of his arrival in 1814.
He was an emancipated slave from Virginia, and thought he was four-
teen years old when he came to Lancaster ; his death took place in 1881.
Nelson Smith was a ver\^ old settler, and was a popular barber in
Lancaster for full fift\' years. He died in 1880. at an advanced age.
His sons, of whom Egbert is the oldest, have succeeded him in the
tonsoria] profession.
There were many other well-known colored characters residing
in Lancaster during its earh^ years, but space forbids further men-
tion of them. Some of them possessed peculiar traits, and most of
them spent lives of usefulness, though generally in the humbler ave-
nues of life.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. I4I
CHAPTER XXI.
LANCASTER AS AN INCORPORATED VILLAGE AND CITY FORMATION OF
FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
In 1831, upon petition, an act of incorporation was passed bv the
Legislature, incorporating the village of Lancaster, and endowing it
with certain specified municipal powers and privileges. The munici-
pal officers were one mayor, one marshal, one recorder, one treasurer
and a board of trustees. The respective officers were elected by
the qualified electors, annually, on the first Monday of April, The
act of incorporation conferred power to levy a tax for revenue. The
fiscal resources were light — taxation, and license to shows and exhibi-
tions. The following exhibit is from an old copy of the Ohio Eagh\
of the date of June, 1827, and shows the finances of the village of Lan-
caster, for two years, viz. : from April 20, 1825,10 April 23, 1827, thus :
Amount of income from all sources, for two years, $888. 14^; total
disbursements for all purposes, for the same time, $932. 88| ; showing a
balance against the treasurer of $44.74] ; signed, Benjamin Connell,
treasurer; attested by Gotleib Steinman, recorder.
The total absence of all records for the twenty years between 183 1
and 1851 renders it impossible to furnish much of the municipal history
of the village during that period. It is known that for the years 1848
and 1849, John Garaghtv was mayor. Bevond that, nothing appears on
record.
In the year 185 i Lancaster was made a city of the third class, by a
special enactment of the State Legislature. The act provided for one
mavor, whose term of office should be two years : one city clerk, one
city solicitor, one marshal, and two councilmen for each ward, the
latter to serve two years, and so arranged that one councilman in each
ward should be elected each year, and one term expire each year. The
act of incorporation at the same time divided the cit}^ into four wards, and
fixed their boundaries. And thus, when the Fifth ward was created
by the annexation of East Lancaster, the city council was made to con-
sist of ten members, one-half of whom shoidd be elected annually.
The succession of ma\'ors, from 1851, under the city government, was
as follows :
1851-53 — William P. Creed.
1853-55— John D. Martin.
1855-57 — Silas Hedges.
1857-59— Alfred McVeigh.
1859-63 — Kinnis Fritter.
1863-67 — Samuel Ewing.
1867-75 — Tallman Slough,
1875-77 — Philip Bennadum.
1877-79 — ^John McCormic.
1879-81 — William Vorys.
142 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
Samuel Rainey, elected in 1881, is the present incumbent. The city
elections are held on the first Monday of each April.
The financial showing fifty years later than the foregoing' exhibit,
b}^ way of contrast, will measure the growth of the population and bus-
iness of Lancaster for a half century. The gross receipts for the two
years ot 1875 to 1877, from all sources, for city purposes, and not in-
cluding school funds, as shown by the treasurer's books, was ^^61,437.
56; and the total expenditures for the same time, not including school
funds, was $53,220.08, leaving a balance to the credit of the city of
$8,217.78. There is likewise a showing, that during the two former
years, $5.00 were paid to Thomas Ewing by the village for legal ad-
vice^ and that during the two latter years, about $1000.00 were paid for
counsel.
The burdens the cit}^ bears is a legitimate part of its history. It
supports ten churches at an annual expense of about $15,000, exclusive
of Sunday school and missionar}' collections, and the building and re-
pairing of church edifices. The amount levied on the city for corpora-
tion purposes, and to meet the interest on city bonds, school bonds and
other purposes, with not fall short of $30,000 annually. In addition to
the foregoing the city has built — within the last ten or fifteen years two
new school buildings, at a cost of about $80,000, including the cost of
building lots. The annual levy for school purposes alone, including
interest on school bonds, is about $26,000. These burdens are sus-
tained by a population of something less than eight thousand souls.
Lancaster has alwa3'S, until within the last twenty-five or thirty
years, been a slow-growing, conservative community, though possess-
ing many superior local advantages. But its growth has been steady
and substantial. There are perhaps a greater proportion of its citizens
who live under their own roofs, than any other town of Ohio of equal or
approximate population. Within the last dozen or more years, its
manufacturing and other interests have been greatly extended.
Lancaster has acquired abroad, a reputation almost classic, more
especially in its early history, which it owes not to its institutions of
learning, but to an unusually large number of distinguished citizens who
found their way to it.
The death rate in Lancaster during forty years is probably in about
the same ratio of other cofnmunities. though the place sustains a repu-
tation for general healthfulness and exemption from epidemic disease.
The epidemic of 1823, elsewhere referred to, has never had an approx-
imate parallel im the place. But the natural death rate may be no-
ticed. The citizens of Lancaster of forty years ago, who were past
the middle age, and who were the leading business men and women
of the place are all dead. Less than a dozen business men of Lancas-
ter of 1840 are alive, and the few there are of them remaining have,
with few exceptions, retired from active duty. An entirely new popu-
lation has come in. The Lancaster of to-day is in no respect the Lan-
caster ol torty 3'ears ago, neither socially, commercially nor in any sin-
gle one of its features.
In August 1850, Lancaster suflered a visitation of cholera. The
disease was prevailing in Columbus at the time, and it was supposed
to have been brought to Lancaster b\^ a foot-man, who walked down
HISTORY OP FAIRFIELD COtJNTV. 14;^
on a hot day with the disease upon him. He stopped a short time in
East Lancaster, and died on the following day. The disease immedi-
ately broke out. and during about two weeks some thirty deaths occur-
red. In three instances nearly the entire family was swept away.
Great alarm prevailed, and many left the place. The deaths were
chiefly in East Lancaster and the immediate vicinity. In Lancaster
proper there were onl}^ Ave deaths.
There have been several visitations of small-pox, at various inter-
vals of time, generally malignant and confluent, many of the cases
proving fatal. A rigid system of non-intercourse with the affected
houses, and the use of the yellow flag, usually confined the malady to
its first locality, thereb)' presenting its spread and saving the town from
its epidemic influences.
Additions: That part of the city of Lancaster known as "Car-
penter's Addition" embraces all lying south of an alley running east
and west parallel with the south end of the first tier of lots on the south
side of Chestnut street, and extending east, west and south to Zane's
section lines, and was purchased from Mr. Zane by Emanuel Carpen-
ter, jr., in 1814. Mr. Carpenter at once platted his addition to the
town ot Lancaster, which plat and the list of sales were recorded Sep-
tember 13, 1814. The alle}^ referred to, which runs between the origi-
nal town and the Carpenter addition is now called Center alley — its
original name being Jackson's alley. Its eastern terminus at High
street is about opposite the line dividing the old grave-yard from the
Methodist church premises. The grounds upon which the M. E. and
A. M. E. churches stand and also a third lot adjoining the_ A. M. E.
church on the south were devoted by Mr. Carpenter for church and
burial purposes. The last named lot was subsequently condemned
by the city authorities and made a part of Walnut street. The continu-
ation of Columbus and Broad streets Irom Jackson alley through the
new addition was effected without changing their names. High street
— Fourth street of the old town — south of Jackson's alley he named
Jackson street. To the first street running east and west in the new
addition he gave the name of Walnut, which it still retains. Perry
street of Carpenter's addition extending diagonally from Broad street
at the railroad to High street south of the Methodist church, was
named by him and Winding street of this addition is still the same.
The Lawrence street, surveyed and named by Mr. Carpenter, is now
the railroad bed. Grogon is a short street, which runs from the railroad
south towards the canal, on the west side of Hood's row. The large
hill, the south end of which is cut by Walnut street, which is lamiliarly
known as "Green's Hill" is marked "Mount Prospect" on Carpenter's
plat. The open space at the south end of Broadway, through which
the railroads pass was called "Center Circle" by Mr. Carpenter, as
several streets converge there. He gave lots sixty-nine and tw^enty-
three, both triangular, for school purposes. Lot sixty-nine is at the
southwest corner of High and Perry streets : twenty-three is on the
southeast corner of Columbus and Walnut streets. Carpenter's plat
extended to the present canal. All beyond as far as the original boun-
dary of Zane's section, west, south and east, was subsequently sur-
veyed and sold as out-lots, and is principally so used, though portions
144 HISTORY OF FAIKFIEJ.D COUNTY.
of this ground have been sold as town lots and improved. Up to the
present time more than twenty other acUh'tions have been added to the
original plat of the town of Lancaster, llie Hop Company addition,
comprising the northeast part of the Fifth ward iS among Uie largest.
Its principal street is Hop avenue, running north and south. This is
properly Talmade's addition, as Theodore Talmade laid the ground ofl'
into town lots after having purchased it of the Hop Company, in which
he was a large stockholder. The ground originally contained about
eighty acres.
Joseph C. Kinkead laid out an addition, situated chietiy between the
north end of Broadway and Chestnut streets. Thomas Ewing's addi-
tion was to the southeast corner of the city, and extended down to the
east graveyard. Hunter's addition borders on the west side of the east
graveyard, embracing Maple street. There is also an addition called
"Hunter's heirs' addition," all belonging to the original tract. Car-
ter's addition lies along Main street, east of the hill. John C. Weaver,
being the owner ot some land over the hill and in the present southeast
part of the city, laid it off into lots, which he sold. John G. Willock
made an addition to the north part of town. His lots were on North
Broadway near the fair grounds. The Wagonhals addition is on North
Columbus street, in the northwest part ot the city.
At an earl}^ da}^ a man named Branstadt laid out and sold a number
of lots in what is now^ known as the "Hood neighborhood."' John Latta
laid offaud sold some lots lying north of Mill street, between Broadway
and Columbus streets. The section of buildings south of Columbus
street, between Pratt's tanyard and the old Logan road, is known as
Giesy addition. Daniel Sefford made two additions to Lancaster, one
east of the hill and on the north of the Zanesville pike, the other north
of Mill street, between Broadway and Columbus street. Hugh Bo3'le's
addition was on Mulberry street, embracing the Keitz corner, and ex-
tended up Broadway to the first alley on the north side, and also ex-
tending on Columbus street. Henry Sutsen sold some lots on the west
side of the canal, embracing the old tanyard. East of Broadway and
south of Main street, additions were made to the original plat of Lan-
caster by Michael Garaghty, John Reber, and Jesse B. Hart. The
Cox heirs' addition is principally on King street, between Broadway
and High streets. Abraham Syfert made a small addition to East
Lancaster. Thomas Sturgeon has made additions to various parts of
the city, but chiefly to the northeast part, on both sides of Mulberr}-
street, east of High street. John H. Tennent sold one tier of lots on
the south side of Chestnut street and west from Maple. Tunis Cox
was the proprietor of a small addition of town lots in the yicinit}' ot the
old starch factor}-, on the north bank of the canal. Rising's addition
comprises a number of lots in the north part of the city, lying between
Broadway and Columbus streets.
The plat of a town of the same size as Lancaster was originalh* is
among the county records, though not half a dozen persons now living
have ever heard of it. The name of this paper creation was "The
Town of Fairfield." It was surveyed and platted by John Murphy in
1802, and was regularly entered in the recorder's office. The lots were
all numbered and the streets named. It is not certain that any lots
HISTORY OF FATRPtELi) COUNTS'. I45
were ever sold. It is reasonably certain that the phil of the town ol'
Fairfield was in section 34 ot" the original township oi' Richland, and
about one mile west ot' West Rush\'ille. Zanes section was located
and bounded before the Government sin^veys were made. It happened,
therefore, that when the Government sections were established Zane's
section was surrounded on all sides by irregular and inconvenient gores,
Irom which have arisen many difficulties in establishing metes and
bounds in the resurve^'s, as witness the contest between the city and
the Cox heirs, some years ago. As an instance of the awkwardness of
some of the section lines, it mav be mentioned that Zanes section line
was some four hundred yards south of the north line of Hocking town-
ship, and on the east, the west boundary of Berne township extended
into Lancaster originally to Center alley, while Zane's section extended
east as far as Maple street — nearly three squares from the township
line. The same difficulties, therefore, necessarih- existed with regard
to the section lines on the south and w^est.
Fairfield county was established by Governor St. Clair, December
a, 1800. That part of the proclamation defining its boundaries reads
9s follows :
" Beginning at a point in the east line of the fifteenth range of town-
ships, and west of the fourteenth range, as surveyed in pursuance of
the ordinance of Congress of the 20th of Ma^-, 1795, where the said
line intersects the south boundary line of the military land, and running
fi'om thence north until it intersects the Indian boundary line ; thence
returning to the before-mentioned, and running south by the said range
line between the fourteenth and fifteenth ranges, until it intersects the
northern boundary line of the Ohio Company's Purchase ; thence wath
the said northern boundary line due west to the north-west corner of
the said Ohio Company's Purchase ; thence south six miles ; thence
with a line drawn due w^est until it intersects the western boundar})- of
the tw^entieh range of the townships, thence with the western bovmdar3'
of the said twentieth range to the belbre-mentioned Indian boundary
line, and with that line of limit to the before-mentioned intersection of
that boundary line.'' — Territorial Land Lazus.
19
J46 HISTORY OK FAIRP^IELD COUNTY.
CHAPTER XXII.
LANCASTER SCHOOLS.
No records whatever of the primitive schools of Lancaster are in
existence, and, therefore, a specific history in detail cannot be written.
Their history is the same as that of all the schools of Ohio during the
same year. The sites of some of the school-houses are pointed out,
and a few of the early teachers are remembered previous to the year
1820. The primitive log-cabin school-houses of the early times, with
their slab or rough plank benches, and common writing benches
arranged along one side of the room, were then the only ones seen.
The}^ were lighted by paper windows, or eight-b3'-ten glass, where the
scholars would sit by turns to write their copies with goose-quill pens.
The first and second spelling classes stood in rows along the walls,
intent on spelling the missed words and gaining the head of the class,
while the schoolmaster stood out in the middle of the room with Web-
ster or Dilvvorth in one hand and a hickory gad in the other, giving out
the spelling lesson. The master sat on a split-bottom chair, with the
rod in hand, or stood within easy reach and patientl}^ took the little
urchins by his side to assist them in sa3'ing over the a, b, c, or ab, eb,
ib, &c. ; and the larger scholars coming up, one at a time, to read their
assigned lessons in the English Reader, Sequel to the En^ish Reader,
Introduction to the English Reader, American Preceptor, Columbian
Orator, or, it may be, Weem's Life of Washington or Marion ; after
which he heard the Testament or Bible class. The big bo3-s or big
girls, who were learning to " C3^pher," came with their slates to the
master to see if the}^ " had done their sums right," or to ask for help if
they were " stalled."
Flora Butler taught school in 181 2, in a little log school-house that
stood where Dr. Turner's brick office now is, on Main street ; James
Hunter taught a school on Columbus street, where the old blacksmith
shop of Stephen Smith stands. Andrew Hunter, still living, says he
went to school to him when he was a little boy, and the first morning he
either forgot to take off his hat, or did not know he should do so, and
that the scholars laughed at him. This made him angry, and he never
went back.
The first advance to better educational facilities in Lancaster was in
the erection of the brick Academy, on Wheeling street, by a number
of the most wealthy citizens, and which is the present modernized resi-
dence of Andrew Bauman. This building was erected shortly before
1820. It was the enterprise of Philomon Beecher, Elnathan Schofield,
William Irvin, Robert F. Slaughter, John Noble, Thomas Ewing, Got-
lieb Steinman, John Creed, Hugh Boyle, and a few others. Mr. Whit-
tlesy was the first man to teach in it. After him, and about 1825, the
late John T. Brazee taught a six months' term. After Mr. Brazee,
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 1 47
Professor Howe occupied it for a number of years, when the trustees
sold the building to Dr. Bigelow for a private residence, some time be-
tween 1834 ^^^ 1839.
After the abandonment of the brick Academy, Professor Howe built
a frame house on Mulberry street, on ground belonging to Hugh Boyle,
and reopened his school. This school was for many years known as (
Howe's Academy, and was conducted about ten years. In this school,
and as pupils of Mr. Howe, General and Secretary Sherman, P. B.
Ewing, Boyle Ewing, J. C. Kinkead, and many others of Lancaster's
young men and 3'oung ladies attended.
The first public schools in Lancaster were opened May 30, 1830.
At that time the population of the town was about 2,800. In the spring
of that year, Samuel Carpenter, George Sanderson and Henry Doople
were elected school trustees, and a public school was opened on Colum-
bus street, south of Main, in a building known as the Old Reform
church. William Charles was hired to teach at thirt}^ dollars a month,
for a term of four months. At the same time another school was
opened on Walnut street, in a building occupied before as a shoe shop.
Louis A. Blaire was employed as teacher of this school at twenty dol-
lars a month. The branches taught here were reading, writing, arith-
metic, geography and grammar. There was no uniformity of text
books, and but little classification. The furniture was of the most
primitive style. In 1838 a public school was opened in a frame build-
ing on the corner of High and Chestnut streets, where the residence of
•John S. Snider now stands. At the same time a school was opened in
a brick building on Walnut street, immediately west of the old Radical
church. A Mr. Booth, assisted by a Miss Collins, taught this school.
In 1842 a school was opened in the basement of the Presbyterian church,
with a Mr. Johnson as teacher. The public school fund, controlled by
the school directors at this time, was not sufficient to pay the small sal-
aries of the teachers, and keep the schools in session more than four or
five months in the year. In addition to these public schools, there were
private schools, one of which was located on Wheeling street, and
known for a time as Booth's Academy ; another located on Mulberr}^
street, known as Howe's Academy, already referred to. These schools
were patronized by persons of sufficient means to enable them to edu-
cate their children.
Previous to the year 1830, there was no public school fund in Ohio
provided by law. All schools, whatever, were sustained entirely by
private subscription. The relation between teachers and employers
was that of a private contract with each parent, in which he agreed to
pay a stipulated price for each scholar sent to the school. Under that
system no school directors nor certificates of qualification were re-
quired. The contract was in the form of an article of agreement,
signed by both the contracting parties. Each employer wrote opposite
his name, in figures, the number of scholars he proposed to send, which
bound him to pay whether he sent for a day or the full term. The
price per scholar, for the term of three months, the usual time, was
from $2.50 to $3.00, payable at the end of the term.
In an old copy of the Lancaster Gazette, bearing the date of July
5, 1838, appears the following remarkable notice:
j^^g HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
" Lancaster Institute, for the instruction of young ladies, cor-
ner of Columbus and Mulberry streets ; conducted by Mrs. and Mr.
McGill, A. B., R. H. A. ' . . ^ u
'' The principals beg leave to announce to their friends, and the
people generally, that they have opened the above institution.
" The course of instruction comprises the Latin, French and Eng-
lish languages ; music, and singing on the Logerian system ; drawing
and the'^elements of perspective ^geometry ; fruit, flower, figure and
landscape painting, in oil and water colors ; oriental painting on paper,
satin, velvet and wood; Grecian and glass painting; Japaning ; mez-
zotinting and transferring ; orthography ; reading ; English grammar ;
composkion and letter writing ; history, ancient and modern ; writing
on a free, beautiful and easv system, in which legibility and elegance
are combined ; the ornamental hands ; arithmetic and book keeping
on an improved svslem, adapted to domestic accounts; geography;
use of the globes ;' construction of maps : astronomy ; mythology and
chronology ; practical chemistry, as it relates to the useful arts depend-
ent on tha"t science ; natural and moral philosophy ; botany, with in-
structions for drawing and coloring plants, flowers, &c. : plain and
ornamental needle and fancy work."
How^ many of the young ladies of Lancaster availed themselves ot
the advantages of this remarkable course of studys and what was the
ultimate success of the " Institute," does not appear on the records.
But little, if anything, was done between 1830 and 1847 to improve
the conditions of the public schools. On the evening of the fourth of
December, 1847, a meeting of the citizens of Lancaster was held at
the court house to take into consideration the condition of the common
or public schools. In the call for this meeting the citizens were urged
to turn out and earnestly consider the matter of their schools, with ad-
monition that, "No subject exxeeds it in importance : and yet no other
has received less attention."
This call for a public meeting to consider the school question, and
to receive suggestions looking towards a general improvement of the
system, was signed bv the following citizens: H. C. Whitman, Wil-
Ham Slade, Benjamin'Connell, M. A. Daugherty, Henry Orman, F.A.
Foster, Georire KaulTman, John D. Martin, John C. Weaver, Joseph
Work, Elias Perry, H. H. Robinson, Geo. H. Smith, Rev. Wm. Cox,
Geo. W. Boersder. John Reber, Alfred McVeigh, Robert Reed, John
Garaghty, James Gates, John G. Willock.
At this meeting the inefficiency of the existing schools, and the
great importance of immediate action for their improvement, were ably
and earnestly presented by H. C. Whitman, William Slade, Rev. Cox,
P. Bope and others.
The meeting was largely attended, and at its close the sentiment
seemed generally in favor ot securing better schools. Other meetings
were held, and as a result of the interest thus awakened, there is to be
tound among the proceedings of the Legislature of that winter, the
passage of an act for the '' support and better regulation ol common
schools in the town of Lancaster, Ohio,'' passed February 19, 1848.
The provisions of this act are similar to the law generally known in this
State as the " Akron school law." Section first of this law provided.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTtV-,,^^ 1 49
that the corporate limits of the town of Lancaster be erected into one
general common school district, provided, that if any of the districts of
said town, as now organized, shall, on the first Monday of April, 1848,
at the place of holding of said town elections, between the hours of to
A.M. and 4 P.M., of said day, by a majority of the resident voters
therein, decide, by voting "■nay,'' not to come into said general district,
then, and in that event, this law shall in no manner apply to said dis-
trict or districts, either in its benefits or burdens."
At the election that part of the town lying north of Main street.
and known as the north district, adopted, by a large majority, the pro-
visions of the new school law.
A majority of the voters residing south of Main street voted, on the
same day, "■nay,'' thus deciding not to share with the north half ot the
town the burdens or benefits of an improved system of schools.
The north district proceeded immediately to organize, by electing
a board of education, composed of six gentlemen, viz. : Henry C.Whit-
man, John Reber, William Slade, Robert Reed, John C. Rainey and^
William Upheld. Ground was purchased at the northeast corner of
Broad and Mulberry streets, and the erection of a school building be-
gan. The building' was completed with unusual dispatch, being ready
tor occupancy bv the spring of 1849.
It was built" of brick, \vas two stories high, and contained eight
school rooms, four on each floor. It was supplied with furniture, a
very great advance on the old "slab benches" of the most intelligent
communities of the past. Schools were opened in this building in June,
184Q. They were divided into six grades, or departments. John S.
Whitwell was employed as the first superintendent, and teacher of the
hidi school, assisted bv M. M. Barker. The salary of the superinten-
dent at that time, was $600. per year, and that of his assistant, $300.
The following are the names of his subordinate teachers for the first
year: Mrs. Thorn, Mrs. Claspill, Miss Slaughter, Miss Louisa and
Miss Anna Mather. The highest salary received by the female teachers
was $150. In a copy of the Ohio Eagle, under the date of November
9th, 1849, ^^ fo^ind the following in the editorial department:
"The education of the youth of Lancaster is not neglected. Dur-
ing the past year, a most beautiful and large brick building was erect-
ed and completed for occupancy by the public schools of the north
district, and at this time there are five hundred children in attendance.
The city feels proud of the building, and loves to point it out to stran-
gers and visitors."
The people were greatly pleased with their enlarged and improved
school facilities in the north district, and notwithstanding the strong op-
position of some, the south district voted at the April election of 1850,
by an emphatic majority, to accept the "burdens and benefits" of the
new school system. The following gentlemen were then, after the or-
ganization of"^ the south district, elected a common board of education:
fohn Reber, John D. Martin, Robert Reed. John L. Tuthill, Jacob
Hite and John C. Rainey.
One of the first acts "of the board was to lake the necessary steps to
secure a school building tor the use of the south district.
Four acres of ground, favorably and eligibly situated, were pur-
150 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
chased, and with as little delay as possible, a building of similar con-
struction as that of the north district, was planned and put under con-
tract. The building was completed and read}' for the opening of the
schools by the first of April, 1850. No definite information is obtaina-
ble now in regard to the classifying, or course of study at that time.
Four primary, four secondary and a high school, were opened on April
1st, 1851, with Dr. John Williams, as general superintendent. Miss
Vv^ilcox was elected to teach the high school. In the primar}' and sec-
ondary departments, the teachers were Mr. Hill, Mr. Boothe, Mr. Gri-
ner. Miss Morgan, Miss CHfford. Miss Mather, Miss Slaughter, Mrs.
Thorn and Mrs. Claspill.
The following extract from a report of the condition and progress of
the schools, by the secretary of the board, May ist, 1856, five years
after the adoption and organization of the graded system, exhibits the
excellent condition of the schools :
''The schools are organized under one general system, and so con-
ducted as to embrace all the higher branches of an academical educa-
tion. The city can boast of two as commodious school edifices, as
any town in the State ; and a school S3\stem wherein the youth can avail
themselves of an education in all higher branches of learning, without
sacrificing any of the advantages derived from the common school sys-
tem of the State.
From this report is also learned, that at that time the branches
taught in the schools were, reading, writing, arithmetic, geography,
grammar, algebra, geometry, natural philosophy, history, chemistry,
botany, rhetoric, French and Latin.
Revenues for the support of the schools were derived from the State
tax, sales of lands, and direct tax. The following table will exhibit the
growth of the S3'stem from the year 1855 to 1875.
1855 1865 1875
Number of pupils enumerated, 1226
" enrolled 876
Average daily attendance 547
Number of teacliers 10
" " school rooms 15
" " grades 6
" " weeks in session 40
Amount paid teachers $2,860
Total expenditures 7,547
Value of school property 13,000
The enrollment in the public schools does not appear large, com-
pared with the number of children enumerated. This is accounted for,
in part at least, by the fact that the Catholics at the same time main-
tained a school in Lancaster, enrolling about 250 pupils. There were
likewise private schools in operation in the town, with more or less at-
tendance, making the total enrollment in the city for the year 1S75,
probably 1300, and for the year 1881, probably 1500 to 1600.
For several years after the adoption of the imion system, the grad-
1465
2232
1020
1035
662
762
16
22
16
25
y
10
42
41
$6,933
$12,267
5,866
24,933
16,000
100,000
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 151
ing and classitications were very imperfect. Various modiiications and
changes in the course of study have been made from time to time.
The schools are now divided into four departments, embracing nine
grades below the high school, the work of each grade, requiring one
37ear for its completion.
1. Primary Department, composed of four grades, A, B,Cand D.
2. Intermediate Department, two grades, A and B.
3. Grammar Department, three grades, A. B and C.
4. High School Department, embracing a four years course ot in-
struction. The course of study for the grades below the high school,
included reading, spelling, writing, arithmetic, geography, English
grammar, etvmolog3^ U. S. history and constitution, algebra, ph3^sics,
drawing, composition, German and object lessons. First lessons
in reading are taught by the object and word methods combined. Words
used in the reading lessons, must be spelled by the sound, as well
as the letters. In the reading lessons, in all the grades, practical atten-
tion is paid to the articulation. In writing, script letters are used from
the beginning. First lessons in numbers are taught objectively.
Pupils who have passed through the lirst four grades, are able to write
and read numbers readily, as high as hundreds of thousands ; can
add, subtract, multiply and divide correctl}' and rapidly. Arithmetic is
completed and reviewed in the grammar grade. No text book is put
into the hands of the pupils, until they have reached the B intermedi-
ate grade ; but in the grades below that, the subject is taught orally.
Instruction in the correct use of language, is commenced in the D pri-
mar}^ grade, and is continued throughout the course. Technical grammar
is taught through the grammar grades, and is reviewed in the fourth year
in the high school. Political geography and arithmetic are also review-
ed in the last year of the high school course. German is taught by a
special teacher, in all the grades above the Cprimar}^ Drawing is alter-
nated with writing in all the grades below the high school. Composition,
declamation and object lessons receive attention throughout the course.
Monthly examinations are held in all the grades ; these examinations
are both oral and written. During the last term ot the school year, the
various departments are examined by the superintendent. The grades
received on this examination are averaged with the grades of monthl}^
examinations, and on this basis the transfers are made.
The monthly examinations are regarded as excellent incentives to
study, and as best test of the knowledge of the subject possessed by the
pupil.
The report calls the attention of parents to the standing of their chil-
dren in their studies, and secures for the teacher a more hearty co-opera-
tion at home, than could otherwise exist. Transfers are made annuall}-,
the first week of die fall term ; but pupils, who are found to be decidedly
ahead of their classes, are promoted at any time during the year. SucK
promotions are frequent in the Lancaster schools.
When the graded system w^as first adopted teachers, w^ho had had
experience in classified schools, could not be had at the salaries then
paid, and the board, from a necessity, selected teachers of but little ex-
perience, and to the most of whom the phrase, "Methods of Instruc-
ic;2 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
tion, " was a misunderstood expression. Many of these made the hest
teachers after becoming" acquainted with tlie new system.
A gentleman who had some experience in "'keeping school,' ap-
plied for a position as teacher soon after the adoption of the graded
system. He was employed to teach a primary grade, consisting of
about forty pupils. The second daY after he took charge of the school
the superintendent visited his room, and inquired how he was getting
along. He replied, ver}- well, only he found some difficultvin "getting
around," with his recitations. Upon further inquiry, the superinten-
dent learned that he had been calling up the pupils singly, and trying
to hear as many recitations as he had pupils. His services were dis-
pensed with.
Teachers' meetings, county, district, and State teachers' associa-
tions, edvicational journals, and a higher standard of qualirications,
have been some of the means of improvement in the profession of teaching
in the Lancaster schools. The aim has been, and still is, to encourage
the teacher to be an earnest seeker for better methods, and for increased
skill in the art of instruction.
The buildings, erected in 1849 ''^^^^ ^^5^ ^^^' schools, Avere occupied
— the north building until the fall of 1875, '"^^^ the south building until
1874. In 1867, the south building became so crowded with scholars,
that the board found it necessary to furnish room for another school.
The old Radical Church on Walnut street was purchased, and used
for a primary school for a time.
In the spring of 1870, the board of education procured a competent
architect to examine and report on the condition of the north building.
It was pronounced unsafe, and the schools were temporarily suspended.
A public meeting was called to consider the propriet}- of abandoning
the building, and for the further purpose of taking action towards erect-
ing a more secure and better planned building. The board submitted
to the qualified voters of the cit}^ the proposition of levying a tax of
forty thousand dollars, pa3^able in from one to ten years. It was ap-
proved by a large majorit}'. The board was delayed for some time in
securing a site, but at last four and three-quarters acres w^ere se-
cured on North Broadw^ay. Plans were adopted, contracts awarded,
and w^ork on the new house commenced. The old north house was
strengthened and rendered safe, and the schools reopened in it in 1871.
In the spring of 1872, the south building was found to be so crowded
with pupils, that the board was compelled to provide additional rooms
for school purposes. The building known as the county building, lo-
cated on Broadway, near Main street, was rented, and arranged for
occupancy by the high school and south C grammer, and were so occu-
pied on the first day of April, 1872.
At a meeting of the board, held on June 21, 1873, the following re-
solution was adopted :
" That the board deem it expedient for the welfare and accommoda-
tion of the schools to be taught in the southern part of Lancaster, that
the old school building should be removed, and a new and substantial
one be erected."
For the purpose of carrying out this resolution, a meeting, to vote on
a proposition to levy a tax of thirty thousand dollars, was called,
HISTORV OK FAIRKIELD COUNTY. l^^
July 15, 1873. The tax was authorized, and phms for the hew building
adopted, the contract let, and work immediately begun on the old site.
The new north house, a brick, three stories in height, containing
twelve school rooms, chapel, hall, reception room, and superintendent's
office, each school room provided with improved furniture, was ready
for tiie schools at the opening of the fall term, September i, 1873, the
high school occupying two rooms on the third floor, the remaining
rooms, on the first and second floors, being occupied by the lower grades.
At the opening of the schools, September i, 1873, the south schools
were removed to the old north building, where they remained till the
first of September, 1875, at which time the new south building, an ele-
gant brick, containing ten large school rooms and a chapel hall, fur-
nished the same as the north building, was read}^ for the schools. This
south building is modeled after the north, and is, also, three stories high.
A separate school for the colored children was established in 1856,
and maintained since that time. It is composed of two grades — a
primar}' and a grammar grade, and being under the same supervision
as the white schools, has the same advantages as the others.
The north school grounds have been enlarged to about seven acres,
and have been tastefully ornamented with flower beds, evergreens, and
forest trees. The grounds of the south school, including over four
acres, are similarly improved, though not equally, with the north. The
schools are all provided with the necessar}- apparatus required to illus-
trate subjects taught, among which are an excellent telescope, with
three and a-half inch object glass, an improved air pump, a fine collec-
tion of mineralogical and geological specimens, etc. No better evi-
dences of the public appreciation of the school is needed than the readi-
ness and cheerfulness with which the citizens generally support them,
and consider nothing a burden that is deemed necessary for their
greater success and advancement.
At the opening of the schools in the north building, April i, 1849, a
high school was organized, in which algebra, geometry, philosophy,
history, chemistr^^ and Latin were taught, by Mr. Whitwell, the super-
intendent of the schools, assisted b}^ Mr. Barker. In 185 1, Miss Wil-
cox was elected principal of the high school, which position she filled
with ability. In the fall of 1857, she resigned, and was succeeded by
Mr. Haskins, who remained one 3'ear. More room being required for
use of the primary classes of the north district, the high school was
changed to the south building in 1856.
Since 1858, the principals of the high school have been:
1858-68— Miss Jane Becket.
1868-69— Miss Holbrook.
1869-70 — C. Wilkinson.
1870-73— C. F. McCoy.
1873-74 — Mr. Manly.
1874-/5 — G. F. Moore.
1875 — Mr. Halderman, six weeks.
1875-77— Rev. E. B. Cartmill.
1877-78— Miss Ella Trout.
1878-79— Mr. Waldo Dennis.
1878-81— E. Burgess.
20
154 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
Miss Mary Hamilton entered the high school, as assistant teacher,
at the fall term of 1875, and still holds the position.
The tirst graduate was Miss Mattie Connell, in 1853.
The second class graduated in 1855, and was composed of the fol-
lowing young ladies :
Mary Brazee, Lillian Williams, Louisa Hoffler, and Ellen Williams.
Since that time sixteen classes have graduated, varying in numbers
from live to twelve.
In 1878 the high school course of stud}^ underwent some change
from the previous courses, and that which is now used was established,
which is likely to be permanent. There is an English course, and a
classical course, optional with pupils and parents.
The following have been the superintendents of the schools, with
duration of service :
1849-51 — John Whitwell.
1851-56 — John Williams.
1856-57 — W. Nelson.
1857-61 — Rev. Daniel Risser.
1861-62— Mr. E. F. Fish.
1862-68 — Rev. Jacob Reinmund.
1868 — W. R. Spooner, six months.
1869-79 — George W. Welch.
1879-81 — Samuel Knabenshue.
Geo. W. Welch was elected in 1881, and now holds the position.
The Board of Education consists of the following gentlemen :
Rev. G. W. Meckling, President ; John Gravitt, Secretary ; John
D. Martin, Treasurer; Kinnis Fritter, H. G. Trout, Thomas Cox.
The following gentlemen have, at various times since the inception
of Lancaster free schools, served on the board of education, with pos-
sibly two or three names omitted :
H. C. Whitman, William Slade, John Reber, Robert Reed, John
C. Rainey, William Kinkead, Mahlon Smalley, Newton Schleich, O.
H. Perry, E. C. Kreider, Jacob Hite, Jesse Vandemark, Wm. Vorys,
Henry Gabelein, and Gen. Thomas Ewing.
To the devotion and diligent attention of many of these gentlemen
just named, the achievement of the schools in arriving at their present
success and completeness, is due. Some of them, more than others,
have found time to frequently visit the schools, and give personal atten-
tion to the promotion of their general welfare.
Few cities or municipalities of Ohio excel Lancaster in the com-
pleteness and general efficiency of her schools.
During the year 1880 a school building was erected on the north
school grounds, for the use of the colored schools, at a cost of $1,300.
It is a neat brick of one story, divided into two compartments. The
colored school has two grades — a primary and a grammar grade.
The present enrollment of colored children is about sixty-five, with
an outside number not yet enrolled. The school capacity is to be
increased, when the attendance will reach one hundred pupils. Pre-
viously, and from the first organization of the free school system, the
colored school was kept in the basement of their church.
For the purpose of raising the necessary funds to meet the ex-
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 155
penses of the erection of the public school buildings of 1849 ^"^
185 1, and of the more costly edifices of 1870 and 1874, seven per
cent, bonds were sold by the city authorities. The aggregate amount
of bonds, sold for the erection of school buildings, has been about
$100,000. The total cost of the buildings of 1870 and 1874 was about
$70,000, viz. : north building, $40,000 ; south building, $30,000.
To provide a contingent fund, a levy of ten mills was made on the
general duplicate of the city, which, together with the city's portion
of the state school fund, has proved adequate to meet the current ex-
penses of running the schools, and to meet the interest on the school
bonds, with a constantly increasing surplus ; so that in April, 1881, the
levy was brought down to seven mills. The indebtedness of the board
had, at the same time, been reduced from $100,000 to $13,000. The
old north school grounds, on the northeast corner of Broad and Mul-
berry streets, were, in about 1879, sold to the St. Peter's Lutheran con-
gregation, for $6,000. The present north school building stands on
the east side of North Broadway, within two squares south of the fair-
grounds, and the south building is- situated on a four-acre lot, in the
southeast part of the city, fronting on Walnut street.
The total value of the school property within the incorporate limits
of the city, at the present time, will not vary much from $113,000; possi-
bly a few hundred dollars more. The contingent expenses for running
the schools, including salaries, light, fuel, and janitor's salary, for the
year 1880, was $22,000.
The salaries of teachers have been increased with the growing pros-
perity of the schools. At this time, the salaries are: superintendent,
$1,400; principal ot high school, $1,000; assistant in high school,
$600; grammar schools, $800; two female teachers receive, each $500,
and all female teachers below receive $375 ; principal of colored schools,
$800.
156 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
CHAPTER XXIII.
CHURCHES OF LANCASTER.
Methodist Episcopal Church. — The Methodists were the pio-
neers in Fairfield count v. The first Methodist class organized in the
county was in the tall of 1799, at a place known as " Beal's Hill."
about two miles northeast of Lancaster. The society consisted, at its
organization, often members, viz : Edward Beal and wife, Jesse Spur-
geon and wife, Ishmael Dew and wife, Elijah Spurgeon and wife, and
Nimrod Bright and wife. They held their meetings in the cabin of
Mr. Beal. he being class leader. Previous to coming to Ohio, Mr.
Beal was class leader in Maryland, from where he emigrated. Very
soon after the formation of this little class, they were visited by the Rev.
James Qiiinn, then a young Methodist minister, and, so far as known,
the first to enter the Hocking valley.
The first quarterly meeting in this county was held in the year
1800, at the cabin of John Murphy, about one mile west of the present
West Rushville. The preachers present on this occasion were Bishop
Asbur}^ and Daniel Hitt, who was at that time a presiding elder in the
Baltimore conference.
The first class formed in Lancaster was in the spring of 181 2, with
a constituent membership of ten persons, viz ; Jacob D. Detrich and
wife, Peter Reber and wife. Christian and Elizabeth Weaver, George
and Mary Conode, and Thomas Orr and wife. The first house for
worship erected by the Methodists was a brick of two stories, with a
gallery. It stood nearly on the site of the present brick church on the
hill, and was erected in 1816. Rev. James Qiiinn preached the first
sermon in it, using for his pulpit a carpenter's bench. Lancaster was
then included in the Hocking circuit, formed in 1801. Joseph Che-
nowith was the first preacher to travel the Hocking circuit, and, at the
close of the first year', returned a membership of three hundred and
sixty-six persons, which showed an astonishing increase, as only
three years and about six months had elapsed since the arrival of
the first pioneer family in the Hocking valley.
Nathaniel B. Mills succeeded Mr. Chenowith on this circuit, in
1802. followed, in the years 1803-04, by James Qinnn. In 1804
James Williams was sent out by the conference to assist Rev.
Qiiinn.
Lancaster, and the present county of Fairfield, remained in Hock-
hocking circuit until 1811.
Between 1811 and 1830, a number of circuits were formed, of
which Fairfield was one, including Lancaster. The increase of mem-
bership between 1811 and 1830, a period of nineteen years, showed
Fairfield circuit to contain one thousand, two hundred and seventv-
HISTORY OP" FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 1 57
six members in full fellowship. In 1830 Lancaster was made a
half-station, with several appointments in the country.
During the nine ensuing years, the following ministers supplied
the circuit, in the order in which their names occur :
Zachariah Connell. William Young, John Ferree, Edward D. Rowe,
William H. Lowder, Levi White, William T. Snow, John J. Bruce,
William T. Hand, Charles R. Baldwin, John Reed, Charles R.Lowell,
and Charles Swain.
The present brick editice was erected in 1838-39, the basement
stor}^ being used as the place of worship until the summer of 1843,
when the audience chamber was tinished for public use. At the session
of the annual conference of 1839, Lancaster was made a full station.
Since that time, and until the year 1881, the following ministers have
occupied Lancaster station, in the tbllowing order, the date reterring to
the time of appointment to the station by the conference :
1840 — Henr}- Baker, one year.
1841 — William R. Anderson, one year.
1842 — William P. Strickland, two years.
1844 — Randolph S. Foster, two years.
1846 — M. Dvistin, one year.
1847 — Granville Moody, two years.
1849 — William Sutherland, one year.
1850 — Moses Smith, onq 3'ear.
185 1 — A. Brooks, two A^ears.
1853 — N. Westerman, one year.
1854 — James M. Jamison, two years.
1856 — E. M. Boring, one year.
1857 — Joseph H. Creighton, two years.
1859 — William Porter, one year.
i860 — E. C. Felton, two 3'ears.
1862 — C. A. Vananda, two years.
1864 — T. H. Phillips, two years.
1866 — L. Taft, two years.
1868 — B. N. Sparks, two years.
1870 — T. R. Taylor, three 3'ears.
1873 — Joseph H. Creighton, one years.
1874 — ^' ^ • Stanley, three years.
1877 — J. R. Miller, three years.
1880— Orville L Nance.
The total membership of Lancaster station in 1881 was between six
and seven hundred.
I'he Methodists organized a Sabbath school at an early day, which
has never been interrupted in its course. It embodies on its
rolls now from two to three hundred children, and has always been in
a flourishing condition.
Methodist Protestant Church. — This is another pioneer denom-
ination, of which there are no records in existence showing its founding,
progress, and tinal dissolution. The society was organized in 1836 or
1837. ^^^ ^"^ time it had quite a flourishing membership, embracing
a number of the business and substantial families of Lancaster. The
society owned, during its existence, a commodious brick church. For
158 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
a number of years they maintained a stated pastorate and flourishing
Sabbath school. Their church was located on the north side of Walnut
street, between Broadway and Columbus streets. By the death and
removal of a few of the responsible members, the society became weak-
ened, and finally ceased to ask their conference for a preacher. At
length the society was regarded as disbanded, when a portion of the
members found homes in other churches. Their church building, after
standing vacant a few years, was purchased by the board of educa-
tion, and converted into a school house for a time. It was then sold to
the " Old School Baptists," and is their present place of worship. The
proceeds of the sale of the property, after defraying some small liabili-
ties, for which the society was responsible, were divided among the
original members.
After the society was disbanded, and had been dropped from the
conference list, a claim was issued, b}' the Ohio conference for the
church property. The members resisted and suit was brought in the
Court of Common Pleas. After passing through several terms, in
which able council was employed on both sides, the case was finally
decided in favor of the society. The suit was brought up after the sale
of the property to the school board, and the funds were taken charge
of by the court, pending the final decision. Among the leading and
working members during the prosperous years of the church were
Benjamin Connell, John Arney, Cooper Mussie, William Pierce,
George Hood, Salmon Shaw.
Regular Baptist Church. — The Regular Baptist Church first
obtained a formal and recognized status in Lancaster in the year 1811,
with Rev. Geo. Debolt, as their pastor. The constituent members
were Isaac Church and wife, James Lowry and wife, Stephen Whittles}'
and Anna Bruin. The last named was quite a remarkable person, and
is entitled to a special mention. She was a descendant of the colored
race, and uneducated ; nevertheless she possessed a vigorous, clear in-
tellect; was industrious and frugal, was single, and resided in the
family of George King, who was a Baptist. Anna Bruin was a favor-
ite among her acquaintances, and was welcome wherever she choose
to go. So devoted was she in her religious faith and to her church,
that she was never absent from an}' of the stated meetings, unless in
case of sickness, or other unavoidable reason. She died in 1875 ^^
the age of one hundred and six 3'ears.
This little church with its humble origin has ever since maintained
its organization in Lancaster. In religious faith they were predes-
tinarian, which faith has undergone no modification with them to this
da3^ Their maximum membership at one time was about fifty ; at pres-
ent (June, 1881) it is twenty. They continue to have preaching once a
month statedly, but more frequentlv as preachers pass through the
place. Their present pastor is Rev. William Fisher.
Very soon after their organization, the little band succeeded in
erecting a comfortable frame church on Chestnut street near the Tal-
mage house. In this edifice they continued to worship until it was de-
stroyed b}' fire in 1870. The ground was subsequently sold to Darius
Talmage, for fifteen hundred dollars. This fund was used for the pur-
chasing of their present church on Walnut street.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 1^9
The Rev. Debolt continued to preach for this church a number of
years. He died a few years since at the age of ninety. This vacancy
caused by his death, was filled by the Rev,. William White, father of
the late Dr. James White. His labors were continued until 1829, when
the Rev. Samuel Carpenter took charge, and continued until the time
of his death in the summer of 1870.
Baptist Church. — This church disclaims the appellation "New
School" but claim the}- are the regular Baptist Church. They were
formerly of the mother church, but they have a separate history, hav-
ing a communion and fellowship of their own. With their denomina-
tional relation this history has nothing to do.
This society was first organized in Lancaster in 1842, with a class
of twelve members. Many of the original members possessed means,
and were influential citizens. They at once went to work in earnest to
secure a house for public worship. This they accomplished in less
than two years, and a neat brick church with a seating capacity of
about five hundred was soon the fruits of their diligence. It is situated
on the southwest corner of Columbus and Mulberry streets. During
the greater part of the thirt}^- eight years of its existence, the church
has maintained, with only short intervals a connected succession of
pastors. Below is a list in the order of their occupancy.
Rev. J. M. Courtney was the first, remaining about two years and
w^as succeeded bv Rev. S. T. Griswold, Rev. J. B. Sackett, Rev. E.
F. Strickland, Rev. S. G. Dawson, Rev. J. R. Powell, Rev. William
Sharp, Rev. H. A. Lyon and Rev. E. Daniels. For the past ten years
and at this time (June, 1881) the church has been without a permanent
pastor, having only occasional preaching by supplies.
The Sabbath school of this denomination is prosperous, and the
membership- of the church has increased in the same ratio of other
churches.
Presbyterian Church. — John Wright, a young man from Ken-
tucky, came in the year 1801 as a missionary of the Presbyterian de-
nomination, and settled in Lancaster. There were at that earl}^ day a
number of Presbyterian families in Lancaster and its vicinity, also in
other settlements of the county. He at once began to preach in the
village and such other neighborhoods as desired preaching, more es-
peciall}' along Rush Creek, and that part of the county where Bremen
and Rushville are now situated. He also visited Newark, preaching
there occasionally, as well as in other parts of the county, which was
then large.
At that time, the whole county w^as little else than a" wilderness, in-
terspersed with the simplest form of log cabins. In these pioneer huts
for the w^ant ol better accommodations, the first religious services were
held. During the first four years, Mr. Wright's labors seemed to have
been on the missionary plan, as an organization of members was not
effected until some time in the year 1805.
After the building of the first court-house, completed in 1807, the
Presbyterian, as well as other denominations, held services in it for a
number of years until the societies became strong enough to erect
churches.
In the year 1820 the first Presbyterian church was completed, as ap-
l6o HISTORY OF FAIUFIEl.D COUNTY.
pears from their old church books. It was located on the southeast
corner of Broadway and Mulberry streets, at the same place where
the residence of J. S. Wright now stands, about thirty feet from the
north wall of the present church. The ground was purchased from Peter
Reber.
The members of this church held a meeting in Lancaster, Nov. 24,
18I19, at their usual place of worship, Rev. John Wright officiating, and
Samuel F. McCracken acting as secretary. The society proceeded to
elect the following trustees : David Ewing, Thomas Propeck and
Samuel F. McCracken, and Frederick A. Foster, clerk.
The trustees were required to circulate subscription papers, the pro-
ceeds thus obtained to be used in purchasing a site and building a
church at an early day. They were sworn in by George Sanderson,
Justice of the Peace.
From the church records, the following, concerning a meeting held
July 6th, 1822, is taken : The pews were to be assessed, and sold at
auction. The salary of the pastor was to be paid from the proceeds.
The p^ws, thirty-two in number, sold on an average of from twenty
to four dollars. The church was a neat, one-story brick, and continued
in use as a place of w^orship until the completion of the present church
in 1835.
Mr. Wright remained pastor of the Lancaster Presbyterian Church
until 1835, when he resigned to accept a pastorate in Logansport, In-
diana, where he died at an advanced age in the 3'ear 1849 °^' '5^-
In 1836, William Cox was installed pastor of the congregation at
Lancaster and continued until 1854, when he accepted a call to Picka-
way, Ohio, where he died a few \^ears since. He was interred in the
east cemetry at Lancaster.
At his death, Rev. J. M. Lowrey took charge of the work at this
place and remained eight years. From 1805 to 1881, the following are
the names of pastors, who tilled the pulpit of this church: Revs. John
Wright, William Cox, J. M. Lowrey, Robert Gillbraith, Webster,
George Fullerton, Worden, Muse, Snodgrass and J. R. Boyd, the
present pastor, who has occupied the pulpit about eight years. Aside
from the above named, a number of supplies have taken the charge for
a short period.
The membership at present numbers nearly two hundred, none of
the original members living now, nor but one, who was a member in
1820, being Betsy Lilly, now residing in Iowa, eighty 3'^ears of age.
The Sabbath school of this denomination is, and always has been,
one of great interest ; about one hundred children are in attendance.
St. John's Episcopal Church. — There being a number of families
in Lancaster belonging to the Episcopal denomination, a church organi-
zation was effected in 1835, assuming the title of "Episcopal Parish of
St. John", its first rector being the Rev. Sherlock A. Bronson.
A few years subsequently, and during the rectorship of the Rev.
Alva Qiiinn, the congregation erected a beautiful church with chancel
and stained window glass, and the addition of stud}', library room and
end gallery, furnished with an organ and supported by a good choir.
The churcli was located on the southeast corner of Broadway and
Wheeling streets.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIEL15 COUN'tV; i6l
The following named persons co-operated with Mr. Qiiinn in the
erection of the church : Henry Stanberry, John T. Brazee, Daniel
Sifford, John Reber, Daniel Kutz and William P. Creed. It was con-
secrated and dedicated by the late Right Rev. Bishop McElvaine.
After Mr. Quinn, the following were the succeeding clergymen at
the St. John's: Revs. Daniel Risser, J. M. C. Bonte. Frederick Grey,
Henry Lathrop, E. Owen Simpson, William Brittian, John Scott, A.
S. Gorrell, Edward B. Cartmell and J. N. Rippy, who is now (1881)
rector. The members are all willing workers in the Sabbath school.
Catholic Church, St. Mary's of Lancaster, Ohio. — This is
the distinctive tide assumed by the Catholic Church of this place, upon
its organization. A number of Catholic families were among the tirst
settlers of Lancaster. Their early services were held in private houses,
by priests who visited them from time to time, coming generally from
Somerset, where an early Catholic setdement existed. The church
continued under the care of the Dominican fathers of St. Joseph's
Church of Perry county until 1839.
About 1820-22, the congregadon erected a small frame church at
the west end of Chestnut street, south side, and what is now known as
the east bank of the Hocking Canal. Here thev continued to worship
until 1839. The building is still standing and used as a private resi-
dence.
The burial ground connected with the church was abandoned upon
the establishment of the east cemetery, and the dead removed to the
new burying ground in 1837-8.
In 1841 the new brick church, on the northeast corner of High and
Chestnut streets, was completed and dedicated, its erection having
been begun about two years previously. Services, however, were held
in it as early as the winter and spring of 1839. This year the Rev. J.
M. Young settled in Lancaster as pastor of St. Mary's. In 1854 ^^
was made Bishop and assigned to the see of Erie, where his death oc-
curred about tifteen years after.
In 1864 the present church was completed and dedicated ; it was
built north of the old church of 1841. About the same time a two-
story brick was built on the east end of the church grounds. The two-
stor}^ frame, that had previously stood adjoining the east end of the old
church, was removed and attached to the brick, which constituted the
residence of the priest.
After the occupancy of the new church, the old building was remod-
eled for a parish school, for which purpose it is still used. Between
three and four hundred children are in regular attendance. From the
first opening of the school it has been under the care of several Domin-
ican sisters. The large bo3'S are taught by a male teacher, who also
has a general supervision over the whole scliool.
Succeeding Father Young, the Rev. Henry Lange was sent from
Cincinnati, and remained in charge from 1854 ^^ 1864, when his
death occurred. He was entombed at the east end of the church.
Rev. J. W. Brummer was then placed in charge, temporarily, for a
few months. In August, of the same year. Rev. Bernard Evans was
sent to the charge. His health failed, and he was compelled to return
to Cincinnati, where he survived but a short time.
1 62 HISTORY OF J''AIRFIELD COUNTY.
In 1865, Rev. Daniel O. Rogers came, remaining a little over two
years. He also had to relinquish his charge on account of tailing
health. In a short time afterward he died among his friends at Du-
buque, Iowa.
The charge was then tilled by Rev. F. J. Rudolph, who remained
until May, 1868, when a change in the diocese took place, and he,
wishing to remain in the western division, relinquished his claim here
to Rev. Louis Decaill3%who was in charge until the spring of 1874. ^^
then transferred to the Newark charge. Rev. M.E. Pilger tilled this was
vacancy made by the removal of Rev. Decailly, remaining but a few
months, when he was transferred to Delaware, Ohio. Rev. J. B.
Schmidt succeeded him and still has charge.
In June, 1875, Rev. Gabriel Volkert was assigned to St. Mary's,
as assistant pastor. He died in September of the same year, and the
vacancy was tilled b}- Rev. F. J. Campbell, but in a short time he was
transferred to Marietta, and Rev. Montague was appointed to take his
place in Lancaster.
Over two hundred and sixty families are represented in the present
congregation at St. Mary's, being about sixteen hundred and fifty mem-
bers in the congregation. During a year, about eighty baptisms and
fifteen marriages are solemnized.
The missions, three in number, have been maintained by this con-
gregation, and were attended by priests from Lancaster until recently,
when a special pastor was assigned to take charge of them.
"Our Lady of Good Hope," in the southeast part of the count}^, has
over forty families under her supervision ; at " Sacred Heart," near
Bremen, about thirty families, and at " St. Joseph's," in the vicinity of
Sugar Grove, about forty families.
The ground upon which St. Mary's Church and school buildings
now stands, was purchased from Michael Garaght}^, in 1837 oi" 1838.
These buildings are substantial and handsome, the new church be-
ing one of the most elegant in Ohio. Their surrounding grounds are
beautifull}'^ decorated with evergreens and brick and gravel walks.
St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church. — This is one of
the early churches of Lancaster ; the precise date of organization can-
not be given, as the old records were burned with the building in Feb-
ruary, 1846. Previous to that j-ear the history is mostly traditional.
Some of the old members recollect of a box containing papers relating
to church aflairs being saved, in so disorderly a condition, at the time of
the fire, that the person to whom they were entrusted found they were
worthless.
Previous to the year 1810, the first society was formed by the Rev.
Steck. For awhile they held their meetings in the court house, while
at other times in the German Reform chapel, on south Columbus street.
Subsequently the society buiU a small log house on the site where the
Canal church now stands. This was used for a time, then torn down
and a two-story brick built in its place. In 1846 this was burned. At
this time a division was effected, and the German members bought the
claims of the English and proceeded to erect the brick building that
still remains.
In 1840 the church was incorporated by an act of the Legislature.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 1 63
The names of the incorporators were Henry Arnold, George W. Bant-
ler, Christian Bearster, Christian Baughman, Henry Orman, Philip Bope
and Conrad Crumley. The lot upon which the church is erected was
deeded to the society b}- Jacob Beck, the elder, and one of the first
members.
Mr. Steck remained in charge of the congregation until 1829. His
place was then filled by Rev. John Wagenhals, who filled the pulpit
until 1845. He then removed to Lithopolis and took charge of a con-
gregation there. Ten or fifteen years afterward he returned to Lancas-
ter, where he is now living, being old and feeble. Succeeding Mr.
Wagenhals in St. Peter's congregation were Rev. H. Burcher, Rev.
Leon Hart, Rev. Speilman and Rev. Mechling, who is now (i88i)pas-
tor. The membership is over six hundred, and a Sabbath school has
been sustained for half a century.
During the year 1878 the society purchased ground on Broadway
and Mulberry streets. In the spring of 1880 the}^ began the erection
of a church, having prepared the foundation the summer previous.
In 1 88 1 the work suspended on account of cold weather, but was re-
sumed and the building was completed.
First English Lutheran Church. — Previous to the year 1843, but
one Lutheran Church existed in this place. The German and English
element separating at that time, formed separate societies. They con-
tinued to occupy the church jointly on alternate Sundays. The one
service was in German and the other in English. This continued
until the burning of the church in 1846.
The English members sold their interest in the site to the German
society, and purchased a building lot on the east side of Columbus
street, between Wheeling and Mulberry streets. The}' immediately-
built a fine brick church, with a basement, entrance hall, and gallery,
completing it in the fall of 1846.
At the time of the church division the membership of the English
was twenty, which, in 1881, had increased to about two hundred, but
six of the original members being of this number. From the first they
have been earnest and zealous workers in the Sunday school.
The following pastors have presided over the charge from 1843 to
1881: Revs. John McCron, Charles F. Shaefter, J. A. Weddle, L.
Kizer, J.Hamilton, Jacob F. Reinmund, Samuel Sprecher, N. J.Knise-
ly, Chas. Steck, John B. Helwig, John O. Hough, G.W.Halderman
and J. N. Morris, pastor from the beginning of the year 1881.
German Reform Church. — This church was first formed by Rev.
George Wise, in October, 1816, with twenty members. Rev. Wise
continued pastor until 1838, twenty-two years after the organization,
during which time he preached in other parts of the county, as well
as Ross, Pickaway, Hocking, Perry. Licking and Franklin coun-
ties. Rev. Steck was called to this charge after the death of Rev. Wise,
and continued to fill all the above named appointments.
In 1818 the German Reform society purchased a lot on Columbus
street on which they built a small brick chapel, where they continued to
worship until 1845, the church being dedicated in 1832. This build-
ing was also used for years as a school house and place of worship for
other denominations. It still remains and is used as a private dwelling.
164 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
About 1843 the society purchased a second site and proceeded to
erect a new and more commodious place for worship. In 1845 this was
completed.
Rev. Henry Willard succeeded Mr. Wise in 1838 as pastor, re-
maining in charge six years to 1844, his successor being Rev. Jesse
Steiner, At his departure the pulpit was filled by Revs. Jeremiah
Good, Henry Brinkerhoft, John Ricker, P. D. Schory, G. W. Heck-
ling, Henr}' Hockman, John Swander, L. Straussman and William
Hale. The latter being called to Dayton, left the charge under the
leadership of occasional supplies. During his work here, the title,
•' Grace Reform," was given to the church. At the time he left, the
membership numbered two hundred and twenty-live. In 1880 Rev.
J. M. Kendig was called and accepted the charge. An interesting-
Sabbath school is maintained.
Emanuel's Church. — The organization of this church took place
in 1849 by the withdrawal of twelve members from St. Peter's Church.
When formed, it was to be exclusively a German denomination, not
admitting English services. In this latter church a portion of the mem-
bers preferred that services be held only in the German language, while
others of American birth desired that the children should be instructed
in both languages, and insisted on alternate German and English services.
For a time the two services were carried out, but in time twelve of the
purely German members seceded from the old division and formed a
society constituting the " First German congregation of the unaltered
Augsburg Confession," with F. W. Richman as pastor.
Immediately upon the completion of the new organization, a site
was purchased on Chestnut street near High street, aud soon a hand-
some brick church was built, seating about four hundred. They dedi-
cated it in 1852, and now have about three hundred members, also an
attendance of seventy-five children at their Sunday school.
Their constitution provides that only male members who have at-
tained the age of twenty-one years and over are eligible to vote at
church elections. Of these they have about one hundred.
Under the pastorate of their present minister they have English ser-
vices occasionally. The following ministers have filled the pulpit:
1849 — ^' ^' Richman.
i853_J. P. Calb.
1857 — F. W. Faclinger.
1858— J. S. Daib.
1859— M. Merz.
1865 — J. Neithamer.
1866— E. J. Frederick.
1869 — J. Slocum.
1870— C. A. Frank.
1873— E. Kailer.
1876— C. A. Frank.
Rev. C. F. Borech and Rev. C. Dr^-er are the present pastors.
During 1870 the society erected a handsome two-story frame par-
sonage adjoining the church.
Evangelical Church. — The Evangelical ("Albrecht's Leute ")
Association erected a substantial brick church in Lancaster in the sum-
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 1 65
mer of 1870, under the pastoral charge of Andrew Swartz. It is com-
monly called the East Lancaster Church, the building standing on
Main street, east of Graveyard street.
Mr. Swartz was an ardent worker, and his energy found readv co-
operation b\' the members of the new organization, in the erection and
completion of their church. The church was dedicated in 187 1, and
has a seating capacity of about four hundred. The present member-
ship exceeds one hundred and sixty. The number of children enrolled
in the Sabbath-school, in 1881, was over one hundred. The pastor is
Rev. Sherrick : the superintendent, W. H. Cassett.
The following pastors have accepted calls to this church : Rev. M.
Leohner, Rev. H. Swartz, Rev. A. N. Orwig, Rev. H. Swartz (reap-
pointed), Rev. M. Shupe, i^ev. Cochlin, Rev. H. Spiller, Rev. Hensel,
Rev. Rife, Rev. B. Mohn, and Rev. W. W. Sherrick, pastor in 1881.
African Methodist Episcopal Church. — As early as 1825 the
colored people of Lancaster organized a religious society under the
title of "African Methodist Episcopal Church." At once they began
the erection of a church on one of the lots dedicated by Emanuel Car-
penter tor church purposes. Upon this a neat frame church was built,
in which the}' held worship until the erection of their present church
in i860. They have sustained a settled ministry, and held Sabbath-
school each Sunday. The tbllowing are the names of their ministers
from 1825 to 1882: Rev. Grey, Rev. Thomas Lawrence, Rev. Samuel
J. Clingman, Rev. Lafa^xtte Davis, Rev. C. H. Peters, Rev. George
Coleman, Rev. Thomas Lawrence, Rev. Daniel Winlon, Rev. John P.
Woodson, Rev. Jeremiah Bowman, Rev. John Tibbs, Rev. Edward
Esse, Rev. John W. Jones, Rev. Arthur Howell, Rev, Isaac Dillen,
Rev. Roberts, Rev. Daniel Cooper, Rev. R. Plogan, Rev. William
Arnold, Rev. Gibbons. Rev. Lewis, Rev. W. D. Mitchell, Rev. David-
son, Rev. Clark, Rev. R. Morris, and R. M. Wilson.
Colored Baptist. — This small society of colored Baptists have
not succeeded in erecting a place for worship nor employing a settled
pastor. The society has been in existence a number of years.
A Religious Revival occurred in the Methodist Church of Lancas-
ter during the winter of 1841-42, being one of the most remarkabe
known in the annals of that denomination. In the history of modern
revivals it has no parallel. Although it was an occurrence of forty
years ago, still it is vividly remembered and referred to as the "An-
derson revival." Many of the efficient members, not only of that
Church but others, began their religious life under the influence of this
revival.
It began in December, 1841. The meetings were held nightly in
the basement of the new church, the main auditorium not being com-
pleted. Nothing unusual attended the meeting at first, but as it pro-
gressed the interest increased, the capacity of the basement room
becoming too small to accommodate the crowd that attended.
When it became evident throughout the surrounding country that a
great revival was in progress in Lancaster, people Hocked in from other
villages, including preachers from the circuits, members of other
denominations taking part. Catholics were in regular attendance.
Ministers of other denominations attended and took part in the serv-
1 66 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
ices. From twelve to fifty persons came to tiie altar each night as
seekers of religion. It was an imposing sight to see persons of all
classes kneeling at the altar, some as seekers of religion, while others
were praying for the mourners. Some who had been known to
denounce noisy revivals were among the most active and earnest work-
ers. The roughest element of the town came, but were decorous and
well behaved.
The meeting often continued until a late hour. On many occasions,
after the congregation had been dismissed, groups of people lingered
in the church in prayer and praise, as if unwilling to leave a place that
seemed to them hallowed. At late hours parties were heard returning
from the church singing, and even pouring forth their happiness in loud
shouts of jo}', and hallelujah, even continuing in praise and prayer
after their arrival at home.
On one occasion a young lady, under the influence of religion,
passed into a trance, from which all efforts to restore her to conscious-
ness failed. She was removed to the house of a friend, where she
remained seven days and nights, unconscious of what was transpiring
around her. She was visited by hundreds. At times it was difficult to
ascertain whether the vital spark still remained. When she recovered
she testified as to being in Heaven, giving descriptions of what she had
seen and heard ; had met many of her earthly friends, who had passed
away. She lived many years afterward, and loved to converse upon
the heavenl}^ scenes she had witnessed, and the glories of the happy
home, of which she expected some day to be an inhabitant.
The meetings were continued until March, 1842. This revival was
remarkable. The number of accessions to the Methodist Church was
between two and three hundred, while many who professed conversion
joined other denominations, quite a number of the leading business and
professional citizens being among the converts. The revival was like-
wise characterized by the unusual fact that most of these conversions
were lasting.
Cemeteries. — The first interments of the dead at Lancaster were
probabl}^ made in the old grave}' ard on the hill north of the Methodist
church. At the west end of Chestnut street the Catholics had a small
cemetery, near their little frame chapel, in which interments were made
at an early day. After the purchase and laying out of the last ceme-
tery by the city authorities, the Catholics secured the south-west corner
and removed their dead there, in 1837-38, and the cemetery on Chest-
nut street was abandoned.
The Methodists used the east end of their church lot as a burial
place until the purchase of the new graveyard, in 1837. About that
time an ordinance was passed by the town council forbidding further
interments on the hill. Permits were afterward granted for the burial
of such persons who had companions or families interred there. The
east grave3^ard consisted of about ten acres, purchased by the city from
John Creed in 1837. The ground was sectioned off for the accommo-
dation of the public, the Methodists, Baptists, and Catholics choosing
separate divisions. A large portion of the ground was laid off' into family
lots and sold under warrantee deeds. Two sections were inclosed with
stone walls and mounted with iron railings by several associated families.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 167*9
*
There was also set apart a portion for a colored burying place, as
well as a part for public use, and a Potter's Field. In 1881, there were
about three thousand graves here.
The small burying ground on the hill, northwest of the city, con-
sisting of two acres, was either purchased or donated by Jacob Beck,
in 1826. This has been commonly called the German graveyard.
The old cemeter}', dating back to a very early dav, is situated on
the church lot of the German Lutherans, on the east bank of the canal,
in the northwest part of the city.
The English Lutheran cemetery lies on the north border of the city.
The ground was sold to the church in 1855 by John C. Weaver. The
first family lots were sold in 1856. This church sells family lots to par-
ties outside of the society.
In the beginning of the year 1881, the Catholic society purchased
from Philip Rising fifteen acres of ground, one and one-half miles south
of Lancaster, adjoining the State Farm road, on the east side. For
this they paid twelve thousand dollars.
In June, 1881 the}^ had expended nine hundred dollars in the con-
stiniction of a stone vault.
The grounds were also enclosed, and good gravel drains and walks
constructed through the grounds, besides famih^ and single lots. A
section of lots is set apart for the use of such Catholics as are not able
to purchase.
A handsome monument, mounted with the cross, is erected in the
north end of the cemetery.
The cemetery and purchasing committee are John D. Clark, Hugh
Cannon, Thomas Scanlan, George Matt, and Tallman Slough.
[^8 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
CHAPTER XXIV.
LANCASTER PRESS AND AUTHORSHIP.
Der Ohio Adler. — The first weekl}^ paper established in Lancas-
ter was a small German sheet, with the title Der Ohio Adler, by Jacob
D. Detrich. The first issues of the paper are extinct, and the exact
date cannot be given by the oldest inhabitant here now. Some remem-
ber the German paper during the war of 1812, and date its origin in
1809. Mr. Wetzler, present editor of the Eagle, is confident that Gen-
eral Sanderson told him, at one time, that Mr. Detrich came to Lan-
caster in 1807, and at once began the publication oi Der Ohio Adler.
This assertion is probably true, as General Sanderson was quite a
laro-e boy when he came into the Hocking valley with his father in
1799. We will copy a short extract from an old copy of Der Adler,
also, give the translation :
" An Ehekreutz. — Ich warna hiermit yeder man miner frau, Mar-
o-arette, nicht auf zu miner namen zu leihen, order zu bargen jevile
ich mit entsclhossen babe kinen cent fur sie zu bozalen, von dieser data
on."
" Rush Township, December 16, 1812.
" A Marriage Cross. — I hereb}^ forewarn ever}- man not to trust
m}^ wife, Margaret, or lend to her on my account, because I have de-
termined not to pay one cent for her after this date."
From this we would infer that some time previous to 1812, Jacob
D. Detrich emigrated from Staunton, Virginia, to Lancaster, Ohio,
and began the publication 01 a German weekly paper, entitled Der
Ohio Adler.
The sheets were about sixteen by twenty inches in size, the paper
of coarse texture, and dull white color, the mechanical execution good,
the print remaining quite legible. An English issue of the same, bear-
ing date of 1813, is numbered volume four, making 1809 the 3'ear of its
origin.
No dates have been found, showing when the paper passed into the
hands of Edward Shafer, but supposed to be in 1813, at this time
changing to the English print. It was issued, however, for some time
in both languages, after the change, this as late as 1816.
In the scrap ol Der Adler, before referred to, is found Governor
Meigs' proclamation, calling for volunteer troops to serve in the War of
1812. In the English edition is found the following advertisement:
" One Hundred Dollars Reward. — Run awa}^ from the sub-
scriber, living in Moorfield, Hardin county, Virginia, on the twenty-
ninth of April last, a negro man named Berr3\ He is about twenty
years of age ; height, five feet eight or nine inches, round shouldered,
slender made. He is active and undaunted, but not viciousl}^ inclined ;
redish lips, stutters when closely examined. Whoever will secure said
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 1 69
slave in any jail of the United States, so that I can get hinl again, shall
receive the above reward, and all reasonable charges paid, if brought
home.
July 15, 1 8 15. William Cunningham."
After the advertisement, the following appeared :
"To THE Public. — On Sunday last, the 20th inst., the following
circumstance occurred at the great meeting, or love feast, held at the
house of Casper Hufford, Raccoon Creek, three miles east of Lancaster.
The subscriber, with his wife, attended said meeting. His wife, wish-
ing to remain there till Monday following, turned the mare she had
been riding into a large meadow, containing fort}' acres, in which about
fifty or sixty other horse creatures were at the same time grazing. On
the following Monday, his wife, intending to return home, missed the
mare, and after the most diligent search, a dai'k brown mare, without a
bridle or halter, was found loose in Mr. Hufford's stable. No person
present owning said mare, or knowing the owner thereof, the subscriber
took her into his possession. He cannot conceive whether his creature
was taken out of mistake for the one left behind in the stable ; whether
rode oft' or wilfully stolen. The subscriber's mare is a bright bay, eight
years old, fourteen hands high, shod belore. strong built, a natural trot-
ter, and has some saddle and harness marks. Should some person
have rode her oft\ or out of mistake taken away said mare, and left his
own in place thereof, he is hereby desired, in a friendly manner, to re-
turn the same immediately, as such incautious proceedings may bring
on disagreeable consequences.
August 24, 1815. George Bright,"
The first cop3^ of the ^«^/6' that appears in the English language,
bears date of 1813, with Edward Shafer as editor and manager. From
18 1 2 to 181 5 its pages contain news of the War of 181 2. After Mr.
Shaffer, the paper was edited by John Harmon, previous to 1820, as
is supposed, the old issues of the paper having been destroyed, when
the office burned in 1844.
In 1828, Thomas U. White was editor of the Eagle. He was suc-
ceeded by John Brough, who had charge in 1839, 'Assisted by his
brother Charles. In 1841, Samuel Pike succeeded the Broughs, re-
maining about one year, when Dr. Casper Theil took charge of the pub-
lication, and during his editorship the office was burned.
From that time to 1881 the following editors have taken charge :
H. H, Robinson, D. Robertson, F. JNI. Ellis, J. B. Dixon, Newton
Schleich, Jackson Gruber, John L. Tuthill, John M. Connell, Charles
Roland, William Baker, William L. Rigby, John C. Hite, Victor
Zahm, and Thomas Wetzler.
Of the above number, Mr. Wetzler has occupied the position the
greater length of time, having taken charge in 1870. The Eagle, from
its humble origin, during the seventy-two years of its existence, has
successfully grown into one of the best, largest, and most creditabl}^ ex-
ecuted weeklies of the State. Beyond current newspaper literature, it
has been strictly a political partizan sheet. In 1828, under the editorial
management of Thomas U. White, it supported the claims of Andrew
Jackson for the Presidency against John Quincy Adams. After the
National Convention of 1832, at which the supporters of Mr. Jackson
22
170 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
assumed the name of the "Democratic part3\" the Eagle continued to
support the Jackson ticket, in 1836, the Van Buren ticket against
William H, Harrison. It has 'so continued to be the Democratic or-
gan for Fairfield county. It has a wide circulation, and a lucrative in-
come.
Lancaster Gazette. — The first number of the Lancaster Gazette
was issued on the fourth day of April, 1826, by George Sanderson and
Benjamin Oswald. The publication continued under the title of San-
derson & Oswald, until the beginning of 1830, when Mr. Sanderson, by
purchase, became the sole proprietor. In 1832, Philadelph Van Trump,
at that time publishing the Enquirer, became a partner in the Gazette,
and the paper was called the Gazette and Enquirer . Two years after-
ward Enquirer was dropped, and the paper assumed the title of Lancas-
ter Gazette, which still remains.
In 1838, Benjamin Moeler purchased the establishment, and became
sole proprietor and editor, until 1841, when he was bought out by Per-
cival and Van Fossen, who published the Gazette until 1850, when
they sold to George Weaver, who assumed the editorial control, with
John Wright as publisher. This arrangement was continued until
1852, when the establishment was purchased by Thomas S. Slaughter,
who published the paper one year, then selling to a company, and Geo.
McElroy became editor of the Gazette, for one year. At this time,
Joshua Clarke became editor and proprietor, with W^illiam Kooken as
publisher. The Gazette was then issued under the firm name of Clarke
and Kooken, until x\pril ist, i860. In the preceding January, Dr. H.
Scott purchased the American Democrat and Gazette establishments,
and combined them on the first of January. He continued the publica-
tion of the Gazette, as editor and proprietor. Before the breaking out
of the War of the Rebellion, he sold the paper to Robert M. Clarke,
William H. Kooken and John M. Sutphen, constituting the firm of
Clarke, Kooken and Sutphen.
In 1863, A. P. Miller bought the interest of R. M. Clarke, and the
name of the firm changed to Miller, Kooken and Sutphen. In Febru-
ary 23, 1866, S. A. Griswold became a member of the firm, by pur-
chasing Mr. Miller's share. In 187 1, the establishment became the
"Gazette Printing Company," by the admission of H, W. Griswold, J.
E. Griswold and H. C. Drinkle. The senior proprietor, S. A. Gris-
wold, has been the responsible editor from his first connection with
the Gazette, Yeh\-U3.ry, 1866, to the present time. (1881.) During the
greater part of that time, Samuel Griswold has been local editor, and
still holds that position.
Like the Eagle, the Gazette has been a partisan weekly. In the
presidential campaign of 1828, it supported John Quincy Adams, and
in 1832, as supporters of Andrew Jackson assumed the title o{ Demo-
cratic Party, the friends of Mr. Adams, in their convention one
month later, resolved that they were the descendants ot the "Whigs of
1776." Hence the Whig party, the Gazette then becoming the the
organ of the Whig party for Frirfield county.
In 1855, when the American "Know Nothing" party was organized
all over the United States, absorbing not only the Whig party, but all
small faction also a portion of the Democratic part3% the Gazette
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. l*J1
Supported the American ticket. Two years later, upon the adoption of
the Philadelphia platform, by the National Convention, assuming the
title, Republican party, the Gazette took up the appellation, and irom
that time, has been a strong supporter of the Republican party. Dur-
ing the Rebellion, the Gazette was the uncompromising advocate of the
Union, as it was before the breaking out of the war, and of the replant-
ing of the National flag all over the south ; also standing by the gov-
ernment in all its laudable efforts to suppress the Rebellion and restore
the Union.
The Gazette was of humble origin, its first issue being twenty
years later than the Eagle. They were superior, in a mechanical
sense, besides of an improved quality of paper. Its first issues were five
columns, whilst the Eagle were four. There was also a notable im-
provement in the typograpliy. It grew from an insignificant to a large
and popular sheet,, now vying with any similar journal of the
State or elsewhere, m appearance.
It has a weekly circulation surpassed by but few county papers
in Ohio, as well as a paying income.
The part}' of the Gazette in this county has from the first been
in the minority, hence has received but a small share of the official pa-
tronage. To this rule, were two exceptions, viz., 1843 and 1854, ^7 '^'^^
triumph of the ''Cork leg," and "Know Nothing" tickets. A single ex-
tract from an early number of the Gazette, will give an idea of the
temper displayed by the editors in contingencies, fifty-five years ago.
He thus gives freedom to his pen, in attempting to rebuke a political ad-
versary for some indiscretion.
"The subject of the above proceeding is an insult to the honor and
intelligence of our country. The very man who is the instigator of this
maneuver, and who professes to be a heroite of the first water, if he
were opened, there could not be found in his liver, as much blood as
would clog the foot of a flea."
The Eagle and Gazette have been successful publications trom the
first, with very little interruption. Qiiite a number of weeklies have
from time to time been projected in Lancaster, but lived a short period.
General Sanderson commenced the publication of a four column
sheet, in the summer of 1811, continuing about two years. The second
number of volume second is in possession of a citizen, and bears date
of November 21st, 1812. It contains President Madison's annual mes-
sage. The title of the sheet is The Independent Press.
About the year 1834, P. Van Trump began the publication of a
weekly paper, which he named the Enquirer. It had but a brief exis-
tence, soon merging into the Gazette.
April 23, 1850, William L. King and Jackson Gruber commenced
issuing an independent weekl}^ paper, entitled Lancaster Telegrafh.
This proved to be a handsome and neatl}^ executed sheet, in a mechan-
ical sense, and rapidly acquired a large circulation. In July, 185 1,
Mr. Gruber became sole proprietor, by the purchase of his partner's
interest. He continued the publication until April 12, 1853, when itwas
connected with the Eagle., Mr. Gruber becoming partner in that paper.
His death occurred in less than two years from this time.
In 1848-49, W. S. Beat}^ published in Lancaster a neat weekly pa-
172 HISTORY OF FAIKFTEI.D COUNTY.
per, 6i1titled The American Democrat, which was for a time suspended
and again renewed, under the same title. In the winter of i860, this
paper was purchased by Dr. H. vScott, and April ist, 1861, was consoli-
dated with the Lancaster Gazette.
In 1849-50 a small dail}^ sheet was issued from the Gazette office,
entitled the Daily Gazette. Its publication was continued about two
years, and then sus]")ended.
A handsome and well-printed eight-page weekly, entitled The Fire-
side, was issued by A. P. Miller, in 1861. Its pages were devoted to
domestic affairs and select literature. After a few issues of The Fire-
side, Kinnis Fritter went in as partner with Mr. Miller, and the name
of the paper was changed to The Uii/on. continuing under this title for
one year, and was then abandoned.
The Lancaster Free Press was established by the firm of Adams,
MacCracken & Co., on the hrst of March, 1879. At the close of the
tirst year Mr. Adams assumed the full control of the paper, and still
conducts it successfully. Its politics is Republican, and, while it is
emphatically a "free press," its vocation would have been better ex-
pressed b}^ the name of " regulator," as it attacks whatever it judges
imfair or wrong. It has man}' readers, and well deserves its hearty
patronage on account of its independent fearlessness.
The Saturday 'Journal was published ever}'- Saturday morning, by
John C. Hite. It was a neat, eight-page, six-column paper, of clear
typography. It was an earnest Democratic publication, ably conduct-
ed, and popular.
The y(??/r«a/ was hrst established in Basil, Liberty township, this
county, by J. Evins, in 1875, under the title oi Fairfield County Nezus.
It was then a four-page sheet, of seven columns to the page. In April,
1879, this establishment was removed into Lancaster, where it was un-
der the editorial control of W. S. Beaty, until June 29th, 1879, when
John C. Hite became editor and manager. The last issue of this popu-
lar paper appeared December 2nd, 1882, the publisher having sold it to
the Eagle, in which paper it is now merged.
The Lithopolis Home News is a neat, eight-page weekly publica-
tion, issued in Lithopolis by Cramer brothers. It is chiefly devoted to
home news and general literature. This paper is ably conducted, and,
as a family newspaper, is highly creditable to its proprietors, as well as
the village of Lithopolis,
The Rushville Times is a small sheet, published weekly at Rush-
ville, in the eastesn part of this county. The villagers are proud of
their '* home journal." and well sustain it.
Two or tiiree campaign papers which have not ])een mentioned
above, have also been in publication during elections, afterwards sub-
siding. Of these the principal one was the Loo- Cabin, published
from "the Gazette office,' during the fall of 1840.
LiTEiiARY Men and Women of FAiitFiELo County. — Lancaster
has contained a large number of literar}- characters, though none of
them can claim a very extensive authorship.
Honorable Thomas Ewing was the author of some very able state
papers, which were printed in the journals. He also left some very
meritorious letters, which may 3'et appear.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 1 73
A. P. Miller, who resided in Lancaster, acquired a reputation for
poetical genius, but he and his poems have disappeared from the
galaxy.
Judge Philadelph Van Trump was a fine writer, but left nothing
but a few addresses in print.
Mrs. A. H. Devoling in i860 produced a neat little volume of
poems, man}' of which were considered beautiful. The little book
was well received, and found ready sale. Besides this book, vari-
ous New Year addresses, epitaphs, and obituar}- poems have been
written by her, whicii displa3ed more than ordinar}^ talent as an au-
thoress.
John Garaghty. a former member of the Lancaster bar, but now
a resident of Iowa, wrote a number of poems that would have hon-
ored men of world-wide fame, but he was unpretentious and neglec-
ted his talent.
Walter Applegate, a young surgeon, was said to be a natural
poet.
R. E. H. Levering, deceased, deserved better the reputation of a
rln'mster than poet. A few of his efforts were of sufficient merit to
have at least entitled him to an humble place among the literati.
Rev. Lowry, for eight years pastor of Lancaster Presbyterian Church,
was a theological author of fine ability. He produced several volumes
on various theological topics, that found readv sale.
Judge Silas H. Wright, who has been on the Common Pleas bench
fifteen years, possesses literary ability, although he has not yet acquit-
ted himself in the work of authorship. His caste is decidedl}^ political.
His centennial oration, delivered Jul}^ 4th, 1876, and afterwards
published, was a master effort that commanded great praise both from
the press and the public.
John Wright, son of Judge Wright, as a journalist gives promise of
fine literary ability.
Dr. H. Scott, as a pioneer sketcher, has acquired merited notoriety,
he having lived on the frontier during the pioneer age. His series of
over one hundred numbers, entitled " Pioneer Life in the West Sixty
Years Ago," were published in the Lancaster Gazette^ a few years
since, continuing through more than two 3'ears, and were much sought
after. He is the author of a manuscript on pioneer history ; also a three
hundred page historx- of Fairfield county.
William Duke was a Lancaster boy of unrecognized talent. He is
now in the employ of the Government, at Washington, as a writer of
agricultural history and its general literature. In this he has acquired
considerable distinction.
Horace P. Biddle, now known as Judge Biddle. of Logansport,
Indiana, was fbrmerh' a citizen of Lancaster, where he studied the pro-
fession of law, with Hocking H. Hunter. He possessed considerable
poetical talent. His first published work was a small volume entitled
*' Poems ;" his second, '• Glories of the World :"' his third, " American
Bo}hood ;" his fourth, '* Amalories," followed b}' " Elements of Know-
edge." " Amatories" is a partial work gotten up especially for private
distribution, there being not over one dozen copies published. It is a
quarto volume, bound in most elaborate style in Turkev morocco.
1^4 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
Dr. John Williams, A. M., as an author stood almost unique. He
was the author or but two published works, his first being " The Read-
able Dictionary; or Topical and Synonymic Lexicon." This work was
first published by M. C. Lilh% of Columbus Ohio, in i860. This work
was wholly original, both in design and general plan, containing a won-
derful scope of subjects. Some idea of the work will be obtained from
the following : The word " light," for instance, is given — then every
word used in the English language, no matter what its derivation, that
relates to the subject of light in even the most remote degree, follows,
with its definition, until the theme is exhausted. This continues through
many thousand subjects. There probably has never been a book pub-
lished, in any language, that contained an equal or approximate
amount of useful knowledge.
His other production was the " Parser," a small work on grammar,
which was claimed to be a valuable acquisition to school text-books.
At his death he left an unfinished work on geometry, which has been
pronounced by geometricians as far ahead of any work that has ever
appeared, and doubts have been expressed as to whether a man could
be found capable of carrying out the doctor's plans, judging from the
axioms and principles laid down.
Professor E. B. Andrews was the author of scientific works, partic-
ularly on geology, minerology, archeology, paleontolog}'. He was
for several years Assistant State Geologist for Ohio, and his works,
found in the State Geological Reports, are regarded as very valuable.
He also left at his death, in the fall of 188 1, some unfinished works, one
of which was in press at the time of his death. His manuscript will
probably yet be published.
General Sanderson prepared "Notes on the Early Settlement of Fair-
field county," which wa.s published in pamphlet form, in 1849-50 b}'
Thomas Wetzler. The pamphlet was liberally distributed about the city
and county thirty years ago, and now it has become of inestimable worth.
James Towson, in 1850 or about that time, published a map of
of Fairfield county by townships. Sixteen years later, 1866, E2;ra Han-
num, county surveyor, likewise published a map of the county by town-
ships.
In about 1845, W. S. Beaty published a volume on domestic animals
and agriculture, chiefly a compilation.
The Ewing Memorial, published in 1873, is a neat and handsome
bound volume of two hundred and ninety pages, chiefly contributions
by the famil}' and friends.
Miss Bina Pearce, as "Frank Briarwood," a native of Lancaster, as
a writer of romance has shown fine ability. Her st3'le is smooth, agree-
able, and free from a redundancy of verbiage.
Miss Pearce's first effort was an attractive little volume entitled
"Mabel Cliffon" published by a Philadelphia house. The work met
with a flattering reception by the reading public. She has been a con-
tributor to the Toledo Blade and Cincinnati Commercial. She is also
the authoress of a farce in one act. that has been praised by the lovers
of plays. The title of the piece is "Miss Louring's Holiday," or "The
Wrong Man," Her last work, "Woodland Priory," is about to go
to press.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIEI-D COUNTY. I75
CHAPTER XXV. ^^
MEDICAL AND DENTAL PROFESSIONS OF LANCASTER.
Medical Profession of Lancaster. — Dr. John Shawk was the
first physician who came to Lancaster. He arrived .from Lexington,
Kentucky, in the spring of 180 1, over Zane's trace trom Limestone
(Maysville), at a time when there were less than half a dozen cabins on
the entire route, with the exception of the small settlement at Chilli-
cothe. Lancaster had just been platted and the first lots sold the pre-
vious November. It was at that time a patch of woods, with a few
small log cabins scattered about.
Dr. Shawk purchased two lots fronting on Main street, and after
hiring Mr. Gaster to clear off the ground and inclose it with a rail
fence, he returned to Lexington. In the spring of 1806 he returned
with his family and commenced the practice of medicine at a point ex-
actl}" where the Hocking canal crosses Main street, and in a building
erected by one Doctor Irvin, who seems to have come to the place
during his five years absence. In this building Dr. Shawk lived and
practiced his profession for a time, and then he removed it to his lots
further up Main street, where to this day it constitutes a part of Shawk's
row, but so covered in and modernized as not to be seen. The building
was removed up the present Main street on rollers, after opening a way
for its passage by cutting away the trees and grubbing up the stumps.
One half of the original Shawk block is now the property of Dr. Charles
Shawk, who resides in it, a happ}- bachelor of eighty years. He is the
second son of Dr. John M. Shaw^k, and the only living member of
the family. Dr. John M. Shawk lived to a venerable old age, and
died at his house in Lancaster, in the year 1846.
No data can be found to show when other early physicians
came to Lancaster, how long they remained, or when they died. And
there is not a soul living in the place to-day who could, from recol-
lection, tell one word about them, beyond the fact that they lived in
Lancaster, and passed away. The very best then that can be done is
to write their names, with an approximation to their times.
Of the very earliest physicians who are known to have practiced in
the place, Dr. Irvin was probably the first, for he was on the ground
and built a house between 1801 and 1806. Following him, and up to
about 1870, those named below have practiced medicine in Lancaster,
nearly in the order in which their names stand.
Dr. John M. Shawk, Dr. Carr, Dr. Wilcox, Dr. Florence, Dr. Depee,
Dr. Clark, Dr. James White, Dr. Robert McNeill, Dr. Wolftey, Dr. M.
Z. Kreider, Dr. John M. Bigelow, Dr. Wilson, Dr. H. H. Wait, Dr.
Paul Carpenter, Dr. George Boerstler. Dr. Tom O. Edwards, Dr. Saxe,
Dr. George K. Miller, Dr. Goucher, Dr. Brecker, Dr. M. Effinger, Dr.
Lynch, Dr. Andrew Davidson, Dr. P. M. Wagenhals, Dr. John W.
176 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
Lewis, Dr. Turner, Dr. Elmer Jackson, Dr. G. Miese, Dr. George W.
Boerstler, Dr. Frampton, Dr. O. E. Davis, Dr. Lawson, Dr. Kinsman,
Dr. Goss, Dr. Flowers, Dr. John Nourse, Dr. Harmon, Dr. Myres, Dr.
ShraHer, Dr. Charles Shawk, Dr. Lorenzo D. Rush, Dr. Joseph Beek,
Dr. Tom O. Edwards, Jr., Dr. Willage, Dr. Hershberger, Dr. J. Kells.
There have been, from time to time, transient men, who remained
too short a time to entitle them to a place in the list of Lancaster's phy-
sicians.
Ot those named, who remain in the practice in the lall of 1881, are
Dr. Charles Shawk, Dr. M. Effinger, Dr. G. Mierse, Dr. George W.
Boerstler, Dr. J." M. Lewis, Dr. Turner, Dr. Goss, Dr. Flowers, Dr.
Kells, Dr. Harmon, and Dr. Hersliberger.
Those who have moved away, and are known to be living, are Dr.
O. E. Davis, Dr. Shrader, Dr. Frampton, Dr. Kinsman, Dr. Tom O.
Edwards, Jr. Dr. A. Davidson purchased the drugstore of Geo. Kauft-
man, on Main street, some years ago, and retired from the active prac-
tice.
Those who are known to have deceased previous to 1881 are Dr.
John M. Shawk, Dr. Irvin, Dr. Carr, Dr. Wilcox, Dr. Florence, Dr.
Robert McNeill, Dr. James White, Dr. M. Z. Kreider, Dr. Clark, Dr.
H. H. Wait, Dr. Depee, Dr. Wolfiey, Dr. John M. Bigelow, Dr. Paul
Carpenter, Dr. Wilson, Dr Saxe, Dr. Goucher, Dr. Brecker, Dr. Geo.
W. Boerstler, Dr. Tom O. Edwards, Dr. P. M. Wagenhals, Dr. Geo.
K. Miller, Dr. Dawson, Dr. Jacob Myers, Dr. D. D. Rush, Dr. Joseph
Beck.
About 1839 '^^^^ 1840, the medical board of Lancaster was one of the
most eminent in the State. It then consisted of the following mem-
bers :
Dr. Paul Carpenter, Dr. John M. Bigelow, Dr. James White, Dr.
M. Z. Kreider, Dr. H. H. Wait, Dr. George W. Boerstler, Dr. Tom
O. Edwards, and Dr. Geo, K. Miller. Of these eight gentlemen, not
one lived to see the first day of January', 1881.
The profession, practicing in Lancaster at the beginning of 1881,
were .
Dr. M. Effinger, Dr. F. Flowers, Dr. Harmon, Dr. Turner, Dr. E.
Jackson, Dr. Joseph Kells, Dr. J. W. Lewis, Dr. John Nourse, Dr. G.
Miese. Dr. Goss, and Dr. Geo. W. Boerstler. Dr. Hide came up
from Logan, and practiced in Lancaster one 3'ear, perhaps a little
more, and then settled in Pleasantville in the early part of 1881.
Lancaster has furnished a few men eminent for their surgical skill.
Among those who have distinguished themseh'es in the use of the knife
and saw, it is probably right to mention M. Z. Kreider first. He was
a bold, fearless, and successful operator, and in his prime pertbrmed
some operations that would have done credit to Sir Astley Cooper,
Dudley, or any cotemporarv man. But his fondness for the knite, and
skill in its use, were supposed, sometimes, to overrule safe surgical
judgments. Among his successful operations may be mentioned the
removal of the lower jaw in two cases, lor the cure of osteosurcoma,
aud the excision of the thyroid gland for the cure of bronchocele, or
goiter. This operation he performed successfully on a Philadelphia
gentleman, after the case had been declined by eminent men of the sea-
HISTORY OF FAlRFlf:Ll) COliNTV. 1 77
board cities, and of New Orleans. The operation was performed at
the ShaefFer House, in Lancaster, some time previous to 1840. The
patient had abandoned all hope, and was on liis wa}- home from New
Orleans to close up his affairs.
Dr. Tom O. Edwards was skillt'ul. and performed some tine opera-
tions. His son Tom O. Edwards, Jr., distini^uished himself in sur-
gical ability when a very young man. Dr. P. Carpenter uas also a
successful operator in difficult and comjilicated cases.
There were two Homoeopathic physicians, Drs. Barlow and Bab-
cock, whose names should have been written in the previous lists.
These gentlemen practiced their professions in Lancaster during a
number of 3ears between 1850 and 1870, but some time after went away.
Dr. Silas Hedges was a physician of Lancaster who merits historical
mention. He died about 1868. He was in the army as surgeon about
two years. Drs. Long, father and son, came to Lancaster about the year
1874 ^"^ remained some three years. They had a good share of practice.
Dental Profession. — Previous to 184: there was no settled den-
tist in Lancaster. For many years before, transient operators visited
the place, stopping from a few weeks to a few months. Litde atten-
tion was paid to the care of the teeth during the first forty years of
the history of the place, and the science and art of the profession
were both in a crude state.
In April, 1839, ^^'- ^' Scott came to Lancaster and remained part of
the year. In the summer of 1840, Dr. William Ide, of Boston, came and
remained six months. Dr. Scott returned in April, 1841 , and made a per-
manent settlement, and was the first resident dentist of the town. He
practiced his profession continuous!}' about forty years in Lancaster.
The next dentist to settle in the place was Dr. Hartupee. He
came about 1845, and continued three years. Dr. Switzer had a dental
office in Lancaster about one year, between 1845 and 1850. Jacob
Feemen opened an office in 1858, and at the end of about two years
sold out to Dr. Von Bonhorst.
Dr. Hammel removed from Xenia and settled in Lancaster in the
spring of 1859, and practiced his profession to within a few months of
his death, which occurred in January, 1863. Dr. Frank Carpenter was
an operator on the teeth, more or less, from 1842 to about 1845.
Dr. H. L. Crider began the practice of dentistry in Lancaster about
the year 1850, and still continues to occupy the same rooms in the Giesv
block, on Main street. Dr. Von Bonhorst succeeded Dr. Feemen about
i860, and still remains in business. Dr. Palmeter settled in Lancaster
in 1872, or about that time, and still continues to practice in the same
rooms, on Broadway. Dr. Thomas was a partner with Dr. Crider dur-
ing some two or three years. In the fall of 1880, he was compelled,
from declining health, to abandon the office and retire to the country.
During about forty-two years the business of dentistry has grown
wonderfully. There are four or five establishments in the citv, and
four principal operators, all doing well. Of the five dentists of the citv.
including Dr. Thomas, temporarily retired, two are graduates of dental
colleges; Dr. J. C. Scott graduated from the Ohio College of Dental
Surgery, in March, 1873, and Dr. David S. Thomas graduated from
the Philadelphia College in March, 1876.
28
178 History of fairfield county.
CHAPTER XXVI.
SECRET ORDERS OF LANCASTER THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT.
Free Masonry. — Extract of a letter Irom Hon. Win. J. Reese, Past
Worthy Grand Master :
" The Masonic fraternity obtained a formal and recognized status in
Lancaster at an earl}^ period. December 15, 1820, Lancaster Lodge of
Free and Accepted Masons was constituted, under charter from the
Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Ohio, with James Wilson for its
Worthy Master, Charles R. Sherman, first Senior Warden, and Jacob
D. Detrich, first Junior Warden."
The Lancaster Chapter of Royal Arch Masons was organized by
the authority of the M. E. Grand Ro3^al Arch Chapter of Ohio, January
12, 1826, with Charles R. Sherman as First High Priest. The Lan-
caster Council, No. 3, of Royal Select Masons, was organized January
II, 1828, by John Barker, as Sovereign Grand Inspector of the Supreme
Council of the 33d degree.
The Lancaster Commandery of Knights Templar, No. 2, was or-
stituted December 16, 1837, under warrant of the Grand Encampment
of the United States. W. J. Reese was constituted first Grand Master;
George Sanderson, first Generalissimo, and Joseph Greet, first Captain
General. It meets every second Tuesday of the month.
The Lancaster Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, at its first
constitution, in December, 1820, numbered fifty-seven members. In the
summer of 1881 its number was one hundred and fifty. Its regular
meeting nights are on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.
Daughters of Rebecca. — The membership of this order numbers
about ninety persons, of both sexes. Their meetings are held on the
second Wednesday of each month. The order was first instituted in
Lancaster in 1879.
Knights of Pythias. — Mount Pleasant Lodge, No. 48, of the
Knights of Pythias, was instituted in Lancaster February 20, 1873. The
charter members were twenty-seven, viz : Henry B. Gra}^, J. H. Heed,
Leo Billhorn, R. R. Pierce, John A. Heim,J. A. Richards, C. A. Sco-
ville, WilHam Ditto, George Heilbron, R. M. Wiley, J. A. Bartholo-
mew, U. C. Rudolph, H. Getz, C. H. Towson, W. W. Obough, O. S.
Stoneburner, Noble Gates, T. C. Ochs, J. Billhorn, H. Borneman, F.
Etzel, J. D. Widner, W. F. Getz, M. H. Harps, S. H. Steck, A. Deitz,
C. Bartholomew. Average number of members about two hundred.
The stated meetings of the lodge are held on Friday night of each
week.
Knights of Honor. — The order of the Knights of Honor, Colum-
bia Lodge, No. 27, of Lancaster was instituted September 9th, 1874,
by the following initial members : John W. Faringer, John C. Tuthill,
John C. Hite, J. M. Sutphen, A. M. Beery, Wm. B. MacCracken,
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 1 79
Wallace W. Hite, William Bush, Dr. George Boerstler, J. D. Allen,
Robert Durane, Henry B. Peters, Solomon Weaver, M. A. Philips.
In March, 1877, the lodge contained fifty-four members. Their regular
meetings take place on the evening of the first and third Thursday of
each month.
Odd Fellowship. — The order of Independent Odd Fellows was
introduced into Lancaster in February, 1838 by Jacob Holt. On the
night of the eighth day of that month, a lodge w^as instituted, with the
following initial members, viz., Jacob Holt, R. R. Bauer, R. Timber,
Jacob Grubb, George H. Arnold and R. P. Hazlett. The title they
assumed was Charity Lodge, No. 7. The lodge meets regularly
every Monday evening. They now number over tw^o hundred mem-
bers.
On the 2nd of June, 1847, the second lodge was initiated in Lancas-
ter, under the name of Alpine Lodge, and was numbered 566. The or-
ganization was by Joseph Dowdal, P. G., Representative and Special
Deputy. There were fitty charter members, as follows : R. G. Sugart,
P. G., B. F. Reinmund, P. G., A. Brenneman, P. G., H. J. Reinmund,
P. G., J. C. Hite, P. G., Thomas H. Hall, George M. Bell, George W.
Boerstler, T. H. Dolson, L. Kissner, T. Reap, Lewis Boyer, Abe
Mj^ers, Charles Elliot, C. F. Ochs, Leo Bilhorn, John A. Heim, Allen
Titler, Jacob Heimbarger, Simpson Sturgeon, J. E. Hall, George A.
Bryant, John McKown, Henry Borneman, E. W. Dannels, P. G., H.
C. Outcalt, P. G., H. B. Smith, P. G., W.. W. Davis, M. S. Harps,
William Kooken, J. M. Sutphen, William Stra3^er, William Ditto, D.
W. Boyer, B. H. Sowders, R. J. Harris, William Dennis, John Bill-
horn, W. W. Walker, Christ. Gaiser, O. S. Stoneburner, G. H. Smith,
A. M. Beery, J. K. Davis, A. W, Swartz, William F. Getz, James
Wilson, John W. Farringer, P. G., William Downs, P. G. The Alpine
Lodge meets every Tuesday night.
The Hocking Encampment of Odd Fellows, No. 28, was instituted
December 4, 1847. The encampment meets each second and fourth
Thursday of the month. The present membership is over two hundred.
The charter members were seven in number : Jacob Holt, James W.
Pratt, B. F. Brannon, Thomas Hyde. Josiah Wilson, Joseph C. Kin-
kead, William Baker.
St, Joseph's Benevolent Association, Catholic Brotherhood.
The brotherhood was constituted on the second of July, 1861, with a
large membership.
The officers of the association are : L. C. Butch, President ; George
E. Blaire, Vice President : Gerhardt Miller, Treasurer ; John Weigle,
Recording Secretaiy ; Charles F. Fuchs, Corresponding Secretary ;
Leo. Noles, Messenger; Thomas O. Connor, Banner Bearer; Charles
Baumeister. Joseph Kurtzman and John Bletzacker, Committee to visit
the sick.
Knights of St. George. — This is also a Catholic order, the prin-
ciples and objects of w^hich are benevolence and charity and the pro-
motion of Christian life. The order was first organized in Lancaster,
Nov. 2, 1875. ^vith the following constituent members, numbering thir-
ty-one :
Edward Seiple, Geo. Browai, John Hamburger, Michael Steck,
l8o HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
Edward Binninger, Bernard Cranmer, Bernard Bardes, F. A. Buech-
ler, Hugh Owens, Maximillian Guiana, Jerrv Anglim, Frank Oger,
Giistave A. Hamburger, Anthony Evarst, Joseph Hamberger, Amos
Shreller, John D. Binninger, Daniel McShane, John Bonner. Michael
Oger, John Baumeister. Paul Evarst, Charles Ruforth, John Bletzaker,
John McShane, Andrew Keiser. John Kooney, Cornelius Cormedv,
William Donnelly, Anthou}- Ritter, Frank Steck.
The civil officers are as follows : Rev. Father Schmidt, Honorary
President : Frank Oger, President ; Anthonv Evarst, Vice President :
Charles Baumeister, Corresponding Secretarv ; J. H. Hamburger, Re-
cording Secretarv : John D. Binninger, Treasurer ; Jerrv Anglim,
Messenger.
Th'e militarv officers are Joseph Hamburger, Captain : Michael
Oger, Lieutenant : John Baumeister, Orderly Sergeant.
Knights of St. John, Catholic. — This association effected its
organization on June 20, 1880. Its objects and aims are to promote
charity, assist members in sickness and advance the cause of religion
among its members.
Tkmi'eranck Movement. — The first temperance movement, of
which record has been preserved, is that wherein the citizens of the
little log cabin village devised and carried out the plan of con-
demning intoxicated men to dig up a stump in the street, or receive
personal chastisement on the bare back ; and to use General Sander-
sons own words, "The result was that after several offenders had expi-
ated their crimes, dram drinking ceased, and for a time all became a
sober, temperate and happy people."
In subsequent years and up to 1840-2, frequent temperance waves
struck the communitv. Under their intiuence various forms of temper-
ance societies were organized, always on the moral suasion plan, but
always of temporary and brief continuance. In all these movements a
majority of the leading spirits were women. But there was never such
a preponderance of the popular sentiment as to overcome the opposi-
tion and the excitement was short lived. In some instances church
people objected to their minister preaching temperance, or in any way
bringing the question into the pulpit. Business men as a rule either ig-
nored the matter, or opposed it.
In 1842 the Washingtonian movement came up, first in the Metho-
dist church, led by prominent men and women. They proposed to pur-
suade men not to drink ; they proposed to stoop down into the gutter
and lift the drunkard to his feet and take him by the hand and call him
brother, and heal him by the law of brotherly love and regard, by caus-
ing him to feel that he was a brother and an equal. This j:)romised to
be a good work, but the leaders in the movement, in their zeal, drew
drafts that they were not qualified to honor. They had not realized
that in the social scale thev could neither raise the debased man to their
level, nor come down to his. The scheme failed and the gap was wid-
ened. Washingtonlauism in Lancaster liad but a brief career, last-
ing less than one year.
Following was a paralysis of several years, when the order of Sons
of Temperance sprang up. Its career was between i845-;8. Two
lodges were organized, a large number becoming members. The pro-
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. l8l
jectors were sober men. and the order became Widely popular, and
manv drinking men came in. The obligation was very stringent, em-
bracing even the prohibition of cider. Its very stringency was a prime
element in its dissolution. Internal disturbing elements arose, but as
the institution was a secret order, these are not matters of public his-
tory. Suffice it to sav the order dissolved in less than two years.
Next came the Woman's Crusade, the active campaign of which
continued about three months. In this movement the leading ladies of
Lancaster were engaged. Their tirst appearance on the streets was
on a ^Saturday, when the citv was crowded with people from the
countr\'. It was in the month of Februar}', and the weather was mild
and genial. Thev came out about fifty strong, and as they marched
down Main street, on the north side, they halted in front of every
drinking-place, and, after singing a hymn, all kneeled on the pave-
ment, and remained in that position while two or three prayers were
offered. In this movement Protestant's, Catholics, and non-professors
all engaged. First, a committee was sent in to ask of the proprietor
permission to enter and hold their services. In some instances they
were invited in and treated with courtesy, but when entrance was
denied the services were held on the pavement. During the whole
course of the campaign they were, with two or three exceptions, treated
respectfully by the liquor-sellers. In the exceptional cases there was a
rudeness that came nigh proving disastrous to the shop-keepers by call-
ing to the defence of the women even rough men, who were unfriendly
to the crusade.
The etiect on the thousands who witnessed the daily processions
was magical. The finest and most wealthy ladies df the city marched
in the processions in their finest attire, and kneeled in the snow, or on
the wet and dirty pa^'ement. Large numbers came in from the coun-
try to witness the strange spectacle, even from considerable distances.
The crusaders, within a siiort time, numbered more than two hundred,
and were organized in two divisions. They appeared every day,
regardless of the condition of the weather, the respective divisions
occupying different streets. Their marches were in double file, slow
and silent, and therefore the more imposing. The effect on the traffic
was not very apparent, and, so far as was known, not more than two
or three establishments were closed under the influence. The object
of the crusade was the ultimate suppression of the sale of intoxicating
dririks within the incorporated limits of Lancaster. With the masses it
was popular in the outstart, both from principle and novelty, but it
was not backed up bv the presence and purses of leading men. After
the excitement began to die away the crusade began to languish, and,
at the end of about three months, the crusaders ceased to appear on the
streets. Weekly prayer-meetings, however, were continued in one of
the churches, about one vear after which the woman's crusade
passed into history, with little hope of a resurrection. It is written as
" the woman's crusade against whiskv. and will long be remembered
in Lancaster and Fairtield county : and though not a success, it receixed
the hearty approval of a large proportion of the people in town and
country.
In the latter part of February or early part of March, 1876, the
I02 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
Murphy movement was opened at the city hall, under flattering cir-
cumstances. Popular speakers were introduced from abroad, and the
meetings were opened with wonderful zeal and enthusiasm. The large
city hall was nightly packed to the door ; nor did the excitement show
signs of abatement before the close of the fifth week. Clergymen of
nearly all denominations were in nightly attendance on the platform.
Fresh speakers from other cities were invited, and came frequently dur-
ing the progress of the meetings. A iine organ, and a strong band of
singers made up from the choirs of the city, added greatly to the attrac-
tion. "''With cJiaritv for all and malice tozvard none'" enthused the
people, and the}^ crowded to the secretar^^'s table, at every invitation,
and signed the pledge, ^'•God helping wr." Among those signing,
trom first to last, it was estimated that there were over three hundred
drinking men. Many of the reformed men took the field at once, and
made speeches in the villages and countr}^ places of the county, some
going to other parts of the Sta'te. In all, the list of signers exceeded
twenty-three hundred, including most af the boys at the Reform Farm,
The Murphy excitement waned, and the ebullition of the popular
enthusiasm, in seeking its wonted equilibrium, wenj; as far below its
normal standard as it had been raised above during the five and more
weeks of excitement. Inside of three months after the close of the
nightly meetings at the city hall one hundred persons could not have
been drummed into the hall to hear any man make a temperance
speech. Even the clergy, and others who had taken leading parts,
had too much to occupy their attention even to come to the hall. Some
of them did not want to hear any thing more of temperance. Ol the
three hundred and more drinking men who had signed the Murphy
pledge, but few kept it to the end of the year.
But notwithstanding these incomprehensible reactionary movements,
there has^ at all times, been a large and thoroughly respectable temper-
ance element among Lancaster's population, an honest and reliable
temperance element, outspoken, and ready to act at any time and in
any way that meets their views. All temperance movements of Lan-
caster have been, in some way, based on moral suasion. Any measure
looking towards legal prohibition, or political temperance, has had few
advocates.
The Catholic Church has its own temperance measures, which, for
the most part, have been imperioush' entbrced. as far as possible.
They are not exclusively of the moral suasion kind, but in part author-
itative. By this combination of motive the Catholic Church has proba-
bly accomplished more among its own people than all other temperance
measures ever started in Lancaster. The first active measures started
in that Church, in Lancaster, was under the pastorate of the Rev.
Father Young, in 1842, and was maintained for some time. The obli-
gation was known as the Father Matthew pledge : and, while to sign it
was the voluntary act of the individual, the Church punished drunken-
ness by methods of its own.
Immediately after the close of the War of the Rebellion, a number
of gentlemen, mostly professional men of the city, mutually associated
themselves together for the purpose of a temperance league. Some of
them were drinkers. The cit^- hall was secured, and meetings were
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 183
held once each week throughout the entire winter. Scores of earnest
speeches were dehvered to lull houses. No pledge was oflered, the
reliance being on individual moral courage and manhood. The winter
passed away, the meetings ceased, and the speeches, with their influ-
ence, if an}^ there was, tell into the drifting sands of the ages, no more
to be recognized by living generations.
The Good Templars, Daughters of Rebecca, and all other secret
orders of Lancaster, make temperance a cardinal principle. The good
they have done, or may do, will inure to community. Perhaps it should
be recorded that the absolute failure of all the temperance efforts of the
people of Lancaster to accomplish the end sought is wholly due to the
want of concert of action in one direction.
184 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY
CHAPTER XXVJl.
THE city's gas-works AND WATER-WORKS, AND SOMETHIN(i ABOUT
FIRES.
The Lancaster Gas-light and Coke Company was formed in 1855.
The list of names of subscribers to the capital stock of the organization
was headed as follows :
"Lancaster, November 2, 1855.
•' We, the undersigned, do hereby declare our purpose to associate
and combine together for the purpose ot forming a joint company that
shall be known as the Lancaster Gas-light and Coke Company ; and
do hereby subscribe to the capital stock the several sums affixed to our
respective signatures, and agree to pay the same at such times and to
such persons as the stockholders may appoint for that purpose :
"Martin & Co., $1,000; B. F. "^Reinmund, $600; Daniel Siftbrd,
$500; S. Beery, $500; J. C. Kinkead, $500; James Gates, $600 ; G.
S. Ekert, $500 ; Work & Son, $500 ; George Kaut^man, $500 : Thomas
Sturgeon, $500; White & Latta, $300 ^John Effinger, $200; J. C.
Smith, $500 ; Emanuel Giesy, $200 ; John Work, $300 : John M. Giesy,
$500 ; Daniel Giesy, $200 ; Theodore Talmage, $100 ; John T. Brazee,
$500: John Lyons, $500; Henry Orman, $100; W. P. Creed, $500;
Mrs. J. D. Martin, $300; John D. Matt, $100; R. T. Coverdale, $11,-
000. Total, $21,000."
The journal of the first meeting of the new corporation is here sub-
joined :
"Lancaster, November 13, 1855.
"A meeting of the stockholders of the Lancaster Gas-light and Coke
Company being called at the hotel of F. A. Schaeffer, Esq., this even-
ing for the purpose of preliminar}^ organization, on motion of J. D.
Martin, Esq., James Gates was nominated and unanimously elected
chairman of the meeting, after which J. C. Kinkead was chosen sec-
retary.
"After some general remarks by Mr. Martin, and the read-
ing of the articles of association, fixing the capital stock of the
company at $25,000. Mr. Siftbrd oftered the following resolution :
" Resolved, That the capital stock of this compam* be increased to
$30,000.
" After some discussion, the resolution was, by leave, withdrawn.
On motion the articles of association were unanimously accepted. The
stockholders then subscribed their names, severally, to the said docu-
ment.
" On motion J. C. Kinkead was appointed treasurer fro tern.
"On motion MeSvSrs. Coverdale, Sturgeon and Kauffman were ap-
pointed a committee to select a suitable location for the erection of the
necessary buildings.
" On motion the meeting adjourned."
HIsTOKV of FAIRFIELD COILN'PY. 185
The next meeting of the compan\- was held at the same phice a
month later, and the Journal reads as follows :
" Lancaster, December 14, 1855.
'• In accordance with a notice published in the Lancaster Gazelle
and American Democrat^ from November 14, 1855, to the present date,
the stock holders of the Lancaster Gas-light and Coke jCompan}' meet
at the hotel of F. A Schaffer, Esq., for the purpose of organizing the
company bv electing a board of directors.
•' On motion H. D. Martin was called to the chair.
" On motion the shares of stock were lixed at one hundred dollars
each, b}' unanimous consent.
" On motion of D. Siftbrd. Esq., the stockholders then went into an
election of tive directors. Pending the election, it was agreed that a
a majority of the whole vote be necessary to elect.
" The chair then appointed Messrs. Work and Giesy tellers, to re-
ceive the vote, which, having been attended to by them, the following
was the result :
"John T. Brazee, 130 votes ; Thomas Sturgeon, 98 votes;}. D.
Martin, 92 votes : Daniel Sifford, 78 votes ; and George Kauftman, 70
votes. Mr. Kauffman having one \'Ote less than a majority of all the
votes cast, he was thereupon unanimously elected by all the stockhold-
ers present, making the board complete.
" The chair then appointed the following named gentlemen as a
committee to draft a contract to b"e agreed upon with Mr. R. T. Cover-
dale, for the erection and building of the gas works, la3'ing down of
pipes, etc., viz. : P. B. Ewing, Daniel Sifford, and John T. Brazee:
when, no other business being before the meeting, it adjourned."
The next record is as follows :
"' Lancaster, December 17, 1855.
"At a meeting of the directors of the Lancaster Gas-light and Coke
Company, held this evening at the hotel of F. A. Schaffer, for the pur-
pose of organizing the board, John T. Brazee being in the chair, Daniel
Sifibrd and John D. Martin were placed in nomination as candidates
for the presiding of the board, when, after the ballot had been taken, it
appeared that D. Sifibrd had three and J. D. Martin two votes, where-
upon, D. SitTord having a majorit}', he was declared duly elected.
"The chair appointed J. D. Martin a committee to draft by-laws for
the company. Adjourned, to meet in two weeks."
At the following meeting J. C. Kinkead was elected permanent
secretary, when the compau}' was full}^ organized. A contract w^as
closed with R. T. Coverclale tbr the building of the gas works, includ-
ing the laying of the main pipes. Mr. Coverdale at once commenced
the W'Ork with a large fbrce of men, and on the fourth of July, 1855, tfhe
city was first lighted with gas. The site of the gas works is on the
west bank of the canal, opposite the foot of Cliestnut street. For a
number of years atlter the completion of the gas works, the price of gas
was four dollars per thousand. It soon declined to three dollars
and seventy-five cents, and has since declined to its present rate — three
dollars per thousand.
The original mains were laid in Main street, from the canal to a
point three hundred yards east of the hill ; on Broadw^ay, from the
34
r86 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
railroad north to Mulberry street ; on Wheeling, from Columbus to
High street; on High, from Wheeling to Chestnut. All the hotels,
public buildings and churches are lighted with gas, and many private
residences. The street mains have also been greatly extended beyond
their first limits.
The capital stock of the compan}^ has been increased to if)50,ooo,
chiefl3Mrom the earnings of the first investment. The stock has com-
manded a premium most of the time since the organization of the com-
pany, and semi-annual dividends of from eight to ten per cent, per an-
num were declared for many years. Two or three years since, a new
gas receiver was built by the compan}^ at a cost of four thousand
dollars.
Water Works. — Lancaster passed the bucket-line era many years
ago, and attained the dignity of possessing two or three fire engines,
worked and moved by hand. These were employed until 1867, when a
steam fire engine was purchased, at a cost of $7,600, including hose
and fixtures. This was used four or five 3^ears, when the city exchanged
it for two smaller ones, paying a difference of $5,500. Up to this time,
the water for extinguishing fires was drawn from the canal, four or five
cisterns on Main and High streets, and from wells and cisterns. In
1877 the city built a brick engine house on the canal, at the foot of
Chestnut street, and placed therein an engine and pumping machiner}-.
From this house mains were laid up Chestnut street to Columbus, north
on Columbus to Main, east on Main td High, and south on High to the
old cemetery lot on the hill, where the standing pipe was afterwards
placed. Plugs tapped this main at convenient points. Other mains
have since been laid. The stand-pipe referred to was erected b}-
the Motherwell brothers, in Januar^^ 1879. This pipe, which is built of
boiler iron, stands sevent3^-six feet above the ground, is eighteen feet in
diameter, and will hold something over 2,200 barrels. The cost of the
stationary engine and pumps, a quantity of hose, the mains and plugs,
was $4,500; that of the standing pipe was $5,000, which includes the
main connecting it with the engine house. In 1881 the city built an
engine and hose house near the stand-pipe. It is built of brick, and is
two stories high, the second floor being designed for a fireman's hall.
Lastly, a large well was placed opposite the west end of Wheeling
street, which is fed by springs and supposed to be inexhaustible. It is
twelve feet in diameter, and about the same in depth. A new engine
of 150 horse-power is planted on the canal. This places the fire de-
partment of Lancaster at an advantage not excelled b}^ an}- town of its
size in the state in combatting a fire.
Fires. — The first fire worthy of mention which occurred in Lancas-
ter, was the burning of Peter Reber's horse-power mill in 1821. The
buildings occupied the present site of the Presbyterian Church, North
Broadway. The fire was caused by a stroke of lightning, which also
killed two oxen used on the tread-mill. The fire was extinguished by
employing a bucket line between the burning building and a muddy
pond situated near the present residence of C. F. Rainey. Tradition
has it that a misunderstanding which came to blows arose between
Adam Weaver and Thomas Ewing, concerning the management of the
bucket line.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 1 87
The' next large fire was in 1826, and entirely consumed a two-storj^
frame building on the northwest corner of Columbus and Chestnut
streets, owned by John Shure. The corner now belongs to the heirs of
Stephen Smith.
In 1832 the plow factory and blacksmith shop of Robert O. Clas-
pill was totally destroyed by fire. It stood on the ground now occupied
by the English Lutheran church.
A large hotel which occupied the site of the Talmadge House of
to-day, and belonged to John Noble, was burned in 1833, together with
the stables attached. Gotleib Steinman was keeping the hotel at the
time. Very little insurance.
St. Peter's German Lutheran church was burned in Februar}-, 1840.
It stood on the east bank of the canal, in the northwest part of the city.
The church records were destroyed by the fire.
In August, 1853, a large steam flouring mill standing on the west
bank of the canal, between Main and Chestnut streets, the property
of Daring & Company, of Chillicothe, was totally burned, onl}" the
books being saved. There was a large amount of wheat and flour
on hand, which was all lost. The mill and machinery were valued
at $15,000. The fire originated in the roof Qf the engine house,
situated on the west side of the building. The mill was partially
insured.
Between 1850 and i860 the rear part of D.Talmadge's residence,
Columbus street, together with the stables on the west side of the
grounds, were burned. There was a heavy loss of personal property.
Partial insurance.
In the fall of 1856 the two-stor}^ frame dwelling of John Effinger,
north side of Main street, was destroyed by fire at night. Little of the
furniture saved. No insurance.
About 1856 the Mithoft' House stables were burned, involving con-
siderable loss.
The Green block, with several adjoining buildings, occupying the
northwest corner of Main street and the public square, were burned
about 1857. The fire broke out in the middle of the night, starting in
a small shed in the rear, where 03'sters were being cooked. This was
the most extensive fire in the histor}^ of Lancaster. Six buildings were
destroyed, and a large amount of merchandise, together with books and
records. Fourteen firms were thrown out of business. The insurance
was very light.
Between the years i860 and 1870, the bugg}' and carriage factory of
Giesy brothers, on Main street, near the canal, was burned, with heavy
loss, partially insured. Several adjoining buildings were burned at the
same time.
In August, 1870, three stables on Center alley, belonging to Charles
F. Sha^fter, J. D. Jackson and H. Scott were burned, causing a loss of
about $500. Not insured.
In September 1870 there were two extensive and disastrous fires.
The first included the lumber yard and tlie machine shops of H. Or-
man & Sons and the large warehouse of Reber and Kutz. The lum-
ber yard and machine shop stood on the east bank of the canal, be-
tween Wheeling and Mulberry streets. The warehouse was on the
1 88 HISTORY OF FAIKFIEl.n COUNTY.
bank of the canal near the corner of Wheeling street, and contained
about eight thousand bushels of wheat, which was nearh' a total loss.
The warehouse was partially insured. The loss on the lumber yard
and machine shops was $10,000, uninsured.
Within ten days after the above, the large barn in the rear of the
Schaiffer Hotel took tire in the haymow and the flames spread till the
Schaefter and Talmadge House barns with contents, the Baptist church
which took tire from the rear, together with a row of one-stor^- wooden
buildings fronting on Broadway and known as "Rat Den Row,'" were
totally consumed. All the buildings being of wood, the work of de-
struction was soon complete. Partial insurance on some of the prop-
erty.
The large steam tannery, known as Irvin's tannery, situated near
the canal, in the southeast part of the city, was burned early on the
morning of January 19, 1873. There was a heavj- stock of finished
and unfinished leather in the building, oil, and a large number of tools
used in the business, and a large amount of tanbark. The loss was
$40,000. No insurance.
The old Smith & Arnev foundry on the south side of Columbus
street, at the south end of" Broadway was burned in the spring of 1879
together with a number of adjacent buildings. The foundry building
had stood for more than fifty years, and contained an engine and other
machinery, not then in use. Loss about $5,000. Not insui-ed.
In May, 1879 ^^"'^ dw'elling of Joseph Mergin was burned about two
o'clock in the morning, and Mr. Mergin's eight-year-old daughter,
Agnes, was smothered to death and her body partially burned. The
other members of the family barely escaped with their lives. The con-
tents of the dwelling were a total loss. No insurance.
The large ice-house of T. Sturgeon on the bank of the reservoir
was burned in the spring of 1880. "Loss $1,000, uninsured.
The Bent Wood Works of Niel, Tippett & Co., situated at the rail-
road crossing, south end of Maple street, were totally burned in Feb-
ruary, 1881. The establishment had been located in that place less
than a year, T^nd the buildings were new. Nothing was saved. Loss
about $40,000, about half insured.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, 1 89
CHAPTER XXVIII.
A RESUME OF LANCASTER BUSINESS INTERESTS.
In 1799 James Converse brought near!}' a canal boat-load of mer-
chandise to Hunter's settlement before mentioned, from Marietta by way
of the Ohio and Hocking Rivers. He opened out the stock, which
consisted of dry goods and groceries, in a log cabm at Hunter's settle-
ment. He displayed his goods on stumps and limbs of trees before the
door, as well as in the corners of the cabin. It is probable though not
certain, that Converse's cabin store was on the present site of Lancas-
ter, for he appears as a merchant of Lancaster after the organization of
the village. The territory he supplied was necessaril}^ hn*ge, for in
1799 there were not more than fifty tamilies in the entire county. Wil-
liam and Christian King and Frederick A. Foster were the first to be-
gin business as dry goods merchants after Lancaster was organized as
a village. Mr. Foster died in 1880, having been engaged in the retail
^^y goods trade the greater part of his life. Besides the three before
mentioned, the following were selling goods in Lancaster in 1810: Na-
thaniel Cushing, on what is still known as Connell's corner ; Samuel
F. McCracken, on the Jacob Green corner: Archibald Carnahan, near
the present site of the First National Bank, and John Creed, where
Binninger's jewelry store is at present ; Andrew Crochet had a store
where the Giesv Block stands, and Rudolph Pitcher also sold dry goods.
Following these, prior to 1825, were Jacob Green, John Black, Sam-
uel Rogers, Jesse Beecher, Elnatlian Schofield, Thomas Cushing, and
Connell, Robert Smitii, and Ainsworth and Willock. Until thirty years
ago the "dry goods" stores were groceries as well ; and previous to
1830 the\' were regular junk-shops and the proprietors made no pre-
tense of adhering to one line of goods. They kept agricultural imple-
ments, castings, harness and saddlerv furnishings, carpenter's, cooper's
and blacksmith's tools, patent medicines, dye stuffs and whisk}-.
In 1824, George Kauffman from Baltimore opened the first drug
store in a small frame building on Main street, where now stands the
Foster block. He continued in business here till his death in 1866,
when Davidson and Brazee succeeded him. The senior partner of this
firm still conducts the business. About 1833 two Frenchmen, Dumont
and Dippe, started a second drug store but soon retired from the busi-
ness. In 1838 Joseph Bur\' and George W. Beck opened a stock of
goods in this line on tiie northwest corner of Center alley and Main
street. Their successors have been G. W. Beck, Slocum «& Hunter,
Tames While, Slocum & White, and Beecher White. Other druagists
now in business are George G. Beck. Daniel Sifiord, Gardner & Jewett
and Edward Slocum.
The first attempt at a special line of goods in the hardware line was
190 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
that of Christian King, established in 1829. This stock was not in a
room set apart especially for the purpose but was kept on one side of
what had been a general store, the opposite side being filled, as usual,
with a mixture of dry goods and groceries. In 1839 Philip Bope
opened a hardware and iron store as an exclusive branch of trade. Mr.
Bope took John C. Weaver into the business a few months after open-
ing, and they continued together for some time as Bope & Weaver.
Mr. Weaver afterwards sold out and Mr. Bope remained in the business
alone until 1854. ^" ^^e meantime Mr. Weaver opened another hard-
ware store w^hich lie first ran alone, then took in partners, and finally
sold out to White, Efling & Latta. The establishment was afterwards
owned by Weaver & Mithofi", and is now in the hands of Hanson &
Martens, on the south side of Main street, at the mouth of Shawk's
alley. On the opposite side of the street is the hardware store of Mc-
Cracken and Winter, (formerlj^ owned by William B. McCracken)
which had been in existence a number of years. John Connell went
into the hardware business about the same time as Mr. Bobe, continued
for three or four years and then retired ; and about the beginning ot
1881, Weigle and Frich, formerly clerks in the house of Hanson &
Martens, opened a new hardware store in the Mith'oft' block.
About 1 84 1 the grocery business began to be recognized as a sepa-
rate department of trade. Previously the grocery business had al-
ways been accompanied by whisky ; but when the popular voice began
to proclaim against the sale of alcoholic beverages, it was for man}-
reasons desirable to place the two apart. At present there are not less
than twenty large establishments in Lancaster which supply only such
goods as belong to the legitimate grocery trade.
The first book-store Lancaster ever had was started by Levi Ander-
son about 1835, but being in advance of the times, it could not com-
mand a sufficient trade to thrive and was soon closed. In 1839 Messrs.
Hopkins & Lymons, of Boston, opened a stock of books in connection
with jewelry and musical instruments. They remained in business
only about two ^-^ears and then returned to Boston. Earl}- in the de-
cade following 1840 W. S. Beatv set up as a dealer in books and sta-
tionery, continuing several years. Since the opening of Beaty's store,
the tollowing firms have been engaged in the book business : Benjamin
Connell. Percival & Van Fossen, John L. Tuthill, John Searls. M.
Lehman, A. Brennemen and J. C. Tuthill. Tliere are now two large
book-stores in Lancaster.
In 1841 two young men, Frost and Durbin, came to Lancaster from
the east with a stock of boots and shoes, and located in Green's block.
Before that time the local shoemakers did all the work to order except
ladies' morocco shoes and the commonest and cheapest stogas, which
were to be had at the dry goods store of the day. In 1881 it took six
large retail stores to supph' Lancaster and the country adjacent with
foot-wear.
Carriage and Buggy Shops. — There are now establishments in
Lancaster devoted to the manufacture of light road vehicles. The
amount of work they turn out is largel}' in excess of what the number of
men employed could have accomplished when the business was first open-
ed in this county, because of the large amount of material which comes
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. t^l
nearly, if not quite ready for putting together, such as bodies, bolts,
wheels and springs. The first carriage shop in Lancaster was started
about 1850.
The Lumber Trade. — The foreign lumber trade of this county be-
gan in 1836, with the opening of the Hocking canal. Philip Benne-
drum was the first lumber merchant. He has been followed b}' Wil-
liam P. Card, Vorgs Brothers, Orman Brothers. George Carter, Simeon
Denten and Daniel Siftbrd, Jr.
Carpentering is conducted in a much more expeditious manner now
than formerlv, because nearly all the doors, sash, blinds, siding and
shingles used are prepared by machinery. Since the lumber trade has
been actively engaged in, the following have been the principal master
builders of Lancaster : Vorgs Brothers,- Orman Brothers, Simeon
Denter, and Mr. Hyle.
Builders in brick and stone. — David Cowden and Mr. Stahl
haA'e been the most extensive builders in brick, which the}^ also manu-
factured. Messrs. Blaire and Boumeister have been largely engaged
in putting up stone work.
Iron Foundries. — The first iron foundry started in Lancaster was
by Joel Smith, about 1830. John Arne}?^ became connected with the
establishment as a partner in 1840 ; and a number of years later he
bought the entire business. The business was afterwards suspended.
The foundr}' was located at the south end of Broadway- . In 1879 ^^^^
buildings were destroyed by fire, together with considerable machinery.
In 1840 Gilbert Devol built a foundry on the west side of the canal a
a few rods south of the Main street crossing. A Mr. Swartz became
associated with him as partner, and the firm continued in active busi-
ness for thirty years. William Pursell finally bought the property, and
changed it into a manufactorv oi agricultural implements. About 1850
George Ritter started an iron foundry on the east bank of the canal, in
the northwestern part of the city, and did a thriving business for some
3'ears. At length he sold out to the Cooper brothers, who commenced
the manufacture of wheat drills.
Mr. William Pursell, who bought out the Devol foundr}-, together
with his sons, continued to manufacture wheat drills and several smaller
tarming implements until his death. The sons who inherited his busi-
ness kept it among them until 1869, when Frederick and Samuel Whiley
came into the firm, bringing a large capital, by reason of which the
business was greatly enlarged and continued as the " Eagle Works,"'
by which it is now known. The Eagle Works now employ ninet}^
men, and turn out grain drills, feed cutters, corn planters, corn shellers,
horse powers and several other articles in large numbers.
The Hocking Valley Manufacturing Company went into operation
in 1869. They occupy the old starch factory building on the bank of
the canal, in the southwestern part ol the city. The company employ
about ninet}^ men in the manufacture of agricultural implements. The
trustees of the companv are, Theodore Mithoft', G. A. Mithoft', H. A.
Mithoff", E. B. Cartmell and Thomas Mithoff.
Up to 1878 Messrs. Neil, Tippett and Killion, proprietors of the
" Bent Wood Works," were doing business at Junction City, Perry
county. In November of that year the shops burned down, with a net
192 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COF^'TY.
loss of $10,000. They concluded to re-establish their business, but this
time tixed on Lancaster as a more desirable locality than the one that
had been the seat of their operations. Jn the spring of 1879 they oc-
cupied the large warehouse on the canal bank, at the railroad crossing,
and the same year purchased ground and erected buildings near the
crossing of the Hocking Valley and Muskingum Valle}- Railroads,
These were soon ready for use, and here the}' planted their business.
In January-, 1881, the new establishment was burned down and the
proprietors sustained a loss of $20,000, over the insurance. They re-
built the works in May following, and now employ about one hundred
and twentN'-hve men, or one-third more than in the first new shops
built by them in. this city. The works turn out the running gears for
buggies and carriages in large quantities.
Railroad vShops. — The Cincinnati and Muskingum Valley Rail-
road located its shops here in 1857, on the identical spot where old
Tarhetown stood, long before the white race entered the Hocking val-
ley. These shops employ ninety men, and do the repairing tor this
division of the road. Since their establishment they have built seven
locomotives, six passenger coaches and a large number of freight cars,
which are now in use on the road.
Mechanics. — Mr. Matlack and William Bodenheimer were engaged
in making spinning-wheels in Lancaster at an early day. Matlack's
shop was at the foot ot Main street. Mr. Spogle also made spinning-
wheels. He occupied part of the shop of Henry Miers, cabinet maker.
The structiu"e was of logs, and stood on West Main street a little west
of the site of the American hotel. From 1817 to 1820 William Tong
had a shop about where Bletzaker's turniture store stands at the present
time. He made chairs and spinning-wheels. In 1820 Jacob Grubb
bought the business and continued it at the same stand. William Duf-
tield, carpenter, built the first house in Lancaster, on the spot now oc-
cupied by the new court house. Christian Weaver, carpenter, occu-
pied the lot where Mrs. M. Z. Kreider now lives, on East Main street.
John Fogelsang, blacksmith, had a shop where Mr. John D. Martin
now lives. John Leonard, James Weakly and William Latimore
worked at carpentering, and John K. Myers and Samuel Blazell at
blacksmithing, at a very early dav. Henry Johns had a carpenter shop
on Chestnut street, where the late Dr. Paul Carpenter lived. John
Leonard, Inman Baker and Thomas Dawlin carried on carpentering on
the ground occupied b}^ Bauman's hotel. Main street. Before 1820,
Samuel Eflinger had a tin-shop where the First National Bank is. on
Main street. Scipio Smith, colored, carried on the tinning business
about the same time. Thomas Sturgeon, silversrpith, had a shop in
Sturgeon's row, east side of the square, and on the north side of Main
street. John Townsend, silversmith, had a shop on Main street near
the canal,, before 1820. James Gates succeeded Sturgeon in business.
As early as 1815, Jacob Embich, John Stallsmith and John Napkin,
shoemakers, were working at their trades. Joseph Work was in the
retail boot and shoe business in 1827, and where Mrs. John Work now
lives, on Chestnut street, there was a tailor shop. About the same
time John Beeman and Colonel George Seits, gunsmiths, had their shop
on Main street, about where Dr. Shawk's office is ; and Samuel B.
HtStORY OF f'AiRFiEI.D COUNTV. I93
Thompson, George W. Claspill, John Gibbs and WilHam Boden-
heimer began gunsmithing about 1826. Robert R. Claspill, plow-
maker, came to Lancaster in 1825. Robert O. Claspill was in the same
business on the present site of the EngHsh Lutheran church, Columbus
street. Col. Samuel Blazer, first introduced patent scales in Lancaster
in 1825. John Shure, baker, kept a house in Lancaster in 1812, and was
also working at his trade. Among others who followed the latter trade
at an earh' period were' David Ketner, Hiram Hanson, Gottleib Stein-
man and John W. Geisy.
Banks. — The question of a bank in Lancaster took active form in
1815, when the business men of the place asked the Legislature for a
charter. The act chartering the Lancaster Bank was passed the next
session, and provided for a capital stock of $250,000. The company
was formed and the stock subscribed, and in the summer of 1816 the
bank was put in operation. Elnathan Schofield was elected president,
and Michael Garaghty, cashier. Mr. Schofield resigned at the end of
one year, when John Creed was elected to the vacancv, and retained
the position until the bank was closed in 1842. Mr. Garaghty was the
only cashier the bank ever had. He died in May, 1841, and his son,
Charles F., filled the place until the bank was closed. The Lancaster
Bank conducted a general banking business tor twenty-six years, and
closed up all its affairs about the end of the year 1843, without causing
the loss of a dollar. The bank was made the agent of the State in
disbursing the moneys set aside for public works — particularly in the
construction of the Ohio Canal — millions of dollars passed through its
hands. The money crisis that began in 1837 I'aised the cry of " bank
reform" all over the countr}^ and the feeling became such that it was
decided not to attempt a renewal of the charter which now neared its
expiration. The bank, therefore, suspended specie payment and went
into assignment, with Hocking H. Hunter, Joseph Stukey and Fred-
erick A. Foster as assignees. All the liabilities of the institution were
canceled at par, and outstanding bills redeemed by exchanging for
them the notes of other solvent banks. Jacob Green entered into an
agreement to redeem the remnant of the bills still out for $4,000,
which he carried out, and the amovuit then came out even. Unsigned
bills representing a million and a half were found iw the bank. These
were burned by George Kauffman and Frederick A. Foster, to whom
they were turned over by the assignees. When the Lancaster Bank
was thus closed, there were two or three vears during which Lancaster
had no bank. This inconvenience was partially abated bv the firm of
Boving & Grand, wholesale grocers, who sold eastern exchanges to ac-
commodate business men.
The Hocking V^alle}^ Branch of the State Bank ot Ohio v/as organi-
zed in 1847, with a capital stock of $100,000. It was located in the old
stone building on Main street, and was in part the successor of the Lan-
caster Bank. Darius Talmadge was elected president, and Chas.
F. Garaghty, cashier. The bank did a successful and general busi-
ness until 1865, when the stockholders decided to accept the provisions
of Congress, for the organization of National banks. For the purpose
of changing the State Branch to a National bank, Darius Talmadge, J.
R. Mumaugh and M. Effinger, assumed the stock of the State Bank,
25
1^4 UISTORV OK KAIRFIELI) COUNTY.
and successlully closed up its affairs. Darius Talmaage was its presi-
dent during its entire existence ; Charles F. Garaghty was cashier one
year, dating from its organization ; William Slade was elected in 1848,
served two years, and was succeeded by M. A. Daugherty, who retain-
the place till 1855. Charles F. Garaghty was then elected the second
time, serving till 1859; then Henry V. Weakly was elected cashier and
remained with the bank in that capacity till 1865, when the institution
was closed.
Immediately following the winding up of the affairs of the State
Branch, the Hocking Valley National Bank sprang into existence.
Darius Talmadge was the first president, and Henr}^ V, Weakly, cashier.
At the end of the first year Weekly was succeeded bv John W. Farrin-
ger, who has remained cashier ever since. In 1869 Mr. Talmadge
withdrew, and G. A. Mithoff became president. At the same time the
capital of the bank w'as contracted from $100,000 to $80,000. Mr.
Mithoff is still president.
The Fairfield County Savings Bank, was a small private institution,
with a capital stock of $25,000. It was incorporated in 1851, and its
place of business was the corner room on the first floor of Green's block,
(afterwards burned) northwest corner of Main street and the public
square. It did a profitable business for five or six years, the duration
of its charter, when it suspended. It was a popular and useful institu-
tion, having the confidence of the business men. Jacob Green was its
president, and continued in that capacity till his death, w.hen John C.
Weaver succeeded and remained till the bank was closed. Charles F.
Garaghty was its first cashier, followed by M. Worthington.
The Exchange Bank was instituted in 1854, ^7 John D. Martin, P.
B. Ewing and Samuel Shambaugh. Six months after the opening of
the bank, Mr. Shambaugh died, alter which the bank w^as continued by
the surviving partners till 1864, when it was changed to the First Na-
tional Bank of Lancaster, Ohio, John D. Martin, president, and Chas.
F. Garaghty, cashier. Two years after, Mr. Garaghty was succeeded
by George W. Beck, who still holds the position. When first started
the capital of this bank was $50,000. Subsequently William Rippy
came in as a partner, when the capital was increased to $60,000. After
remaining about two years Mr. Rippy withdrew, the other partners
buying his interest. This bank enjoys an e*n viable reputation, and
withstood all the financial troubles of the country, though at times ob-
liged to sustain heavy runs, particularh^ in 1877. It carried a surplus
fund of $12,000 at all times. In 1879, ^^^ closed its business, surren-
dered its charter, and assumed the name of the Bank of Lancaster,
under which name it is now doing business, with the confidence of the
public.
The Commercial Bank of Lancaster went into operation in Decem-
ber, 1872, as a private bank, owned by A. Cochran. In June, 1873,
S.J. Wright became a partner, buying one-half of the stock. In Feb-
ruar}^ Mr. Wright purchased Mr. Cochran's interest and conducted the
bank alone, until the institution was merged into the Fairfield County
Bank, with a paid up capital of $50,000, several partners coming in
with the new arrangement and increase of capital. The first officers
were: Wesley J. Peters, president; S. J. Wright, cashier. Mr.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 1 95
Wright subsequently went out, and others have since had the place.
The present president and cashier are, respectively, Fred. Whiley and
H. J. Reinmund.
The bank of Garaghty and Hunter was a private institution, and
was opened in the fall of 1867, with an nominal capital of $50,000.
Charles F. Garaghty was president and William Noble cashier. It had
the public confidence for four or five years, doing a general banking
business. Suspicions of its safety were common, however, during 1873,
in the fall of which 3'ear it went into assignment, with J. R. Mumaugh
and William Noble, as assignees. Assets, $60,000, some of which
were of doubtful value ; liabilities $1 m,ooo. When the assets were all
collected and disbursed to the creditors about forty-one per cent, on the
dollar was realized.
Hotels : — The histor}- of Lancaster hotels begin properly with the
Sturgeon House. Thomas Sturgeon, one of the earliest settlers, open-
ed a tavern in 1803, as nearly as can be ascertained, which he kept open
to the public, until his death, twenty years later. It was for some time
the only house of public entertainment in the village, and the place
which is now known as Lotta's corner. The next hotel which is defi-
nitely recorded, was opened in 1809 and kept by John Shure. It
was sittuated on the south side of West Main street, between
Arnold's corner and the American Hotel. It was torn down in
1881 and a brick building erected on the site. To his business as land-
lord Mr. Shure added that of baker. It is probably that in 1810 there
was a log tavern on the south side of Wheeling street, w^est of Mac-
Cracken's alley. Few persons now living, have any recollection of
such a building, and among the few there is quite a difference of opin-
ion as to its location, some asserting that it was on the north side of the
street. It is reasonably certain that its site was as first given. The
"William Tell"' was first kept by Frederick Snider. It has passed
through mau}^ hands, but its external appearance has not been changed
materially in fifty years, and it is now known as the Betz House. The
"Penn Manor," adjoining the Betz House on the west, is a two-story
brick hotel, and was first opened by Mr. Wetzel, about 1855. It has
also had several proprietors. The present Bauman House was opened
by Christian Neibling as the American Hotel. It stands on the south
side of Main street, nearly opposite the Betz House. The Swan Ho-
tel was established about 1820, on the southeast corner of Main and
Columbus streets, its first proprietor being Gottleib Steinman. It chan-
ged hands several times and in 1861-2 Theodore Mithoft* became its
owner. He enlarged and remodeled it, and changed its name to that
of Mithoft' House, which it still retains. On what is now known as the
Schafter corner, John Swoyer kept a tavern previous to 1810. Freder-
ick A. Schafter succeeded him. and under the latter management the
place became widely known as the Schafter House. It was closed as a •
hotel about 1858, and the building was remodeled into a business house.
The present Talmadge House, adjoining the Schafter block on the
west, has long been a place of public entertainment. Its first proprietor
was John Noble. This place was always the stopping place of the
through stages. About 1832 Gottleib Steinman took possession as
landlord, and in 1833 the entire block, including stables and other out-
196 HISTORY OF FAIRF"IELD COUNTY.
buildings, burned to the ground. It was immediately rebuilt as the
"Phoenix Hotel" b}' which name it was known for several years. Sev-
eral proprietors succeeded Steinman, and finally Darius Talmadge
bought the property and rechristened it the Talmadge House. It has
been changed and improved. The Broadway Hotel was started about
1830, by Kimble Hall. It has changed hands several times, and is still
open. It is situated near the railroad crossing, at the south end of
Broadway. The Black Horse was a tavern kept by one Zimmerman at
an early day. it iiad several proprietors, among them Emel Jeffries
and Allen House. Tlie buildings belonging to it have since been con-
verted to other uses. Its site was on Main street, east of the hill.
A small tavern was kept by Mr. Winegardner, on North Columbus street
for several years. It was closed about the year 1852. There were two
houses of entertainment on the east side of Columbus street, between
Main and Wheeling streets, in 1839. kept by two men named Myers.
One of these places is still open, and known as the Farmers' Hotel.
The other is on the corner of Wheeling and Columbus, and is used as
a residence and a meat shop.
The house now kept by Jacob Bauman, East Lancaster, was long
known as Bish's Tavern, because for man\' 3'ears controlled by Martin
Bish. A small tavern which stood near the canal and kept b}^ Ferdi-
nand Wagner, was purchased by the Muskingum Valley Railroad
Co., and torn down in 1852, as it stood exactly in the centre of the pro-
posed road. The property now spoken of as the "Stanberry propert}^"
situated on Main street, and used as a furniture store, immediately east
of the Stone Bank, was built by Gottleib Steinman for a hotel, and kept
by him as such for several years. Jacob Beck, father of George Beck,
once kept a tavern on the lot now occupied by A. Beery's residence.
John W. Giesy began tavern keeping in Lancaster between 1810 and
1820. His house stood on the site of Philip Bauman's new block, west
of the Hocking Valley Bank. Mr. Giesy removed to his farm, south
of town, more than twenty years ago, when the house was closed to the
public. Thomas Fricker kept a tavern on the ground occupied by the
Hibernian block, on Main street. He left it and moved to the country
about 1835. The signs of those early day caravans would afford a good
deal of amusement to-day, if they could be represented, with their mul-
tiplicity of devices, some of which, to a modern student, would possess
nothing indicative of the industry of which they were the exponents.
Inventors. — From time to time Fairfield county has furnished in-
ventors of a high order. Many implements and machinery have been
invented, modeled and patented, some of which have found recognition
and gone into general use ; others, perhaps equally valuable have failed
for want of enterprise, or fVom antagonism of opposing interests. Some
of Fairfield's best inventions have been crowded out by others, of prob-
ably less merit, through lack of energy and capital to bring them into
appreciable recognition.
John S. Sneider has been a successful inventor. In 1856 he obtain-
ed a patent for a head block for saw mills, that was adopted and brought
into general ust- throughout Ohio, Michigan and the Western States.
It was a source of revenue to the inventor.
Mr. Sneider also patented what he stvled a sell-saving broad cast
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.. I97
plow in 1859 ; and in 1875 a cistern filter, which has been adopted in
Lancaster, with great satisfaction.
In March, 1881, John Wolfe obtained a patent for a hand corn shel-
ler, of his own invention, which he is putting up and selling. It is
composed entirely ol iron, and is of simple construction. Mr. Wolfe is
bv profession a siu'vevor, and by no means a practical mechanic.
George Lutz, in the year 1854, obtained a patent for a steam boiler
guage, that was pronounced a great discovery, and as possessing sup-
erior advantages over anything then in use for the same purpose. What
its ultimate fate was; is not known to the compiler. He likewise se-
cured, in the following year, a patent for the invention of a police nip-
pers, which went into general use. Mr. Lutz is a mechanic in iron and
brass work.
Anthony Zink is by trade a wagon maker. In 1870 he obtained a
patent on a self acting wagon brake. He also invented several other
ingenious contrivances.
"Herman Peter, gunsmith, has a patent for a new breach loading
gun, that loads at the breach or muzzle, at pleasure. He has besides, a
patent on a ramrod for the same gun. He also invented in connection
with William Kling, a patent bung and spile. There were, however,
two other parties who contributed to this discovery.
Jesse Bowen possesses probably the widest range of inventive ge-
nius of anv man in the county. He is a man of over seventy years.
A number of vears since he obtained patents on two cider presses, a
washing machine, and double belt power. In 1876, a patent was issued
to him for a grain and grass seed separator. But his most ingenius and
probably most useful invention, is that of a spring bed bottom, for
which he secured a patent right in March. 1880.
Dr. Paul Carpenter, now deceased, invented a car coupler that was
patented in 1858. Various tests were made of its safety and adaptation,
and arrangements were on foot for its general adoption in the south,
when the war broke out. It is said to be in use on some of the south-
ern roads.
Robert Gates is a musician of rare genius, especially in the compli-
cated intricacies of the combinations of sound, and the transposition of
keys. Wind instruments are his specialties. He invented an improve-
ment on brass- horns, which he called " division of the octave by major
thirds," an achievement, it is claimed, never reached before on that
class of instruments. It was patented in 1872.
A few years since, a young man, then residing in Lancaster, in-
vented and put in model form a machine designed for cutting and
shocking corn by horse power. It was on exhibition for some time ;
good mechanics prophesied its success, but the inventor and model dis-
appeared.
Lancaster, probably, never contained a greater genius than David
Williams. He was a mechanic in wood, and a pattern maker. But
there was nothing he could not do, either in wood or metal. Such was
his genius, that the belief obtained that he could make his own tools,
and then make a watch, or sewing machine. He made a full set of ar-
tificial teeth for a lady of Lancaster. The teeth were mounted on gold
plates, and proved an entire success to the close of the lady's life. It
198 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
was his first trial, and he had never had either instruction or experience.
But beyond this he never accomphshed much. He finally lost his
mind, and was taken to an asylum, and shortly afterwards died.
Lancaster, as well as other parts of the county, has been distin-
guished for its musical talent. Space will not permit the mention of
deserving names to much extent. The Schneider family seem to have
been born musicians, to which has been added fine culture. Charles
Schneider, the father, is a German who has devoted his life to the cul-
ture of music, and to teaching. Ever}- member of his family has fine
musical talent, as well as execution. Caroline, as a pianist, has few
equals. She has made the tour of Europe, and received the admira-
tion of its finest talent.
James Gates, a silversmith, perhaps, for fineness of ear and critical
ability, deserved mention among the first in his day.
Robert Gates, his son, is a fine critic, and writes music fluently. He
is master of all wind instruments.
Dr. G. Miesse, is a composer, and teaches on the piano and organ,
as well as a fine performer and critic.
Ezra W. Wolfe took to music naturally, and for twenty years and
upwards, has been an organizer and teacher of bands. He was leader
of a band of his own training through the Rebellion.
Among the list of musicians of the city and the county are the Ger-
mans, as a rule. Some of the finest bands have been composed largely
of Germans.
Professor William Goetz is a teacher and organist. Goetz's orches-
tra furnishes the music for parties and special occasions. Lancaster
has also one well trained band, that ordinarily, during the summer and
fall months, gives weekly serenades.
Lancaster has furnished a due proportion of vocalists. Among
those who have attracted the popular attention of Lancaster's own citi-
zens, may be mentioned William Rising, Miss Sallie Reber, Miss Essie
Wyncoop, Mr. Halderman and a few others.
The Lilly famil}- were natural musicians ; but there arose among
them one musical prodigy, in the person of little Eddie, son of Thomas
Lilly. He pla3^ed music to the astonishment of everybody before he
knew his letters, or a note.
PART IV.
TOWN"SHIP HISTORIES
TOWNSHIP HISTORIES,
CHAPTER XXIX.
AMANDA TOWNSHIP.
Amanda township lies in the southwest part of Fairfield county. It
is bounded on the north by Bloom township, on the east by Hocking,
on the south by Clear Creek and on the west by Pickaway county.
Its area is thirty-six square miles, comprising township thirteen, range
twenty.
The land is generally gently rolling. Clear Creek is the principal
stream, traversing the township from north to south by a somewhat
circuitous course. Walnut Creek and Turkey Run, flowing west, with
their tributaries drain the western part of the township. "Muddy Prai-
rie," about one-half mile in width and three in length, in the southeast
corner of the township, was a tract of country, which, in early days,
could be shaken perceptibly for rods around by treading heavily upon
the ground. It was low and marshy and covered with peat. In early
times there was great danger of miring in crossing it, but it has been
drained by heavy tiling, and now produces excellent crops.
Another small body of land, about sixty acres, in the southwest
quarter of section twent}^ on account of its peculiar " shaking'' qualities
was called " Shaking Prairie." Deer could not cross it in pioneer times,
but it too has yielded to agricultural purposes, under an improved S3-s-
tem of drainage.
The soil of this township is ver}^ fertile ; it is partly clay, and partly
a rich black loam. Fruits, vegetables and cereals of all kinds, produce
a general yield. Except a few patches of ground along Clear Creek,
the entire township was forested at the coming of the first settlers, with
a mingled growth of sugar, walnut, ash, oak, cherr}', hickory and other
varieties of timber.
In the southern part of the township, Frederick Leathers, a Virginian,
is regarded as the first settler. He settled in the vicinit}^ of Amanda
and kept one of the first taverns in the county, and the first in this
township. It was located on the old Chillicothe road, about one hun-
dred yards east of the village. It was a large two-story log structure,
and a famous resort in early times. A still-house was operated on the
premises, which supplied the beverage in universal demand
at that time. It was the aim of Leathers to make his tavern a
central point, and for that purpose he succeeded in establishing three or
four public roads which crossed or terminated at his place. These
roads were afterwards changed. This tavern was sold to Isaac Griffith,
who remained in possession for many years. It burned to the ground
about 1858.
:iOO HISTORY OF KAIKFIELD COUNTY.
About the year 1800, Andrew Barr and his five sons, Thomas, Sam-
uel, James, WilHam and John, came from Chester county, Pennsylva-
nia, and settled in section thirty-three, about two miles west of Amanda.
Thomas served in the war of 181 2. Andrew Barr died about 1813.
His descendants still live in this part of the township,
George D3'singer, from near Hagerstown, Maryland, was another
early settler. He located on Clear Creek, about two miles north of
Amanda, and died on the homestead at a ripe old -age. Among his
earliest neighbors were John Hinton, Michael, Peter and Henry Ride-
nour, Abraham Myers, George and John Nigh, Timothy and Daniel
Collins, Philip Herron and others.
In the vicinity of Royalton the Aliens were the first settlers. Un-
like the other settlers hereabouts, they were Yankees. It was early in
1800 that a colony of forty souls, consisting of Dr. Silas Allen, his four
sons, Lemuel, Jedediah, Whiting, and Benjamin, John Searle and Ab-
ner Burnat, and their families, left the county of Royalton, Vermont,
destined for distant Mississippi. Traveling overland, they reached
Lancaster, and pleased with the country, they concluded to abandon
their original intention and settle in this covinty.
Section three of Amanda township was selected as the site of their
future home, and in a short time they were safel}' domiciled. Dr. Silas
Allen died there about 1822. His two sons, Jedediah and Lemuel, re-
mained here till the close of their lives, and in their time were among
the most prominent men of the county. Whiting and Benjamin removed
to Delaware, Ohio. Searle lived and died here, but Burnat emigrated
to Meigs county. The colonists brought with them a fine carriage, for
the use of the women, but when they reached Lancaster they could go
no further with it. At this time there was not a tree cut between Lan-
caster and Royalton, and the men must cut a roadway' to their new
home. The carriage was finally brought to its final destination, but was
never used as a pleasure vehicle. It was stowed away, and thence-
forth until it perished from decay became a " turkey roost." The set-
tlement was. in the vicinit}^ of an Indian encampment called Tobytown,
and the natives frequently paid friendly visits to their new neighbors,
usually for trading purposes. They would cross the prairie in single
file, the squaws carrying their pappooses on their backs, lashed to a
board, and on arriving at the cabins would stand up the boards outside
while they went in. Mrs. Elvira Meeker, daughter of Lemuel Allen,
is still living at Royalton, at the age of ninety years.
Scott's History of Fairfield county contains the following from the
pen of Thomas Cole :
" In the spring of 1800, three men, names not remembered, came
from near Chillicothe and broke ground on the prairie in section num-
ber four, planted corn, and then returned home. They came back in
due time and tended their corn twice. The next fall one of these men
sold his share to Horatio Clark, receiving a horse in payment. The
other two likewise disposed of their shares to parties not now remem-
bered. In November of the same year. Wilkinson Lane, of Hunting-
don county, Tennessee, settled on section eight, and was succeeded in
the month of June following by Thomas Cole, who had entered the sec-
tion. The family were never troubled by the Indians. In a few years
MiSTOkV OF FAIkFiELD COUNTY. 20t
Mr. Cole built a school-house on his land, hired a teacher, iVbraham
Cole, for eight dollars a month, and then invited all who wished to send
their children and pay a pro rata share or not, as they could or would.
In those days school hours were trom ''sun to sun,*' or as soon as
scholars arrived. On one occasion Broad Cole, son of Thomas Cole,
born in 1802, and recently deceased, thought of beating the master at
school some day, and after a few failures to do so, left home one morn-
ing about daybreak, but on arriving at the school-house he w^is greeted
with a good tire, and tbund the master, a Mr. Smith, banking up earth
against the school-house, to protect it against cold. That house was
built on the north part of section eighteen. David Swope and William
Long were settlers on section eight in June, 1807. In 1803 Valentine
Reber came out from Pennsylvania, and entered section ten of the
township, and in 1805, he brought out his young wife from Berks
county, and settled on the section.
Frederick Ehernman, a German, was one of the earliest settlers.
His cabin was on section nine. On section ten, John Huber from Penn-
sylvania setded early, and lived the remainder of his life. Samuel Peters,
Valentine Reber and John Hannaw^ay were three adjoining settlers in the
northern part of the towmship, and each had a family of "fourteen chil-
dren. Richard Hooker, on the southeast quarter of section eighteen,
was among the tirst pioneers. Still others were Joseph Abrams, a
blacksmith from Pennsylvania ; Thomas Mace, section thirty-three,
where he kept tavern and taught school ; Henry Christy, section thirty-
four; J. P. Hamilton, an early justice and surveyor; Francis Brothers,
David Brians, John Crist, section thirty-four ; Jacob Gardner from
Pennsylvania, Joseph and Edward Highlands, James, John and WilHam
Long, section nineteen; Jnmes Morris, near Amanda; John Owens,
section twenty-live ; Thomas Selb}-, John Torrence, and the White-
mans.
Royalton was the first village in the township, and one of the first in
the county. It was laid out in 1810 ; Lemuel and Jedediah Allen were
the proprietors ; William Hamilton the surveyor. It was laid out b}'
the Aliens that they might have the convenience of mechanical skill
close at home, obviating the necessity of going to Lancaster for w^ork-
men, when their services was required. Lemuel Allen opened a
tavern here in 1810, and the same year Jacob Rush, from Balti-
more, brought a stock of goods to the embryonic village, and started the
first store.
The first school in this vicinit}^ was on Lemuel Allen's place. He
had just built a stable and determined on dedicating it by holding a
school there. Sending to Granville he secured the services of Miss
Sabra Case, who received $1.25 per scholar for a term of twelve
weeks. She had an enrollment of about twelve pupils. War-
ren Case afterwards taught here. A school house was imme-
diately built on the site of the present building in Rovalton, where
public instruction has since been dispensed to the children of the villao-e.
The little town was named Ro3'alton from the county from which the
Aliens emigrated. It has never grown to any considerable extent. Its
business, briefly, consists of one general store, a drug store, a furniture
36
202 HISTOKV OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
store, two shoe shops, and two blacksmith shops. Two physicians are
located here.
Amanda, located in the southeastern part of the township, is a thriving
village, which, in 1880, had about tliree hundred and seventy-five inhab-
itants, but now perhaps one hundred more. It w^as laid out about 1830,
by Samuel Kessler. The tirst three houses erected were occupied by Mr.
Spitler, a shoemaker ; Mr. Potts, a cooper, and Mr. Mouser, a black-
smith. Joseph Reed brought the first little stock of goods to the village
for sale, " about a wheel-barrow load," and soon atler Joseph Temple
offered a greater assortment to the public. Henry Sunderman, how-
ever, was the first merchant of prominence. He first sold goods here
on commission for Martin & Rogers, then went into business for him-
self, and carried it on extensively up to the time of his death. There
are now three general supply stores; two hotels, a provision store,
drug store, grist mill, one brick 3'ard, two harness shops, two black-
smith shops, and a number of other industrial shops located here. It is
claimed that four hundred thousand bushels of grain are annually sold
at this point, and shipped via the Zanesville and Cincinnati Railroad,
which passes through the place. Nearly all the grain within a radius of
eight or nine miles is brought here, owing to the level or descending
roads leading from all directions to Amanda. The village affords three
practicing physicians, a neat two-story brick school house, and two
churches.
Central Valley Lodge, I. O. O. F., No. 548, at Amanda, was insti-
tuted Jul}^ 10, 1873. The charter members were: W. H. Dickson, B.
Balthaser, T. J. Barr, C. H. Sunderman, T. L. Hewiston, Wm. Acton,
W. B, Sunderman, P. Hewiston, H. D. Aldenderter, George Aldender-
fer, David Crites, Joseph Bechtel, Andrew Laps, and Samuel Griffith,
■Sr. The membership now niimbers seventy-eight.
Amanda Lodge of F. and A. M., No. 509, was instituted October 28,
1876. Names of charter members were H. G. Trout, Edward Griner,
Levi Lawrence, J. D. Landis, B. F.Rambo, Jacob Balthaser, D. M.
Miesse,J. A. Julien, and D.J.V.Wolf. The membership has materially
increased.
New Strasburg was the name of a town laid out many years ago,
about a mile west of Amanda, but it never attained a larger size than
six or eight houses.
Cedar Hill is the name of a post-office in the western part ot the
township, where a small cluster of houses may be seen.
The Presbyterian Church at Amanda was organized in 1838, with
William McKinley, John Wylie and Thomas Propeck as elders.
Rev. William Jones was the first minister. He presided over the church
eight years. During his administration a frame house of worship was
erected. The original members numbered thirteen, but within a year
the little flock grew to a membership of ninety. Revs. Jewett, William
Nelson, George Carpenter, A. Taylor, William Galbreath, William
McMillan and A. B. Price have successively been installed pastors. In
1870 a handsome brick church, 40x56 feet, was constructed, at a cost
of $4,000, The present membership is sixty.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 203
The Methodists of Amanda worship in a frame church which they
built about forty or more years ago. Their membership is abotit forty.
The congregation is included in the Tarleton circuit. Rev. Dixon is
the present pastor.
Turkey Run Regular Baptist Church is one of the oldest organiza-
tions in the township. The society was organized September 6th. 1817,
by EldersEli Ashbrook and Jacob Thorp. The early meetings were held
in Hooker's school house, until about 1838, when the present frame
structure was erected. It has recently undergone extensive repairs.
Rev. George Tusing is the present pastor. The present membership is
about thirtv.
There are two Evangelical Association (Albright) churches within
the township. The Trinity church is located about two miles northwest
of Amanda. The structure is of brick, and about 35x45 in size, erected
in 1870, at a total expense of $2,500. Rev. Emanuel Tunner had
charge of the church when the building was erected. The present pas-
tor is Rev. Eli Shoemaker ; the membership about thirty. The society
is an old one, and prior to 1870 conducted its religious services at W.
Meisey's residence, and in his wagon-shed. Cedar Hill chapel is
a building similar in character to the Trinity church, and was erected
one year later. Its membership exceeds fifty somewhat. Previously
they held meetings at the adjoining school house, and at Reigle's resi-
dence. Among the early ministers of this church were Revs. Roch,
Wolpert and Downey.
Fairview chapel, a Methodist meeting-house, is located near the
north line of section 23, and is a neat brick. The class that worships
here is not very strong. It was organized more than thirty years ago,
and is included within the Royalton circuit.
The Royalton Methodist Episcopal Church dates its origin back to
1809, when ReV. Ralph Lotspeach began to preach to the church-lov-
ing people of this community, at the cabin of Lemuel Allen. The
services were held only occasionally for a while, and were then conduc-
ted for many years in the log school house of the village. About 1825
a frame parsonage was built b}- the members on the site of the present
church. When it became dilapidated through age, it was removed,
and the brick meeting-house now standing was constructed. It has
recently been repaired. The membership exceeds three hundred. Rev.
D. J. Smith is the officiating pastor.
This township had its litde mills, like all others in pioneer times.
Amongst the earliest was Richard Hooker's on Turkey Run. When
the stream was high there was sufficient water-power to grind the corn
for the neighbors, but in dry weather they were compelled to patronize
more distant mills. The Ridenours owned and operated a little saw
and grist mill on Clear Creek.
V'alentine Reber operated a distillery on section 10, where a large
quantity of spirits were manufactured. Richard Hooker also owned a
small one.
The early schools were of the typical rude class of the day. They
were almost uniformlj- small cabins, with a huge fireplace at one end,
and chimney built of logs outside. Light was obtained by removing a
204 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
log and replacing it with strips of greased paper. A rough slab extend-
ing along the walls of the building formed the writing desk. There
was no floor, commonly, and when the children were at play during
recess a dense cloud of dust would be raised. It was a building like
this that would be used perhaps two and one-half months in a year for
school purposes, and the remaining nine and one-half months the sheep
and hogs would hold undisputed sway. About the only books used
were DilwortlTs Spelling Book, a primer and the New Testament.
Occasionally a little arithmetic was taught, but a class rarely progressed
as far as the " rule of three.""
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. ^©5
CHAPTER XXX.
BERNE TOWNSHIP.
This townsliip was christened Berne by Samuel Carpenter, one ol'
its earliest settlers, in honor of the Canton ot' Berne, Switzerland, the
home ot' his ancestr\-. It is one of the largest townships of Fairfield
coimt\'. comprising all of township iburteen, range eighteen, except
one and one-half sections Irom the northwest corner, which belong-
to Lancaster township, and two tiers of sections, from one to] twelve,
inclusive, from township thirteen, range eighteen. Its entire terri-
torv embraces over tbrty-seven square miles.
The tovvnsliip lies in the southeastern part of the county. Hock-
ing River enters from the northwest, and, passing through the entire
length of the township, flows into Hocking county on the south. Its
principal tributaries are Rush Creek and Pleasant Run. The surface
is rough and hilly, except in the narrow valleys which skirt the streams.
The soil on the hill-sides is largeh' argillaceous. The out-croppings
are sandstone, and in places the soil has a gravell}' subsistence.
The Columbus & Hocking Valley Railroad and the Hocking Canal
cross the township along the Hocking River valley. The Cincinnati &
Zanesville R(Kid passes east and west through the northern part of the
township.
The forests of Ohio were settled first along the banks of the streams,
which coursed in solitude through their unbroken density ; and Berne
township, carrying the waters of Fairfield's largest stream, received a
portion of the first tide of emigration that passed through the county.
The earliest known white character of whom any tradition is preserved
that became a denizen of the township, was John Sisco, a southern
" renegade hunter," dubbed bv the pioneers, " Indian John." He
led the wild and free life of a hunter, living in a rudely constructed
shantv or wigwam, and, as the settlers encroached on his hunting
Jirounds, ijraduallv moved southward until he found his eternal rest-
ing place, near Logan.
The Carpenters are accredited with being the earliest permanent
settlers in the township. The first land entered was that in the
Hocking valley nearest Lancaster. Succeeding pioneers occupied
the lands down the stream until they were all appropriated. Then
the valleys of the tributaries were settled, and finally the hills.
It was in 1798 that William. David, Samuel, and John Carpenter,
with their father, emigrated from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and
settled in sections seven and eight, in the Hocking valley, just below
Lancaster. Below them were the Shellenberger boys, Samuel and
Henrv. Their father, Henry, traveled here from Pennsylvania and
entered the land. He returned to his old home and left the boys in
2o6 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
possession here. George Eckert, another Penns3^1vanian, was next
and below him. Abraham Ream, also from Lancaster county, Penn-
S3dvania, entered sections 27, 28, 33, 34, and part ot 3, on Rush Creek,
becoming the most extensive resident landholder in the township. All
the above emigrated in 1798. Joseph Stuke}^ entered still further down
the river.
Indians often visited the cabins of these early settlers, generally
begging or demanding victuals. Their requirements were always
complied with, and a friendly state of teeling between the two races
maintained. Unless the noble red man was frenzied b}' whisky it was
not difficult for the whites to preserve amicable relations with him.
The forests at this time teemed with wild game and wild beasts. Pan-
thers and wildcats were not uncommon, and often became the trophies
ot the huntsman's skill. Abraham Ream — his grandson, William Pan-
nabaker, relates — raised a family of fourteen children — eight girls and
six boj^s. The boys were daring hunters, and, like other frontiersmen,
keenly enjoyed the sport. Absalom Ream at one time pursued a large
panther till it sought refuge in a hollow log. He cut it out, first chop-
ping holes in the log and tying the panthers feet together. Designing
to keep the " varmint" a captive, he hastilv built a high enclosure for
it, but after its release the panther drank an excessive amount of cold
water and fell dead.
When Abraham Ream was lying ill, his wife took their span of
horses to the brink of Hocking River to water, and while there the
horses manifested signs of uneasiness, and soon of terror. With true
pioneer instinct Mrs. Ream apprehended danger, and immediately
hastened back with the horses to the stable. Securing them, she
reached the cabin, a rod or two distant, and barred the door after her.
Glancing out the little aperture that served as a window she saw a large
panther with his fore-feet resting on the low fence that surrounded the
cabin, lashing his tail, and exhibiting other signs of anger. It was
amid such scenes as this that the earlv settlements of Berne township
were made.
Among the earliest settlers on Rush Creek were Peter Stinespring,
Henry Inesell. Henry Swartz, from Pennsylvania, and Christian and
John Beerv. from Virginia. Most of the first settlers came from Penn-
sylvania, chiefly from Lancaster and Berks counties. Some few emi-
grated from Virginia. William Collins, the father of John A. Collins,
an early 'squire and prominent citizen ; Daniel and Abraham Mo37er,
Felta Pratz, and others, settled in the north-east part of the township.
Walter Applegate, from Virginia, also settled very early in the north-
east corner of the township. John Baldwin, a bachelor, who lived and
died here, and Peter Sturgeon, from the same State: John Bibler and
Michael Hansel, from Pennsylvania, and William Bryan, were earlv
figures in the township's history.
William Jackson, from Frederick county, Marjdand, in 1805 came
to the township. He found an empty cabin on Pleasant Run, with
twelve acres of cleared land surrounding it, and moved into it in De-
cember, remaining tw^o years. He afterwards leased and purchased
other lands in the township, and died here in 1850. William Crook,
from Henry county, Virginia, in 1805. settled about two miles south-
HlSTORV OK FAlRFtELD COUNTY. 207
east of Lancaster. He was probably the first Justice of the township.
He served in the war of 1812 as Major, was sheriff of the county, and
died in this township about 1855. His six brothers, and his father,
Ephraim, preceded him here a short time, all living in the same neigh-
borhood. Jacob Iric, from Maryland, and George See, settled in the
towmship about 1805. John Pennabaker came in 1806, trom Berks
county, Pennsylvania. It is impossible to even mention the names of
all the early settlers. During the first years of the century they entered
very rapidly, and in 1806 there were one hundred and twelve tax-pay-
ers in the township.
James Pierce is remembered as one of the earliest justices. He
kept no docket, and was very positive, and sometimes arbitrary, in his
decisions, but would never charge any costs for his official services.
Lawsuits were ver}^ much discountenanced in the earliest pioneer days,
and when once instituted, the neighbors frequently urged a settlement,
and would even make up a purse for the delinquent, rather than have
the legal contest proceed. William A. Collins, and others, succeeded
Pierce.
The Shellenbergers had the first little mill in the township. It was
an insignificant " corn-cracker," which would only chop, not grind, and
the customers must sieve their meal at home. Soon after a mill was
erected on the Carpenter place, where the flour might be bolted by
hand. It was not long, however, before George Eckart and Abraham
Ream constructed mills in which the process of bolting was performed.
The Carpenters built the first saw-mill. Joseph Stuke}^ built one soon
after.
Sugar Grove is the only town of note. It is situated in the southern
part of the township, at the junction of Hocking River and Rush Creek.
It received its name from a heavy growth of sugar timber which had
occupied its site. An Indian encampment had formerly stood at this
place, and a large burying ground close by. Numerous skeletons have
been unearthed, and many other evidences of savage occupation have
been revealed. The village was laid out by Mrs. Elizabeth Rudolph.
It was incorporated thirty or more years ago. Its population exceeds
three hundred. At present it contains four dr^^-goods stores, one gen-
eral store, one hotel, three churches, three blacksmith shops, three shoe
shops, one wagon shop, one undertaking establishment, two physicians,
tw^o tanneries, and one grist-mill. The mill is controlled by John D.
Martin, of Lancaster, and has just been rebuilt. It is fed b}^ the canal,
and finds a market for its products in the mining districts below on the
canal. The mill was originally built by Joseph Stukey about 1843.
The school building Is a substantial two-story brick, containing four
rooms, three of which are now used for school purposes. The remain-
ing room is occupied by Sugar Grove Lodge, No. 654, I. O. O. F, which
was instituted in 1876, with eleven members. It is now prosperous, and
contains sixty -two members.
The first house in Sugar Grove w^as built about 1835, t»y Samuel
White. It was a log cabin, long since removed. It stood on the lot
opposite Dennis's hotel. The first store comprised a small stock of
goods, brought to the place by Christian Krebs and Jefferson Meeks.
2o8 HISTOKV or FAIRFIEJ.D COUNTY.
It was located in the upper end of town, where the tanyard now stands.
Berne post-office is a station on the Cincinnati and Zanesville Rail-
road. It is situated in the north-east corner ot" the township, and con-
tains a store, one or two shops, and two or three houses.
If the number of churches in the township is an indication of spirit-
ual welfare, Berne should be a religious township. Of the three at
Sugar Grove, the German Reform church is the handsomest structure.
It was erected in 1872, at a cost of $4,000. It is forty by sixty-two feet
neatly furnished, and, among country churches, has few equals in
attractive appearance. The society enrolls one hundred and thirty
members. The old frame church, which preceded the existing edifice,
was erected in 1841. Prior to that date services had been conducted
by this denomination in a church which stood two miles north ot Sugar
Grove, and which had been built by this and a Lutheran Church jointly.
Judge Joseph Stukey and William Pennabaker were early leading
members.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church has had an organization in Sugar
Grove for thirty years. The earliest services were held in the church
two miles above the village, and afterwards in an old United Brethren
church in Sugar Grove. The building now used tor worship was erected
in 1873, at a cost of $2,100. Rev. Charles A. Shultz is the present pas-
tor ; the membership, about fifty.
The Sugar Grove Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in
185 1. Revs. Samuel Harvey and A. B. See were the first pastors.
The class began its existence with eleven members, and met at John
Wann's house. Services were held in the school-house and the United
Brethren church for a year, when the present frame church was built.
The membership includes ninety-seven souls.
St. Joseph's Catholic church, located three miles up Rush Creek,
was built in 1853. It is a frame structure, and its dimensions are thirty
by sixty feet. The membership is probably one hundred. Fathers J.
Young, Lange}^ Gildwiler, Goldsmith, and Mavrose, have successively
and successfully administered to this flock.
The Spannagel Lutheran church, as it is known, occupies a spot of
ground in the southwestern part of the towmship. Services are conduc-
ted in both the English and German languages. The frame structure
still occupied by this congregation was erected fort3"-one years ago un-
der the guidance of Rev. W. F. Richman. Rev. John Wagenholz had
previously held services in an adjoining school house. Through deaths
and emigrations, the numerical strength of this church has suffered
greatl^^
The first church in the township is said to have been built b}' the
Lutherans and German Reformers near the north line of section tbur-
teen. It was a hewed log building and has since been replaced b}' a
frame, which is now occupied by a strong Lutheran congregation, with
Rev. Shultz as pastor.
Pleasant Hill M. E. Church is a frame in the eastern part of the
township, where an old log church formerly stood. It includes proba-
bly forty members.
Emery M. E. Church, about midway between Lancaster and Sugar
HISTORY OF FAlRl^'lEI.i) COUNTY. 2O9
Grove, was buill about twenty years ai^o and is the home ol" a prosper-
ous society, which was orijjanized lhrouL!,h tlie elTorts ol' Mrs. |. R.
Pierce and named iVom her lather.
Jackson, formerly ColHn's, M. K. Church is situated about three-
fourths of a mile north of Berne P. O. The building has been (occu-
pied for religious services for a period of hft^• ^•ears or more but the
congregation is strong and healthy.
Two other churches, the Asbur3' M. E. and the Mt. Tabor Evan-
gelical Association, are located near the north line of the township and
have manv supporters from Berne township.
27
2IO IIIS'I'OKY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
CHAPTER XXXI.
BLOOM TOWNSHIP.
This township was laid off in 1805. The early settlers were the
Hushors, Me3'ers, Glicks, Clarks, Hoys, Courtrights, Scott, Crites,
Messmores, Swartzes, Honinghouses, Lambs, Granels, Alspaughs,
Williamsons, and a few others.
Abraham Van Courtright came from Pennsylvania in 1801 . He mar-
ried a Miss McFarlan of Greenfield township. Her brother, William
McFarlan, came to the count3Mn 1799. Mr. Courtright settled first near
what has long been known as the Betser church, two miles south of
Lockville. He afterwards moved in the vicinity of Greencastle, where
he died in 1825. His three sons, John,* Jesse D. and Abraham
Courtright (now dead), became the heads of large families. The
Courtright homestead was where Zephania Courtright now lives.
Jesse D. Courtright laid out Greencastle in 1810, and had it sur-
veyed by John Hamilton. He lived where, his daughter Mrs. Sarah
Green now resides, and in this house kept hotel several years. This
was the first house in the town and Mrs. Green is the oldest woman now
living who is native-born of Bloom township.
Samuel Weisser came from Pennsylvania in 1818, and kept the first
blacksmith shop. He followed his trade continuously until he died, or
for a period of forty years. He was the second Justice of the Peace,
and held that office thirty-five years, was township treasurer many
years, and an official member of the church fift}- years.
The Presbj^terian church was built in 1861. Abraham, John and
Jacob Courtright and J: A. Whitzel were among the founders of this
society. The present elders are F. H. Courtright, G. B. Courti-ight
and J. A. Whitzel, and the trustees Samuel Benson, Samuel Weisser,
H. R. Roller, L. C. Friebley and William Swayer. Rev. John W.
Woods was the first pastor. Under the ministration of Dr. A. B. Brice
thirty-eight accessions were added to the church.
Christian Crumley came in 1802 and settled at the head of the Hock-
ing, one mile south of Greencastle. He lived here till he died in 1856.
Daniel Glick and Daniel Hoy came from the same State and settled
west of Greencastle.
Daniel Hoy settled where Isaac Hoy now lives, and with his son,
Isaac, founded the society of the Evangelical Association and built the
church on that place just before the late war. Daniel Glick settled
where Michael Hickle now lives. He came to the county at an earl}^
day, and when he heard of the coming of some of his relatives, met
them at the State line, going the entire distance on foot but took sick
and was hauled back on a sled. When the sled arrived where the
Glick church now stands it stopped, and he remarked that the place
would make a good burying ground. He died in this spell of sickness
HISTORY OF FAIRF^JELD COUNTY. 211
and was, the first buried in that yard. The first log cliurch was built
soon after this event in 1807. The church is German Lutheran and the
third house was erected in 1870, and is known as the "Salem Church/'
The ground — eight acrCvS — was donated by Daniel and Philip Hoy,
Peter Woodring and Mrs. Hoy.
The Rock mill was built in 1799 and was the first of the kind in the
township. The building was low down among the rocks and the grists
were taken in at the gable window, and letdown to the hopper with ropes.
The first still-house was at the Stump Spring and was owned by J.
D. Courtright.
Messrs. Loveland & Smith owned the mill and the same Loveland
entered a large tract of land in the township and this land was after-
wards taken up by the Alspaughs, Williamsons, Granels and others.
The Alspaughs, now a numerous family, are descendants of John,
Michael, Jacob and Philip, Pensylvanians, who came before the State
was admitted. Jacob settled where Paul Alspaugh now lives ; Michael
above Greencastle : John where Henry Meason lives, and Philip near
Winchester. John D. Alspaugh, now an old man, lives south of Jef-
ferson and is a grandson of Jacob Alspaugh.
Theodore Williamson was the head of that now numerous family.
He settled where Silas Williamson now lives. His children George
W., Jacob, Newton and Elizabeth Holderman all became the heads of
large prominent families in this township.
The Otterbein church was built on Newton Williamson's place near
the present school house and just west of the road. Mr. Theodore
Williamson, Mr. Granel, John Bolenbaugh and others were its foun-
ders. The new frame was erected prior to the late war. It is the Mt.
Zion church.
Litliopolis is the principal town of the township. It is a thriving
place, having a population of 480, several stores, a good graded school,
a hotel, and a good weekly paper — edited by the Kramer Brothers.
Frederick Baugher laid out this town in 1815, and an addition was
afterwards made b}^ Solomon Baugher. It was first called Centerville,
but in 1836 it was chartered and called Litliopolis. Elias Perry was the
first mayor, and Isaac Cade the first clerk. Dr. E. L. Miner, W. W.
Hite, father of Talman Hite, (the violinist,) Isaac McPhadden, Louis
Pluber and William Cater were the first councilmen. John F. Killils
is the present mayor, and John F. Stallsmith is clerk.
Dr. E. L. Miner was prominent among the early settlers of the
town. He was born June 9. 1827, in Middletown, Vermont, graduated
in Castletown College in 1818, removed to Royalton in 1820, and to
Centerville in 1825, and there spent forty-five years of his professional
life. He, with Mr. George Custer, the Brow^ns and others, sixteen in
all, founded the Presbyterian society in 1834. Rev. Mr. Leonard was
the first pastor in charge, and was succeeded by Rev. S. M. Wilson,
who remained twenty N^ears.
Dr. Miner's wife was the first to be carried into the chmxh. His
little daughter Mary died the \ear before, and was the first to be buried
in the cemetery. This beautiful piece of ground lay in the middle of
Dr. Miner's farm, and was intended first as a private yard for his own
family, but was afterwards donated by him to the town. Dr. Miner
212 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
also established the Sabbath school, and after his death his second wife
has carried on the good work with a zeal worthy of the cause. In
1876 she orij^anized her mission band of young ladies and children who
send about $30 annuall}- to India ; the proceeds, principally, of needle
work. Mrs. Miner is a graduate of Troy, New York, and is a highh-
educated lad}-, and was at one time the teacher of French in Dr. Wil-
liams' Academy of this place. After this church was erected, in course
of time the Methodists and Lutherans each built houses.
The first tanyard was kept by Mr. Reiley, after whom Joseph Brown
owned it for many years, ^fhe Lithopolis Lodge, No. 169, was char-
tered September 29, 1848. William Reiley was the Worthy Master.
The Old Betser church, German Reformed and Lutheran, was built
on land owned b\- John Fellers. Andrew Me\ers, Judge Chane}' and
John F'ellers were some of the lounders.
The hewed-log building way erected in 1809, but Father Kemp
and others preached to tliis society some two or three 3'ears before this
building was erected. Peter Meyers helped to raise one corner of the
house. His death occurred not long at"ter. His burial was the first in
this grave yard. The church has always been a prosperous one, and
has had a good membership. Peter Meyers came to this vicinity in
1805, and settled on land now owned by Joshua Fellers. Father Ben-
nadum was also an old settler and preached here. The laud was do-
nated and sold in part by John Fellers in 1814 for the church.
The new building erected in 1882, and the new cemeter}-, shows a
llattering view of the prosperous condition of the society.
The church remained union in its character for many years. Father
Wise, of the Reformed Church, served the congregation over thirty
years, while Father Stake, a Lutheran, remained in charge for twelve
years. He was followed by Revs. John Wagenhals, Bruice and others.
Austin Henry, a Presbyterian, has been called at this writing.
Joshua Fellers, Jesse Brant and John C. Alspaugh are among the
leading members now. The Fellers' Hill, upon which this church is
situated, commands one of the most picturesque yiews to be seen in the
county. From this point, and with the naked eye, field after field,
crossing vale, stream, hill and wood-land, a vision of beauty opens up
until Newark and the heights above Granville can be seen, though the
latter place is twenty miles distant. The countrv through here is un-
dulating, but the soil is rich and the farmers are prosperous.
Jefierson is a small town, laid out before the war of 181 2, by George
Hoshor, who had Hamilton to survey it and laid off sixty-four lots. It
was on the military road from Wheeling, Virginia, to the lakes, through
this point. John Fisher, the saddler, kept the first store. It also had
a hotel, but the building up of canals and railroads, at other points,
took awa}' its prestige, and now it is but a mere collection of houses.
Dr. Talbot, born in Maryland, in 1798, came here in 1830, since
which time he has been the leading piiysician.
Lockville, named from the number of locks on the canal at this point,
is a town no longer of any commercial importance, although fbrmerh,
the Mitholfs and Hoshors carried on trade in grain (juite briskly- aftei"
the town was first laid ofl'. It is partly in Bloom and parth' in Violet,
and was jilatted out at the time of the oj^ening of the canal.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 2I'i
CHAPTER XXXII.
CLEAR CREEK TOWNSHIP.
Clear Creek township constitutes the extreme southwest ol^ Fairtield
county. It is bounded on the north b}^ Amanda township, on the east
by Madison township, on the south and west b}^ Pickawa}^ county.
This township presents to strangers few distinctive features. The sur-
face is undulating, growing more hilly to the northward. The soil is
varied and well adapted to agriculture. Corn and wheat are the sta-
]-)les. Live stt>ck is extensively raised. The native varieties of timber
do not differ materiall}- from those of the neighboring townships, con-
sisting chieflv ot oak, ash, beech, maple, walnut, hickory, etc.
The township is highh' improved, the farms being small and in most
cases ornamented bv good dwellings and barns. Clear Creek township
formerl}^ embraced within its limits Madison township, which was in
time struck off. leaving the township as at present constituted. The
principal streams of this township are as follows: Salt Creek, which
enters the township at the northwest, flows a southeaster!}' course,
leaving the township at the south center ; Sippo Creek, which flows in
a southerlv direction through the western sections of the township ;
Dunkle Run, which rises in section 5, flows in an easterly direction,
and empdes into Clear Creek. Clear Creek is a stream of some impor-
tance, which flows through the northeastern sections of the township and
trom which the township derives its name. There are other smaller
streams in the township of not suflicient importance to require descrip-
tion here.
The flrst election in Clear Creek township was held at the house of
Philip Shandes, April 5, 1813, at which the following oflicers were
elected, viz.: township clerk, Joseph F. Reynolds; trustees, George
M. Nigh, Nehemiah Coldren and Joseph Hedges; overseers of poor,
Matthias Hedges and Nicholas Conrad ; fence-viewers, Stephen Jidien
and Samuel Bachtle : lister, Michael Nigh ; constables, William Reyn-
olds, William Moore, and Martin Smith ; supervisors, Harrison Moore
and John Conrad : treasurer, John Augustus. The flrst Jusdces were
Michael Nigh, George Dilsaver, and John Leist. Since the time of
the flrst election there have served as township clerk the following :
John Marks, George Valentine, William Hamilton, George S. Baker,
and W. M. Wise, "the present incumbent. The township officers at
the present time are as follows: Justices, Amos Levan, Daniel Pickle,
and Alexander Kiefaber ; trustees, Allen Crites, Levi Bolender, and
Henry W. Ciehrett : clerk, W. M. Wise ; treasurer, John Stout ; assessor,
Cornelius Conrad : constables, Lewis Crites and George Dillsaver.
The writer of this, while engaged in this work, has labored under
many disad\antages, owing, in a great measure, to the utter indifler-
ence of manv of the inhabitants, vet, as far as possible, the correct
;^2I4 HISTORY OI'" FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
data is given. The history of Clear Creek township, as near as could
be learned, begins perhaps with the settlement of Jacob Shiimaker, in
1797. George Stout came to this township in 1804, and settled about
one mile north of Stoutsville. Mr. Stout came from Bucks county,
Pennsylvania. He was the father of seven children, all of whom are
dead, except Jonathan, who was born in 1800, and is, at the present
time, living in Stoutsville. George Dillsaver came to Clear Creek
township about this time, and is credited with liaving the tirst horse-
mill in the township, Adam Fosnaught settled in the township in 1804.
John Leist, an early settler of Clear Creek township, was born in 1784;
settled in Clear Creek in 1807. Mr. Liest was one of the foremost
men of the township at this time. He was in the Legislature for a
term of eight years, and a commissioner to adjust damages from con-
structing canals for twenty-two 3'ears. He was at Detroit and Fort
Meigs, served under Harrison, and voted for ten Presidents as a mem-
ber of the old Whig party. Benjamin Stout, another old settler of the
township, was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, came to Clear
Creek township in 1808, and located one and one-half miles north of
Stoutsville. He was the father of thirteen children, six of whom are
yet living. John, David, and Simon are yet living in Clear Creek
township. Charles Friend, a settler of 1802, is said to have built the
iirst water-power grist-mill on Clear Creek. Peter Wolf settled in the
township in 1808. John Moonev, an old settler of the township, came
from Germany and located in Clear Creek about 1803. John Stepleton
settled in Clear Creek in 1797. He married Magdalena, daughter of
Jacob Shumaker, another settler of 1797. There were born of this
union sixteen children, but two of whom are now living — Sophia, mar-
ried to Anthony Haupser, and living in Allen county, Ohio, and Joseph,
living at this time in Stoutsville. He was born in 1815, and married in
1836 to Salome Moyer, of Perr}- county. There were born of this
union eight children, four of whom are still living and reside in this
township.
Georije Baker came to this township in 18 12, in company- with his
brother, Abraham. When the}^ came to this township they came in a
covered wagon, and their only shelter consisted of some poles driven
in the ground, and their only covering was the covering of the wagon,
and some straw for beddintj was obtained of Geors^e Stout, one of the
neighbors at this time. The present inhabitants of Clear Creek town-
ship, surrounded by all the comforts of life, know but little of the dis-
advantages under which the old pioneers labored. The inhabitants of
the township did the greater part of their trading in Zanesville, Mus-
kingum county, and when they were in need of salt, nails, etc., they
were compelled to drive to that place, a distance of about hfty miles ;
and in this wa}- the greater part of a week was consumed in one trip.
George S. Baker, a son of the preceding, was born Juh^ 30, 18 19, and
still resides on the farm settled by his father in the woods. He is one
of the most prominent men of the township, having the good will and
confidence of the people. He has held the ofiice ot township clerk for
a term of thirty-ti\'e years. He also served in the Legislature for a
term of five years. He was also a Justice of the Peace from 1851 to
to 1854, '^'^^-^ from 1857 to 1878, making in all, as a Justice of the Peace,
HISTOliY OF FAIKFIET.Il COUNTY. 215
twenty-four years. Tlu' three years that Mr. Ikiker was not a Justice
of the Peace was the time that the " Know-nothing "' party was in the
ascendenc}', and succeeded in electing all their otlicers in this township,
and during this interval Mr. Baker was commissioned as a notary pub-
lic, a position which he holds at this time, having served as a notary-
public tor a term of nine years. The writer of this feels indebted to
Mr. Baker for many things connected with this work. Noah Valentine,
who was born in Maryland, came to this county in 1811. He was mar-
ried, January i. 1829, to Miss Mary Conrad, and commenced life with
a " single dollar." He is at this time living on his tarm, two miles
south-east of Stouts ville. Jonas Stepleton, who was born February 25,
182,3, was the owner of the lirst wheat separator in Fairtield county,
and in this he constructed an apparatus for hulling clover. This was
the first machine of the kind known at that time. Among the old set-
tlers of Clear Creek township might also be mentioned John Augustus,
Thompson Re3molds, Henry Spangler, John Zehrung, Jonathan Dres-
bach, Peter Wolf, and Steward Reynolds.
This township is just six miles square, and contains nine school dis-
tricts, each composed of a square of four sections, with a school-house
where they corner, and each is supplied with a neat and substantial
brick building. The cause of education receives considerable atten-
tion in this township, the schools being well provided wath efficient
teachers. In the early history of the township no female teachers were
employed.
There are in this township seven churches and eight congregations,
viz. : United Brethren, two ; Lutheran, two ; English Lutheran, one ;
German Reformed, one ; Evaugelical Association, one ; and Methodist
Episcopal, one. The Lutherans built a log church near what is called
Dutch Hollow, and it is regarded as the first. Jacob Leist was an early
preacher (a Lutheran), and is remembered by aged men as their bo}'-
hood's early catechiser.
The village of Stoutsville is located to the west of the center of the
township, on the line of the Cincinnati and Muskingum Valley Rail-
road. It was laid out in 1854 by Benjamin Stout, one of the early
settlers. It has two steam mills. The first, owned bv S. K. Valentine
and J. W. Baker, has a grain elevator in connection, said to be
one of the finest on the line of the railroad.' The second is a custom
mill, owned by Benjamin Read. There are two dry-goods stores,
owned by F. M. Pool and Simon Stout ; one drug store, owned by Lu-
zerne Roberts: one general grocery store, by Eli Neft'; and two gro-
ceries, by James Hillard and William Lathouse ; one harness shop, one
undertaker's shop, and one sawmill. Stoutsville has a fine, large school
building, consisting of four rooms, erected at a cost of about four thou-
sand dollars, and the schools are under the efficient management of the
following teachers : for the grammar department, John Grove ; tor the
intermediate department. Miss Maggie Lowry ; and for the primary
department. Miss Anna Pontius. Stoutsville has two churches, viz. :
the Evangelical Association, and the church owned jointly by the Lu-
2t6 HISTOUY ok 1<AIKFIKTJ) C'OITXTV.
ihcran and German Reformed congregations. "^I^iie corner-stone of ilie
last named church was hiid Octoher 31, 1855. Tlie th"st pastor of the
German Reformed congregation was [. B. I'homjxson. He was suc-
ceeded by J. C. Klar, D. M. xMbrightJ. W. Alspach, J. B. Gough, j.
KHnger, and J. W. Barber, the present pastor. The original trustees
were George Myers, on the part of the German Reformed congrega-
tion, and Henry W. Gehrett, on the part of the Lutheran congregation.
Mr. Gehrett resigned his place, which was filled bv George Wolt". ^Khe
first pastor of the Lutheran congregation was the Rev. J. W. Weimer.
The present pastor is the Rev. Hallet Fishburne. The church of the
Evangelical Association was built in 1872, at a cost of three thousand
two hundred dollars. The original trustees were Edw^ard Dresbach,
Benjamin Read, Joseph Roof, x\sbury Pool, and Dr. H. L. Ferguson.
The pastors, were as follows : S. E. Rite, wdio was succeeded b\' L. W.
Hanky, G. W. Ellenberger, C. M. Reinhold, and W. A.. Shisler, the
present pastor. The present trustees are Benjamin Read, Levi Bolen-
der, G. W. Upp, John Reichelderzer and Edward Dresbach.
Oakland is a village of small size, and w'as founded by Charles
Sage. It is situated four miles east of Stoutsville, on the Amanda and
Tarlton pike. Oakland has two dr3'-goods stores, owned by Bernhardt
Kiefaber and John Lawrence ; one gi'ocery, owned by William Smith ;
one saloon, by Noah Huffman ; one blacksmith shop, and one shoe
shop. This village has within its limits a tine, large school-house and
two churches — the Methodist Episcopal and United Brethren. There
are two post-oftices in this township — Stoutsville, which receives four
mails daily, F. M. Pool, post-master; and the ofhce at Oakland,
known as Clear Creek post-office. The}' receive here a semi- weekly
mail. John Lawrence is the post-master.
There are within this towaiship two physicians, both located at
Stoutsville, H. L. Ferguson and J. H. Axline.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 21'
CHAPTER XXXIII.
GREENFIELD TOWNSHIP.
The surface of this township is comparatively level. The soil is
good, and much fruit, corn, and wheat are raised. Being contiguous
to New Lancaster, the first settlers of the county naturally located on
the oyer n fichh comprising this territory-. As early as in the spring of
1798 settlements were made, and in 1799 numerous families had settled
at the forks of the Hockhocking, in the Claypool neighborhood, then
Yankeetown, and at the Rock mills. Of those who became promi-
nent in early settlement ot this precinct, and before the year 1800, were,
Isaac Meason, Captain Joseph Steward, William M'Farland, Ralph
and Jeremiah Chm^v, Samuel Randall. Alexander Sanderson, Daniel
Bright, Jacob Dumont. Henry Abrams, John Bailar, Adam and John
Westenberger, a Mr. Nail, John M'Arthur, John Morgan, Jas. Brooks,
Colonel Crooks, Drake Taylor, Isaac Rice, James Wells, and some
others. Settlements had been made at the three above-named places
as earh" as in the spring and tall of 1799. Captain Joseph Steward set-
tled, in 1799, iinm^idiately south of judge John GraybilTs, on the Co-
lumbus pike, two miles from Lancaster. His son, Levi Steward, was
born in 1800, he being the tirst child born in the township. Ralph and
Jeremiah Cherry, William McFarlin, and Samuel Randall, were also
settlers of this vicinity. They entered their land on the "squatter
claim," simph', but it was afterwards put in market and sold for tw'o
dollars per acre.
The Yankeetown settlement was also made in the year 1799. James
Wells settled upon the present Hooker land in 1799. Jacob Claypool,
the father of Isaac, bought the land in 1805. In 1799, James Brooks,
Mr. Cook, and Drake Taylor, also squatted in this vicinity.
The Rock-mill settlement was made about this time also. Among
those here was Michael Rice, father of Miss Van Burton. He settled
immediately below the Rock mill, near the present woolen lactor\-.
This was in 1799.
The tirst mills were established here, called the Loveland
Mills, now Rock Mills, built by James Loveland and Hezekiah Smith,
in 1800. The}' erected a saw mill, a grist mill, and also were the tirst
to sell goods in the township. They purchased their stock lor trade in
Detroit, and packed them from that point. This place was at that
time a rendezvous tor the Indians, who came from Chillicothe every
year, and would always go away loaded with lead. Where they ob-
tained it has ever been a myster}-, but old residents state that they un-
doubtedl}' found it somewhere in that locality. The trade then w^as
good, whiskey, tobacco, muslins, etc., etc. From the Indians lur was
taken in exchange for goods. James Reed built a saw mill soon after
this tjme, immediately below the Loveland Mills.
28
■2]S HISTOKY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
Alexander Sanderson came in 1798. In 180Q, Henry Abrams came
from Chillicolhe and settled on this land, and the well known General
married one of Abrams' danghters. This marriage occurred in 1803,
and was the second in the township : Thomas Dawson to Sallie Abrams
being the hrst. In the same year Henr}' Abrams built the first hewed log
house in the township. The first school of the towmship was taught by
a Mr. May. The cabin school house was erected in 1802, on the ShutT
farm.
Greenheld was laid out in 1805. being named from its green
helds. Colonel Crook was the tirst tax collector, and afterwards sherifli'
of the county. The present othcers of the townsiiip are: trustees,
Jacob Clavpool, Solomon Smith and E. M. Miller; clerk, Henry
Holmes ; treasurer, John W. Wilson ; justices, Samuel Coffman and D.
C. Keller; constables, B. M. Wiley and Elijah Freeman: assessors,
A. H. Ginder and Marion Ilanna.
Isaac Meason, father of John Meason, w'as the tirst to settle, locat-
ing where the late Elijali Meason resided-in 1798, and Levi Stewart, now
of Lancaster, is the oldest native born in the township. David Bright
built the tirst still house, near where John Bright lived in an earl)- da}',
and soon thereafter a great number sprang up. The w^olf, bear, deer,
panther and Indians were numerous until about the year i8io,b3' which
time they had decreased.
One of the pioneer mothers oi the township was Mrs. Sarah Car-
lisle. She was sister to Mrs. Margaret Ewing, mother of Thomas E.,
William and James Ewing. She came to the county in 1799. In 1802
she married Nathaniel Wilson, of Hocking township, and then moved
with her family where her son, B. W. Carlisle afterwards lived. In
1807 Mr. Wilson died, and in 1813 she was married to Thomas Car-
lisle. He came to the count}'^ in 181 1, was a Justice of the Peace many
vears. He died in 1844.
The tirst chvnxh of the township was built by the Lutherans, in 1813,
although it is probable the Methodists held services prior to this time,
in old father Meason's house, near Pleasant Summit, but the society did
not build until the year 1840. This summit divides the waters of
the Hocking and Walnut Creeks. Hand and Milligan w'ere the tirst
circuit riders. The house still stands, but the society is about to move
the location. John Williams was the tirst preaclier in the township, he
settled in 1800. In 1816, Wallace, a Scotch Covenanter, tried to estab-
lish a society and build a church, but he failed. In 1847 the Methodist
societ}-, under Rev. David Swartz, founder and first local preacher,
built a church in Havensport, but they have just lately joined themselves
in part to the Carroll M. E. Church. The United Brethren in Christ
built the Hopewell church, near the Rock Mill, in the beginning of the
late war. William and Martin Coflman and William Stanberrj' were
the founders. The society has always been small.
The Methodists of Carroll have the largest societ}- in the town-
ship. It was organized in 1838, under the leadership of Elijah
Dove and Hany Messmore. The last named member was a noble man
and soon after this died, leaving the principal work to devolve upon Mr.
Dove, who has labored continuously since that time, when he was about
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 219
the only male member ol the church, till now, having seen the society
increase in numbers, to one hundred and twenty-tive. Elijah Bing and
Jacob Adams were the first circuit preachers, and came on the circuit in
the years 1842 and 1843.
Among those who followed these men were Rev. James Dillruth,
the earliest M, E. preacher in the township, James Hooper, A. B. See,
Samuel Harvey, Richard Pitzer, Samuel Bright and Henry Dortner.
The new church was built and dedicated in July, 1854. Rev. Connell
preached the sermon. Rev. B. D. Storer is the present and an able
pastor. Joseph Dove is the superintendent of the Sunday school, now
in a flourishing condition.
There are three villages within the limit of Greenfield ; Carroll, the
principal town, at the junction of the Hocking Canal with the Ohio, and
on the line of the Hocking Valley Railroad ; Havensport, one and a half
miles northeast of Carroll ; and Dumontsville four miles north of Lan-
caster.
Carroll was laid out by William Tong, after the completion of the
canal. His dwelling house was the first structure of the kind, erected
on this ground, and a part of it is still standing, now owned by Isaac
Graybiil. He also built the first mill. This building was a frame struc-
ture, and is now used by Saylor & Ebright, for a ware house, but it was
moved to its present location from the run near the depot. This town
has always been a good grain market, and the trade in cereals has been
an advantage to the town. Mr. Saylor is the oldest living representa-
tion born in the town. He was with Mr. William' Breck, who opened a
ware house as early as 1832, many years, but has carried on since 1862
with Mr. N. S. Ebright. The firm handles about 60,000 bushels of wheat
and corn annually. Mr. Tong was a contractor on the canal. He
built the State dam, but before he fairly got the town laid off, he died.
William Breck started the first store. He also opened the first ho-
tel. This property is now the Ashbell House. After the completion of
the canal, there was ftiuch travel by boat, and it was not uncommon for
the landlord to make beds on the floor to accommodate his guests.
There are at present three hotels, several stores, a good grist mill, a
good two-story school house, a church, three physicians and a Masonic
lodge in the town.
This lodge, the Napthalia, was established in 1855. Dr. A. T. Al-
dred and Mr. Henry Saylor, of Carroll, were among its charter mem-
bers. Dr. Aldred is its present Worthy Master.
Havensport was platted by Isaac Havens about the time of the com-
pletion of the canal, or in 1831, and was a boat station: it was at one
time a flourishing little town. Mr. George Zimmerman built the first
hotel, which he kept for a long time ; there was also a warehouse and
store kept by Judge Martin, an M. E. church, built in 1847, and gen-
erally a physician in the town. Dr. Aldred practiced his profession in
the village"^ some twelve years. The town has gone down and there is
but a mere collection of a few houses. The little town of Dumontsville.
owes its existence to Jacob Dumont, a Frenchman.
The Greenfield Academy, at one time an important institution, was
built bv Jacob Clavpool for school and church purposes, about the year
220 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
1830. Dr. Williams, a ripe scholar and a well known writer and author,
taught the school about ten years, aud many of the leading men of the
county were chiefly educated there.
The buildings are still standing, and are about five miles out from
Lancaster, on the Claypool farm, but the noted educator and sell-educat-
ed man is gone. He was not brilliant, but a thorough classical scholar,
a fine grammarian and an unequaled lexicographer, in his day, but
greater in nothing than his simplicit^'.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 22 1
CHAPTER XXXIV.
HOCKING TOWNSHIP.
Hocking lownshij) was the home of the tirst settlers in this region of
the country, and in part onh', contains some of the fair fields, after
which the county w'as named. The northwestern portion of this town-
ship is somewhat undulating, but rich in soil, and produces large crops
of all kinds of grain. The whole of the southeastern portion is made
up of valleys and hills. The soil is sandy and shallow ; on the ridges of
the hills tiolhing can grow except ferns, mountain laurel, pine trees
and a few hard\' shrubs. Pasture is very poor and the timber, mainly
chestnut, oak and pine, attains to a considerable size. The old red
sandstone predominates, and generally leaf mould and vegetable de-
posits are found mixed with clay and iron.
In the extreme southeastern corner of this township, is the State
Farm, consisting of 1210 acres of ground, or nearly two sections of land
which meet at opposite corners. At this junction are the buildings of
the institution. The buildings consist of the Main building, the Ohio.
Hocking, Muskingum, Cuyahoga, Scioto, Huron, Miami, Erie, Maumee,
and Union family buildings, shoe, brush, blacksmith, tailor, paint, car-
penter, bake shops, carriage, meat, ware, engine, gas, ice, corn and
green houses, water tower, hospital, mending room, knitting room,
chamber of reflection, laundry, two horse barns, a piggery, cow barn,
and out buildings.
The land upon this site was formerly owned by a Mr. Reber, near
the spring of which is where he had his dwelling-house. He had four
large buildings where the main buildings are now, and the farm w'as
principally used lor raising tobacco. Mr. Henry Meyers owned this
land, and it was he who sold it to the State, receiving as compensation
about $15. per acre.
In 1857-58, Charles Remelin, of Cincinnati, prevailed upon the State
Legislature to establish a Reform School for unruly boys, and at his
suggestion the first log structures were erected, and on January 30,
1858, the first ten boys were received into the institution from Cincin-
nati, himself being appointed as its first superintendent. Since then,
there have been 3,586 bo3S received, there being 538 now remaining.
The estimated worth of these buildings in 1876 was $200,000., and the
cost to the State for each boy was $118.00. Geo. E. Howe suc-
ceeded Mr. Remelin, and remained in charge many years. Mr. Charles
Douglass is the present snjjerintendent.
Just north of the State Reform Farm is a natural curiosity wortlu' of
the many visits made to see it — it is a large rock, in area comprising an
acre of ground, and is situated upon the summit of the Old Stump Hill.
This hill is near the old Lancaster and State Farm road, and just south
22 2 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
of and adjoining Mr. U hi' s farm — is probably 150 feet in height. The
rock upon this hill is from forty to seventy-five feet in height, and some
years since was named " Christmas Rock." This rock at one time,
probably at the time of the great earthquake at the crucifixion of
Christ, was cleft from end to end^ from top to bottom, laterally and
lengthwise, into fissures, there being at least a baker's dozen of them.-
These fissures are in some cases but a foot or so in width, others being
four or five feet, but in all cases rise perpendicularly from forty to
sixty or seventy feet in height ; from end to end, some extend in length
300 feet. Standing above these fissures one has a picturesque view
of the valleys and hills looking towards Lancaster, this city being
six miles off, and visible to the eve at this point.
The pioneers of this township were the first settlers of this county.
Of these early settlers may be mentioned Joseph Hunter, the Greens.
Shaefers, Spurgeons,Woodrings, Reeces. Wilsons, Converse «ind others.
Some of these were early on the ground, and were generally from some
eastern State, coming to Pittsburgh in wagons, thence unloading their
effects into a tlat-boat, would float down to the mouth of the Hocking
River, and from there would take dugouts or canoes and make their way
to the new settlement or to New^ Lancaster, .as it was then known.
Prominent among these pioneers was the first settler, Joseph Hunter,
a man of dauntless courage, and of sterling worth, and father of Hock-
ing H. Hunter, one of Ohio's leading lawyers: he came with his fam-
ily from Kentucky, and settled on Zane's Trace, about one hundred and
fitty yards northwest of the present turnpike road crossings, which place
became Hunter's settlement; this was in April, 1798, and at that time
Captain Hunter was the only white man known to be in the county.
He felled trees and erected himself a cabin and lived until in the year
1846, when he died ; his widow, Dorothy Hunter, died several years
thereafter. Some two weeks after the settlement of Captain Joseph
Hunter, Isaac Shaefer and a few^ others came down the Ohio and up the
Hocking River and stopped a few days with Captain Hunter, looking
up a location, but not being suited, went to Sugar Grove, and soon after
to where the old Deffenbach Mill is, and then built the original mill
that afterwards went by that name. Mr. Shaefer came from Lancaster
county, Pennsylvania ; there were in this company, who came with Mr.
Shaefer, Mr. Abraham Ream and tamily from Reamstown, Pennsyl-
vania ; after settling in this covuity, lie established what was subse-
quently known as the Re<^/fi's Mi'll.
/^n 1799 Isaac Shaefer married Julia A. Ream, and in 1800 there was
/born unto them Delilah Shaefer, the first white child in the county, it
our informant is correct. This honor has generally been given to Hock-
ing H. Hunter, the lawyer, who first saw the light of day August ist,
1801. There were besides Delilah, Joab. Isaac, John, Rachel, and
Sarah Shaefer, children of this pioneer couple, who lived and died in
this county, with but one or two exceptions. Mr. Ream's daughters
were married to John Pannebaker, Abraham Shaefer, Isaac Shaefer,
Joseph Stukey, Lewis Hershberger. and Henry Aneshensel, all of
whom w^ere likewise well known in the count}' in an earl}' day.
The Green family were pronunent as being among the first in the
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY
223
224 HISTORY OF FAIRF"IEI.I> COUNTY.
township also. William Green came in 1798 also, but soon after hia
arrival sickened and died. His was the first death, and his body was
buried in a hickory bark coffin on the west bank of Fetter's Run, a few
rods north of the old Zanesville road, east of Lancaster. The elder
John Green settled just south of Vap Burton's, and on land near. He
was married fo Mrs. Bilderback, who, witli her former husband, had
been taken prisoners at Wheeling, Virginia, while salting their cattle,
one Sunday morning, and carried to Chillicothe, where her husband.
Mr. Bilderback, was scalped, and where she made her escape. Tlie
Coateses were at the Crossings in 1799, '^"^^ Samuel Coates, Jr., as
early as 1800, became postmaster for the new settlement, as once a week
the mail was carried, b}- the Zane Trace, from Wheeling to Maysville.
James Converse was the first store-keeper. He lived near where Robert
Peters now resides. In 1801 his house was used for an assembly room,
where the settlers had met to make provisions for a defense against a
supposed attack the Indians were about to make, bnt the conference
ended in a tight and a brawl among themselves.
Near the foot of the Baker Hill is where Hunter built his mill, on
Hunter's Run. When Green come he followed this run up until he
came to the knob, nov.' the Beck property ; here he killed a bear and
a deer, and afterwards located on that spot. It is claimed by some that
Allen Green, his son, was the first white child born in the comity.
Maurice Reece emigrated from Penns}ivf'nia in 1799 and settled
just north of Spurgeon's Knob, at which place James Hunter taught
school as early as 1801. Andrew Himter, son of John Hunter, em-
igrated from Virginia with Maurice and Jesse Reece in 1800 and set-
tled where Andrew Hunter now lives.
The above mentioned settlers were among the ver}- hrst who came
to the county. The township, after 1800, received many additions, and
emigration rapidly set in, so that clearings, cabin raisings, etc., became
the order of the day, and the settlement naturally extended its limits,
land being taken up along the Muddy Prairie and Arnev Runs, the same
as on that of Hunter's.
Every early settlement, as soon as practicable, erected mills. Those
first in use were Hunter's, Ream's, and Shellenberger's ; later still, one
was built on Muddy Prairie, and one oil mill on Arney's Run. This
latter mill was located where the engine-house for the State Farm is
now, and was owned b}^ one Daniel Arne}', who, in order to obtain
sufficient amount of water for grinding purposes, would be required to
save it for days and weeks at times. There was a mill just below
this oil mill, in Madison township, that complained of this matter, and
the disagreement finally led to a law suit that ended in compelling Mr.
Arne}- to let the water oft' at least within certain periods of time, and in
breaking him up.
Hamburg is the only town or village in the township. It is in the
southern portion, on the old Chillicothe road, and was formerly, during
the days when the only mode of travel was by stage, an important point
on the old Zane's Trace, but it has lost the grandeur of its former pres-
tige, and is now but a mere collection of a few^ houses, a store, a school
HISTORY OF FAIRFtELb COUNTY. 225
imd a church or so. It was probably laid out by William Medill, soon af-
ter the War of 1812, and the first house built by him is now owned by
Mr. John Hyde, and is still standing ; it was used quite awhile for a
hotel. During- the palm}- days of Harrison's time, this General was
said to have frequently stopped there in company with other noted per-
sonages of his time.
Mr. Henry Siver, the present infirmary director, started the first
store in this place, in 185 1 . A tan yard was kept b}^ Mr. John Kniester.
He lived in one part ot the building, and worked in the other.
The Lutherans established a society in this town, and built a church
as earl}- as 1850. They also built again in 1882. Soon at'ter the erec-
tion of the Lutheran church, the Methodist society also erected a build-
ing. The membership of the church is now very small.
About one mile west of Hamburg, where Jacob Kerns, Jr., now lives,
was the Cross Keys Hotel, kept tor mauA- vears by Jacob Kerns, Sr.,
who came to the county as earlv as 1812. Mr. Jacob Kerns also erect-
ed a log school house on his place, soon alter his arrival, for the accom-
modation of the early settlers. Just west of Jacob Kerns place, and on
the land now owned bv H. W. Kerns, is a Methodist Church building,
erected in 1875. This society worshiped in an early day, in a brick
house on the old Sawyer farm, just below that point.
On the Lancaster and Circleville turnpike, in the western part of
the township, is the Mt. Zion Church, erected as early as 1835. The
Brethren Church, one and a half miles southeast of Mt. Zion Church,
was established about the same time. The Lutherans also built a
church on Mr. Beck's propertv. This building was erected just before
the late war.
20
226 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
CHAPTER XXXV.
LIBERTY TOWNSHIP.
Liberty lies between Violet and Walnut, in the northern tier of
towjiships. It was so named at the request of the first settlers who
were from Switzerland. Thev had emigrated from a land where their
liberties had been much restricted, and the}^ desired to perpetuate the
change to freedom, hence the name of Libert}-. The surface of the
township is generally flat, being slightly undulating near the villages of
Basil and Baltimore. When first settled, it was densely timbered with
maple, beech, elm, hickor}- and other varieties of hard wood, but the
large amounts destro^'ed in clearing the land, and used for fuel, build-
ing and fencing, has denuded the forests to such an extent, that but lit-
tle timber of value remains. Walnut Creek, the principal stream of
water, passes across the southern part of the township in a rheandering
course. Poplar Creek, its principal tributar}-, rises in the northwestern
part of the township. Little Paw Paw Creek heads in the northeastern
part of Walnut, and flows in a southed}- direction into the Walnut.
The Ohio Canal crosses the southwestern part of Liberty.
A portion of the Refugee tract of land is located in the northern
part of the township.
Various bands of Delaware, Wyandotte and other tribes of Indians,
wandered about this and other townships, for several years after the
first white settlements commenced. It was a common occurrence for
the men and boys of both races to engage in wrestling, jumping and
foot races. The site of the present village of Basil is said to have had
several of the meeting places, where the whites and Indians would fre-
quentlv engage in these amusements.
The Indians had cleared tracts of land and planted some corn, which
with their game enabled them to obtain quite a comfortable subsistence.
They also made considerable quantities of maple sugar during the
spring season. They frequently exchanged their skins and furs with
the whites, for flour, salt, lead, powder and other commodities.
They were particularly desirous of exchanging their peltr}- for whis-
ky, of which they were very fond. During the war of 1812 the settlers
were often alarmed by reports of hostile Indians coming into the town-
ship.
There was a fort at the house of Jiidge Burtons, in Pleasant town-
ship, to which the women and children were taken, when an alarm was
given. The fighting men of the settlements would rendezvous at
tancaster, until after the scare had subsided.
The first settlers of Liberty township were emigrants from Switzer-
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 227
land and Pennsylvania. It cannot now be ascertained who was the ven'
first settler of the township.
Christisn Gundy and t-amily came from Lancaster county, Pennsyl-
vania, in 1809. settling in the southern part of Libert}', on Walnut
Creek. He erected a small log cabin, having a blanket for a door.
His descendants still reside here. David Brumback came to Liberty
about 1B03, locating in the southeastern part of the township. x\mong
the early Swiss settlers were Nicholas Bader, Joseph Alt and Jacob
Showlev, who settled in Libertv, prior to 1806. Thev transferred their
household goods from Pittsburg in flat boats, down the Ohio River, to
the mouth of the Hocking, at which place they put them into canoes
and rowed them to the Falls of Hocking, near the present village of
Logan, and from there conveyed them through a dense wilderness, to
their future homes in Liberty.
Francis Bibler came from Virginia in 1805. He located in the
southwestern part of the township. He erected a cabin, which stood
near the residence of John Chapman, of Basil. For several weeks
after first settling here, the family subsisted entirely on wild game, not
having any bread in the house. The nearest flouring mill was at Chilli-
cothe, to which place the settlers would go for their flour and meal.
Rev. Henry Leonard, who was born in 181 2, and still resides in the
township, furnishes the following list of families, who resided in Liberty
township prior to the war of 1811, viz.: the Eversoles, Cooks,
Campbells, Zirkles, Hiesers, Alts, Heistands, Apt, Finkbone, Kem-
erer, Paft', Bolenbaughs, Rouch, Newell, Blauser, Browns, Shriners,
Knepper, Moreheads, dingers, Wrights, Tusing, Growilers, Mc-
Calla, Switzer, Amspach, Heyle, Farmers, Leonards, Sann, Rouch,
Zirkles, Sagers, Robert Wilson, Nicholas Bader, Christian Gundy and
several other families. Many of the descendants of these first settlers
are still residing here. The first cabins of the pioneers have long since
disappeared, and have been superseded by substantial brick and frame
structures.
Prior to the construction of the Ohio Canal, prices for all
kinds of produce were very low. At one time Mr, Bibler, of Liberty,
went to Lancaster to sell some wheat. One of the merchants said to
him, '*! cannot use the wheat now for any purpose, but if 3'ou wish to
bring it and empt}- it in the street, I will give you twelve and one-half
cents a bushel for it." x\nother of the old settlers drove a lot of hogs
to Zanesville, with the expectation of receiving $1.50 per hundred for
them. Mr. Buckingham, one of the earh'^ merchants of the cit}-, re-
fused to give him that price for his porkers, which so displeased the old
settler, that he refused to sell them at all, and left them in the streets of
the town, to take care of themselves. In a few weeks they all returned
to the old place.
Ginseng grew in large quantities in the vyoods, and the settlers de-
pended upon the sale of this root to pay their taxes, as it brought a fair'
price.
Jacob Showley built the first gristmill in Liberty. It was in opera-
tion by horse power.
One of the first roads in the township was the Black Lick. The
228 HISTORY OP^ FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
Refugee road, in the northern part of the township, was another of the
first roads laid out.
The Baptists were probably the religious pioneers of Liberty. The
members held their meetings in private houses, until the erection of a
church at I3altimore, in 1832. Rev. Martin Kauffman was one of the
first ministers of this denomination to preach in the township. Rev.
]ohn Hite and Lewis Madden were early Baptist ministers.
The Mt. Zion Reformed church is situated about two miles north-
west of Basil. The societv was organized in 1844. Among the early
influential, working members of the society were Samuel Wilkins,
Peter Weaver and Enoch Beighler. From a membership of ten or
twelve in 1844. the church has increased to about one hvmdred and
forty-five, in 18S2. The same pastors that have had ministerial charge
of the Basil Church, have ofliciated for this society.
A Sunday school has existed in connection with this church, since
about the time of its organization. The present superintendent is David
W. Wilkins. Two of the earlv ministers of the Reformed Church,
were the Rev. George Weise of Lancaster and Rev. Henry K. Zerbe.
Rev. Frederick Shower, a minister of the Evangelical or Albi'ight
Church, frequently preached in this township, fn 1830 a small church
was erected on Pt)plar Creek.
There are two villages in this township — Baltimore and Basil.
Baltimore, the older and larger village, is situated in the southeast
part of the township. It was laid out in 1824, b}'^ Mr. Henry Hilde-
brand. He first named it New Market, in honor of his native village,
New Market, Virginia. Subsequently it was changed to Baltimore.
It has at this date (July, 1882) a population of about six hundred,
and is graduallv increasing. For several years after the completion of
the Ohio Canal, Baltimore was a place of considerable importance.
Large quantities of wheat, corn and other produce were purchased by
the business men of the village, and shipped via the canal to eastern
markets. Wing and Atwood built the first grain warehouse.
Amos Sweazy built another warehouse a short time afterwards.
Wing, RuflTner & Coulson in 1835 built the first grist mill in the village.
These warehouses and mills were located on the banks of the canal,
and for many years the owners transacted a very flourishing business,
but when the railroads became general, the business of the place sought
localities favored by the railroad and the town was at a stand still for
several years. The building of the Ohio Central Railroad and its loca-
tion through the village has given an impetus to business, and it is
slowly but surely increasing. At this time the \illage contains one ho-
tel, two dry goods stores, two groceries, one general merchandise
store, two warehouses, two flour mills, one planing mill, one under-
. taking establishment, one drug store, one harness shop, etc.
At an early dale in its history, the village sustained a flourishing
newspaper, called the Baltimore Times. It originated about 1832 and
existed for some three or four years. A. L). Rawliiigs was the publish-
er. Among the early physicians were Drs. S. S. Gohegan, William
Quinn and Ilelmick." Miss Julietta Lampson and Lockwood McMul-
HISTORY OP' FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 229
len were of the first school teachers in the village. A serious accident
occurred in 1835, ^^'liich resulted in the death of three individuals.
Services were being held in the Baptist church, a brick structure, when
the gable end of the church, next to which the pulpit was located, sud-
denly fell in, killing the three referred to and wounding several others.
The minister officiating made a narrow escape from death.
In 1861 a tire occurred which destroyed the hotel and drug store,
and three barns.
The Methodist ICpiscopal Church of Baltimore was organized about
1829. Among the first members of this class were Lyman Terrell,
Amos T. Swaz^^ William Taylor and wives, the Reeses and others.
Revs. Zachariah Connell, Levi White and Samuel Hamilton were of
the first Methodist ministers, who officiated for this society. A short
time after the organization, a small brick building was built bv the
members, in which they held their meetings until about 1838, when the
present frame clnu"ch was constructed. The church is in a flourishing
condition at this time and sustains a Sunday-school, which enjo^'s a
good degree of prosperity. There is a cemeterv in connection with
this church which was laid out about the time the church was organized.
The Baltimore Baptist Church was organized about 1832, at which
date a neat substantial brick church was built. John Abram, Jacob
Bibler, Joseph Bibler, Joseph Stouder and their wives were among the
earlv members. For several years prior to the organization of the
Baltimore church, the members held their meetings at various houses
in the township. These meetings were frequently addressed by Elders
John Hite, Martin Kauftman, Louis Madden and others. Rev. Louis
Madden was the first pastor of this church and remained such many
years. There has been no regular pastor for some 3^ears, and the
membership is small at this date, 1882. Thei'e was a society of Pres-
byterians in the village several years since. A brick edifice was erect-
ed, which was subsequently sold to the village for a school house. The
church never attained to much prosperity.
There is a flourishing union school in the town. Professor J. J.
Wagner with three assistants constituted the corps of teachers, em-
ployed during the last term. The school building, which is construct-
ed of brick was built about 1857.
Baltimore Lodge, No. 202, L O. O. F., was instituted June nth
1852. The charter members were: Casper Fiddler, A. L. Simmons,
H. L. Nicely, William Potter, J. Bartholomew, William J. Smart, J.
Schlosser, James Pugh, Job McNamee, Thomas M. Watson, Jacob
'Ketner, John H. Weakly, Frederick Grafl\ William Paul and Elijah
Warner. Whole number of members in July 1882. ninetv-two.
Liberty Encampment, No. 169, L O. O. F., of Baltimore, was
organized July 14th 1873. '^^^^^ charter members were: Jonas Mes-
serly, J. J. Ha^sberger, A. L. Gearhart, Daniel Langle, V. H. Gin-
der, J. W. Whitelev. Samuel Rader, Daniel Olinger, W. P. Litdejohn,
Josephus Norris, F. G. Littlejohn, W. H. Oliver, John Javoi, T. L
Arnold, Peter Roshon, J. W. Chapman, R. S. Broch, S. S. Weist,
Frederick Born, William Cook. The lodge does not hold any regu-
lar meetings at this date.
Baltimore Lodue of Free ami Accepted Masons was instituted Oc-
230 HISTORY OF F- AIRFIELD COUNTY.
tober 22, 1873. Harrison Applegate,- William O. Myers, W. W.
Liicke}', J. H. Schaertzer, D. H. Sands, J. R. Brandt, William Cook,
John Sanns, Samuel Fenstermacher, E. K. Grube, G. W. Watson,
Thomas Smurr, James W. Buchanan, Daniel Albright, Lewis Shearer,
were the charter members. There are now about sixty-tive members
at this date, July, 1882. The lodge erected a brick building in 1873,
in which they hold their sessions.
The I. O. O. F. Lodge also erected a neat and commodious brick
hall in 1879 '^^ ^ ^^^' ^^ sixteen hundred dollars.
The Ohio Central Railroad passes through the village. A neat
frame passenger depot was erected by the company for the accommo-
dation of the many persons, who take the trains at this point. Large
quantities of wheat and other cereals are purchased at this place and
shipped to eastern markets by way of this railroad.
The Ohio Canal transacts but a small amount ot business since the
advent of the railroad. Not more than one or two boats a week pass
through Baltimore during the season. At one time, during the palm-
iest days of the canal, several hundred boats, passing each way, would
go through the town during the summer and fall. Immense quantities
of produce were shipped by canal boats to northern and eastern points.
Basil is situated three-fourths of a mile west of Baltimore. It is a
a neat and flourishing village of some three hundred inhabitants. It
was laid out in 1825, by Jacob Goss. Jonathan Flattery surveyed the
lots when the village was laid out. Henry D. Bolle was the first mer-
chant in Basil. He kept his store in a log cabin. His first stock of
goods was stored on a shelf twelve feet long and one foot wide. Sub-
sequently he put up shelving and a rough counter. After selling goods
for two years, he sold his stock to a Mr. Leonard, who, commencing
with a capital of one hundred and fifty dollars, in a few years, built up
quite an extensive trade.
Henry Yanna erected the first hotel. He carried on, also, a butcher
shop and sold large quantities of meat to the contractors on the canal.
He had for his sign, an ox painted on a board, which served the double
purpose of a sign for his tavern and butcher shop. Peter Daring kept
the second tavern in the village. At that date hotel business was prof-
itable and these two hotels did a good business. The construction of
the canal caused an influx of- strangers, such as has never been
equaled since.
There are in the village two drug stores, two dry goods stores, one
general merchandise store, two carriage shops, two hotels, one butcher
shop, one tin shop, one hardware store, one ibundry, one flouring mill,
four physicians, etc. A school-house was built in 1881. Professor
Frank Schisler, with two assistants, have charge of the schools.
The village is on the line of both the Ohio Canal and the Ohio
Central Railroad. The citizens have erected a neat brick passenger
depot, the first depot, a frame structure erected by the railroad company,
having burned a short time after its completion. The company refus-
ing to build another depot, the citizens succeeded in securing means
for the building of a more substantial structure than the first one..
HISTORY OV FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 23 1
The village has the benefit of two mails a day via the Ohio Central
Railway. John W. Chapman is the postmaster.
With one or two exceptions, the first inhabitants of Basil are dead.
Even all the original log and frame structures have disappeared. No
traces of the first citizens remaiw. Many of the early inhabitants of
Basil and Baltimore, and surrounding country, are laid away, awaiting
the final summons, in the beautiful cemeter}^ that lies between the two
villages.
Basil Lodge, No. in, Knights of P^'thias, was instituted October
23, 1877. ^^'^^ charter members were Samuel R. McCleary, T. J.
Arnold, G. H. Godden, R. R. Carter, Adam Roley, Emanuel Kinsch,
Lvman Norris, John Shoub, B. F. Harner, Noah Snider, Frank Cook,
Isaac Grube, Benjamin Emch, Julius Shetzley, William Greer, David
Kumler, W. H. Poff, William D. Caslow, and B. F. Roley. The
order erected a hall in 1879. Present membership, about sixty.
There is but one church in Basil — the Trinity Reformed. It was
organized in 1844. The first male members of Trinity Church were
Henry Leonard, Joseph Alt, Jacob Giesy, Peter Roshon, John Urben,
John Doomy, Joseph Carminy, Peter Caley, Nicholas G. Messerley,
John Leonard, George W. Tussing, Heniy Switzer, and John Goss.
The first pastor of Trinity Church was Rev. Henry K. Zerbe, who
served the congregation from the time of its organization until July or
August of the following 3'ear, when he died. The Rev. Jesse Schlosser
was the second pastor, who continued in that relation until about 1853.
He was succeeded by Rev. John Pence, who served the charge about
one year and six months, when he resigned his pastorate. After his
resignation the charge was without a regular pastor for eighteen months.
During this time the congregations of Trinity and Mt. Zion Reformed
churches were occasionally supplied with preaching by ministers of the
Reformed and other branches of the church of Christ. The Rev. John
Ruhl was the next pastor, and his pastorate continued about four 3^ears.
The Rev. John Vogt, D.D., commenced his services as pastor about
i860, and served as such until January, 1863, when he was succeeded
by Rev. Adam C. Kendig, who served the class about one year, when
death severed the relation as pastor and people. The present pastor.
Rev. G. H. Leonard, assumed the pastorate of Trinity Church January
15, 1865. He has continued to serve the congregation regularly since
that date. At the beginning of the present pastorate the number of
members in the Trinity congregation was about eighty-five, and the
present membership is nearly three hundred. Trinity Church was
completed in 1847. There is a properous Sunday-school in connection
with this church, having George W. Kumler as superintendent.
2^2 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
MADISON TOWNSHIl'.
Madison township was established in 1812. The tirst tamilies in the
township were the Shaeffers. Isaac Shaefler. x\bram Shaefter, Mar-
tin Landis, Sr., and Abram Ream, came trom Lancaster county.
Penns3'lvania, in the spring of 1798, coming trom Pittsburg in fiat-
boats, ascending the Hocking River in dug-outs, and landing at
"■Hunters Crosshigs'' a week or so after Hocking H. Hunter's father
and family arrived. They came merely to sp}' out the country, and
soon returned home, but came again, probably, in the fall of that same
year, Isaac Shaeffer settled near the Defenbaugh mill, which he built
in 1804. x\ndrew Shaetier settled where Mr. Koehler lives now ; Mar-
tin Landis where his son, Martin Landis. now lives. The arrival of
these men, being the first of the township and county, it is needless to
add that all was a wilderness. Their little round cabins were of the
simplest, rudest make, and such only as one or two men could, of
themselves, in a few days erect.
Isaac Shaefi:er married Julia Ream, and Andrew Shaefter, his
brother, married Barbara Ream, her sister, both daughters of Abram
Ream, the pioneer and builder of the old Ream mill. Martin Landis
married Barbara Shellenberger, and had brought his tamil}- , consisting
of wife, his child, David, and his mother-in-law, Mrs. Shellenberger,
with him. These men all entered large tracts of land and industriously
improved the country, building mills, school-houses, shops, etc. A Mr.
Pickle was the first blacksmith in the township. The shop was built
on Mr. Landis's farm. Soon after this shop was built a Mr. James
Whitecotton, from North Carolina, built a blacksmith shop near Clear-
port, just opposite where Mr. Van Wey now lives.
The first school-house in the township was built on Mr. Landis's
farm, also near his present house. This building burned down, and
another was built on the same ground. Mr. Cole, an old gentleman,
was the first teacher in the township. Mr. Andrew Shaefter, Valentine
and William Wolf, built a school-house, soon after this, on the Shaefter
farm, in which a Mr. Phillips taught a long time. This house was used
also for an election house. The Landis school-house was used by the
Mennonites for a church, where a Rev. Mr. Welde, the first minister of
the township, often preached. The first mills were built by Messrs.
Landis, Friend, and Shaefter, about the same time. The Friend mill
was the uppermost one, and built in the edge of the township. The
Landis mill was on his place ; the wheel was a flutter. The most im-
portant, and propably the first, was the Shaefter, afterwards known as
the Defenbaugh mill. This was built in 1804, and in 1807 was sold to
Adam Defenbaugh, who kept it until 1827. It was afterwards owned
HISTORY OF P'AIRFIELD COLfNTY. 233
by Augustus 'Boden, John Crooks, and Daniel Stoneburner, brother-in-
laws ; Dr. George Boestler, of Lancaster, and his brother, Daniel ;
Joseph Dum, of Amanda ; Daniel Detenbaugh, Samnel' Campbell,
and Isaac Marshall. Mr. Marshall tore it down in 1873, and started
the store now at that place. The Peter Hays mill was where the widow
Boulsb}^ now lives. It was sold about 1830 to James Goben and Jesse
Bright. Samuel and Ephraim Loman had it a tew years. Mr. Slife
and Waldon had it afterwards. Just below this, at Written Rock, was
the old Ring and Rice mill. That also did a good business. Augustus
Boden had a distillery also at the Defenbaugh mill, and just above this
point is the Terry mill, built by Frederick Welscheimer, who was killed
in Amanda afterwards by being thrown from a horse, in front of Mous-
er's tavern. His widow ran it some years after his death, and it was
then sold to Amos Rice, who had it in 1838. Young, John Lyon, and
James Terry afterwards owned it. Sebastian Carpenter built a grist-
mill on Muddy Prairie, and it was afterwards owned by Christian King,
John Ly singer, Eliot Griffith, Isaac Wolf, and is now owned by the
Guysie heirs.
The upper mill on Muddy Prairie was built by Isaac Shaeffer, the
saw-mill as early as 1815, and the grist-mill as late as 1830. It was
owned at'terwards by Joab, his son, and now by S. V. Wolf and a Mr.
Shaefter. William Guy also had a mill on Clear Creek, near Mr.
Landis, also a distillery, in an early day, but both went down in a few
years. Ezra Wolf built one at the head of Kuntz's Run. John George
Mack, who came trom Pennsylvania in 181 2, built a mill on Oil Run in
1836. He died in 1853. Samuel Watson also had a mill below the
Terry mill. This was swept away by a freshet, and was never rebuilt.
The powder-mill was built by Sebastian Carpenter in a very early
day on the race near Dr. Rutters, and where the road makes a turn
towards Clearport. A Mr. Jacob Bixler also had a powder-mill where
John Abbott's house is now.
Emanual Carpenter, the father of Sebastian, coming to Clearport as
earl}^ as 1800, bought a large tract of land, part of which is now owned
by John Abbott. His son, Sebastian, carried on the powder-mill for
many years, and manufactured a good quality of rifle powder. He
made his charcoal of sumach wood ; his saltpeter was obtained in quan-
tities under the rocks in the hills, but the sulphur from the east. A
large mortar was tilled with these ingredients and mixed b}- pestals run
with water-power. The powder was grained b}^ taking a quantit}^ on a
board and combed down with an ordinary brush. A little water would
be sprinkled on the mass occasionally to prevent the friction from ignit-
ing it. It was dried in ovens under which hot air was made to pass.
Still-houses were numerous in this township. As the early settlers
could not flatboat their produce to market down Clear Creek, they had
to make their corn into "lake water" and drink it. For the manufac-
turing of this article almost every section or so of land had a still-house.
The first one in this region was an old-fashioned copper still, brought
out by Samuel Shaeffer (brother to Isaac and Andrew), who came in
1802, and settled where Jacob G. Shaefter now lives. He would man-
ufacture about eighteen gallons of whisk}^ a week. Silas Philips had
80
234 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
one on property now owned by John Marshall, Sr., opposite Van
Wey's ; Frederick Welscheimer, one on the farm now owned by Wil-
liam Johnson ; and Johnny Dindora, the famous one on the road from
Hamburg to Hopewell. One was operated by James Watson, oppo-
site 'Squire Abbott's house ; one by William Guy, on George Reigle's
place ; one by Andrew Pearce, on John Landis's property, and another
hard by.
There were also shops, carding machines, spinning-bowl factories,
sickle factories, etc. A Mr. Akers, Hrst a blacksmith, manufactured
sickles afterwards. He had his shop at the Defenbaugh mill as early
as the year 1824. His grindstone was turned by water-power. On
Kuntz's Run, a stream that empties into Clear Creek at this mill, a
little above the wolf den, where the water poured over a rock, a Mr.
Graham had a spinning-bowl shop. The lathe was turned by water,
and the stream was strong enough to whiz it constantly. He would,
however, turn out but a wagon load at a time, then peddle. This hol-
low was, from this circumstance, called " Spinning-bowl Hollow." At
its confluence with Clear Creek, Augustus Boden had a still-house.
There was also a woolen factory in the neighborhood.
Among those who were first in Madison township after the Shaeffers
arrived were Emanuel Carpenter and family, Valentine and William
Wolf and families, the Martins, Hedges, Macks, Abbotts, Van Weys,
Tooles, and many others. These early settlers would go to Orin Ab-
bott lor goods and groceries at the Defenbaugh mill, where he kept the
first store in the township, and many of them would attend church in
the old school-house, on Martin Landis's place, where the Mennonites
held tbrth. A regular place for worship was not built until in the year
1826, when the St. John's (Lutheran) church was erected on the Sweyer
farm. Rev. Steck being the first pastor, then John Wagenhall, who
served fourteen 3'ears. Its membership at one time increased to two
hundred. The building was torn down in the fall of 1877 and a new
edifice was erected in Hocking township in that year. Rev. W. H.
Brown was the first pastor here. The officers are George Kerns, Jacob
Simon, elders ; H. W. Kerns and John Oberdorfer, deacons ; Ezra
Valentine, Isaac Kerns, Frank Kerns, trustees ; J. Doner, secretary
and treasurer. Rev. J. Beck is pastor.
The second church was built by the Methodists in the year 1834, ^"^
called Hopewell. Many of the old settlers will remember the debat-
ing society and religious service carried on in the school house at this
point long before the church was built. The second building, the one
now standing, was erected in 1844. John DeLong, John Carpenter
and others were the principal men. Revs. Bruce and Hand were the
first preachers ; Rev. Dickson is pastor now.
The third church was the German Reformed, built in 1842, called
Mt. Carmel. Rev. Henry Dilliard was the first pastor.
The fovu-th church was Mt. Zion, built by the United Brethren, in
the south-west portion of the township ; Rev. Little was the first pastor.
Moses Shaefter built the church.
The fifth church was built by the Lutherans in the north-east por-
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 235
tion of the township, on hinds donated by Frederick A. Martin, and
was built in 1852.
Pine Grove church was built in 1858, by the United Brethren.
It stands in Rich Hollow.
Clearport is a ^ood business point in the edge of the hills and on
Clear Creek within easy distance of one of the most fertile valleys in
the State. It was established in 1853. Orin Abbott was in charge of
the store and with Isaac Shaefter and others succeeded in getting a
mail. Mr. Abbott had the first store, and afterwards his sons, John
and Lafa3^ette Abbott, now Lafa3^ette Abbott alone. The store is one
well tilled with a general assortment of goods, that would do credit to
any place. Drs. Rutter and Huftner attend the sick. Dr. Porter was
formerly a physician of this place.
236 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY,
CHAPTER XXXVII.
PLEASx\NT TOWNSHIP.
Pleasant township was so called, because of the extent of the fertile
land found within its borders. The surface of the township is generally
even or slight!}- rolling, and the land is all tillable. Pleasant Run, the
principal stream, rises in tlie western part of the township and flows
east and south, passing int(j Berne township. Ewing's Run heads
near the center of this townsliip, and tiows southwardly into Berne.
These streams have small tributaries, which furnish considerable water
power.
Notwithstanding the large amount of timber that has been con-
sumed, and used for various purposes, this township is still well tim-
bered with sugar, walnut, oak, hickory, elm and other varieties of hard
wood.
At its first settlement, squads of Delaware and W3'andotte Indians
frequently camped in various parts of Pleasant township, remaining for
several weeks at a time. While they were camped here, they were
principally engaged in hunting the wild game, which was found in
great abundance. They lived peaceably with the settlers, and fre-
quently visited the log cabins of the whites, for the purpose of exchang-
ing venison and other game for corn meal, bread, etc. An incident
occurred at an early date in the history of this township, which came
near severing the friendship existing between the aboriginals and white
settlers. David Ewing, in company with several other settlers, were
engaged in a hunting expedition. The}- noticed in the bushes w^hat
they supposed to be a bear. Mr. Ewing fired at the object, which
proved to be an Indian squaw. Being severely wounded by the shot,
the squaw cried piteously, w-hen the hunters discovered their mistake,
and dreading the vengeance of the Indians, in case they were appre-
hended, they fled with all possible haste to their homes. The Indians
were soon on the track of the hunters, and followed them to a Mr.
Arnold's cabin, which they entered. Mrs. Arnold was seated with a
3'oung child in her arms. As soon as the Indians reached the cabin,
one of their number raised his rifle to shoot Mrs. Arnold, but another
of the band rushed forward and pushed the gun aside, just in time to
save her life. She pleaded earnestl}^ tor her life, protesting that her
husband had not been out hunting that day. In a short time Mr.
Arnold with some of his neighbors came, who finally succeeded in sat-
isfying the savages that Mr. Arnold was innocent, when they departed
from his cabin.
Pleasant township was settled at an earl\- date. As early as 1798,
settlements were found in the township. It cannot be ascertained who
was the first settler. William Green was one of the verv first to settle
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 237
in the township. He died in 1799, a few weeks after his removal to
Fairtield county, and was buried in a coffin made from the bark of a
hickory tree, as no other kind could be procured. The lirst settlers of
Pleasant township came from Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Several German families settled in the township at an early date.
Among the first settlers who came to Pleasant township prior to 1808
were James Qiiinn, William Neeley, John Good, George Hill, Jacob
Hite, David and Joseph Barr, Thomas Armstrong, Adam Albright,
Samuel Hammell, Jacob Berry, Ludwick Brown, Jacob Bibler, John
and Luke I^lack, Alexander Frazer, Jacob Mussulman, William Far-
mer, David and Adam Geiger, Samuel Mills, Robert Torrence,
Thomas Ross, Adam McCime, Peter Macklin, John and Jacob Miller,
John McNaughten, William Martin, Sanmel Durbin, William Mc-
Daniel, Jacob Lamb, John and Matthew Ewing, Christian Hoover,
James Ilendryx, Christian Cagy, Benjamin Cornell, Benjamin and
John Feeman, Robert Clove, John Fink, A. Graham, Henry Linch,
Robert Matear, Asa Murphy, William York, Thomas Watson, Gas-
per and Jacob Walters, Solomon Lee, William Beard, Samuel Kratzer,
Philip Kemerer, Francis Twig, John Shepler, Robert Sturgeon, Peter
Roof, Jesse Smith, John Shisler, Frederick Siple and John Ham.pson.
The Ewings were of the very first to settle in Pleasant township.
David, Thomas and Matthew Ewing located lands near the stream
now known as Ewing's Run, in 1800. They were a orominent family
in the early histor}^ of this township. David Ewing was Captain and
Thomas Ewing First Lieutenant of a company of riflemen in the War of
1812. Some of their descendants are still residing in the township.
Benjamin and John Feeman came in 1801, and settled in the Ewing
neighborhood. James Duncan, Peter Lamb, George and Nicholas
^adibaugh, John and George Smethers and John Burton, settled in
Pleasant, about the same time as the Feemans, and all settled in
the same neighborhood. Peter Sites came from Virginia in 1809, and
settled on section 29. He lived long enough to enjo}^ the fruits of his
arduous labors. He died at the advanced age of eighty-five years.
George Arnold emigrated from Pennsylvania in 1801. He located
land in the western part of the township, along Fetter's Run. He
built the first grist mill ni Pleasant township. This mill was a log
building, situated on Fetter's Run. It was a great benefit to the set-
tlers, for prior to the building of this mill, they had to go to Zanesville
and Chillicothe for their meal and flour.
Abraham Bope came from Virginia in 1803. He settled in the
north-eastern part of the township. His neighbors were Jacob Weaver,
Henry Ketner, Casper Walters, John Feeman and others. The coun-
try was still almost a wilderness, and the settlers endured man}' priva-
tions. A short time after Mr. Bope settled in the township, he was
returning one night from a neighbor's when he found himself pursued
by wolves. He fired his rifle among them, but failed to frighten them
away. After vainly endeavoring to scare them, he ascended a tree,
and remained in its branches all night. When daylight appeared, the
wolves fled and he was released from his unpleasant situation. He was
a noted hunter and many wild animals of the forest succumbed to his
trusty rifle.
238 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
Of later settlers was Jacob Moyer, who came from York county,
Pennsylvania, in 1815. He first settled in Rush Creek township. He
resided some j^ears in Rush Creek when he removed to Pleasant town-
ship, where he has Qver since resided. Balser Rutter emigrated from
Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in 1815. Daniel Keller came from
Pennsylvania, in 1808, settling near the center of the township.
The first road in Pleasant township was the one leading from
Wheeling to Mavsville, known as Zane's Trace. It crossed the
southern part of the township. About 1838 it was changed to a turn-
pike, and is now known as the Zanesville and Maysville turnpike. A
few years subsequent to the completion of Zane's Trace, the old
Newark and Lancaster road was laid out, which was subsequently
changed to a turnpike.
The Ohio Central Railroad runs across the northeast corner of this
township. The first grist mill in the township was erected by John
Hampson, about 1808. It was situated near the present vilfage of
Pleasantville, and was operated by horse power. Its capacity was but
a few bushels a day, but was considered a great institution by the early
settlers of Pleasant township.
Another of the first grist mills, was erected by a Mr. Arnold. It
was situated on Arnold's Run, near where the County Infirmary stands.
It was a raccoon burr mill, having a capacity of ten or twelve bushels
per day. It was operated by water power, and when the stream dried
up, the settlers had to go to Chillicothe or Zanesville to have their grist
ground. Thomas Ewing built the first distillery in the township, about
1808. The first saw mill was built by Mr. Arnold. He operated it in
connection with his grist mill. Both the grist and the saw mills have
long since disappeared.
The Eagle wagon manufactory is situated about four miles east of
Lancaster, on the Zanesville and Maysville Pike, and was built in
1854 and '5, by George Nichols, who has ever since that time been the
proprietor of the same. An immense number of wagons and vehicles
have been manufactured at these works, both for the citizens of Fair-
field and other counties. Since the, introduction of imported wagons
and buggies into the county, the business of the establishment has ma-
terially decreased. One of the first school houses erected in Pleasant
township, was in the southwestern part of the township, on the farm
now owned by Mr. Radibaugh. It was a small, unhewed, log structure.
Among the first school teachers in this township, were Roswell Mills
and Isaac Sinniff, who taught in a small log school house, situated in
the eastern part of the township. A Mr. Newman was also anoth-
er of the early teachers. Pierce Kennedy was one of the first teachers
in the southern part of Pleasant. He taught in a school house which
stood near the old Seceder, now United Presbyterian, church. The
humble log buildings, in which were educated many of the fathers and
mothers of old Fairfield, have been replaced by more substantial and
commodious brick and frame structures.
The religious interests of Pleasant township have been well provid-
ed for. The Pleasant Run Baptist Church, was probably the first regu-
HISTORY OF P^AIRFIP^LD COUNTY. 239
]ar church organization in this tow>Tship, having been organized as early
as 1806, by Rev. Lewis Sites, Sr., who was also the first pastor of this
society, continuing in that relation for several years. A short time af-
ter its organization, a log structure was erected in which the society held
its meetings for many years. Some years since a neat frame edifice
was built, in which the congregation now worship. This church was a
prosperous one from its commencement. The first members, as appear
from the records of 1809, still preserved, were William Hopwood,
Abraham Hite, Magdalen Rufther, Elizabeth Warner, Adam Geiger,
Conrod Hite, Aaron Powell, Sister Powell, Martin Coftman, Ann Coff-
man, Magdalen Wise, Ann Miller, Elizabeth Histand. Frank Bibler,
Mary Bibler, Andrew Hite, Ann, Samuel, John and Ann Hite, Chris-
tian Hover, Susan Musselman, Barbary Hite, Samuel and Elizabeth
Comer, Sister Hannah, Sister Bibler, Christian and Mary Cagy, John
Hite, Sister Cussman, Jacob Bibler, Jacob Bibler, Jr., Katy Bibler,
David, John and Barbar}- Bibler, Lewis and Ann Sites, Christiana
Woolf, Emanuel Ruflher, Ann Spitler, Jacob Spitler, Timothy and
Phebe Collins, Barbary Beaver, Magdalen Taylor, Joseph Stider, John
Moorhead, Christian Coftman, Mary Coftman, Smith Goodens, Aaron
Ashbrook, Eli and Katy Ashbrook, Neeley Bibler, Magdalene Spitler,
Magdalena Hite, George White, Jacob and Susan Spitler, Jacob Pvlus-
selman, Peter Spitler, John Hite, Betsy Bibler, Mady Hopwood, Abra-
ham Hite, John Bibler, Abraham Bibler, Sister Keller, Cissa Miller,
Joseph Hite, James Davis, Thomas Warner, Susanna Spitler, Martin
Histand, Sissy Studer, Jacob Studer, Sister Brumlang, Mary, Jacob and
Barbary Bibler. The Pleasant Run Baptist Church was in 1809 one
of the most prosperous, both numerically and financially, of any of the
country Baptist Churches in Ohio. It is situated in the northeast part
of Pleasant township, the society having continued its place of worship
in the same locality of its first organization, down to the present time.
Not one of the many members living in 1809 are alive at this date,
1882. Rev. D. G. Barker, who ofticiated as pastor of this church for
several years past, died in January, 1882, and the society is without a
pastor at this date, 1882. About one hundred members are in full con-
nection at this time.
The Pleasant United Presbyterian Church was organized as
early as 1807 or '8, by Rev. Abraham Craig, of Kentucky. The
church is located in the southwest corner of Pleasant township. For
several years after its organization, the meetings were held in a tent
during the warm season, and it is now often referred to as the "tent
church," from this fact. David Martin, Charles McClung, David
Williams and Robert Brown and wives were of the the first members.
Rev. Abraham Craig, who organized the church, was the first pastor
and remained such for man}^ years. His successors, as far as known,
were Rev. Benjamin Waddle and Rev. E. Collinhead, who was pastor
twent3^-one years. Rev. Buchanan and Rev. R. Boyd, who is
the present pastor. The society first organized as a Seceder
church, but several years since, when the Seceder and other branches of
the Presbyterian Church were merged into the United Presbyterian
Church, the congregation accepted the union, and went over as a body
to the United Presbyterians. Some twenty years ago a frame church
240
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
edifice was built, in which the present membership of about forty now
worship.
The Pleasant Hill United Brethren church is located about four
miles northeast of Lancaster. This church was organized about 1837.
and a frame church building was erected in 1838 at a cost of one
thousand dollars. This house was occupied as a place of worship un-
til 1863, when the present church was erected at a cost of about two
thousand dollars. The principle original members were Jacob Macklin,
Sewald Macklin, Frederick Harmon, Sr. Henry Hockman, Sr., and
several others who were emigrants from Pennsylvania and Virginia.
For many 3^ears prior to the organization of this church, meetings were
held in the neighborhood, at the houses of the Macklins and others,
which were productive of much good to the community. There are
about sixty members at present in full communion with this church.
The first Sunday school was organized in 1848. The average at-
tendance at this date, 1882, is sixt}^. John E. Miller is the present su-
perintendent.
The German Reformed Church of Pleasant township was organized
about 1847, as a German Reformed Church, and remained as such un-
til 1853, when the membership of the church petitioned to be transfer-
red to the Presbyterian Church, which was accordingly done. It re-
mained a Presbyterian Church until 1878, when the members re-organ-
ized as a German Reformed Church. Among the members at the first
organization were Michael Jones, David Rook, John Hasson, James
H. Crane, Daniel Beery, Benjamin Shoemaker, Andrew Freizner and
their wives. The first minister who organized the church as German
Reformed was Rev. Jesse Slusser, who was also the first pastor of the
church after its transfer to the Presbyterians. The pastors who suc-
ceeded Rev. Jesse Slusser as Presb3'terians, were Revs. Elijah
Koontz, Thomas J. Downe}^ C. C. Hall, W. Galbraith, Samuel D.
Smith. The present membership is fifteen. Rev. I. R. Skinner is pastor
at this date, 1882.
There are several families of the Omish Mennonite Church in Pleas-
ant township, but as yet no edifice has been erected by them. They
hold their meetings in the dwellings of the members of the order.
The distinguishing feature of this church are baptism by pouring.
Any member has the right to preach or expound the scriptures. No
member is permitted to take an oath, or ofier any resistance when as-
sailed. They provide for all the poor within the church, and do not
permit au}^ member to become a public charge, and no member will go
to war, believing war to be contrary to the teachings of Christ. They
also wear the Cjiaker costume, and are sober, frugal and indus-
trious citizens. The Omish Mennonite Church originated in Pleasant
township about 1834. Among the ministers, who have preached the
doctrines of this church here, were Revs. David Zook, Jonathan
Zook, Jacob Hartzler, Gingrich, David Hartzler, Joseph Yoder and
Solomon Stutzman.
The Fairfield County Infirmary is situated in this township, about
two miles north of the city of Lancaster. In 1828, the first building
was erected of brick. Its dimensions were Ibrty-five feet in length by
tbrty-three feet in width. In 1870 an addition was made to the main
HISTORY OK PWIRFIELD COUN'I'V. 24 1
building, so that the dimensions of the inlirmary building was increas-
ed to one hundred and eighty feet in length by forty-five feet in width.
The cost of the improvements made in iSjo was twenty-eight thousand
dollars. There are one hundred and seventy acres of land connected
with the intirmary, all cleared with tlie (exception of about fifteen acres.
In connection with the mam l:)uilding for the inmates, there is a super-
intendent's dwelling, thirty-six b}- forty-five feet in size, also construct-
ed of brick. There are one hundred and thirty-three inmates at the
present date, February. 1882. Mr. Henr}' Sieber, the present superin-
tendent, has officiated in that capacity for the past sixteen years.
Pleasant\'ille is situated in the northeastern part of Pleasant town-
ship, on the line of the Ohio Central Raih-oad, and is a flourishing vil-
lage of about tive hundred inhabitants. Since the advent of the rail-
road it has rapidly increased in population, and is steadily growing.
It was laid out in 1828 by John IBoston, who built the first house, a
dwelling, in the village. John Tennant opened the first store about
1832. He afterwards sold his stock of goods to Frederick Lamb. G.
R. Hartman was also one of the early merchants. The first hotel was
kept by John Spitler. A post-office was established about 1840.
Pleasantville has about doubled its population since the completion
of the Ohio Central Railroad in 1880. Prior to that date, but little busi-
ness was transacted in the village. At this time the village contains
two churches, two dry goods stores, kept by William Steward and
David C. Sutphen ; four groceries, kept respectively by W. L. Buch-
anan, Joseph Hite, George Buchanan and T. H. Henry ; one flour mill
operated by David Pence and Company, one drug store by Mills and
Son, one blacksmith shop, one wagon maker, one hotel, one harness
shop, one planing mill, one carriage shop, one hardware store,
two shoe shops, two barber shops, one marble factory, one undertaking
establishment, two butcher shops, etc.
Fairfield Lodge, No. 163, I. O. O. F. of Pleasantville, was insti-
tuted October /, 1850. The charter members were: Thomas O.Wil-
son, William Buchanan, William Cupp, Jacob Bope, Thomas x\n-
drews, Benjamin Walters, John T. Irick, Solomon Weaver, Job Mc-
Namee, Adam Shaw, Thomas A. Bratton, Martin Kagay, N. C. Miller,
Samuel Cupp, Jas. Brown ana Thos. Kidwell. At this date, February,
1882, there are about one hundred members belonging to this lodge.
The Pleasantville academy was built in i860. The academy has
two large brick buildings, each about forty-five b}^ seventy feet in di-
mensions. In one of these, the north building, are situated the chapel,
recitation rooms, cabinet and society rooms. In the south building are
rooms for students, reading-room and boarding hall. x\boutthe buildings
is a beautiful campus, furnishing ample and pleasant recreation grounds
for the students. The first board of trustees were David Huber, James
Hampson, Jonas Hite, Noah McNaughton and John M. Ashbrook,
The present directors are Jesse Brooks, James McNaughton, W.
B. Hoover, Noah A. Ashbrook, James Hampson. George Fleming
was the first Professor. The present teachers are Superintendent Rev,
E. H. Scott, assisted by Mrs. E. H. Scott and W. H. Dye. There are
three courses of study in this institution, for each of which certificates
of graduation are given, as follows : Classical course, which includes
31
242 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
all the Greek, Latin, and two other studies each term, throughout the
course. Scientilic course, which includes all the Latin and other
branches, in connection with the natural sciences and mathematics,
sufficient to make tour studies each throughout the course ; English
course, wiiich requires all the English branches.
The Methodist Episcopal Church of Pleasantville was organized, as
near as can be ascertained, about 1830, by Rev. Jacob Hooper. Mrs.
Hanson, Mordecai Bull and wife, Mrs. Sain, Mrs. Friend, Joseph
Friend and wife, Mrs. Irick, Mrs. Caran, James Stevenson, Jane Gei-
ger, Sarah Turner were of the early members of the society. Rev.
Jacob Hooper, who resided near Pleasantville, preached at this church
several years, wdien he removed to the west and died a short time after-
wards. About 1840 the edifice, in which the church now worship, was
erected. The present membership of the church is about thirty.
There is a Sunda3'-school in connection with this church, having
Charles Mills as superintendent, and Nelson Patterson, assistant
superintendent. The same ministers that preached to the Rushville
and Salem Churches, noticed in the historv of Richland township, pro-
claimed the Gospel unto this society until the division of the circuit in
1874. Since 1874 the ministers have been Revs. J. H. Beery, B. F.
Thomas, Pastal, Haigler, and Sayres, the present pastor.
The Pleasantville Methodist Protestant Church was organized about
1858, by Rev. J. H. Hamilton. The same year the present commodi-
ous church building was erected. The first members of this flourishing
church were Samuel. Magdalena, Lemon, Jacob, Almedia, Mary,
Catharine, Mary A., and Elizabeth Culp, Elizabeth Hall, Martha Gar-
ner, Elizabeth Garner, Mary Keller, Ellen Lamb, Martha Keller,
Sophia Caldwell, and Emanuel Keller. Prior to this time Rev. E. S.
Hoagland effected an organization as early as 1840 or '41, which soci-
ety in a few years became extinct. But a small number of the first
members of the present organization remain, having died or removed
to the west. Benjamin F. Flowers, the oldest member in point of
j^ears now living, has been a member of some Christian church since
1815, W'hen he, at that time a resident of Virginia, made a profession
of religion. He was a soldier in the last war with Great Britain. Rev.
J. H. Hamilton was the first pastor of this church. His successors in
the pastoral relation were Revs. Peter Arnold, Brown, Jeremiah Bidde-
son, Amos Biddeson, William Tipton, W. L. Baldwin, E. S. Hoag-
land, Carey, William Hastings, George W. Hissey, Samuel Lancaster,
L M. Woodward, C. J. Sears, N. T. Browm, L H. Freese, L W. South-
ard, F. A. Brown, V. H. Brown, John Baker, J. M. La'ngley, F. W.
Link, J. W. Thompson, D. G. Shirer, and T. H. Scott, the present
incumbent. This church is in a prosperous condition, having at this
time a membership of about eighty individuals. There is a flourishing
Sunday-school in connection with this church. Professor W. H. Dye
is superintendent.
Colfax is a small village of some twenty-five or thirty inhabitants,
situated on the Zanesville and Ma3^sville pike, about four miles west of
West Rushville. It contains a store and seven or eight dwelling-houses.
It also has a post-office and a daily mail, the mail route being from
Rushville to Lancaster.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 243
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
RICHLAND TOWNSHIP.
Richland township was so named because of the fertility of its land.
In 181 7 two sections were detached from the eastern part of this town-
ship and annexed to Perry count^^ As now constituted it has an area
of six miles in length and four miles in width. The surface of the
country is broken and hilh' in the eastern, and level in the western por-
tions of the township. The land is about all tillable and ver}' produc-
tive, yielding large crops of wheat, corn, and other cereals. Rush
Creek is the principal stream, and crosses the eastern pai"t from north
to south, emptying into Big Rush Creek near the village of Bremen.
There are man}' tine springs, which afford abundant water for all neces-
sary uses. Richland township, when first settled, was heavily timbered
with beech, sugar, hickory, oak, and elm, and although much of this
timber has been con-sumed in the clearing of the land for fuel and build-
ing purposes, considerable forests of beech, sugar, and oak remain,
more especially in the eastern part of the township.
At its first settlement, and for man}' years afterwards, deer, wild
turkeys, and other wild game, were very numerous, but at this time but
little wild game of any kind remains.
For several years after the first settlement of Richland there was an
Indian encampment near the present village of West Rushville. They
had constructed at this place a rude log Ibrt, aroimd which they built
their habitations. They were of a peaceable and friendly disposition,
and rarely ever molested the early settlers. They would frequently
visit the homes of the pioneers, bringing venison and bear meat, which
they exchanged for corn-meal and homin}^
The first settlers of Richland township were Virginians, Maryland-
ers, and- Pennsylvanians, the Marylanders predominating, Edward
Murph}^ was probabl}' the first settler. He came from Maryland to
this township in 1798, spending the winter of 1798-9 here. He returned
to Maryland in the spring of 1799, '"^^^ permanently removed to Rich-
land in 1800, locating land on section seventeen. He raised a family
of two sons apd three daughters, only one now living, Theodore, who
was born in this to\^■nship in 181 1, and who still resides on the farm
where he was born. Mr. Murph}- has never been out of the State nor
enjoyed a ride in the cars. Judge William McClung was another of
the first settlers, and a prominent citizen of this township. He came to
Richland in 1803. He was of unblemished reputation. He was a
Justice of the Peace, a member of the Legislature, serving two terms,
and an Associate Judge under the old Constitution, During the War of
1812 he served as a soldier, being a member of General Sanderson's
regiment, and was included in Hull's surrender at Detroit. He was
many years an active and beloved member of the Presbyterian Church
244 HISTORY OF FAIRFIEI.D COUNTY.
of West Rushville. He died September 8, 1876, in his eighty-fourth
year. His widow, Mrs. Jane McChin;^, died at West Rushville in
December, 181 1 .
The Ruffners were earlv settlers. Emanuel Ruffner emigrated from
Virginia in 1805, settling in the western part of this township. He was
a Revolutionary soldier. His son-in-law, a Mr. Friend, residing in
Richhmd, has in his possession a continental bank-note, calling for two
hundred and liftv dollars, redeemable at the Virginia treasury, on or
before December 30, 1792. This note, it is said, was a portion of the
money he recei\'ed for hi.s miliiarS' services. He died in 1848, aged
ninety-one years.
The WinegardiK'is ha\ e h'ug been resident iiere. Herbert Wine-
gardner came from Shenandoah counl\ , Virginia, in 1806. He pur-
chased land near the village of Rushville. But one of the family, a
son of Herbert, li\'es in t!ie township. He is the largest landholder in
the county.
In connection with Mi-. Winegardner's history it would be proper to
mention a noted robberv, which occurred some years since. Wine-
gardner had a large sum ot money secreted in his residence. This was
known to a step-son of his, not residing in the neighborhood. The
3'oung man, in company with two other persons, gained access to the
house, one night, and robbed Winegardner of some twenty thousand
dollars. The step-son was arrested, tried, and convicted of the rob-
bery, and is now serving his term in the Penitentiary. The other two
robbers escaped. A portion of the money was recovered.
Phillip Sain, in company with several families of the Turners,
Plummers, Ijams, and Koutz's, came from Maryland about 1802. They
located Government lands in the eastern part of the township. A por-
tion of the colony settled in Perry and Muskingum counties. Among
other early settlers who came into Richland township prior to 1806
were George Miller, Joseph Custard, Samuel Carpenter. Frederick
Bashore, Ephraim Anderson. Peter Black, John Bond, Samuel Ray,
John and Peter Drum, Charles McClung, Edward Young, Robert,
Isaac and Ebenezer Laremore, David Hardy, Adam Householder,
Richard and Martin Polen, Thomas, John, James and William McCor-
mick, William Holt, Christian King, Heniy Beery, WilHam McGin-
ness, David Neeley, John Head. John Kerr, Daniel and Isaac Kemper,
James Rowland, Thomas Davis, John Cook, William Wiseman, Jere-
miah Conway, John Godfrey, and John Kiger.
The culture of tobacco was the principal occupation of the first set-
tlers of Richland township, Joseph Ijams. of West Rushville, and
William Coulson. of East Rushville, being the principal dealers and
purchasers of tobacco at that time.
The first road opened in the township was the one known as Zanes
Trace, leading from Wheeling to Limestone, now Maysville, Kentucky.
This was the first public highway opened in Ohio, and was completed
in 1797. It passed through the present villages of East and West Rush-
ville. About 1840 this road was made a turnpike, and is now known
as the Zanesville and Maysville turnpike. There was an immense
travel along this road for many years after its completion. Edward
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 245
Murphy kept a hotel near this road, a short distance from West Rush-
ville. Among the many distinguished guests, who partook of the
bounties of this hotel at various times, were General Andrew Jackson
and Hon. Henry Clay, who stopped at his hotel while en route to
Washincnon City. The old hotel, now a rather dilapidated structure,
is still standing, and is occupied bv a grandson of the original proprietor.
The Ohio Central Railroad, the only one passing through the town-
ship, was completed in 1880. It runs^ across the township from north
to south, passing midway between the two villages of East and West
Rushville.
The fu-st grist-mill in this township was built about 1808 by Moses
Plummer. It was constructed of unhewed logs, and stood near the
bridge across Rush Creek, between the two Rushvilles. There was a
saw-mill in connection with the grist-mill, erected a few years after the
building of this mill, by Wilson and Hamill, which was the first saw-
mill in Richland. All traces of these two mills have long since disap-
peared, r T- 1 J TV/T U
The first marriage in the township was that of Edward Murphy to
his cousin, Sarah Murphy, in 1802. The first child born in Richland
was Mary Turner.
The educational interests of Richland's youth early occupied the
attention of the settlers. At first the schools were held in the log cabins
of the pioneers. In a few years rude log school-houses were erected,
which, in turn, were replaced by the more substantial frame and brick
structures of the present time. Among the early school-teachers were
John C. Whitridge, who taught school in a log building on section 28.
The religious sentiments of the people were early developed. The
Methodists were early in the field. There was a Methodist camp meet-
ing established in the Stevenson settlement as early as 1806 or 7, and
is claimed to be the first camp meeting in Ohio. It was continued
annually for several years. Revs. James B. Finley, Charles Waddle,
lames Ouinn, Jacob Young and Asa Shinn, were attendants and par-
ticipants in these meetings. The first church erected in this township
was about 18 10, by the Methodists. It was located on section 28, and
was a small log building. Among the early members of this church
were, Philip and Barbara Sain, William Harper and wife, Wilham
Johnson, John Sunderland and wife and Isaac Ijams. Revs. Charles
Waddle, James A. Shinn and James B. Finley, were of the early min-
isters. The organization was merged into the East Rushville Metho-
dist Episcopal church about 1830.
The Pleasant Hill Methodist Protestant Church was organized about
183 1, by Rev. William B. Evans. The meetings were first held in the
Baker school house, about the year 1842, when the present frame edi-
fice was erected. Henry Eyeman, Jesse Stevenson, Mathias Himes,
James Miller, Mrs. Baker, Mrs. Sands and Rebecca Miller, were of
the first principal members. The following have been the ministers
having charge as pastors of this organization: William B. Evans,
George Evans, John Clark, F. L. Flowers, Joel Dalby, D. \ . Oster-
man J. Wilson. William Reeves, T. Fairchild, William Munhall, D.
246 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
Kinney, Thomas Potter, Israel Thrap, Samuel Catlin, William Mar-
shall, William Avey, J. H. Hamilton, T. Arnold, A. Brown, Ezekiel
Hoagland, Jeremiah Biddeson, A. Biddeson, William Tipton, William
Baldwin, Samuel Cory, J. Case, William Hasting!^, J. M. Woodward,
C. J. Sears, N. T. Brown, J. H. Freece, J. W. Southard, J. W. Thomp-
son, D. G. Shires and T. H. Scott, the present incumbent. The pres-
ent membership is about sixty. A Sunday school was organized about
1844, which has about forty scholars. Lewis Eyeman is superintendent.
The Christian Union Church was organized by Rev. A. S. Biddeson,
September 15, 1867, with a membership ot' eighteen persons, as follows :
John Cloud, W. J. Dick, N. Grubb, Nelson Cloud, John F. Berry, A.
M. Van Tassell, M. E. Dick, Ellen Van Tassell, Mary Baker, Mary
Van Tassell, Diana Cloud, Susan Hanson, Nancy Cloud, Ellen Hock-
ingberry, Jane Grubb, Henry Woollard, Sr., Samuel and Sarah E.
Beny. The tirst officers were : chief elder. A. M. Van Tassell ;
iinancial elder, John Cloud: recording elder, W. J. Dick. The
church was erected in 1868, at a cost of about seventeen hundred dol-
lars. The pastors of this church have been Rev. Philip G. Underwood,
assisted by Rev. R. W. Graham ; Joshua B. Clover, and Henry G.
Duckworth. Tliere are about one hundred and tifty members belong-
ing to the organization at this time. There is a flourishing Sunday-
school in connection with the church, organized about 1868.
There are two villages in Richland township — East Rushville and
West Rushville. They are one mile apart, and on opposite sides of
Rush Creek, the stream being midway between the towns. East Rush-
ville was laid out by Joseph Turner, about 1808. It was first called
Clinton, but was subsequently changed to East Rushville. It was on
the line of Zane's Trace, and in early times the village enioyed a large
degree of prosperitv, owing to the large numbers of travelers and em-
igrants passing along this route.
The first store was kept by Patrick Owens. McLaughlin was
another of the early merchants. Mrs. Mar}' Bopses kept the first hotel
and John Markwuth the second one. At an early date there were four
hotels in the village, all receiving a good patronage.
Drs. Nathaniel Waite and Ide were of the first physicians. Caleb
Copeland was the first blacksmith.
Large quantities of tobacco were purchased by the early merchants
and shipped to Eastern markets.
East Rushville has at this time a population of about two hundred.
The village contains two dry goods stores, one drug store, three grocer-
ies, one hotel, one harness shop, two blacksmith shops, one undertaking
establishment, two physicians, etc.
Rushville Lodge, No. 211, of Free and Accepted Masons, was
instituted at East Rushville, in October, 1852. The charter members
were William Coulson, Daniel Baker, David Wilson, John P. Hodge,
N. P. Teele, Nathaniel B. Coulson, William Van Sant, James Cut-
shall. The present membership is forty-seven.
There is but ofte church organization and edifice in East Rushville,
the Methodist Episcopal. It is a continuation of the first churcli
organized by the Methodists in Richland township, about 1811, hereto-
fore stated, and which was transferred to East Rushville about 1831.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COtJNTY. ^47
A short time after the transfer a substantial frame church building was
erected. The following persons have had ministerial charge of this
church since its transfer: 1831, Samuel Hamilton, J. Hooper; 1832, J.
Carper, J. Young; 1833, J. Carper, J. Armstrong and S. H. Holland;
1834, J- Armstrong; 1835, James T. Donahoe, E. D. Roe; 1836,
James T. Donahoe, M. A. Milligan ; 1837, C. W. Swain, W. T. Hand ;
1838, James B. Gurley, F. H.Jennings; 1839, M. P. Kellogg, W. M.
D. Ryan; 1840, M. P. Kellogg, A. S. Murphy; 1841, Jacob Young,
B. A. Cassott; 1843, John Fitch; 1844-5, W."' R. Davis; 1846-7, J.
W. Stone; 1848, John Fitch; 1849, ^- Webster, John Fitch; 1850,
Levi Cunningham, G. G. West; 1851, Levi Cunningham, J. T.
Langman ; 1852, Levi Cunningham, W. S. Benner ; 1853, Samuel
Harve}', Samuel Tippett ; 1854, Samuel Harvey, R. Doughty: 1855,
R. Doughty, R. Pitzer: 1856-7, S. C. Ricker,' T. G. Ross: 1858-9,
A. Fleming, N. Speck; 1860-1, D. Mann, J. C. Gregg; 1862-3, W.
C. Holida, H. Gortner ; 1864-5, U. L. Jones, B. Ellisi 1866-7, R- B.
Bennett, J. Y. Rusk; 1868, J. Barringer, R. B. Bennett; 1869, J.
Barringer, G. L. Seits ; 1870, G. L. Seits, J. T. Finch; 187 1, J. H.
Baker, J. H. Beery; 1872, F. F. Lewis, J. H. Beery; 1873, F. F.
Lewis, R. H. Griffith; 1874, F. F. Lewis; 1865-7, F. S. Thurston;
1878-9, Samuel Rankins ; 1880, W. H. Sayre ; 1881, J. M. Adams.
The ministers having pastoral charge of the East Rushville Church,
also preached to all the congregations embraced in the Rushville
circuit.
West Rushville was laid out by John Gams about 1815, and is a
pleasant and ordinary village of about one hundred and seventy-five
inhabitants. At an early period of its history, the town enjoyed a
large measure of prosperity on account of the tobacco trade, and the
travel, but of late years, a comparatively small amount of business has
been transacted here, as compared with early times. William Kilgore
was the first merchant in the town. Dr. Nathaniel Wait was the first
physician. A postoffice was established about 1840, George Young
being the first postmaster. The village at this date, 1881, has two dry
goods stores, one hotel, one school house, and two churches, Presby-
terian and Methodist.
Philo Lodge, No. 392, L O. O. F., was organized, July 12, 1867.
W. B. Strickly, Joseph McFee, H. L. Whitehead, J. M. Strickler,
Charles McClung, James Henderson, Michael Keelm, C. C. B. Dun-
can, and Jacob Lamb were the charter members. The membership in
1 88 1 was about sixt}'.
The Rush Creek Presbj-terian Church of West Rushville was
organized by Rev. John Wright, of Lancaster, in 1806. The first
church was a log building situated about two and one half miles south
of town, on the Thompson farm. A brick church was erected in West
Rushville, and the society removed to that place in 1830. Among the
early members were William Trimble, Judge William McClung and
William Larimore. About 1852 the church was struck by lightning
and destroyed. The present frame edifice was built about 1854. Rev.
John Wright was the first pastor, and continued in that relation until
1832, when he was succeeded by Rev. James Anderson, who remained
248 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
pastor until 1S53. The pastors since 1853 have been, 1854-7, Rev. J.
Milligan ; 1858-61, Rev. J. M. Drake; 1861-3, vacant; 1863-5, Re^.
H. R. Pierce; 1866-70, Rev. C. C. B. Duncan; 1871-3, Rev. John L.
Gourley; 1874-7, Rev. S. D. Smith; 1878-81, Rev. R. A. Watson,
who is the present incumbent. There is at this date, December, 1881,
one hundred and tbrty-one members in tnll connection with the
cliurch. A flovn^ishino- Sunday scliool has been sustained tor many
years. John Kennedy is tlie present superintendent.
The Methodist Episcopal Church of West Rushville, is an outgrowth
of the camp-meetings held in the Stevenson settlement, and was
organized about 1832. The ministers since and including 1854 have
been, 1854, C. C. Lvbrand, H. Gortner ; 1855, C. C. Lybrand : 18^6-7,
W.C. Filler; 1858-9, R. Pitzer ; 1860-1, T. H. Hall; 1862, W. Z.
Ross; 1863, W. M. Mullenix; 1864, J. Stewart; 1865, T. R. Tavlor ;
1866-7, H. L. Whitehead; 1868-9, J. H. Acton; 1870, H. H. Ferris;
1871-3, T. H. Brodrick; 1874-6, W. T. Jones; 1877-8, Samuel
Rankins ; 1879-80, W. H, Sayre ; 1881, J. M. Adams. A commo-
dious frame church was erected about 1855, ^^^ which the society hold
its meetings. There is a good Sabbath school connected with the
church.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUI'.TY. 249
CHAPTER XXXII.
RUSH CREEK TOWNSHIJ*.
Rush Creek lies in the southeastern part, and is the most eastern
portion ot" Fairheld county. It is bounded on tlie north by Richland
township of Fairfield, and Reading township of Perry county : on the
south by Marion townsliip of Hocking county ; on the east by Jack-
son township of Perry county : and on the west by Pleasant and Berne
townships. It is six miles square, and contains thirty-six square miles
or 23,040 acres of land. It became a township in 1804. and was sur-
veyed by Elnathan Schofield, an early citizen of Lancaster, who also
surveyed this part of the county. It was originally two miles longer
than it now is, latitudinal, but in 1840 it was made two miles shorter
north and south, than it now is, b}^ the creation of what was known as
Auburn township, whose existence was of short duration, for in 185 1,
Hocking county encroaching upon the borders of Fairfield, Auburn
was divided equally between Rush Creek township of Fairfield and
Marion township of Hocking, which made Rush Creek a complete
township for the first time. It is probable that it was originalh" Ibrmed
from Pleasant, Berne and Richland townships.
The surface for the first part is undulating, the most rugged portion
being found in the nf)rtheastern part. The valleys along Rush Creek
and Raccoon Creek are broad, considering the size of the streams, and
all the land is quite fertile, and all arable but a small portion.
The valleys, environed bv the hills, and the monotony of the hill
land, broken by the valleys, presents a beautiful landscape. Dotted
throughout by farm dwellings and barns, school houses and churches,
the scene is truly home-like and comforting, and the traveler is con-
strained that the bard of civilization and culture has not neglected its
influence here.
The principal streams are Big Rush Creek, Little Rush Creek and
Raccoon Creek. Big Rush Creek comes in from the northeast, and
flows southwest, joining Little Rush Creek a little east of the center of
the township. Little Riish Creek flows tVom a short distance west of
the central northern part, through the township, passing out two
miles farther east than where it enters at the north ; it almost equally
divides the township into two parts. Raccoon Creek has two branches,
one flowing from the northwest, flowing directly south to about one
mile west and a little south of the central part of the township, where
it is joined by the branch from the central west and Berne township,
from whence they flow in a southeastern direction and empty into Rush
Creek two miles south of the centre of the township.
From the northeast, three small streams flow south into Big Rush
Creek. From the northwest flows a small stream in a direction south-
82
250 HISTORY OF FA1RFIEL.D COUNTY,
west, and is joined by another flowing directly south, near the western
border of the township, and passes out into Berne township.
Tiiere is a small stream in the southeast corner, and one in the
soutliwest corner of the township.
The people are of a mixture of blood, and came from Pennsyl-
vania, Virginia, a few from Ireland and Scotland, and some from Mary-
land. The first settlements in this part of the county were in the north-
west, and along Rush Creek, none of which were before 1798.
From the first settlement until 1804, when this township was made,
there came forty-three voters, besides women and children.
The following is a list of the voters in 1804. (The election was held
in Samuel Hammel's house, who lived on Rush Creek) :
Voters — Edward Murphy, John Hiles, John Murphy, Abram
Beery, James S. Callam, John Ashbaugh, Henr^^ Sellers, James
Wilson, Jacob Beery, Joseph Miller, Philip Comer, Edward Young,
Samuel Nelson, James Shaw, John Patton, Maxwell Galaher, Peter
McHie, Joseph Shafer, Theobald Myers, Benjamin Cox, Jesse Roles,
Andrew Ashbaugh, Samuel Brown, James Larimer, Samuel Mills,
Robert Larimer, William McGinnis, Isaiah Driller, John Koyman,
Joseph Love, Andrew ^'Jite, Robert Nelson, Jacob Fox, Frederick
Ashbaugh, Lewis Sites'^ William Trimble, John Wills, David Martin,
Jacob Kafman, Hugh Wills, Henry Steman, William Martin, Ebe-
ne2;er Larrimer. The judges of the election were David Martin,
Lewis Sites, and John Wills ; clerks — William Trimble and Hugh
Wills.
At this election Emanuel Carpenter, Henr}- Abrams,' and Isaac Lar-
rimer were voted for for county commissioners, each receiving fort}'
votes cast in this tow'nship, and the opposing candidates only three
votes each. At the last election, held in October, 1882, there was three
hundred and twenty-two votes polled. A full vote would poll four hun-
dred and twenty-eight.
It seems that John Ashbaugh was the first settler. He came from
Redstone, Penns3dvania, down the Ohio River to the mouth of the
Hock-hocking on a flat-boat, and came up the latter in a canoe to
Rush Creek, and settled — having brought his family with him — on
Raccoon Creek, about 1798 or 1799. To him was born the first child
in what is now Rush Creek township — his son David, born January ist,
1800. Edward Young came from Pennsjdvania by the same means of
travel, probably in 1801. He was married to Rachel Miller in 1802,
and this was the first wedding in this vicinity.
Some early settlers came horse-back, bringing their families in this
way. Some poled their flat-boats up the Hock-hocking. Among the
first settlers one of the Larrimers was the first Justice of the Peace. In
1804 Charles McClung was elected to that offlce. William McClung
was a prominent citizen, and was elected at one time to the State Leg-
islature. He was a soldier in the War of/f8i2.
The first schools were kept up by suV- criptions and taught in kitch-
ens. One was kept in George Beery Vidtchen, and taught by Christo-
pher Welty. Another soon after was taught by Joseph Osborn, in Jos-
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 25 1
ephLeib's kitchen. The first school houses were five-cornered log cabin
buildings, one corner being used for a fire-place. For windows, a log
would be left open and greased paper used for lights. The seats were
small trees six or eight inches in diameter split in the middle, making
two pieces ; into these were driven pins the length to make the seats the
right height. For writing desks thev drove pins into the walls and
puncheons upon them. The supply of wood for fuel was kept up by
the scholars, cutting it during recess and noon.
The first school houses were probably built in the northwestern part
of the township and along the Rush Creek. The first teachers who
taught in these houses were George Bright, Thomas Paydon, Peter
McMullen, Mr Brison, and others. Mc Mullen seems to have been
the most noted. A teacher then was a man of muscular power, rather
than one of mental culture. Some possessed both, but no one could lack
the former. A course of education was, to learn to "read, write, and
cipher to the single rule of three." If they ever reached "Tare and
tret" in mathematics, they were considered adepts.
Of course the public school system was adopted as soon as possible
when the county did the same. The school houses now are mostly of
brick and eleven in number. In Bremen, two rooms are taught, there-
by giving a grade to education, which was established in 1872.
The Presbyterians were the first to hold religious services in the set-
tlements, in private houses and barns. They built the first church in
1807 in the north-western part of the township ; it was a hewed log.
They now have two houses of worship in the township, one in Bre-
men and one in section 25, known as Bethel church. The latter was
built in 1828 and at that time the society was organized in that vicinity.
Rev. John Wright of Lancaster was the first minister in the township,
and Francis Cartlett, at Bethel.
The Methodist Episcopal class held meetings in houses and barns
as early as 1802, and built Wesley chapel north of Bremen about 1806
or 1808. They now have a church in Bremen, built in 1854 ^^^ dedi-
cated in June, with C. C. Lybrand as pastor. Zebulon Holiday, E. S.
Gardner and E. W. Evans were the building committee. In 1854 there
were about thirty members ; now there are about fifty.
The German Baptist church is situated in section 28 and was first
organized about 1805. They held meetings in dwellings until 1856,
when they built a church on the east side of John Meracle's farm. The
first members were Abram Beerv, John Beery, Casper HofTert, George
Hendricks, George Bright and Jacob Hunsaker. The first minister
was Isaac Beery, ''who preached four times a year. They now have
preaching every other Sunday. In all these churches, they have one
hundred and thirt3'-two members.
The Sacred Heart Roman Catholic church, in section 34, was
built in 1835. The church organization was effected about 1852 by
Father Laughy. The first priest who lived here was Father Broomer.
In 1875 the present incumbent. Father Myrose, took charge. Some of
its first members were Blasius Schmeltzer, John Schmeltzer, Jordan
Schmeltzer, Absalom Schmeltzer, Anthony Schmeltzer and others.
There are now about eighty communicants. The church was built with
252 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
all the other buildings b}' Blasius Schmellzer. who donated them and
eighty acres of land to the church.
The Mt. Zwingle Reform church is in, section 29. It was built in
1839 ^^^ stood until 1876, when it was supplanted by a neat frame
house that IS still standing. The first preacher was Rev. Wise. This
class worshiped about sixty years ago in Berne township.
The Olive liranch U. B. church is in section 39 and was built in
1851. The class was lirst organized about 1859 with a preacher. Rev.
Cease, assisted by Rev. Brock, in charge with twenty members. Now
there are only about tvvehe or fourteen. There hax'e been as many as
eighty members.
The Mt. Zi(;n. iirelluvn in Christ, church was built in 1858 in sec-
tion 18. The class was ort^nized about 181^/ by some ministers from
Penns3dvania, and Joseph and Abram Beery of Virginia. Previous to
1858 they worshiped in dwelling houses and barns. Although the
house was built, the}- had no deed for the land upon which it stood until
1863. when Daniel Huddle made a deed for one-half acre for church
and cemeterx' purposes. During the time they had no deed, the society
became of two denominations, the other being the Evangelical Asso-
ciation and as they both worshiped here, he made the deed to them con-
jointh'.
The Union United Brethren church was built in 1826 in section 10.
At the time it was built there were only two members, Benjamin Fry
and Amos Parker. The first minister was probably a man by the name
of Leaman. There are now about twenty members, and the old church
house is still used.
The Pleasant Hill Mennonite church was built in section 26 about
T835, across the road from where it now stands. It was without a
deed for a lot until 1862, when they obtained a* deed for one-half acre
of land for church and cemetery purposes. The first organization was
before 181 7 and met in dwellings and barns until they built the present
church.
Peter Steman was the first elder. Joseph Good, Henry Funk, Hen-
ry Breneman, Nicholas Steman and others were the first members.
Henry Steman and John Good were the first ministers.
The Jerusalem Reformed German church was built in 1835 ^" ^^^
line between sections 13 and 14, under the supervision of Rev. T. H.
Winters. The first class was organized in 1825, and met in Mrs. Mary
Moyer's house and a school house until they built.
The first house was supplanted by the present one in 1868 by the
members, with no pastor. The first minister was Rev. George Weise,
succeeded by T. H. Winters, Henrv Williams, Jesse Steine, D. H.
' Phillips and others. The present pastor is J. R. Skinner. The first
class was of eleven members, viz : J<^l^?y 'ind Catherine Ashbaugh,
Mary Moyer, George and Anna Keller, Catherine Musser, Mar}' E.
Ashbaugh and Jacob Moyer, Of this class only Jacob Moyer is now
living.
In 1810 Samuel Hammel built the lirst water grist-mill on Rush
Creek. Soon after that date, Joseph Leib built a saw and grist mill
also on Rush Creek and nearer Bremen. It was latelv owned by a
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTV. 253
Mr. Shaw. Casper Hoffert built a grist mill in an earl}' day on Rac-
coon Creek, west of Bremen, which has entirel}' disappeared. There
is now a fine ftour mill in Bremen owned by a Mr. Hall. There is a
sawmill about two and a half miles south of Bremen on Rush Creek.
Bremen is the \'illage of Rush Creek township, and has a popula-
tion of about two hundred souls. It was platted by George Beery in
1834 i^ipon the southeast corner of section i6, or the school lands, and
is in the centre of the township.
Since that time it has had two or three additions ; John Beer^' laid
out ten acres in 1872 just south of the original plat. There is a post-
office, two stores of general merchandise, one hardware store, one
drug-store, one saloon, one flour mill, a blacksmith shop and two
hotels.
There is in the south edge of the township a ver}' small place call-
ed Geneva, where there is one store and a blacksmith shop.
Through the township, pass two rail roads. The Columbus and
Muskingum Valley division of the Pittsburg, Cincinnati and St. Louis
Railway enters it about two miles south from the northeast corner, pas-
ses through Bremen from where it has almost a direct western route
through the western part of the township. This road was built in 1855
and extends to Cincinnati, Ohio. The Ohio Central comes in over the
Cincinnati & Muskingum Valley road to Bremen, from where it extends
almost directly north up. Little Rush Creek. It extends north to To-
ledo, Ohio, and was built in 1879.
524 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
CHAPTER XL.
VIOLET TOWNSHIP.
Violet township is in the northwestern part ot" Fairfield county ; is
bounded on the north by Licking county, on the east by Liberty
township, on the south by Bloom township, and on the west by
Franklin county. The township was set off and incorporated in 1808,
and from the variety and abundance of its wild flowers it took the
name of Violet. Its surface is slightl}- undulating, slopes southward,
and is drained by Black Lick, Sycamore and Walnut Creeks. There
are many swamps on the low lands, and the valley of Sycamore Creek
frequently suffers from inundation.
From the beginning, a majority of the inhabitants have been Ger-
man— that class of Germans who pride themselves on being good and
reliable citizens. The flrst man to take up his residence here was an
old Revolutionary soldier by the name of George Kirke, who entered
the eighty acres on which the village of Pickerington now stands, on
which he built himself a very ordinary log hut, which served as a
stopping place — could hardly be called a dwelling — in which he sought
shelter from wild beasts and storms, but in a few years a purchaser
came in the person of Abraham Pickering, who bought the tenth sec-
tion of land including Kirke's claim, and in 1815, laid off a few lots,
giving them the name ot Pickerington. The early settlers were
Edward Ricketts, Henry Stemen, Westenburger Hustand, Dr. Talbert,
H. Donaldson, A. Donaldson, Abraham Pickering and Mordacai
Fishbaugh, all of whom settled in or before 1806. The township at
that time was a dense forest of beech, hickory, sugar, white and blue
ash, and red and white elm.
In selecting farms, it was customary for several to join together, get
the range and section from corner trees, pick out a section and for one
of them to hasten to the land oflice to secure it b}'- making an entry
and pa3'ing the one-fourth part (fifty cents per acre) down. There
was then a busy time among them helping each other to build log
cabins. Some brought their families with them, while others came
alone, preferring to build the cabin first. Indians were few and
friendly, and soon left for lands further west — while here, the children
of whites and Indians played together, amusing themselves by
wrestling and running foot races. Wild animals, such as the W'olf, deer, f
bear and wild-cat, were numerous and gave the settlers some trouble.
Fresh pork seemed to be a dish lor w^hich the bears had a special liking,
and many were the times when bear meat paid the forfeit, and graced
the table of the humble cabin. Wolves were the most annoying,
frequently running a chicken into the very door of the house, in day-
light, and at night forming a dismal chorus, so peculiar to themselves.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUN'TY. 255
In 1815, a bounty of five dollars per scalp was offered ; this made them
an object of pursuit and soon thinned them out.
The northern twelve sections of this township belonged to the
Refugee lands and was noted in early times, for its numerous flocks of
wild tui'keys and pigeons. Turkey was an ordinary dish for the farmer,
and during the fall and winter months, many of them were dressed and
sent to market. Shooting pigeons formed the farmer-boys' holiday
pleasure and frequently his day's work, to keep them from destroying
the crops. The}^ lit in such numbers on trees as to break the branches.
Pickerington, the oldest town, now has about three hundred
inhabitants.
When first laid out, lots were given to any one who would build on
them. For a few years it seemed to do well, then came to a stand still
with indications of finall}' dying out. The Hocking Valley Railroad,
passing through the southern part of the township, seemed to
invigorate it to some extent, but it was not long till it began
to decline again, which decline coutinued until the Ohio
Central Railroad passed through its limits, when' it awakened to new
life. It now contains many fine residences, two churches, a substantial,
modern style school building, an elevator, a flouring mill, two dry
goods stores, five groceries, one drug store, one hardware store,, two
hotels, a tin shop, two blacksmith shops, a harness shop and a
lumber yard. During the first few years William Mcintosh and Abra-
ham Pickering, of this place, were extensively engaged in buying hogs
for eastern markets. The rich fruits of the forest formed such an
abundance of food, that rearing them was very little trouble, and many
of the farmers gave it considerable attention. The price paid was
$1.20 per hundred weight, and when a sufficient number had been
secured, they were driven to market to Baltimore, Maryland ; the trip
taking about three months. They continued in this until the Ohio
Canal was opened, when hogs were slaughtered and the pork shipped.
A lodge of Independent Order of Odd Fellows was instituted here the
22nd dav of November, 1881. The charter members were Samuel
Fishbaugh, D. I. Petty, E. D. Kramer, W. G. Mercer, G. I. Stewart,
G. W. Waggy, John Aiilt, James Dickinson, Phillip Pickering, G. W.
Eversole, John H. Shoemaker, James F. Sain, J. M. Sharpe, John L.
Vanarsdalen and D. C. Ebright. The membership at this time is
forty-four. Probably the first dry goods store was kept b}^ James Mul-
len, on the south-west corner of the public square. James 0"Kane
owned the next one and after a few years sold out to Drumm & Lee,
who several years after were succeeded by the McArther Brothers.
Up to this time there were no groceries, as the dry good stores kept a
general assortment of family supplies. The first hotel was kept by
Colonel John Ricketts. Stephen Whitesel built the first blacksmith
shop and was followed by James Cannon.
The town now enjoys a good trade with the surrounding farmers, and
will, no doubt, in time grow into a well developed thriving, inland town.
Waterloo is a small village on the Ohio Canal and Hocking Valley
Railroad, with fewer than one hundred inhabitants. It was laid out in
256 MIS'IORY OK KAIKFIKLD COUNTY.
1828 by Squire John Donaldson, on land that he had entered. Wm.
Stevenson owned the first dry goods store, which he kept in one room
of the old warehouse on the Ohio Canal. A small hotel was kept by
Nathan Bray. The village at this date (1882) contained only one
store, a saloon, and a shoemaking shop. Its first inb.abitants were
Levi Moore, David Painter, Thomas Morton, and George Hoshor.
Lockville, a small hamlet, is on the Ohio Canal, partly in this and
partly in Bloom township. There are several locks in the canal at this
place from which the village derived its name. Francis Cunningham
laid out the town and built the first store in which he kept a saloon of
some notoriet}' — it being the resort of passengers while the boats were
passing the locks. John Tenant and Brother succeeded Cunningham,
and in a few years were followed by the Mithoff Brothers, In 1845 — 50
the Mithoff Brothers erected the largest distillery in the county. Three
hundred bushels of corn was consumed each day, making a daily yield
of 1.200 gallons of whiskey. They remained in business about fourteen
vears. Since their leaving the growth of tiie village is slow, but can
hardlv expect, at this date to increase.
The first church in this township, a Methodist Episcopal, was built
at Pickerington, in 1833. Meetings were held at private residences for
several years, and then in a school house till a church was built. It
was organized by Alexander Cummings and Sedosia Bacon, in 181 1 ;
the original members being Abram Ebright, Isaac Ranier, Philip Ford,
John Taylor, Sr., John Alguire and their wives. The present member-
ship is aljout one hundred and fifty. The first Sabbath school was or-
ganized in 1833, consisting of sevent3'-five members, withN. P. Bethel,
as superintendent. Since the beginning, seventy-one 3^ears ago, one
hundred and twenty-nine regular ministers were stationed here, not in-
cluding Presiding Elders. The church (brick) cost $1100, and was
built by James Searls. The trustees a*, the time of building, were
Abram Ebright, chairman ; Isaac Ranier, secretary ; Philip Ford, John
Milnor, John Taylor, Sr., William Thompson, Thomas McArthur,
James Pickering and Andrew Doughert}^ Sr.
The next church in the township, was "Job's Church," built by the
Lutherans and German Reformed, in 1833, to be used in common be-
tween themselves, holding services alternately, ever}- week. In 1849
the old building was torn down and a new one put in its place.
Next came the United Brethren of the eastern part of the township,
who erected a church on section 13. The original members were
Simon Meppor, Jacob Garhart, John Ritter and vSamuel McDonald
with their families.
After several years, a trouble arose in the church and a majorit}- of
the old members left it and joined the Evangelical Church, erecting a
building on the opposite side of the road from their old church.
Following the above United Brethren Church, was the United Breth-
ren Church of Pickerington. This church has a large membership,
and this year will erect a modern style building, on the site of the old
one.
The next is a United Brethren church, built on section 24, by Pete
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUN'l'Y, 257
Houser, Jacob Hoiiser, Jacob Good and their famiHcs. It is now ]iros-
peroiis and has a good membership.
Andrew Middleton and others were successful in their efforts to
establish a United Brethren Church in the northwestern part of the town-
ship, and on section 20, where now stands an excellent little
church.
The first mill in Violet township, was owned by Mr. Badger. It
was run by horse power and the grain when ground had to be bolted b}'
hand. The next was a water grist mill, on Walnut Creek, built b}^
George Hoshor. Michael Loucke then built a saw and grist mill on the
same creek. Mr. Lee built a saw mill, and Billingsly Allen, a grist
mill in the northern part of the township ; the latter is still in opera-
tion. In 1881 the Strickler Brothers built a large flouring mill in Picker-
ington, which is still in operation.
The first school in the township was taught at Pickerington by
Isaac Reneir, a man of extra ability for that day. Clemuel Ricketts
taught the next in section 22. The next was taught near Waterloo by
Joseph Glinton. Since then, schools have gradually sprung into exis-
tence until each district has a good school building, well supplied with
the necessary furniture.
The township is prosperous and healthful, showing well what a vig-
orous appliance ot mind and muscle, well directed, can do in fourscore
years of time.
33
25H HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
CHAPTER XLT.
WALNUT TOWNSHIP.
Walnut township was organized in 1807. It is in the northeastern
part of the comity, bounded by Licking counts' on 'the north, Richland
township and Perry county on the east. Pleasant township on the south
and Liberty township on the west. It was probably so named became
of the abundance of walnut timber that grew in its forests, when first
settled. It is still well timbered with sugar, beech, walnut, hickory and
mulberr}'.
The general surface of the township is level or slightly undulating.
It is generally conceded to be the most fertile of the townships which
compose the rich covmty of Fairiield. The soil annually produces
large crops of wheat, barley, corn, oats, potatoes, etc. When first
cleared, tobacco raising was extensively engaged in by the farmers,
but of late years but very little has been produced. The northern part
of the township being contiguous to the large body of water, known as
the Licking Reservoir, it is also considered the best fruit growing sec-
tion of the county.
The principal streams are Big and Little Walnut Creeks. Little
Walnut Creek rises in the eastern part of this township and, running
east and south, empties into the Big Walnut. The Big Walnut crosses
the south-west corner of the tow-nship. These streams have several
small tributaries not named, which in connection with the canal and
reservoir causes it also to be the best watered township of Fairfield.
The celebrated Refugee tract of land crosses the entire northern part ot
Walnut, the tract in this township being about six miles in length and
two miles in width.
The Ohio Canal, commenced in 1825, and completed in 1833, enters
this township near the center of the boundar}'^ line which separates it
from Licking county, and running in a southeasterly direction about
a mile and thence in a southwesterly course to Middleport, runs
parallel with the Ohio Central Railroad until near the center of the
township, from whence it runs southwest into Liberty tow^nship.
The Licking Reservoir, a very large body of water, which was cre-
ated as a feeder to the Ohio Canal about 1833, is situated in Licking,
Fairfield and Perry counties. That portion of the reservoir situated
in Fairfield county, is entirely within the limits of Walnut township.
The reservoir is a favorite resort for pleasure and fishing parties from
Columbus, Lancaster, Newark, Zanesville, and many other cities and
towns in Ohio. During the spring, summer and fall of each year, barely
a day passes without parties visiting there, who are engaged in fishing,
boating or duck hunting. Abundant hotel accommodations are to be
had at various places along the reservoir.
HISTORY OF FAIRPIELD COUNTY. 259
Walnut township, because of its low, wet and swampy land when in
a primative state, was settled much slower than any other of the town-
ships of Fairfield count}^. William Murphy, who came from Virginia
in 1800, was about the first white settler. He located lands in the
northern portion of the township, near the site of Millersport. Murphy
was a celebrated hunter. He killed one panther, sixty-three wolves,
and large numbers of deer, wild turke3s, coons, foxes and smaller game.
He also traded with the Indians, exchanging flour, meal and various
articles for skins of wild animals. He packed his skins and furs to Vir-
ginia, where he sold them, realizing sufficient money in a few years
to become quite wealthy. His descendants still reside near Millers-
port.
Thomas and Isaac Cherr}- were also earh' settlers, coming to the
township in 1810. Their neighbors at that date were William Murplw,
William Pugh, Henry Eversole, William Bowman, Andrew Crager,
William Hane and Samuel Crawford. Thomas Cherry was also noted
as a successful hunter, and as wild game was still numerous at the time
ol his settlement in Walnut township, he was much of his time engaged
in hunting and trapping. As late a period as 1810 the people subsisted
largely on the flesh of the deer and wild turkey, which with their corn
bread and sassafras and spice wood tea, made very palatable living.
Prior to 1806, but a few emigrants had come to Walnut. Of this num-
ber were the Murph^^s, the Crawfords, the Hendrixes, Watsons and
Lyles. Between the years 1806 and 1814 the following persons had
settled in various parts of the township, nearly all of whom emigrated
from Virginia and Maryland, viz. : James Holmes, Andrew Krager,
William Harvey, Samuel Wiseman, Abraham Harshbarger, William
Milligan, Thomas Cherry, Isaac Cherry, Eli Whittaker, Edward Berry,
William Irwin, David Runk, John Miller, Thomas Ross, David Dil-
linger, George Heis, Nicholas Ketner, Samuel Mills, Jonas Reinhart,
Daniel Hall, John Shipler, Adam Geiger, Samuel Trovinger, Solomon
Barks, Edward Peal, John Decker, Jesse Pugh, Adam McNamee, and
several others.
There is no record of any election held prior to 1820. At the elec-
tion held on the 3d day of April, 1820, at the house of David Lyle, the
following officials were chosen : trustees, Jesse Pugh, David Lvle and
Jacob Culp ; supervisors, Edward Berry, Samuel Crawford, Abraham
Baughman and Nathan Harris ; clerk, David Lyle ; lister, John Mil-
ler ; constables, John Miller and Isaac Cherr3' ; treasurer, John Gold-
thwait ; fence viewers, Andrew Jervis, William Carey ; overseers of the
poor, by appointment, Thomas Watson and Thomas Cherry.
The first grist mill in Walnut township was erected by George H.
Houser. It was situated on Big Walnut Creek. This mill was built
probably before the war of 181 2 commenced. The second grist mill
was built by John Good, a short time after. Solomon Barks built the
third grist mill, probably a short time after the close of the war. It was
situated on Little Walnut Creek. All of these mills have long since
disappeared, and have been superseded by more substantial structures.
At an early da}^, two still-houses were erected on section 15, one by
William Irvin and the other by Thomas Ross. Eli Holmes also built
26o ■ HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
one on section 4, about the same time. These distilleries manufac-
tured lari^e quantities of whisk}', which was transported by the settlers
across the Allegheny Mountains and exchanged for goods. The busi-
ness of distilling whisk}^ was at that time considered respectable and
even members of evangelical Christian churches often engaged in it.
It has since fallen into disrepute, and the last distillery disappeared
some fift}' year ago.
The iirst road in Walnut township was laid out about 1810. Prior
to that time for several years it had been a "blazed road" or trace,
throuoii the almost unbroken wilderness.
This road led from Franklinton to Zanesville. At an early date,
a road leading from Newark to Lancaster was located, which was a
great thorouglifare for travelers. That portion of the road between
New Salem and Lancaster, was converted into a free turnpike in 1870.
James Holmes probabl}- erected the first, and William Murphy the
second log cabin in the township. They were of unhewed logs, hav-
ing the old-fashioned lire place, and the chimney being on the outside
of the building. It is said that William Hauer built the first hewed log
house in 1807, and Eli Holmes, the first brick in 1812.
Thomas Warner also built one of the first log cabins in the town-
ship. Between the years 1800 and 1807, several unhewed log houses
were erected, by the Wisemans, Crawfords, Berrys and others.
John Goldthwait started the first nurser}^ in Walnut township about
the year 1812. It w^as situated about two miles west of New Salem.
Goldthwait was a Yankee, and politically a radical Federalist. The
Ibllowing anecdote is related of him. Soon after his orchard com-
menced bearing fruit, two lawyers from Lancaster, who were strong
Democrats, came out to his nursery to sample his fruits. He showed
them his Golden Pippins, Rhode Island Greenings, Russets and his
Federal apples. The lawyers said to him: "You' have shown us your
Federal apples now show us your Democratic ones." He said: "Come
dowm this way." He then pointed out a scrubby tree, which had a few
inferior apples on. "That," said he, "is the Democratic apple."
The Ohio Central Railroad, the only one in Walnut, crosses the
township from north to south. It was completed in 1880.
For several vears after the first settlement of Walnut township,
there were no organization of school districts in the township. The
pioneers built log cabin school houses, to accomodate neighborhoods.
The teachers were hired bv articles of agreement which were drawn
up by the teacher, in which the terms were stated. This paper was
circulated throughout the neighborhood, and the heads of families put
down their names for so many scholars, at a certain rate per scholar.
James Allen and Jesse Smith were among the first school teachers of
Walnut township. They taught in different neighborhoods for mau}^
years. John Griffith and John Granthum were also early teachers. One
of the Iirst school houses erected in the lownship was situated near the
site of Millersport, in the Murphy and Holmes settlement. It was built
about 1815.
The religious interests of the early settlers were not neglected. Soon
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 26 1
alter the advent of the first pioneers, Rev. James Qiiinn, a noted and
zealous minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, made his appear-
ance in Walnut, as well as several other Df the townships of Fairfield
county. He frequently held meetings at the cabin of William Murphy.
At a very earl}- date in the history of this township, the Methodists
erected a small log church on the {i\ym of Job McNamee. Among the
early members of this church were the Murphys, and others. Revs.
Charles Waddle, Abner Goff and James Gilruth were also early Me-
thodist ministers, who proclaimed the glad tidings of salvation to the
pioneers here.
The Baptists also entered the field of missionary work here at an
early date. Elders John Hite and Eli Ashbrook were the first of the
township. It is probable that the first church structure in Walnut
township w^as built by the Baptists, under the auspices of Elder George
Uebolt about 1814. It was a rude log building, situated near the first
Methodist church referred to. Of the earl}- members of the Baptist
Church were Thomas and Isaac Cherry, the Hites, Debolts, Ash-
brooks and others. These rude log structures have long since disap-
peared and not a trace remains to mark the spot where they once
stood.
About 1827, and soon after the Ibrmation of the Methodist Protes-
tant Church, ministers of the denomination came into the township and
preached at various places. They were instrumental in causing many
of the members of the Methodist Episcopal Church to vs'ithdraw their
membership from that church and join the Protestants. Ministers of
other evangelical denominations occasionally held meetings, but were
not successful in organizing churches of their creed.
There are three villages in Walnut township, viz. : New Salem,
Millersport, and Hadley Junction ; also, about one-third of the village
of Pleasantville is in the township.
New Salem was laid out b}^ Abram Hashbarger about 1832. It is
located in the southeast part of the township, and is a pleasant village
of about three hundred inhabitants. The first house in the village was
built bv John Pride, and w^as occupied by Abram T. Sweazy for a
store. This structure was on the corner w^here Linville's store now
stands.
John Pennell built the second house, and Benoni Hoagland, the
third one. The first hotel was built on the Ortmau corner, and John
Spitler was the proprietor. This hotel enjoyed a very good patronage
during the good old da3's ot the stage coach, and hotel keeping in New
Salem was a more profitable business in those early days than now^
The first physicians in the village were Drs. Brock and Loomis.
David Smith was the first blacksmith and Richard Dean the first wagon
maker. The first post office was established about 1839, '^"^ David
Sweazy was the first postmaster. This mail route was from Lancaster
to Jacktown, in Licking count}-, and the mail was conveyed b}- the
stage coach. The first school taught in the village was b}' Christopher
Trovinger. He held his school in a small tailor shop, which stood on
the site of the present hotel building. John Fix, now residing in New
Salem, attended this school.
262 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
The Methodist Episcopal church of New Salem was erected
in the year 1838. It is a substantial frame edifice, and cost about
thirt3'-five hundred dollars. Prior to 1838, and about the year
1820, the societ}^ now known as the New Salem Church was organized,
and meetings were held in the houses of Thomas Watson and others of
the early members. About 1822 a log church was built, in which the
society- worshiped until the completion of the present frame edifice.
John Wiseman, James Miller, James Allen, Thomas Watson, Tillman
Lewis, George Stinchcomb, Samuel Wiseman, Elizabeth Hill, and
Jacob Hooper and wife, were of the early members. Rev. James Qiiinn,
Abner Gough, Charles Thorn and Charles Waddle, noted pioneer Meth-
odist ministers, were among the first who preached to this class.
About 1840, during the pasturate of Rev. Martin Kellogg a renuirkable
revival of religion occurred and about one hundred were added to the
membership of this church. In the winter of 1850 another great revival
was had, and near one hundred conversions reported. Rev. Levi
Cunningham was pastor during this revival. The present membership
is 120 and Rev. F. S. Thurston is pastor at the present time. A Sun-
day-school in connection with the church was organized about 1830.
Samuel Wiseman is present superintendent of the school, which is in a
very flourishing condition. There is a cemetery also in connection with
the church laid out about 1822, which is the last resting place of hundreds
of the earh' and later residents of Walnut and Thorn townships. A Mrs.
Smith was the first buried in this cemeter}^ ; date of interment notknown.
The cemetery is verv neatly kept, and the grounds beautifully decorated
with evergreen, shrubs and flowers.
The Reformed Clunxh of New Salem, known as Grace Reformed
Church, was organized by Rev. C. W. Hoyman, on the i8th day of
October, 1863, '^t the Woollard school house, two miles south of New
Salem. The society worshiped in this school house until the 3d day ot
January, 1867, when the present frame edifice in New Salem was ded-
icated. The first members of this organization were John and Catharine
Long, Rebecca Peters, E. Baker, Jesse Cromer, O. P. Avey and wife.
John Long was the first elder, and O. P, Avey, the first deacon. Rev.
C. W. Ho3'man, the first pastor, continued in that relation until 1878,
when he was succeeded bv Rev. F. C. Yast, the present incumbent. A
Sunday-school was organized in 1866. John C. Allen is superintendent
at this time. The present membership of the church is about fortv-five.
The Methodist Protestant Church of New Salem was instituted in
1832, b}' Rev. William B. Evans. About the time of its organization, a
log church building was erected on the site of the present church. The
society held their meetings in this church until 1856, when the present
church edifice was built at a cost of about sixteen hundred dollars.
Among the first members of this society were James Miller and wdfe,
William Hill and wife, William Shaw and wife, Jonathan Hill and
wife. Revs. Sanford, Clark and Flowers were of the first pastors.
About 1833, a great revival was had, which added materially to the
membership of the church. There are about fifty members at present
who belong to this charge. A cemetery in connection with the church
was laid out about 1834. Mrs. Shoup was the first person interred in
the cemeterv.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 263
The village of New Salem at the present time contains one dry goods
store, one drug store, one grocery, one harness shop, one carriage
maniifactury, one millinery shop, one shoe shop, one blacksmith shop,
two butcher shops, two physicians, one undertaking establishment, one
Masonic hall, and one brick school house, the school being under the
superintendence of Prof. William Henry.
Salem Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons was instituted in 1842.
The charter members were M. D. Brock, S. Baker, W. C. Galleher,
Caleb Coplen, Joseph Linville, J. Baker and J. H. Baker. The present
membership is about one hundred.
Millersport is situated in the northern part of the township on the
Ohio canal, and near the Licking Reservoir. It is also on the line of
the Ohio Central Railroad. It has a population of about two hundred
souls, and for several vears after the completion of the canal was a place
of considerable business.
The town was laid out by Mathias Miller about 1825. Soon after
the completion of the canal three grain warehouses were erected by the
Millers and others, and large amounts of wdieat, corn, oats, pork and
other commodities were purchased by the owners of the warehouses
and shipped to eastern markets. These old warehouses are still stand-
ing, but in a somewhat dilapidated condition. Old residents of the
neighborhood remember the advent of the Red Rover, the first boat
that passed through Millersport after the completion of the "big ditch."
The banks of the canal were lined wnth hundreds of people, from the
surrounding neighborhoods, and much joy and satisfaction were mani-
fested at the success of the enterprise. A Mr. McGrew was proprietor
of the first hotel in Millersport. A widow lady named Henderson also
kept a hotel several years while the canal was being constructed. Drs.
Strayer and Holmes were the first physicians who located in the village.
While the canal was being constructed, an epidemic of a malarial type
broke out among the laborers and large numbers were prostrated and
many died. The physicians of Millersport and contiguous towns were
kept busy in caring for the numerous patients under their care. Ed-
ward Metcalf was the first blacksmith. About 1825 another village
named Monticello was started and for some ten or twelve years much
business was transacted within its limits. It was situated about one-
half mile south-w^est of Millersport, near the canal. Now hardly a ves-
tige of it remains to mark its former location. The site of the once
flourishing village is occupied by fields of grain. The town at this time
has two dr}^ goods stores, three groceries, one restaurant, one harness
shop, two blacksmith shops, tw^o shoe shops, one saw mill, one hotel,
one tile manufactory, situated near the village, the three grain ware-
houses heretofore referred to, one brick school house, and one church.
The Millersport Methodist Episcopal Church was organized, and the
present frame church edifice erected in 1839. Among the first members
were George Bishop, James Nelson and Mrs. Wilson. The church was
organized by Rev. Martin Kellogg. Among the early pastors of this
society were Revs. Gilruth, James Hooper, Daniel Carper and
Richard Pitcher. The present membership of this church is about
fifty persons in full connection.
264 HISTORY OF TvMKFIKl.l) COUNTV.
One and three-fourth miles north of Millersport is Lakeside, a fa-
mous resort for tishing and pleasure parties. It is situated on the res-
ervoir and having but two hotels, the principal buildings in the place,
has not a sufficient population to be considered a village.
Hadley Junction was laid out in 1881 by George W. Bush. It is at
the junction of the Toledo and Columbus Division of the Ohio Central
Railroad. It was first called Bush Cit}' in honor of the proprietor, but
subsequently changed to Hadley Junction by the officials of the railroad.
Frank Stokes erected the first dwelling house. J. C. Mechlin and
Co. were the first merchants, and L. FI., Taylor kept the first hotel.
These gentlemen still continue in their respective business. James Bu-
chanan was the first shoemaker. The first postoffice was established in
1881 and J. C. Mechlin appointed postmaster, still holding the oflice.
There are but fourteen dwelling houses in the village at this date (June
1881), but several more will soon be built. The village still contains
less than one hundred inhabitants, but bids fair to exceed that number
in a few years. A neat brick school house has been erected for the ac-
commodation of the scholars of the village.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 26 =
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES,
FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
Abbott, Lafayette, merchant at Clearport ; is a son of Orin Ab-
bott, who was born in Vermont in 1800, and in 18 18 came with his father,
Erastus Abbott to this county. Orin Abbott attended store for a season
at the Rock Mill for Loveland & Smith, and during the time, he
traded a bolt of muslin for a load of wheat. He also ran a distillery on
the Newkirk farm, where he manufactured peach brandy ; also ran a
distillery at the old Peter Hay farm, below the Defanbaugh mill ; also
where he married Rosannah Hay. He was a Justice of the Peace fif-
teen 3'ears. He kept the first store in Madison township, by Hay's
mill, and afterward removed to Clearport, where he carried on business
many years, and where he died January 21, 1862, at the age of sixty-
three years ; his wife died September 7, 1852. They had two sons and
three daughters. John carried on the store for a time with his father,
and for a while alone ; but when the property was divided, he took
the fai'm, and Lafayette, the store. John was born October i, 1828, and
Lafayette, September 24, 1830. During the late war, he enlisted in the
Seventy-third Ohio, and was on the Sherman raid to the sea; was
wounded in the arm while putting a capon his gun, July 20, 1864, ^^ ^^^
close of the engagement at Peach Tree Creek, Hood's first fight. The
arm was bent so that the ball, a minie, struck below the elbow three
inches, and came out about the same distance above that joint. The arm
was amputated on the field, and afterward gangrene setting in, necessi-
tated a second amputation, more painful than the first. He was mustered
out at Camp Dennison, in November of 1865, the second amputation
being on the 22d of June of that yeixv. He was married to Miss Ly-
singer, daughter of John Lysinger, an old and favorably known settler
of the township. Mr. Abbott was assistant revenue assessor for several
3^ears, and has now one of the best stores in the country, a large stock
of goods and a large trade.
AcHEY, Jonathan, carpenter and joiner. Liberty township. He
was born in Lebanon county, Pennsylvania, August 15, 1822. He is
the only son of George and Elizabeth (Spangler) Achey. He received
a common school education, and removed with his parents to Ohio in
1838, remaining in Franklin county one year, then settling in Etna
township, Licking county, where he spent the remainder of his days.
He reared a family of seven children, five now living. He was a tinner
by trade. His death occurred about 1870. Jonathan completed his ed-
ucation at the age of seventeen, and commenced an apprenticeship at
the cabinet trade, tor one year ; he then learned the carpenter and joiner
34
266 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
trade. After acquiring the business, about 1844, he began building and
contracting, which he has since conducted successful!}', erecting many
of the finest buildings in Baltimore and vicinit}'. In 1847, Mr. Achey
married Miss E. M. Gafford, daughter of Joseph Gafford. Mrs. Achey
was born in Baltimore, October 19, 1829. They are the parents of
twelve children, of whom but five are living, viz. : Parthenia E,, wife
of S. B. Collins, of Illinois ; William Henry, a carpenter by trade ;
Sadie J., Carrie Honora, Nina May. The}" occupy a central and com-
modious residence in Baltimore, which he built in 1872. He has been
a member of the Board of Education and town council man}' years.
He is a member of the Reform Church, Mrs. Achey, of the Methodist
Episcopal Church. He has been a member of the I. O. O. F. since
18^2.
Aldred, a. T., M. D., of Carroll, was born in Newcastle county,
Delaware, February 6, 1819. He received his education in that State
and came to Ohio in 1844, and has practiced his profession in Greenfield
township ever since. In 1845 he removed to Havensport, where he re-
mained twelve years, retmming to Carroll in 1857, where he now lives,
having been actively and lucratively engaged in the practice of medi-
cine thirty-eight years. In 1855 he was married to Miss Emeliza Craw^-
ford, who died in 1861. He was again married December 20, 1870, to
his present wife, Miss Hessie Ebright, of Carroll. Dr. Aldred has not
only been active in the duties of his profession, but also in public aflTairs
pertaining to his adopted town — the school, the church and the Masonic
lodge ; of the last he was a charter member when established in
1855 : has been in official positions ever since, being at present its Wor-
thy Master.
Alfred, Hon. G.W., attorney at law; oflice in Tallmadge Block,
Main street, Lancaster, Ohio. Judge Alfred w^as born February 22,
1837, ^^^ the city of Cleveland, Ohio ; son of James and Elmira (Chase)
Alfred, of English ancestors. James Alfred came to this county, bring-
ing his family with him, in 1840, and located about two miles east of this
city, and engaged in agriculture, which he followed until his death, Feb-
ruary, 1878, in the eightieth year of his age. The widow yet lives on
the old homestead. Young Alfred attended the public schools of his
township, and the union schools of this city, until nineteen years of age,
when he began teaching in Illinois, and taught two terms, when he re-
turned and entered the Ohio University at Athens. After leaving the
University, he resumed teaching and the study of law with the firm of
Martin & Schleich, and was admitted to practice, September 7, 1861 ;
and soon thereafter formed a partnership with ex-Governor Dill, with
whom he remained one and a half years. In the fall of 1863, 1^^ moved
to Mercer county, and formed a partnership 'vvith Hon. T. J. Godfrey,
with whom he remained until April, 1865 ; then moved to Hocking,
county and formed a partnership with Hon. Flavius Case. In the fall
of 1866, he was elected Probate Judge of Hocking county, and re-elect-
ed in the fall of 1869, serving two terms, closing February 9, 1873 ; af-
ter which he resumed the practice of the law and the management of a
farm. In July, 1881, the Judge returned to this city and continued the
practice of his profession. Judge Alfred was married October 23, 1862,
to Miss Mary L., daughter of Samuel, Sr., and Sarah (Shull) Hooker,
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 267
of Hooker's Station, this county. They are the parents of two children :
Charles M., in his seventeenth year, and Frank H,, in his fifteenth
year.
Allis. George W., carriage-maker and blacksmith, post office
Baltimore, Liberty township ; born July 6, 1845 ; son of Nelson and
Sarah (Bennadum) Allis ; married to Catharine Sullivan by whom he
had a family of four children, viz. : George, born August 10,
1866, and died August 10, 1866; Albert T., born July 4, 1868; Sarah
J., born April 11, 1870 ; Hattie, born February 6, 1872, and died April
9, 1874. ^^^ '^^'^f^ ^^^^ November 11, 1872. Was married to Mary Bahla ,
June 20, 1873 ; had two children, Catharine E., born February 14, 1875 ;
Lucinda, born April 31, 1878, Was in Compan3rG., Seventeenth Ohio
Regiment, under Captain Thatcher : was with Sherman on his m^rch
to the sea.
Alt, Emanuel, farmer, Libert}- township. He was born in Liberty
township, Fairfield county, April 13, 1830. His parents were Martin
and Mary (Giesy) Alt. His grandfather emigrated from Switzerland
to America, coming to Ohio in 1805, where he settled on the farm now.
owned by his grandson, Joseph. With the assistance of his sons he.
began the work of improving his farm, consisting of six hundred acres,
at that time a dense forest. Here on this farm Joseph Alt spent the re-
mainder of his days, his death occurring in 1829. His son, Martin,
inherited the farm. He married Mary, daughter of Jacob Geisy, one
of the pioneers of Liberty township. They reared a famil}^ of five
daughters and two sons, all of whom are living, and residents of Lib-
erty township. Martin Alt was a member of the United Brethren
Church many years. He was noted for his strict integrit}-. He died
November 24, 1874, loved and respected by all who knew him. Eman-
uel Alt, in addition to farming, conducts a saw mill, doing a large
am-ount of work during the year. Mr. Alt has given a great deal of
attention to the construction and improvement ol the roads in his town-
ship, particularl}' ti;e Baltimore pike. He has been twice married ;
first to Maria Tschopp, by whom he had four children. Marietta, the
wife of David l^ianger, a resident of Liberty township ; Ida C, wife of
John Snyder f Daniel W., and Charles ; the last-named is still with his
father. ^Mrs. Alt died November 18, 1864. Mr. Alt married October
12, 1 87 1, Mrs. Rebecca Benadan, daughter of Peter Zellers, of Leba-
non county, Pennsylvania, Mrs. Alt being at that time the mother of
three children by her former marriage, viz. : Ida E., the wife of Henry
Hausber, of Millersport ; Francis A., the wife of James Bope, of Pleas-
ant township ; and Charles C, now at home with his parents. Mr. Alt
owns two hundred and sevent}^ acres of land. The family are members
of the Reformed Church.
Alt, Daniel Webster, farmer. Liberty township. He was born
May 30, 1858, in this township. He is the oldest son of Emanuel and
Maria (Tschop) Alt. He received a common school education and
remained at home until his marriage, October 7, 1880, to Miss Gela,
daughter of Philip Macklin, a well-known resident of Liberty town-
ship. Mrs. Alt was born November 12, 1861, in Libert}- township.
They are the parents of one son, Charlie Pearl, born September 16,
1881. After his marriage he located on a portion of the home farm and
268
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
farms one hundred and twenty acres of Emanuel Alt's place, formerly
the Isaac Stover farm. Mr. and Mrs. Alt are members of the Reformed
Church.
Alt, Jacob, farmer, Liberty township, youngest son of Martin and
Mary (Giesy) Alt, was born in Liberty township, October 19, 1844;
passed his boyhood on the farm and in the countr}' school-house. Was
married March 4, 1870 to Miss Eva Arnold. To ihem two children
were born : Willie, the only survivor, is at home. Mrs. Alt died in
April, 1878. He was again married March 24, 1881, to Miss Mary
Betz, daughter of John Betz, a well known and highly respected citi-
zen of Pleasant township. Their union has been blessed with a daugh-
ter, born November 5, 1882. Mr. Alt continues to reside on the home
farm, having purchased one hundred and tbrty-nine acres. Upon the
death of his father, his mother resided with him. She has attained her
seventy-third year, and is still enjoying good health. She and her
daughter, Mrs. Alt, are members of the Reformed Church. Mr. Alt
is a member of the United Brethren Church.
Andregg, John, farmer, and township trustee. He was born in
Etna township, Licking county, Ohio, April 24, 1842. His parents were
John v., and Barbara C. Andregg. John V. was a native of Swit-
zerland, emigrating to America in 1838, locating in Etna township.
Licking county, where he engaged in shoemaking until the spring of
1844, when he moved with his tamily to Fairheld count}', and settled in
Liberty township, upon the farm now owned b}-- his heirs, and where
his widow still resides. He was the father of seven children, all of
whom are living. He died in 1865, fi'oiri injuries received from the kick
of a horse. John, the subject of this sketch, received a common school
education, and assisted his father on the farm until August, 1861, when
he enlisted in Company D, Ninetieth Regiment, O. V. L, taking part
with his regiment in the numerous battles in which it was engaged. At
Stone River he was wounded, taken prisoner, but afterward exchanged,
and soon after discharged for phj-sical disabilit}^ April 14, 1863. Re-
turning to civil life, he came to the home of his parents and engaged in
farming. Mr. Andregg has been married three times, his first mar-
riage occurring December 13, 1866, marrying Miss Sophia Machlin,
who died July 9, 1867. August 9, 1870, he was again married to Miss
Eliza Bright, who died November 15th, following. October 10, 1872,
he was united in marriage to Miss Samantha C., daughter of Peter
Macklin, a sketch of whose life appears on another page of this work.
Mr. and Mrs. Andregg are the parents of three children, viz. : Ida L.,
born July 15, 1875 5 Harley A., born May 30, 1877 ; Josie May, born
December 4, 1879. After the death of his father he conducted the home
farm until 1870, when he purchased the farm of ninety acres where he'
now resides, it being tinely improved with modern st3'le of buildings.
He has held the office of township trustee for two terms. His wife is
ameml^er of the Reformed Church, and iie is united to the Evangeli-
cal Association.
Bader Family, The. Nicholas Bader, a native of canton Basle,
Switzerland, came to Fairheld county in 1804, by the way of the Hock-
ing River. He spent the following winter in a settlement, in what is
now Hocking township, and in the spring of 1805 came to Liberty,
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 269
where he became a permanent settler, on the farm now owned by Sam-
uel Solidav, and his grandson, Frederick Bader. Nicholas Bader was
among the early pioneers of the county. He cleared a large farm upon
which he spent the remainder of his days, his death occurring July 4,
1830. His burial place is on the farm, which, during his lifetime, was
changed from a wilderness to cultivated fields. His oldest son, Samuel,
lived on the home place imtil his later years, when he became a resi-
dent of Basil. During his life he was a prominent and influential
citizen, filling the position of township trustee some eighteen j^ears.
He died March lo, 1872, leaving a family of six sons and five daughters,
all now living.
Bader, Solomon, born in in Liberty township, May 22, 1823.
After acquiring an education in the rude log school house of that da}',
he was brought up a farmer, until becoming of age, when he devoted
himself to the carpenter and joiner trade, subsequently conducting the
business of builder and contractor successfully six years. He was
married February 10, 1848, to Miss Susanah, daughter of Jacob Soli-
day, a well-known resident of Walnut township. They are the parents
of one son and four daughters, Jesse, who resides on a portion of the
home place ; Anna Elizabeth, who is the wife of Frank Roley, of
Basil ; Mary Victorine, the wife of Theophilus Weaver, of Liberty
township ; Martha Ellen, and Emma Jane, who are still at home. Mr.
Bader purchased, soon after his marriage, a portion of the three hun-
dred and twenty-six acres, which he now owns, and which he settled
upon and improved in a beautiful manner, with convenient and commo-
dious buildings. He was township treasurer ten years, prior to 1877.
Himself and family are members of the German Reformed Church.
He is also a member of the Masonic order. During the past twenty
years Mr. Bader has, in addition to his extensive farming, been dealing
largely in buying and shipping grain, in which business he is still en-
gaged. He has also devoted considerable attention to settling up
estates, and other positions of trust.
Baker, Milton, carpenter, Rushville ; was born in Walnut town-
ship, Fairfield count's, Ohio, November 28, 1815, and moved witli his
father to the village of Rushville in 181 7. He was married April 10,
1843, to Hannah Thompson, Rev. James Anderson, Presbyterian
minister of West Rushville, performing the ceremony. Their chil-
dren are Mary, Edward, Sarah, Laura, William, Oscar, Jennie. Mr.
Baker is Justice of the Peace of Richland township and Mayor of
Rushville.
Baker, W. M., carpenter, undertaker and embalmer, Stoutsville ;
was born September 14, 1850; married June 4, 1874, to Miss Sarah
Crites. Of this union one child was born, Pearl M., April 9, 1875.
The subject of this sketch is at present engaged in undertaking, in the
village of Stoutsville. He keeps constantly a full line of caskets, bu-
rial cases, etc. He is supplied with a fine hearse and is prepared at all
times to perform all offices of respect to the dead.
Baker, J. W., grain and flour merchant, Stoutsville; was born
December 6, 1854 : "married J^^^^ 18, 1876, to Mary E. Nef}\ There
were born of this union three children : Ollic Agnes, born Jul}' 7,
1877 ; George Wade, born June 23, 1879; Estella Dora, born Novem-
270 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
ber 27, 1880. The subject of this sketch is at present living in the
village of Stoutsville. He is one of the proprietors of the steam mill
and grain elevator.
Baker, A. L., Rushville, formerly of the firm of Kennedy and
Baker, dealers in books, wall paper, etc., Main street. New Lexington,
Ohio. Mr. Baker was born July 19, 1S57, in Thorn township; son of
Andrew S. and Eliza (Spenny) Baker. At eighteen years of age
young Baker left the farm and entered the Fairfield Union Academy ;
he attended that institution until he was twenty-two, when ae
was appointed Deputy Sheriff of Perry county, and served two years.
The firm, previously mentioned, was formed in 1880, and did a suc-
cessful business. He sold his interest in the book store earl}^ in 1881^
removing thence to Rushville, Fairfield county, where he now lives.
Barker, Rev. D. G., deceased; born in Perry county, this State,
in 1832; son of John and Nancy (Goodin) Barker; grandson of John
and Mary (Chamberlain) Barker ; grandson of Samuel and
(Skinner) Goodin. Mr. Barker obtained his early education in the
public schools of his county. At the age of twenty years he com-
menced teaching, following that profession some twent}^ years. About
the year 1862 he was ordained as a minister of the Baptist Church and
commenced preaching. Mr. Barker has had his charge psincipally in
Perry, Hocking and Fairfield counties. He was married in 1853 to
Miss Martha J. Dollison, daughter of James and Mahala Dollison.
They have six children: Newton L.. Sarah F., Thomas H., Charles
E., Adilla F., George H. Newton is married and lives in this county.
At the time of his death Mr. B. was in the ministry in the Baptist
Church.
Barr, Thomas, of Amanda township, ex-commissioner of Fairfield
county ; was born Februar)- 12, 1812, and at this time is the oldest native
born resident of Amanda township. His father, Thomas Barr, Sr.,
was a native of Chester county, Pennsylvania, a soldier in the War
of 181 2, and lived to the advanced age of ninety-two years, lacking
four days. Came here about 1801 and settled in Dutch Hollow, on the
farm n6w owned by Joel Meyers, where he was born. Thomas Barr
began life without means, and his first hundred dollars, saved from his
own hard earnings, was the most difficult to make. Since that time
judicious, energetic, and honest management has earned for him sev-
eral large valuable farms, in both Fairfield and Pickawa}^ counties.
He has lately built a fine residence on a small farm near Amanda, and
retired from active business. Mr. Barr is a man who has always taken
pride in doing everything well, and in ever}^ honorable enterprise in
being foremost in well-doing. This spirit of true citizenship has
earned for him reward, of which he may be proud. He has filled
many and various positions in life and dip his work well. When but
eighteen years of age, was chosen Lieutenant of the Light Infantry
Company, and two years afterwards its Captain, which position he held
five years. He served his school district forty years ot ouf llorty-one
years of time, as one of its directors. Under his supervision he made
it one of the best in the county. He was eighteen years township
treasurer, and held the position of County Commissioner six years.
He has always been a marksman of unequalled abilities inthe use of
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 27 1
open sights, and no rests in shooting long distances ; has frequently
won the prizes, where several center shots had been made by the com-
petitor. The score made in his last shooting was in 1855, when out of
practice several years. In this year, in a contest between Pickaway
and Fairtield counties, for an ox, Mr. Barr made the following score,
at forty rods oft-hand, and with open sights : Seven shots measured
five-eighths of an inch from the center ; eight shots, one and one-fourth
nches;,nine shots, one and five-eighths inches. Measurements made
by Isaac Bechtel and Andrew Ucker. These nine shots won the ox,
although one of Mr. William Barr's competitors made five center shots.
Barr, T. J., of Amanda township, was born in 1848. Received
his education at the Fairfield Union Academy, and at the Miami Com-
mercial College, Dayton, Ohio. When eighteen 3'ears old he began
teaching, and since that time has done ten 3'ears satisfactory work in
the school room. In 1875, was elected clerk of his township and re-
elected in 1881. In 1881 he was also elected director of his school
district. In 1880 he was united in matrimou}- to Miss Nora B. Strode,
and resides at the old Barr homestead.
Bauman, Charles, butcher, Lancaster, Ohio; was born in Baden,
Germany, June 9, 1848 ; his parents, Charles H. and Elizabeth (Betz)
Bauman, emigrated with their family to America in 1855, coming di-
rect to Lancaster, where Charles attended the public schools, receiving
a moderate education. He remained at home until of age, learning the
butcher trade, at which he was employed by various parties in Lancas-
ter and Columbus until 1880. He then commenced business for himself
in Lancaster, where he is quite successful. He was united in marriage
to Miss Louisa Graf, December 15, 1876; four children have been born
to them, three of whom are living, viz. : Emma Louisa, born in 1878 :
Albert, born August i, 1879, and Charles Frederick, born December
23, 1881. Mr. Bauman and wife are members of the Lutheran Church ;
he is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Beck, Mrs. E. A., Lancaster, Ohio; the onl^- daughter of Joseph
and Elizabeth (Silhelm) Reimmund ; was born in Lehigh county, Penn-
S3'lvania, October 20, 1824. Joseph Reimmund was a native "of Ba-
vannia,German3r,and was born February 2, 1798 ; emigrated to America
in 1818, and settled at Coopersburgh, Lehigh county, Penns3'lvania, and
engaged in the mercantile pursuits until coming to Lancaster, Fairfield
county, Ohio, in 1840, where he at once commenced an extensive and
successful mercantile business, which continued until about 1852, when
he died. His widow, Mrs. Elizabeth Reimmund, is still living, now
eight3' years of age, vigorous in mind and bod3'. Their onlv surviving
child, Mrs. E. A. Beck, after receiving a liberal education at Moro\'ian
Seminar3' at Lebanon, Penns3'lvania ; came with her parents to Lan-
caster, Ohio, where, in 1842, she was united in marriage to Jacob F.
Beck. Mr. Beck was born in Wurtemberg, German3', Jul3^4, 1817, and
came to Lancaster with his parents in 1818, where his father, George
Beck, was an earh' settler and prominent citizen. Jacob F. Beck was
brought up to a mercantile vocation, at the time of his marriage he was
of the firm of M3'ers & Beck, subsequent^' a member of the firm of
Reinmund, Son&: Beck, continuing to conduct a successful business until
his death, which took place April 27, 1857. Mr. Beck was an exem-
272 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
plary member of the English Lutheran Church, and an active worker
in the Sunday-school, in which he had been a teacher tor over twenty
years. To Mr. and Mrs. Beck were born ten children, of whom eight
are now living, five sons and three daughters.
Becker, E., brewer, of Lancaster, Ohio; born in Hanover, Gee-
many, October 8, 1822. He was liberalh' educated in his native coun-
try. When fifteen years of age he commenced a mercantile experience
with one house which continued for nine years. With his parents he
left German}' for America, in November, 1846, arriving in this country
in Januar}'. 1847. His father died soon after reaching New York City,
and the follo\ying spring his mother and family came to Ohio, settling
in Fairfield count}^ The subject of this sketch entered the employ of a
merchant, at Lockville, with whom he remained one year. In 1848, he
engaged as clerk with F. J. Boving, who was then conducting an ex-
tensive grocery trade in Lancaster. In 1850, Mr. Becker purchased the
business, which in connection with a rectifying establishment, he suc-
cessfully conducted until disposing of the same in 1856, following which
for some three years, he was a resident of Wisconsin, returning to Lock-
ville in 1859. ^^ then became a member of the firm of Mithofi'& Bro.,
in the distilling and mercantile business, discontinuing the former in
1866, and the mercantile branch, some three years later. In j868, he
commenced the brewery business under the firm name of Becker, Oches
& Company, a firm which continued until 1877, when it became E.
Becker & Company. From small beginnings the firm has grown to an
extensive concern, employing some twenty hands and has a capacity of
ten thousand barrels of beer per annum. Mr. Becker was married in
1853, to Sophia Drossel : to them have been born five children, three
now living, viz. : Agnes D., Harr}- E. and Oscar. Mr. Becker is a
prosperous and influential citizen.
Belt, Mrs. Angeline, Walnut township ; she was born in Balti-
more county, Maryland, March 6, 1804; the youngest child of Aquilla
and Rebecca Parrish. She came to Ohio in 1815, and was married in
September, 1829, to Benjamin Belt, who came to Ohio about 1820.
They raised a tamih' of four children, all living. Mr. Belt died in No-
vember, 1863. Mrs. Belt came across the mountain in a wagon, a
journey requiring two or three weeks. She is an intelligent old lady,
and has been a member of the United Brethren Church for fifty-seven
years.
Beery, Abraham M., was born in Rockingham ct)unty, Virginia,
April 25, 1836; in 1855, removed to Fairfield count}^ Ohio. Com-
menced as clerk in the ciry goods store of Mrs. E. x\. Beck, in 1858;
was in her emplo}^ nine years, except six months in 1862, during which
time he served in the Sixty-first Regiment, O. V. I., as Commissary
Sergeant. Was present at the battle of Cedar Mountain and Bull Run
No. 2 ; was discharged at Germantown on the 5th day of October,' 1862,
on account of physical disability. In 1867. commenced business (dry
goods) under the firm name of Beery, Brown & Company, remained
with the above firm for six years ; sold his interest to P. Rising, and re-
mained with him and his successor until Februar}' 1,1882; formed a
partnership, with S. H. Beck, W. W. Obaugh and B. F, Reinmund, un-
der the firm name of Beery, Beck, Obaugh & Company, merchant
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTV* 273
tailors. Mr. Beery was married to Miss Low Bury, June i6, 1867.
They are the parents of three sons and one daughter.
Berry, Henry, farmer, Wahiut township ; he was born in Wahiut
township, Marcli 5, 1810 ; the second son of Edward and Catharine
(Eakle) Berry. Edward Berry, a native of Maryland, came to Ohio
with his wife and one son about 1807, settling the following year on the
place now owned b}' his son, Henry. His first building consisted of a
log cabin, afterward replaced by a neat hewed log house, about 1825,
which is still a portion of the farm residence. He being a pioneer ne-
cessitated the clearing off of the place. He raised a family of twelve
children, four survive: Henr}^ Edward, a well-known resident of
Walnut township ; Catharine, wife of Dr. J. D. Nourse, of Lancaster;
Eliza Jane, wife of Henry Jewett, of Reynoldsburgh, Ohio. He was a
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church for twenty-five years. A
prosperous and successful farmer. He died about June, 1850 ; his wid-
ow survived him three 3'ears. Henry Berry was educated in the com-
mon schools, and engaged in farming, and clearing a new place. In
1845, he married Miss Mar}-, daughter of David Rank, an early settler
in Walnut township ; she was born in Fairfield county, March 2, 1822.
After marriage Mr. Berr}^ engaged in farming and stock raising. Mr.
and Mrs. Berry are the parents of three children : Theodore E., on the
home place ; Honora C, wife of L. G. Smith, of New Salem ; Sarah
E., wife of F. C. Linville, of Salem. Mr. Berry was township treasurer
one term. The famil}^ are members of the Methodist Protestant Church ;
he is a member of the Grange. Tlieodore E. married about 1865 to
Samantha, daughter of D.F. Linville, of New Salem ; they are the par-
ents of three sons and one daughter. Theodore E. owns one hundred
and thirty acres of land. He is a pleasant, genial gentleman, and a
substantial citizen. David Rank settled in Walnut township, on the
farm now owned by James Belt. About 1808, he cleared one-fourth
section of land and lived there until 1861. He raised a family of ten
children, eight now living. David Rank died in New Salem about 1867.
Berry, Edward, farmer, Walnut township ; the son of Edward and
Catharine Berry ; was born in Walnut township. May 15, 1814. He
enjoyed a common school education, and engaged in farming at home
until his marriage, November, 1839, ^^ Miss Elizabeth, daughter of
Joseph and MarN^ Yontz. He resided on the home place one year after
marriage, and another place in the same township three years. In the
spring of 1844, he settled on the place where he now resides, it was then
partially improved ; they are now the parents of eight children, seven
living : Almeda J., wife of Hiram Sperry, of Walnut township ; Emmett
C. a resident of Whitley county, Indiana ; Ar\-bell Samantha, wite of Geo.
Koontz, of Pleasantville ; Elizabeth Clementine, wile of Henry W.
Geiger, of Walnut township; Henry C, assisting on the home farm;
Homer C. and Lomera T. at home. The family are members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a successful and prosperous cit-
izen.
Berry, Elijah, tarmer. Walnut township ; was born in Walnut
township, July 27, i82i,the onh' son of Elijah and Nancv (Mock)
Berry. Elijah Berry, Sr., was born in Virginia. When he married,
he came to Ohio with his wife and two children, in 1806 or 1808. He
35
274 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
served in the war of 1812. From Walnut township, he settled on the
place now owned by Frank Foster. He resided there some ten or
twelve 3^ears, then removed to Richland township. He resided in Sen-
eca county four years, and then returned to Fairfield county, in 1837,
settling on the place now owned by his son. He cleared the farm, and
raised a family of nine children — four sons and two daughters are living.
He died about 1850, his widow surviving him some five or six years.
Elijah, after acquiring a fair education, turned his attention to farming.
He married, in February, 1841, Miss Almira Culp, daughter of Jacob
and Mar}^ Culp. The}- settled in Walnut township. To their marriage
have been born seven children, of whom four are living: Louisa, wife
of Samuel M. B. Miller, a resident of Walnut township ; Margaret,
widow of David Trovinger, a resident of Walnut township ; Marion, a
resident of Thorn township, Perry count}^ ; Rebecca Jane, married,
and is now a resident of Delaware, Ohio. Mrs. Berry died about
185 1. Mr. Beny resided in Richland and Pleasant townships some six
3'^ears, subsequently removing to the home place in Walnut township.
After the death of his father, he took charge of the home place. He
married again in 1852, to Victorine Manson. They have been mem-
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church for a number of years. The}^
occupy a residence built by his father about 1837, which they have
modernized somewhat.
BiBLER, Samuel, farmer, Walnut township ;. was born in Libert}^
township, Fairfield county, February 11, 1811, the oldest son of John
and Eleanor (Wilson) Bibler. John Bibler was born in Rockingham
county, Virginia, April 16, 1782. He came to Ohio in 1803 or 1804.
He married in Liberty township in 1807, and settled on the farm in that
township, where he spent the remainder of his days. The place is now
owned by his son, Jonas Bibler, who was a pioneer, and purchased
eighty acres, making himself a home. He raised a family of five sons
and three daughters, three sons and two daughters now living. He was
a successful farmer ; a member of the Baptist Church for forty-six years.
He died Februar^^ 11, 1854. Samuel received a fine education, and un-
til his marriage remained at home on the farm. He married Miss Eliza
Humes, in 1835. She was born in Orange county, Virginia, in 1807.
In the spring of 1836, he settled on the place in Walnut township, where
he now lives. He now owns one hundred and four acres, which he has
improved and since resided upon. Mr. and Mrs. Bibler are the parents
of four children, viz. : Sarah, now the wife of John Miller, residing on
the home place ; John died in 1855, in his twelfth year ; Abraham, born
October 10, 1840, was educated in the common schools, is a farmer by
occupation. He was drafted in the Rebellion, but sent a substitute. He
was married October 10, 1861, to Miss Barbara J. Warner. They are
the parents of four sons and four daughters. Jane, the wife of John
Sands, died November 28, 1864. Mrs. Bibler died November 2, 1880.
Mr. Bibler never cared for ofiice ; was an industrious, energetic man,
beloved by all who knew him, and a self-made man.
Bibler, Lewis, farnier, Liberty township ; was born December 25,
1834, t^^^ youngest son of Jacob and Susannah (Herely) Bibler. Jacob
Bibler was born in Rockingham county, Virginia, about 1789, and came
with his father, Francis Bibler, to Ohio in 1805. They settled on a farm
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 275
on the site of Basil, and cleared a large tract adjoining it. Jacob loca-
ted on the place now owned by his son Lewis, about 1820. He here
erected one of the first frame houses in this vicinity. Of his seven child-
ren, only two survive — Jacob A., a resident of Jay county, Indiana, and
Lewis, the subject of this sketch. Jacob was a successful farmer and
stock raiser ; he was a life-long member of the Baptist Church, and died
June 9, 1877. His wife died March 11, 1863. Lewis was reared on
the farm. He was married October 23, 1862, to Martha J., daughter
of Asa and Rebecca Shreve, early settlers of Liberty township. Mrs.
Bibler was born here July 2, 1840. Fom^ of their five children survive,
Lizzie J., Jacob A., Charles Wesley and Henrietta. Mrs. B. is a mem-
ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
BiGOMEY, Joseph, farmer ; was born in Licking county, Ohio,
August 19, 1845, a son of Francis W. and Henrietta (Fritz) Bigomey.
Francis W. Bigomey was a native of Pennsylvania. He came to Ohio
in 1838, and located in Licking county, where he resided for a number
of years. He then removed to Fairfield county, where he resided until
185 1, at which time he purchased the farm known as the Fritz farm.
Here Tie spent the remainder of his life. He reared a family of ten
children, nine of whom are living. In 1855 he was elected to a seat in
the Legislature, and again in 1857. He died in 1877, respected and re-
gretted by all who knew him. His widow still survives him, being in
good health. She still resides on the old home farm. Joseph acquired
a good education in his 3'outh, and took great interest in his vocation,
that of farming. In 1867 he was united in marriage to Miss Hannah
Caroline, daughter of John Bury, a prominent citizen of Liberty town-
ship. After his marriage, Mr. Bigomey resided on the Bur}'- home farm
for one year, when he purchased the farm, where he now lives. It con-
tains one hundred acres, to which he has added many a valuable im-
provement, among them an elegant residence. Mr. and Mrs. Bigomey
are the parents of five children : John Francis, Joseph Plenry, Hiram
Franklin, Warren Ellsworth, and Winfield Scott. The family are
members of the Reform Church.
BiNiNGER, Edward H., merchant, Lancaster; was born in Lancas-
ter January 4, 1861, the youngest son of Wolfgang and Magdalena
(Binder) Bininger. Edward H. acquired a fair education in the Catho-
lic Parochial school of Lancaster, after which he entered the employ of a
baker, at Newport, Kentucky, where he remained six months. Re-
turning to Lancaster, he engaged as a clerk with Jacob Keller, contin-
uing with his successor, F. Myers. Upon the death of the latter, in
1874, ^h^ business was purchased by Mr. Bininger, and under his man-
agement has grown extensively. In 1876, he added to the grocery
trade a stock of Qvieensware, and later, a dry goods and notion depart-
ment, and is now doing a trade that aggregates some thirty thousand
dollars per annum. He is centrally located, on Columbus street. Be-
sides owning his business block, he also owns a farm of one hundred
acres, in Berne township. He was united in marriage, in 1876, to Miss
Clara McManamy. They are the parents of one son, James W., born
December 15, 1877.
Bishop, John W., farmer, P. O., Etna; a native of Virginia; born
March 4, 1817, oldest son of Samuel and Nancy Bishop. His oppor-
276 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
tunities for an education were limited. When he could be spared to
attend school, he had a walk of three miles to reach the nearest one,
nearly the entire walk extending over a mountain. In 1828 he came
with his parents to Ohio, settling in Guernsey county. He lived at the
home of his grandfather, John Summer, until the death of the latter, in
1837. He then owned and conducted a tlireshing machine, working in
various counties, coming (o Fairlield county in 1840, where he still con-
tinued the same busines-s. January 12, 1843, he was united in marriage
to Miss Eleanor Buskirk, wlio was born in Liberty towijsliip, September
24, 1822, her father, John Buskirk, being one of the pioneers of the
township, settling there in 1802. After marriage, Mr. Bishop settled on
the Buskirk home farm, where he lived until 1849, when he purchased
the farm where he still resides. It contains two hundred and ten acres,
much of the land having been cleared up b}' Mr. Bishop during his resi-
dence there. The farm is considered one of the best, and contains all
the comforts and conveniences needed to make an attractive and pleas-
ant home. He is politically a Republican ; also, a member of the Re-
form Church. To them have been born nine children, seven of whom
are living, viz.: Sarah Caroline, wife of Jacob Weaver; Samuel,
residing on a portion of the home farm ; E. Livina, is the wife of
Samuel Wilkin, of Licking county ; Daniel, at home ; Lucinda, wife of
B. Moreland, also of Licking county ; Emeline and Willie are still at
home.
BoPE, Philip, commercial traveler, Lancaster, the son of Abraham
and Mary Sybilla (Miller) Bope, who were among the pioneers of the
Hocking Valley. Philip was born in Pleasant township March i, 1810.
His father was a native of Rockingham count}', Virginia, born about
1763, and was active in the closing scenes of the Revolution, being
present at the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. In 1809 he came
with his wife and six children to Ohio, purchasing a half section of land
in Pleasant township, where he passed the remainder of his life. He
was a celebrated hunter in his day, and had some narrow escapes from
wild animals during the early settlement of this countr}^ His family
consisted of seven children, of whom but three survive. He died in
1826. Philip, the youngest child, attended school in the rude log school
house of that dajs his early younth being passed on the farm. In 1826
he commenced an apprenticeship at the carpenter and cabinet making-
trade, which, after acquiring, he followed for a brief period. He re-
moved to Lancaster in 1829, entering the employ of Levering &Cassatt,
as clerk. In 1832, he removed to Winchester, Adams county, where
he did a successful mercantile business for seven years. Returning to
Lancaster in 1839, ^^^ opened the first hardware store there, which he
conducted till 1854, subsequently engaging in the dr}- goods trade, in
connection with Dr. Edson B. Olds, in which he was engaged until
he entered the armv in the capacity of sutler, in 1862. He was ap-
]")ointed Go\errimeni Inspector in 1864. Since the close of the war he
has been engaged as commercial traveler for various mercantile houses,
at present traveling for the firm of 1^'rench, Ilanna & Company, exten-
sive woolen manufacturers, of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Mr. Bope was
married August 23, 1831, to Eliza, daughter of Adam Weaver, a prom-
inent citizen of Farifield county, who had been a Lieutenant in the wav
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 277
of 181 2, Sheriff' for one or more terms, and Justice of the Peace for many
3^ears. Mr. Bope was born in Lancaster June ii, 1815. Twelve child-
ren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Bope, eight of whom are living, viz. :
James A., an attorney ; Philip U., Sarah E., wife of A. R. Belden, of
Findlay, Ohio : Thomas Corwin, Charles A., a merchant, of Mt. Ver-
non, Ohio; Clara A., now Mrs. W. H. Wolfe, of Lancaster; Ella L.,
and Harry P., of Pittsburoh. Mr. Bope and family are members of the
Episcopal Church. He also belongs to the Masonic Order, and is one
of the oldest living members of the L O. O. F. in the State of Ohio.
Borland, Charles W., County Surveyor, Lancaster. Pie was
born in Lancaster, April 10, 1840 ; is a son of Charles and Cynthia
(Hart) Borland. Until he attained the age of sixteen he attended the
common schools, when he entered the Commercial College at Colum-
bus. He was connected with the original survey of the Columbus and
Hocking Valley Railroad ; also with preliminary survey and construc-
tion of the Alliance and Lake Erie Railroad for three years. Januar}^
I, 1876, he was appointed Surveyor of Fairfield county to fill a vacancy.
Upon the expiration of the term he was elected to the same position, an
office that he still holds. Mr. Borland, in April, 1861, enlisted in
Company A, First O. V. L, under Captain Joseph Stafford. With the
regiment he participated in the first battle of Bull Run. At the expira-
tion of his term of service here-enlisted in the Eighteenth United States
Infantry, and was afterwards transferred to the Eighty-ninth O. V. I.,
where he was Aid-de-Camp to General Plugh Ewing, until prostrated
with sickness. He was finally obliged to resign his commission in the
fall of 1864, after spending some time in a convalescent camp. Mr.
Borland was married in 1872, to Miss Cora, daughter of James and
Mary Elder, of New Lexington, to whom were born six children, four
of whom are now living: Sallie G. ; Herman; Hart J., and Mar}-
Anna.
Born, Frederick, (retired), post office, Baltimore, Liberty town-
ship ; was born in Berne, Switzerland, March 21, 1813. His parents
were John and Elizabeth Born. Fredrick received a fair education in
the public schools, and when fourteen years of age commenced an ap-
prenticeship of two years at the carpenter trade. He then worked as
journeyman until coming to America in 1834. Removing to Ohio in
1835, he spent the first year in Cleveland and Canton. In the fall of
1836 he came to Fairfield county, settling in Liberty township, where
he worked at his Irade until purchasing a farm. In connection with
farming he conducted a saw-mill until the spring of 1877, when he re-
moved to Baltimore, where he has since resided. In 1837 ^^^ was mar-
ried to Miss Elizabeth Rickley . To them were born four children : Eliza-
beth, who married John Walker, she died March, 1880 ; Frederick,
Jr., a member of the Seventh O. V. I., who served during the war, and
died on his way home in 1865 ; Caroline, wife of Levi White, of Indi-
ana : Mary, wife of Joseph Walker, of Columbus; Mrs. Elizabeth
Born died in 1853, and he was married May 17, 1854, ^o Miss Susan-
nah Ruby, daughter of Jacob Ruby, a well-known resident of Liberty
township. To tliem have been born four children : Sarah A. : John
Wesley ; Emma Matilda, and George M., all yet at home. The family
are members of the Methodist Episcopal Chnrch. Mr. Born is a mem-
278 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is an esteemed citi-
zen of his township.
BoviNG, John Francis, of Lancaster, was born in Bremen, Ger-
many, January 13, 1805 ; his parents were Peter and Ann Boving.
After receiving a fair education in his native city, he was in the employ
of a mercantile house until coming to America in 1827. He first lo-
cated in Baltimore, Mar^dand, where he remained some three years.
In 1830 he came to Royalton, Ohio ; there he engaged in mercantile
business, conducting the same successfully some years. In 1832 he
married Catharine Scott, who was born in Fairfield county in 1812. Mr.
Boving purchased a farm in Amanda township in 1834, where he re-
sided for five vears. Removing to Lancaster in 1839, he became a mem-
ber of the firm of Boving & Greene, an extensive wholesale grocery
house. A specialty of their firm was the buying and shipping of large
quantities of tobacco, at that time a production of importance in Fair-
field county. Mr. Boving continued in this trade until 1848, following
which he led a retired lifie for twelve years. In i860 he began a suc-
cessful hardware business, which continued six years. In 1865 he turned
his attention to the cultivation of fruit and the management of a vine-
yard, in which he has been quite successful. He has, in later years,
interested himself in building associations, having been the founder of
three, two of which are in a flourishing condition. For two terms he
was a member of the city council. He is a consistent member of the
Presbyterian church, and a prosperous and esteemed citizen. Mr. and
Mrs. Boving are the parents of three children, of whom but one sur-
vives, viz. : Louisa.
Boyd, Rev., J. R., minister, was born in Guernsey county, Ohio ;
the oldest son of William and Nancy (Bainford) Boyd; the former a
native of Ireland, emigrating to America in 1820, settling in Guernsey
county, where he died in 1863. Rev. J. R. Boyd was reared on a
farm. In his nineteenth year he entered Muskingum College, at New
Concord, where he remained three years, subsequently attending
Franklin College at New Athens, Ohio, for one year, graduating from
that institution in 1859. ^^ ^*^^" entered the Theological Seminary of
the United Presbyterian Church, at Allegheny, Pennsylvania, remain-
ing four years, during which time, in the spring of 1862, he was licensed
to preach, and ofhciated in various churches in the vicinity of the semi-
nary. In 1863 he was settled at Norwich, Muskingum county, Ohio,
for a period of four years, and at Wilmington for two years. In 1869
Mr. Boyd changed his connection from the United Presbyterian to the
Presbyterian Church. He was then placed in charge of the church at Lib-
erty, Indiana, where he remained until the spring of 1872, when he re-
moved to Lancaster, whe''e he has since labored successfully. The mem-
bership of the church has more than doubled during that time. Mr. Boyd
was married in 1861 to Miss Martha J. McGonagle. Two sons and
one daughter have been born to them: William W., now student at
Marietta College; James C, and Aggie W.
Brandon, John, farmer. Walnut township. He was born in Adams
county, Pennsylvania, June 5, 1810; the son of Elezor and Jane (Mc-
Cormick) Brandon. Elezor Brandon was a native of Adams county,
Pennsylvania, and came with his wife and four children to Ohio in
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 279
1821, settling in Perry county in 1822, and remaining there about ten
years. He raised a family of five-children ; John and Robert are residents
of Peru, Indiana. Mr. Brandon, Sr., died November 6, 1835. Jo^^^
Brandon came to Ohio with his parents in 1821 ; he was educated in the
common schools of Perry county ; he took charge of the home farm,
and took care of his parents. In 1835 ^^^ married Miss Mary Haver,
who died February 28, 1844. Mr. Brandon was married the second
time, December 31, 1844, to Mar}^ daughter of Judge Gideon Martin,
a former well-known resident of Greenfield township. Mrs. Brandon
was born in Greenfield township, Februar}- 16, 1819. They are the
parents of fovu* children, three living: Almeda, wife of William H.
Watson, of Walnut township; G. M., who resides with his parents,
assisting in the management of the home place ; Ola, now Mrs. Dr. H.
C Brison, of Millersport. After his first marriage Mr. Brandon lived
in Perrv county one year. In 1837 he settled on the place where he
has since resided, then but partially cleared. The family occupied a
log house until building a new residence in 1861 . He purchased eighty-
four acres and now owns one hundred and sixty acres, which is consid-
ered one of the finest farms in the township. He never desired public
office ; a successful tarmer and stock raiser, a member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, also of the Masonic Order. Mr. Brandon is a genial,
hospitable gentleman, esteemed and respected.
Brasee, Mrs. Mary Jane, born in Lancaster, Ohio, August 28, 1808 ;
the eldest daughter of Judge Elnathan Scofield. Judge Scofield was a
native of New York. He came with Colonel Zane, the founder of
Zanesville, to Ohio, at an early day engaged in mercantile pursuits in
Lancaster, and subsequently rose to distinction, taking an active part in
military affairs in the War of 181 2. He occupied the position of Post
Master at Lancaster for many years, and was afterward member of the
Legislature. In later years he was a distinguished jurist. His eldest
daughter, the subject of this sketch, was educated at a private seminary
at Lancaster, and was united in marriage, November 17, 1829, to John
T. Brasee. To this marriage were born seven children, of whom four
survive. Mrs. Brasee is a genial and intellectual lady.
Bright, Samuel R., farmer, Walnut township; the son of David
and Leah (Arnold) Bright. He was born in Greenfield township, Oc-
tober 7, 1837. David Bright was born in Greenfield township, Decem-
ber 9, 1812 ; the son of David, Sr., who settled on the place in Green-
field township, still the home of his son, David. David, Sr., entered a
section of land there. His death occurred about 1824. The six hun-
dred and fortv acres are still owned b}' his sons, John and David. Da-
vid, Sr., engaged extensively in distilling, leaving the clearing of the
place and farming to his sons, David and John. In the War of 181 2,
he sent a substitute. David, Jr., was married and lived on a part of the
Uome place ; he raised a family of five sons and two daughters, all liv-
ing, and residents of Fairfield county, with but one exception. Mr.
Bright has been towonship treasurer some eighteen years ; also township
trustee ; infirmary director for three years. He is a member of the Eng-
lish Lutheran Church. He is still living, vigorous in mind and body.
In late years an ardent Republican. Samuel R., after receiving a com-
mon school education in Greenfield township, took charge of the home
2^0 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
place in that township. February 25. 1858, he married Miss Rebecca,
daughter of Samuel Fisher, a farmer and well known resident of Green-
field township. Mrs. Bright was born in Greenfield township, January
II, 1837. ^^ ^^""S spring of 1858, they moved to Walnut township, and
purchased what is known as the Anthony Morton farm. He occupied
the Morton house until building his present residence in 187 1, and is
still using the log barn built by Mr. Morton in 1828. Mr. Bright owns
one hundred and sixty acres. Mr. Spangler owns the rest of the Mor-
ton place, originally three hundred and thirty-six acres. Mr. Bright is
a successful and prosperous farmer and stock raiser. They are the par-
ents of eleven children, of whom seven are living, viz. : Samantha E.,
Ida, A., Minnie M., Homer G., Stellethe B., Genevieve M., and Eula-
lie. The family are members of the M. E. church. He is a substan-
tial citizen, and has an estimable wife.
Bright, John, farmer, was born in Libert}'^ township, Fairfield coun-
ty, Ohio, December 8, 1832 ; the youngest son of John and Elizabeth
Bright. John, Jr., after receiving an ordinary common school educa-
tion, spent his youth in farming pursuits, varied somewhat by assisting
in the flour and saw mill, so long conducted by his father. Upon the
death of the latter in 1853, he became owner of the home farm, a well
improved and productive place, consisting of over two hundred acres,
upon which is a handsome and commodious family residence, and farm
buildings of a superior character. Mr. Bright is a successful farmer
and prominent citizen. He is a member of the Evangelical Association
Church, also of the Republican party. In 1864 he served some four
months in the One Hundred and Sixtieth O. V. I. July 24, 1853, he
was married to Mrs. Harriet Studer. To them were born two daugh-
ters : Sula, now tlie wife of John Cams of Greenfield township, and
Laura, now Mrs. O. J. Weist, residing on a place adjoining her parents
home.
Brock, Dr. M. D., physician, Columbus, Ohio. He was born in
Belmont county, March 12, 1814 ; the son of Jesse and Mary (Adams)
Brock. He was educated in the common schools until nineteen years
of age. He entered the office of Dr. Alexander, in Flushing, where
he remained one year. He then remained for two ^^ears in the office of
Dr. Stone of Perry county. In 1836, he began the practice of his pro-
fession in New Salem. He continued his practice here twenty-four
years. In 1846, he graduated from Hudson Medical College. His
practice at New Salem was very extensive and lucrative, extending
over the surrounding county. He has assisted at the birth of one tiiou-
sand two hundred and fifty children, without the loss of a child. While
in New Salem, he organized the first Masonic lodge in that place, and
was its worshipful master for twent}^ years. In i860 he moved to Reynolds-
burg, Franklin county, where he practiced sixteen years, doing a large
practice. In 1876 he returned to Columbus and purchased property.
Here he still resides and is doing an extensive practice. He has assist-
ed, since coming here, in the birth of one thousand nine hundred and
fourteen children. Mr. Brock was married in 1836, to Miss Catharine,
daughter of John and Catharine Castle. They are the parents of four
daughters and one son ; the latter died in infancy ; also one daughter ;
three are still living : Emily V., wife of A. C. Doney, resident of Frank-
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 28 1
lin county, Ohio ; Clemintiiie, wife of J. C. Watson of Columbus; Vi-
ola, wife of J. C. Grubbs, of Lancaster. Dr. Brock has been a mem-
ber of the M. E. church since 1836.
Brown, H. A., M. D., of Carroll, was born in Perry county, March
15, 1854; became a medical student of Dr. Kinsman of Columbus, and
subsequently graduated in the Starling Medical College, taking his de-
gree of M. D. in the year 1875. Dr. Brown first practiced his profes-
sion in Sugar Grove, his native town : but after a stay here of nine
months, removed to Carroll, where he is at present engaged in a good
practice. In December, 1875, he became united in matrimon}^ to Miss
Emma E. D. Ackers, daughter of the late Ephraim Ackers, oldest Au-
ditor of the count}'. His father, Robert H. Brown, M. D., w^as born
in Perr}^ county, in 1820; and although of a long lived people, died in
the vigor and prime of life, in the year i860. He had a large, lucrative
practice, and was overworked ; he was also a man of some political
prominence, and frequentlv stumped the county with such men as Dr.
Edison B. Olds.
Brumfiei.d, Mrs. Rachel P., of Lancaster, was born in Man-
chester, Maryland, August 25, 1803, and is a daughter of Samuel and
Mary Peters. She came with her parents to Ohio, in 181 2. They set-
tled in the vicinity ol Rushville, Fairfield county, remaining there about
five years, when they removed to Clear Creek Tp. She remained with her
parents until her marriage, January 26, 1824, to William Brumfield, w^ho
was born in Rockingham county, Virginia, in March, 1792. He came
to Ohio in 1817. Mr. and Mrs. Brumfield were the parents of ten chil-
dren, eight now living. Two sons and two daughters are married ; four
are still at home. Mr. Brumfield purchased the Joseph Hunter place,
upon which he spent the remainder of his da3's. He was a successful
farmer, an exemplary citizen, and an honest man ; he died August 29,
1873. Mrs. Brumfield lived on the famih' homestead until 1877, when
she purchased a handsome dwelling on Chestnut street, Lancaster,
where she has since resided. She has been a member of the M. E.
Church many years, and is a vigorous and intellectual lad}^ bearing
lightl}^ the seventy-nine winters that have passed over her head.
Bury, John, farmer. Liberty township ; was born in Philadelphia,
March nth, 1811. Onl}- son of John S. and Mar}^ Ann (Glosser) Bury,
who came to America from Switzerland in 1806, settling in Philadelphia,
where they lived for twelve years. In 1818, wath their family of two
children, they moved to Ohio, locating in Pleasant township for one
year. In the spring of 18 19 they settled on the farm now owned by
John, Jr. The improvements were limited, consisting of a small log
house and one acre of ground cleared. Mr. Bur}- went to work in
earnest, chopping down trees and clearing away under brush. Upon
this clearing corn was raised, it being the principal food of the pioneer.
Mr. Bur)' built a large, fine log house in 1829, and built the first frame
barn in the township. He was very successful in all his efforts, and
lived to enjoy the results of his industry and energ};', raising his two
children to man and womanhood. Mar}^ his daughter, married Se-
bastian Goss ; she died in 1837. Mr. Bury was an honored member
of the Reformed Church. He died in 1861. After the death of his
father, John took charge of the farm, having obtained a fair education.
35
282 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
In 1833 he married Miss Hannah Zerkle, raising a family of nine chil-
dren, of whom six survive, viz. : Catharine, a widow; Elizabeth, now
the wife of Jacob Wildershatt, of Baltimore, O. ; Julia Ann, the wife of
John Loose, of Seneca county, O. ; Joseph H., a well known resident
of Liberty township, residing on the farm formerly owned by his grand-
father ; Hannah Caroline, the wife of Joseph Bigony, also of Liberty
township ; and Jacob Benjamin, who is the owner of one hundred
and twenty acres, and has charge of the home place. Before disposing
of the farms to his sons, Mr. Bury owned four hundred and ten acres,
and still owns over two hundred acres, also the fine residence, making
a very pleasant home. In politics he is a Democrat, and has filled some
of the minor otfices in his township — that of township trustee for a period
of nine years. He has been a member of the Reform Church for fifty-
five years. Being a genial and hospitable gentleman, he was held in
the highest esteem b}^ his friends and neighbors. Mrs. Bury died
March 8th, 1864.
Bury, Joseph H., was born in Liberty township, Fairfield county,
November 3d, 1834 5 ^^^ ^^ Jo^^i^ ^^"d Hannah Bury. Joseph attended
the public schools and acquired a good education. He remained at
home until his marriage to Miss Samantha J. Winter, April i8th, 1875.
They are the parents of four children, three of whom — Jennetta A.,
Nellie H. and Ida Ellen — are living.
Bush, Mrs. Phcebe, Lancaster, Ohio, was born in Fairfield county,
November 27th, 1834 ; daughter of Andrew and Rachel Foust. Andrew
Foust has filled various public positions in Fairfield count}^ for some
twenty years. He was Justice of the Peace, a member of the General
Assembl}^ for one or two terms, also represented his district in the
State Senate. Himself and famil}^ are residents of Pickaway county.
His daughter Phoebe, after receiving a fair common school education,
was united in marriage September 23, 185 1, to George Mayes, a native
of Pickaway county, who was born in 1828. To them have been born
two sons and two daughters, of whom the following survive : Franklin
E., a resident of Lancaster; Mary Emma, wife of Theodore Mithoff,
Jr., of Columbus; Georgie Ella, wife of Rev. Scott F. Hershey, of
Lancaster. Mr. Mayes died November nth, 1862. Mrs. Ma^'es was
again married December nth, 1866, to William Bush, who w^as born in
Fairfield count}?^ about 1827. Mr. Bush was a tailor by trade, and at
the time of his marriage was in the employ of Philip Rising, with whom
he remained some nine years. He was then elected Sherift' of that
county in 1873, and two years later he was re-elected. He was an ac-
tive and infiuential citizen, and prior to his election as Sherifl:' had filled
the position of Coroner of the county for one or more terms. He was
a consistent member of the M. E. Church, also the I. O. O. F. and
Kights of Honor. He died July i8th, 1877. Mr. and Mrs. Bush were
the parents of four children, three daughters and one son: Clara, Sarah
Mabel, Charles W. and Ada Dilley.
Bush, William P., farmer, Walnut township. He was born in
Walnut township April 19, 1847, the oldest son of Samuel Graybill
and Matilda (McNamee) Bush. He received a common school ed-
ucation, also attended a select school, taught by Joseph Freeman ; he
then attended the Union Academy, at Pleasantville, receiving a liberal
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 283 .
education, fitting himself for teaching. His youth was passed in assist-
ing his father in buying and shipping Hve slock, jointly with farming,
until his marriage, March 30, 1869, to Miss Sarah, daughter of Joseph
and Elizabeth Hite. To them have been born six children, of whom
three daughters and two sons are living. After marriage he condvicted
the home farm two years. In 187 1 he removed to Douglass county,
Illinois, and lived there one yeav. returning to Fairtield county, where
he resided in Pleasant township two years, engaging in farming. In
the spring of 1875 he returned to Walnut township and engaged in
farming, on the home place, till his wife's death, in January, 1878.
He was married the second time to Miss Almeda J. Copstine, October
2, 1878, who was born in Spencerville, Allen county, Ohio. Mr. and
Mrs. Bush are the parents of one son and one daughter, Herbert C,
born January loth, 1880, and Blanch Lucretia, September 7, 1882.
After marriage he continued to reside on the home farm. In 1880 he
purchased a portion of the Sv/ope farm, including the home farm,
owning in all one hundred and hfty-three acres.
Bush, George W., farmer. Walnut township. He was born in
Walnut township, June 21, 1848; the son of Samuel Graybill and Ma-
tilda (McNamee) Bush. S. G. Bush was born in Greenfield township,
April II, 1826. His father, William, was a pioneer of the county. He
engaged largel}^ in mercantile business. George W. married Miss
Josephine, daughter of Jacob Soliday, April 26, 1871. Mrs. Bush was
born in Walnut township July 30, 1852. Mr. and Mrs. Bush are the
parents of six children, Mollie M., Clara V., Emma May, Bessie, Ida
J. and a son born October 8, 1882, to whom a name is not yet given.
Samuel G. Bush, early in life, engaged largely in buying and shipping
live stock. He settled on the farm, formerly the McNamee homestead.
He married Matilda, daughter of J. McNamee, who was born October
6, 1823. He continued to farm in connection with buying and shipping
live stock. He owned a farm of four hundred and fifty acres : his heirs
own four hundred and twenty-five acres in Walnut township. He also
engaged in making brick, and conducted two steam saw mills. Subse-
quent to 1843 he filled the posidon of Justice of the Peace for sixteen
years. He also conducted a general store on the home place for some
fifteen years, doing an extensive business, employing some four or five
salesmen. He was an active Democratic politician, a man of ability,
popular and esteemed. His success in life was due to his own energy
and industry. He died April 8, 1878, aged fifty-seven years and
eleven months. He had been trustee of the township in which he
lived. His widow is still living. He reared a family of five children,
one died young and one at eighteen years of age. William P., a well
known farmer of Walnut township resides on the home place. George
W. was educated in the common schools, also attended one term at
Fairfield Union Academy, at Pleasantville. He also engaged in farm-
ing and buying and shipping live stock ; also engaged in the manufac-
ture of brick. He is also township trustee : always taking an interest
in education, having been school director. The youngest living child
of S. G. Bush, Clara, is the wife of D. H. Showalter, a well-known
resident of Walnut township.
BuTTERFiELD, Captain C. H., Lancaster. He was born Septem-
284 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
ber 27, 1837. H^ enlisted in the First Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and,
from Columbus, went to Harrisburgh, Lancaster and Philadelphia.
The First and Second regiments were the first two, of Western regi-
ments, to pass through Baltimore after the Eastern troops were mobbed.
They went into camp at Washington, under command of Colonel Alex.
McCook. They were sent to Alexandria, where Colonel Ellsworth was
murdered, and, mider General Schenck, were in the first battle of Vi-
enna. At the end of six months the reijiment went back to Washino;-
ton. It was in the battle of Bull Run, where Captain Butterfield was
in command of the left wing of skirmishers. Discovering a Rebel in
the brush, he captured him, took his Henr\' rifle, and turned him o\'er
to Colonel McCook's father, who took him to Washington, being about
the first Rebel prisoner brought to that city. Captain Butterfield was
in the " Black Horse Cavalry Charge." Returning home, he raised
sixty- five men for a company in the Ninetieth Ohio Volunteer Infantr\'.
They were, however, made a part of the One Hundred and Fourteenth,
and went into camp at Marietta. They were in both the Vicksburgh
campaigns. On account of sickness Captain Butterfield was, not long
after, discharged, and returned home.
Campbell, Harvey, farmer, post ofliice, Basil, Ohio ; was born in
Rockingham county, Virginia, September 15, 1810; the son of Andrew
and Catharine (B3'rel) Campbell. Andrew Campbell came to Ohio in
181 1, settling in Liberty township, on the farm now owned by his son,
Harvev, containing three hundred and thirt^^-five acres. In 1815, Mr.
Campbell built a hewed log house, which is still in use, forming a part
of the family residence. He died in 1823, being in the prime of life,
only forty-six years old. Harvey received a fair education, and con-
tinued to reside on the farm. In 1835, he was married to Miss Mary
Cowan ; they raised a family of three children, viz. : Catharine, Jacob
and Andrew H. The last named still resides at home, having been
united in marriage in i860, to Miss Emily Feely ; Catharine is the wife
of A. T. Mason, a well-known citizen of Basil ; Jacob F. is a resident
of Liberty township. Mrs. Campbell died in 1875. The famil}^ are
members of the Baptist Church. Jacob was a member of the Seven-
teenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served three years. Andrew H.
was in the one hundred days service.
Carlisle, Hon. Basil W.. Lancaster, Oliio. He was born in Green-
field township, October i, 1807. He is a son of Thomas and Sarah (Ed-
wards) Carlisle. His father was a native of Jefierson county, Virginia,
and came with liis father, Benedict Carlisle, (a soldier of the Revolu-
tionarN' War) to Ohio in 1810. The family settled in Amanda town-
ship. In 1813, Thomas married Sarah, the widow of James Wilson,
and daughter of Jolin and Margaret Edwards, of Ross county. The}'
reared a familv of eight children, of whom five are now living, one son
and four daughters. Thomas Carlisle was commissioner of F^airfield
countv two terms, also Justice of the Peace for about eighteen years.
He died in Greenfield lowuship in .September 1844. Basil W. attended
the common school, and (or a number of terms attended the Greenfield
Academy. At the time of his father's death, in 1844, ^^"^ purchased the
interest of the heirs in the family homestead, which he still owns and
conducts, and upon which he resided until removing to Lancaster, in
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 285
1881. In 1845, Mr. Carlisle married Miss Elizabeth Jane, daughter of
Judge William McClung. She was born in Rush Creek township in"
1821. Mr. and Mrs. Carlisle are the parents of eight children, six sons
and two daughters: Charles J., Thomas O., William McClung and
Frank Perrv are residents of Iowa, where the}' are engaged in the hard-
ware business, under the firm name of Carlisle Bros. : Mattie J. is the
wife of George W. (jravbill, a well-known resident of Lancaster; Basil
W^. Jr., is engaged in mercantile business at Logan, Ohio ; Laura, Ella
and William Fhigg are still at home. Mr. Carlisle has filled all the
township offices, and early in life took an active interest in the Militar^^
affairs, holding the position of Brigadier Major. In 1857, he was one
of the Representatives from Fairfield county, in the General Assembly
and was re-elected in 1859, '^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ Representative from his county.
In the memorable session of 1861, when War measures were introduced
and discussed, Major Carlisle did much and important work toward
shaping legislation at that eventful period. For some sixteen years, un-
til resigning the position in August, 1877, he was Superintendant of a
portion of the Ohio, and all of the Hocking Canal. In 1877, he was
elected State Senator from the Ninth District, and re-elected in 1879:
he has also been Director, Vice-President and President of the Fairheld
County Agricultural Society, during which time he was elected a mem-
ber of the State Board of Agriculture, serving eight years. In 1879, ^^^
was elected President of the Board, which position he filled with honor
to himself. Mr. Carlisle is a man of clear insight, having a well trained
mind, and natural business capacity, and is an intelligent observer and
practical student. He has been a member of the Masonic Order for
many years. Himself and family are consistent members of the Pres-
byterian Church. The Major and family occupy an elegctnt residence
on Broadway, in Lancaster, where, in possession of an ample com-
petency, he bids fair to enjoy life for many years to come.
Carpenter, Henry W\, merchant and plwsician, Lancaster ; son
of Paul and Mar^^ (Cannon) Carpenter. He was born at Lancaster,
September i, 1835. ^^'- Paul Carpenter was for more than fiftv years
a medical practitioner in Lancaster. He was born in Lancaster, Penn-
sylvania,in 1810, and graduated at the Medical College of Ohio. In 1828
he came to Lancaster, Ohio, and after remaining there three vears began
to practice his profession. He died in October, 1880. Henr}^ W., re-
ceived a liberal education under the tutorship of Dr. Williams, in Lan-
caster, following which he was a student at Allegheny College, at Mead-
ville, Pennsylvania, completing his education at the Ohio Wesleyan Uni-
versity, graduating from there in 1856. He then read medicine in his
father's office for some 3-ears, and entered the Medical College of Ohio, at
Cincinnati, graduating from that institution in 1859. ^^ ^^'^^ then en-
gaged in practice until 1862, when he was appointed First Assistant Sur-
geon to the Ninetieth O. V. I. ; subsequently he was detailed to take the
medical supervision of General Palmer's division of the Second Army
Corps. He was afterward Medical Purveyor to the same corps. At
the battle of Stone River he was in charge of the hospital, where he
was repeatedly captured, but escaped in each case with all his supplies.
In May, 1863, ^^^ accepted the position of Acting Assisting Surgeon in
the U. S. A., and was in active service at Nashville, Lookout Moun-
V
286 HIOGKAPHICAI. SKETCHES.
tain, and was in charge of the hospital at Jeffersonville, Indiana. After-
wards he was connected with the Thirteenth Ohio Cavahy. as Assist-
ant Surgeon, filHng the same position with the One Hundred and Eighty-
seventh O. V. I., for one year. While with that regiment at Macon,
he was detailed to accompany Miss Barton on her mission to identify
the bodies and place head-boards at the graves of Union soldiers at
Andersonville, Georgia. Mr. Carpenter continued in the service until
1866. Returning to civil life, he has since been engaged in successful
mercantile pursuits, also filling the position of U. S. Assessor for one
year. He is an influential member of the Masonic Order, and Knights
of Honor, as well as the Grand Army of the Republic. He was mar-
ried in i860 to Miss Kate Clark.
Carter, George, grocer, Lancaster ; son of Daniel and Ann
(Snyder) TCarter ; was born in Stark county, Ohio. He was the recipi-
ent of an ordinary common school education. At the age of seventeen
he commenced an apprenticeship at the carpenter trade, an occupation
which he follovv^ed before and after coming to Lancaster in 183 1. In
connection with his trade he commenced a successful business in coal
and lumber. For ten or eleven years he was in the hat and cap trade
with success. In 1879 ^^ engaged in his present occupation on Broad-
way, doing an extensive business in groceries, coal and lime. Mr. Car-
ter was married March 31, 1881, to Rosanna, daughter of John and
Mary Smith, who were early settlers of Fairfield county. The father
of Mrs. Carter was a native of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and
came to Ohio in 18 10, settling one and a half miles west of Lancaster,
where he passed the remainder of his days. He raised a family of
eight children. He died about 1825. To Mr. and Mrs. Carter were
born ten children, eight of whom are living, viz. : Emily, wife of George
Wilhelm, of Portsmouth, Ohio; Henry, a coal dealer, of Lancaster ;
Jennie, now Mrs. L, E. Magee, of Lawrence county, Ohio; Ella, still
at home: Charles L., of Columbus: John, assisting his father in the
management of the business ; Alice, a school teacher ; and Rose, the
wife of Frank Anderson, of Lawrence county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs.
Carter have been members of the Methodist Episcopal Church since
1837.
Cherry, Andrew, farmer, Violet township ; post office, Winches-
ter, Franklin county ; son of John and Eva (Lukkart) Cherry ; was born
in Huntington county, Pennsylvania, May 13, 1820; was married April
18, 1839, ^^ Sarah Miller, b}' whom he had eleven children, viz. : John,
born January 21, 1840 ; died January 21, 1872; George, born January
3:, 1842; Margaret, born September 15, 1844; Susan, born April 14,
1846; Catharine, born February 13, 1848 ; Jacob, born January 17,
1853; died June 27, 1853; Anna, born October, 11, 1849: Mary, born
May 14, 1851 ; Harriet, born October 14, 1854; Noah, born June 15,
1857 ; Alfred, born October 10, i860. John enlisted in the Thirteenth,
Ohio Regiment ; was four years in the service ; came home, and was
killed near Hanover, while acting as brakeman on the Pan Handle Road.
Sarah (Miller) Cherry died March 7, 1878. On December 16, 1880,
Andrew was married to Rachel King, daughter of Rev. Henry King.
Mr. Cherry has been a member of the Lutheran Church since 1839.
Chrysty, Perry L., miller; son of Samuel and Elizabeth Chrys-
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 287
ty, natives of Virginia, and of Irish and German descent. Perry was
born in Virginia, April 15, 182 1. When but fourteen years of age, he
began an apprenticeship of seven years, at the miller trade. After his
completion of this, he worked as journe3'man in Virginia, until 1847,
when he came to Ohio and entered the employ of Adam C. Ford, with
whom he remained two years. In 1854, ^'^^'' Chrysty purchased the
mill, and has had charge of the same since that time; he also owns
ninety-one acres of land, which he has fully improved. He was mar-
ried December 12, 1848, to Miss Sarah M. Ford, who was born in Lib-
erty township, in 183 1. They are the parents of three children : Har-
vey S., assisting in the management of the business ; James F., a resi-
dent of Licking county ; and Clara J., who is still at home. Mr. Chr\'s-
t}'- is a member of the Retbrmed Church, and also a member of the I.
O. O, F. Mrs, Chr3^sty is a member of the United Brethren Church,
Clarke, John D., farmer ; son of William J. and Francis E. (Wain)
Clarke ; born in September, of 1836, in Clinton county, Ohio ; tollowed
fruit growing and farming. Came to this county in 1858. Was mar-
ried in 1863, to Hellen, daughter of James Herman. i\re the parents
of four children, viz. : George R., Mary, Charlotte, and Lucy. Mr.
Clarke had three brothers in the arm3^ Thomas enlisted in Company
A, Seventeenth O. V. I. Pius J. and Charles F., served until the
close of the war. Thomas died in Georgia of small pox. His father
was a native of Virginia.
Click, Mrs. Angeline, she is the daughter of Graves and Sarah
(Rook) Ward; she was born January 12, 1823, in Fairfield county, and
was married in June, 1841, to Jonathan Click, who was born in Virginia,
about 1810. He came with his ftithef7 John Click, to Ohio. Thev set-
tled on the place now owned b}^ B. W; Click. John Click was a pio-
neer, and spent his days on the place he cleared. Jonathan Click was
a successful farmer and stock raiser. He raised a famil}- of nine chil-
dren, of whom but three survive: B. W. C, Lafa3^ette M., and Flor-
ence Ida, residing with her mother. Jonathan Click owned at his death
over four hundred acres of land. He was an extensive buyer and ship-
per of live stock. Before the construction of railroads, he drove stock
over the mountains. For 3'ears he was associated with John Gill in this
business. He died November 20, 1876. His son, B. W., was raised
on the farm, and acquired a fair education in the common schools in
Walnut township. He enlisted in the First Ohio Cavalrv, and took part
at Moulton, Alabama, where his brother John, a member of the same
regiment, was killed. He also was in the battles of Kenesaw Moun-
tain, Atlanta and Jonesboro. He was in Wilson's Raid through Ala-
bama and Georgia. He was one of the number who captured Jeff Da-
vis, and shared a portion of the reward. He served until the close of
the war, and was mustered out at Camp Chase in 1865. He returned
to civil life, and in 1867, entered Granville College, remaining there four
years. He then entered Ohio Wesley an Universit}- at Delaware, one
year. He was married August 15, 1871, to Eveline McMahon, daugh-
ter of John F. McMahon, a well known resident of Perry countv. Mr.
and Mrs. Click are the parents of six children. In 1872" he located on
his present place, a part of the home place in 1877 o^" 7^ ; where he built
288 jiiogkaphicAl sketches.
a handsome residence. Four of Jonathan Click's s(jns were in the army
during the war.
Clover, David T., Prosecuting Attorney, Lancaster. He was
born in Berne township, December 30, 1846; is a son of George and
Maria (Hause) Clover. His grandfather, John Clover, was a pioneer
of Berne township. David availed himself of such educational advan-
tages as the common schools afforded, until eighteen years of age,
when he attended the high school in Lancaster one term ; also a select
school, taught bv Dr. Williams, several terms, following which he taught
school in Greentield township one winter. He, soon after, attended a
term, at the Normal School at Canal Winchester, where he filled the po-
sition of subordinate teacher ; not long after he was elected principal
of the graded school there, during which time, for the purpose of fur-
ther perfecting himself for the profession of teaching, he attended a
session of the Normal School at Lebanon. Resigning his position as
principal at Canal Winchester, he took a classical course at Lebanon ;
then occupied a position as principal in a school at Columbiana, Ohio.
Subsequently he was appointed to the superintendency of the schools of
Waverly, Pike county, Ohio, occupving this position until his resigna-
tion to enter the law office of General Newton Schleich, with whom he
remained until January, 1872. He then accepted the superintendency
of schools at London, Ohio ; tilling a similar position in Gallon, Ohio,
remaining two years. June 25, 1874, ^^*^ married Miss Flora L. Mintor.
They are the parents of three sons, two now living — Alphonso M. and
David T., Jr. In 1875, Mr. Clover resigned his position at Gallon, and
returnin*^ to Lancaster, again resumed the study of law. He was ad-
mitted to the bar in September, 1875, '^^^^ ^^'^^ since been in active prac-
tice. He is a member of the Masonic order, also of Knights of Pythias.
In the fall of 1882, he was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Fairfield
county.
CoNNELL, Colonel John M., deceased. He was born November
7, 1828, in Lancaster; son of Benjamin and Mariali (McNeil) Connell.
His paternal ancestry is Irish, his maternal Scotch-Irish. Young Con-
nell, having chosen the law as a profession, on completing his reading,
went to Fort Wayne, Indiana, and was admitted to practice there, in
June 18^0. In 185 1 he was elected Prosecuting Attorney of the eighth
Judicial District of Indiana. In 1855 returned to this State and located,
for a short time at Wooster, at'ter which he returned to his nati\'e city.
In 1857 he was appointed chief clerk in the office of the Comptroller,
at Washin""ton, District of Columbia. On his return he resumed the
practice of the law, which he followed until Ma}- 13, 1861, when en-
listed and was elected Colonel of the Seventeenth Ohio Volunteer In-
fantr\^ At the close of the three months' service the Colonel reorgan-
ized the regiment and re-enlisted, in September, of same year, and
remained in the field until November, 1863, when he resigned to take
a seat in the State Senate, to which he had been elected by his con-
stituents of the Ninth Senatorial District. The Colonel was married
September 27, 1853, to Miss Jennie, daughter of Rev. William Cox
and Margaret (daughter of General Reson Beall. of Wooster, Ohio.)
The Colonel was the father of eight children, viz. : William, Frank,
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 289
Medill, John, McNeill, Ellen, Jane and Margaret. In 1866 he was
appointed United States Internal Revenue Assessor, which he held un-
til 1869, since which time he followed his profession until his death,
April 17, 1882.
Cook, William, cabinet maker, Baltimore ; was born in Fairfield
county, December 4, 1830 ; the youngest son of William and Margaret
P. Cook. William Cook, Senior, came to Ohio in 1802, settling in
Liberty towmship. He raised a family of ten children, six of whom
are living. He was an active member of the United Brethren Church,
and died in 1857. William, Junior, received a common school educa-
tion, and when nineteen years of age learned the cabinet Trade with G,
G. Goss, in Baltimore. He then worked as journeyman for four years.
In 1S54 ^^^ purchased the business of G. G. Goss, which he has since
greath' increased. His success is largely due to his business tact and
force of character, as he is a self made man, and a member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. He is also a member of the Masonic
Order, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. lu 1861 he en-
listed in Company K, Seventeenth Ohio Volunteer Infantr}^ and
attained the rank of Lieutenant, but ill health compelled him to resign,
after a service of three months. In 1850 he was united in marriage
to Miss Huldah Rader, daughter of Henry Rader, of Liberty town-
ship. Mr. and Mrs. Cook are the parents of seven children, of whom
one son, Percy, survives.
Cool, Peter B., farmer. Walnut township. He was born in New-
ark, Licking count3^ October 30, 1827 ; the oldest son of Isaac and
Ann (Haver) Cool. Isaac was born in Pennsylvania, in 1795. He
came to Ohio before 1820. He was a hatter by trade. He married a
daughter of William Haver, of Walnut township. He resided iii New-
ark uniil 1833, when he removed to Columbus, where he died about
1848. His widow died in 1880, in her eighty-ninth year. Peter B.
attended the common schools, and the Central College one year. He
was brought up in the mercantile business. He was married July 3,
1849. One daughter, Katie M., now the wife of Mr. Moore, a resi-
dent of Columbus, was born to this marriage. Mr. Cool was again
married in February, 1873, to Mrs. Holmes, daughter of Moses Thomp-
son, of Walnut township. Mrs. Cool was the widow of Reason
Holmes, who was born in Walnut township. He was a farmer and
stock raiser, He owned, at his death, two hundred and thirty-eight
acres; he died April 29, 1868. When married to Mr. Cool, Mrs.
Holmes was the mother of three children, Thompson K., clerk in Mil-
lersport ; William H., and Edgar R. Mr. Cool, after this marriage,
located on the site of his present home, occupying the former Peter
Haver residence, built at an early day. This place consists of one
hundred and fifty-five acres. He is a successful farmer and stock
raiser. Mr. Cool v/as township clerk one term. The family are mem-
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a member of the In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows. In September, 1861, Mr. Cool
enlisted in Company F, First Ohio Cavalry. He was connected with
the Quartermaster Department as a non-commissioned oflicer a short
time, then promoted to Second Lieutenant. At Corinth, Mississippi,
he was promoted to First Lieutenant. He was acting Quartermaster
36
290 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
until the close oi the War. He was mustered out at Columbus, Sep-
tember 27, 1865.
CowDEN, James A., brick mason, Lancaster; son of David and
Mary Jane (Toutch) Cowden ; was born April 14, 1857, in Lancaster,
Ohio. He attended school at Lancaster until his thirteenth 3^ear, at
which time he began an apprenticeship with his father, at the trade of
brick mason. Until twenty years of age he remained at home. He
then came to Baltimore and engaged in his trade for two years. He
then purchased property and began a business for himself, which is
still in a flourishing condition, and furnishes employment for eighteen
men, turning out seven thousand brick per day, for which he finds a
ready market ; his business increasing daily. He was married Sep-
tember 18, 1878, to Miss Emil}', daughter of Absalom Arnold. To
them have been born three children, onW one of whom survives, Car-
rie C, born July 24, 1879. Mrs. Cowden is a member of the United
Brethren Church ; he, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Cox, Thomas B., Jr., retired, Lancaster. His parents, Thomas
B., Senior, and Elizabeth (Vanpelt) Cox, were pioneers of Fairfield
count}^. Thomas B., Junior, was born in Bloom township, March 4,
1826. His father was a native of Pennsylvania, and was born in 1797.
He came with his father's family to Ohio in 181 1. The family settled
due west of Mount Pleasant, where they built a brick house, about
1815, still in a state of good preservation. He was a prominent and
active business man in his dav, and a successful merchant man^^ years,
and a large property holder. He reared a family of three sons and
one daughter, all of whom are living. He was a member of the Pres-
b3^terian Church at the time of his death, January 9, 187 1. His widow
survivecl him some four years. Thomas B., Junior, remained with his
parents, engaged in farming, until 1852, when he engaged in the whole-
sale and retail grocery trade, at Somerset, Perry county, which he
continued with success some ten years. Returning to Lancaster he
took charge of his father's estate, and upon the death of the latter, was
appointed administrator. Mr. Cox served as chairman of the Demo-
cratic Executive Committee, of Perry connty, six or seven years. He
was also elected member of the Legislature from the same county in
1857. He is an active Democrat in politics ; takes a warm interest in
educational matters and is at present a member of the school board of
Lancaster. He was married November 28, 1865, to Miss Cecelia R.
Dittoe, of Somei^set, Ohio. They are the parents of six daughters and
one son.
Crawford, George C, Lancaster. He was born in Rushville,
Ohio, February 20, 1814. His parents, Jacob and Elizabeth (Black)
Crawford, were earl}^ settlers. Jacob Crawford, a native of Virginia,
came to Zanesville, Ohio, in 1804. In 1807 he removed to Fairfield
county, settling at Rushville, where he followed the occupation of mill-
wright, building a number of mills. He also owned a share of the
flouring and carding mills at Rushville. He died in Licking county,
Ohio, in 1858. His family consisted of nine children, five are living,
three sons and two daughters. George C. acquired a common school
education and entered the employ of William Coulson, then a mer-
chant at Rushville, remaining in his employ twenty-one years. In
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
291
1846 he was of the firm of Crawford, Geiger & Company, for a brief
period, and subsequendy he was employed in the County Clerk's office
at Somerset. He then resided at Baltimore, Ohio, for one year. Here,
in 1843, he married Ruth H., daughter of George Orvings. Mrs.
Crawford was born in Fairfield county in 182 1. To them were born
three children — Edmund C, George O., and Estella. About 1848 Mr.
Crawford removed to Lancaster, where he was employed in the dry
goods house of James McCracken for two years. He was then a resi-
dent of Findlay, Ohio, for some time, returning to Lancaster in 1854.
In the fall of 1862 he became an employe of Reber, Uhlrick & Com-
pany, with whom he still continues. Mr. Crawford has been a member
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows for many years, and a pros-
perous and esteemed citizen.
Crouse, Levi, farmer, Walnut township ; was born in Baldmore
count}^, Maryland, October 25, 1818, the youngest son of Jacob and Eliz-
abeth (Warner) Crouse. John Crouse was born in Maryland, in 1782.
He came to Ohio with his wife and four children, in October, 1823, and
settled on the place now owned b}- Levi Crouse, it then being a dense
forest. He bought one hundred and sixteen acres, and there he spent
the remainder of his days. He raised a family of two sons and two
daughters, Levi now being the sole survavor. Mr. Crouse was a suc-
cessiul farmer; in politics, a Democrat. He died in 1859; ^^^ widow,
in 1872. Levi Crouse was educated in the common schools, and en-
gaged in farming. He was married in 1840, to Catharine Bibler, to
whom were born two sons, Peter and Jacob, and two daughters, Mrs.
Allbright and Mrs. Avery. Mrs. Crouse died January 16, 1853, and he
was married the second time, in the fall of the same year, to Harriet,
daughter of Jonathan and Sarah Ann Norris, well-known residents of
Liberty township. Mrs. Crouse was 'born in Allegheny county, Penn-
sylvania, November 14, 1824. Mr. and Mrs. Crouse are the parents of
nine children, six daughters and one son living : Mahala, now the wife
of Amos Bope, of Van Wert, Ohio ; Melinda, at home ; Minerva was
the wife of Hamilton Berry. She died in 1878, in her twenty-third
year. She left two daughters, Lotta and Dollie, both of whom were
brought up by their grandmother. Mazy, wife of Adam Hanes, a resi-
dent of Pleasant township ; Mattie, a music teacher, at home ; Millie
J., John M. and Maggie, at home; Menta Bell died in 1878, in her
twelfth year. Mr. Crouse has a nicely improved place, with modern
improvements. The family are members of the United Brethren
Church. Mr. Crouse and wife have raised from childhood, Jesse Wal-
ters, now in his fourteenth vear.
Crumley, Daniel, farmer, Lithopolis, Ohio ; was born December
II, 1807, in Bloom township, Fairfield conntv, Ohio; son of Christian
and Sarah (Kiser) Crumley, who were born in Union county, Pennsyl-
vania, and came to this township along with its ver}- earliest settlers.
Daniel Crumley was married to Miss Jane Betcer, who was born July
5, 1811, daughter of Peter and Rachel (Ray) Betcer. Their family
consisted of fourteen children, of whom five only are still living. Mr.
Crumley served as Justice of the Peace twelve years in Bloom township,
and has filled the office of trustee at various times. Mr. Crumley has
been intrusted with the settlement of twentv-five different estates in this
292 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
and Pickawa}' counties, which speaks well for him as a man. He has
alwa3's run the farm, and at times been engaged in buying stock, and
for fair dealing and honesty, he has but few equals in the county.
Crumley, Daniel, farmer, Hocking township, post office, Lancas-
ter ; a native of this township ; born December 22, 1839, '-*^^ ^^^ farm he
now owns; son of Conrad Crumley and Mary M. (Fellers) Crumle}^
both natives of Pennsylvania. Conrad Crumley emigrated to this
county in 1805, and Mrs. Crumley's family in 1810, and both families
settled in Bloom township. Conrad moved into this township in 1838,
and resided there until he died, March 8, 1879. He left a fine property
of about seven hundred acres, which his children now own. Daniel
was. married December 24, 1868, to Miss Rebecca Strade. The Strade
family was one of the most prominent and leading families in the
county, having emigrated from Virginia in an early day. Daniel has a
family of five children: Blanche L., Cloise, Hamilton, Ralph, and
Lionel. Daniel enlisted August 24, 1863, in the One Hundred and
Twenty-ninth O. V. L Re-enlisted in the One Hundred and Seventy-
eighth, O. V. L, and remained in the service until the close of the war.
Custer, George, of Bloom township, emigrated from Washington
county, Pennsylvania, in 1830. He was born August 16, 1810, and was
married to Miss Sarah Courtright, Jamuuy 13, 1831. At this wedding
eighteen were present, all of whom are dead, save Mr. Custer. After
the nuptials, the new couple settled on the farm, at first owned by Love-
land ; afterward by Morehart, then by his father-in-law. After the death
of his wife, he married the second time to Miss Elizabeth Jane Leech.
She was born May 6, 1825, in Virginia, and is the daughter of John
Leech, who emigrated with his family first to Madison township and
then to Bloom township, where he died. Mr. Custer was a charter
member of the Lithopolis Lodge in 1848, and has been officially con-
nected with that body more or less since that time. In 1832, with six-
teen others, joined the Presbyterian society, and afterwards assisted in
establishing the church and society in Lithopolis, where he has been an
official member fifty ^^ears. He is the only one of that number now
living, and the onl}^ man living in the township who voted in the year
i83i,and is the last man living of the original eight who came here
in 1831, and wlio drove hogs to old Baltimore. He has nine chil-
dren and twenty-six grand children. His children are all members of
church, save one, and all married, save the 3^oungest. He built his res-
idence in 1856.
Decker, John N., farmer. Walnut township; was born in Walnut
township, January 22, 1826, the oldest son of Abraham and Elizabeth
(Artz) Decker. "Abraham Decker, born in Shenandoah county, Vir-
ginia, in 1800, came with his father, John Decker, to Ohio, in 1804.
The family settled in Walnut township in the spring of 1805. John
Decker bought one hundred acres and cleared them. Here he spent his
days. Hedied in 1837; his widow^ in 1861 or 1862. His son,
Abraham, Decker, continued to live on the place during the greater
part of his life. He was the father of six children, of whom two sons
and three daughters are living. In 1877, he became a resident of Lan-
caster. He owned one hundred and sixty acres. He was, at one time,
a resident of Baltimore. He filled, at various times, the office of town-
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 293
ship treasurer; also, that of Coimt}^ Commissioner, in 1848. He was a
successful farmer and stock raiser. He had some knowledge also of the
cabinet maker's trade. He was in his day a great sportsman and
hunter. He died June 5, 1880. John N. "Decker, after receiving a
good education, turned his attention to farming, residing on the home
place until 1S57. Januar}^ 13, 1852, he was married to Miss Harriet,
daughter of Henr}' Miller. She was born in Walnut township, March
20, 1833. They are the parents of seven children, six of whom are liv-
ing. In 1858, Mr. Decker purchased the farm where he still resides,
and in 1871, erected a handsome residence. He owns eighty-six acres.
They are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. At the time
John N.'s grandparents settled in this township, it was largely inhabited
by Indians. They had camps on his place, and he enjoyed "shooting at
marks with them. They left this part of the setdement for Sandusky on
forty ponies.
DeGrummond, George W., foreman of blacksmiths in railroad
shops, Lancaster ; was born in Detroit, Michigan, May 8, 1828. After
acquiring a fair education at Reading, Pennsylvania, where the family
had removed in 1835, he learned the blacksmith trade, serving as an ap-
prentice for four years, in Philadelphia, following which he worked as
a' journeman in Cincinnati, New Orleans and other cities. He'was a
resident of Portsmouth, Ohio, for nine years. A portion of this time he
was engaged in the blacksmith trade. In 1861, he removed to Rich-
mond, Indiana, there following his trade until the spring of 1863, when
he assisted in recruiting a company for the One Hundred and Twenty-
fourth, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, being elected second Lieutenant,
and afterwards, first Lieutenant. With that regiment he took part in
numerous battles, including Resacca, Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta,
Franklin and Nashville. During one or more of these engagements,
he commanded the compan}-. This regiment was afterwards trans-
ferred to North Carolina, where Captain DeGrummond was detailed to
the Qiiartermaster Department, filling the position of A. A. Q^M, serv-
ing until the close of the war. He was mustered out as Captain, at
Greensboro, North Carolina. ■ Returntng to civil life. Captain DeGrum-
mond took up his residence in Richmond, Indiana, where he remained
until 1869, when he removed to Lancaster, entering the employ of the
Cincinnati and Muskingum Valley Railroad, as foreman in their black-
smith shop, a position he still occupies. He is an active member of the
Masonic order ; also, of the Knights of Honor, and Grand Army of the
Republic. He has been twice married, first in 1852, to Angeline
Justus, who died in 1867. To them were born six children, of whom
three are living, viz. : Alice, now engaged in the milliner}^ business,
at Wapakoneta, Ohio ; Lizzie", the widow of William O. Bope, resident
of Lancaster ; and Harry C, train dispatcher on the M. I. M. & S.
Railroad, with headquarters at Texarkana, Arkansas. In 1869, ^^^'•
DeGrummond was united in matrimony to Mrs. Eliza Loveland. They
are the parents of two sons and one daughter, viz. : William H.,
Charles H. and Juliana.
De Muth, Jacob W., proprietor of liver}^ and boarding stable. North
High street, Lancaster, Ohio; was born August27, 1845, in Cir-
cleville, Pickaway, county, Ohio, son of John and Elizabeth (Fans-
294 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
naught) De Miith ; was a school boy until he was fifteen or six-
teen years of age. He then enlisted in Company E, Forty-third
Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served three years, and then re-en-
listed in the same company and regiment, and served until the
close of the war. He was first connected with the Army of the
Tennessee, participating in the following battles : New Madrid, Is-
land No. lO, Hamburg, Farmington, Corinth, luka, Oxford, Holly
Springs, Bolivar, Bethel, Tuscumbia, Memphis, Prospect Station,
Decatur, Resacca, Kingston, Altoona, Big Shanty, Kenesaw Mountain,
Dallas, Peach Tree Creek, Atlanta, Gordon Junction, Savanah, Three
Rivers and Washington. He served under Pope, Rosecrans, Grant
and Sherman. When a boy, enlisted as private, and was promoted to
the rank of Orderl}^ Sergeant. On his return from the army he en-
tered Eastman's Business College, Chicago, Illinois ; received a diplo-
ma and was immediately emplo^'ed as book-keeper by James Field &
Company for six months, after which he visited the principal cities of
the west and south. Was married February 26, 1868, to Miss Rachel
L., daughter of Christian and Rachel (Fetters) Rudolph, of this city.
They are tiie parents of two children, viz.: Harrv C. and John E.
Immediately after marriage he established a retail boot and shoe store,
which he kept for two years, after which he traveled for a wholesale
boot and shoe house for one year, then went to Chicago and clerked in
a store for a time, after which he traveled about six months. In 1873
he established his present business in this city, and keeps a first class
stable of the best horses and finest carriages and barouches and turn
outs in the cit}-.
Dennis. James S., miller, Bremen, Ohio ; was born June g, 1858,
in Sugar Grove, Fairfield county, Ohio ; son of E. G. and Catharine
(Beery) Dennis. Mr. Dennis was raised in his native village, where
his father has kept hotel for twenty-one years past, and where James S.,
attended school until he was sixteen years of age ; at that time he went
as an apprentice to the miller trade, with his brother, Will F. Dennis,
with whom he served three years. He then went to Lancaster, Ohio,
and engaged as a miller with Keller, Kinkead & Co., where he remained
one year. He next was employed by Mrs. E. Millikan, at Washiijgton
Court House, Ohio, where he took charge of a mill for two years. From
there he came to Bremen, Ohio, September 29, 1882, where he remains
up to this time. Mr. Dennis was married April 5, 1882, to Miss Clara
Delle, daughter of Joseph and Sarah (White) Allen. His grandfather,
Dennis was^of German parentage, and formerly of Lancaster county,
Pennsylvania, where he was engaged in teaming over the mountains ;
and in 1823, he came to Ohio, settling in Sugar Grove where he fol-
lowed blacksmithing up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1863.
The wife of grandfather Dennis, was also of German parentage. They
were married in Pennsylvania. Mrs. Dennis died in 1865, in Illinois,
where she was living with her daughters. Hence, it comes that, E. G.
Dennis, the father of the subject of this sketch, is of full German de-
scent. He was born in Pennsylvania, and was nine years old when his
father brought him to Ohio ; here he learned the millwright trade, which
he followed until 1801, at which time he opened a hotel in Sugar Grove,
where he still remains. The wife of E. G. Dennis. Mrs. Catharine
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 2g^
(Beery) Dennis, also came of German parentage, and was born in Fair-
field county, near Sugar Grove, and was raised a farmer's daughter.
Their marriage resulted in their becoming the parents of nine children,
viz. : John, David died in the late war, Arthusa, Anna, Melinda, de-
ceased ; Vandaling. deceased; William, Franklin and James S., the
subject of this sketch.
Derolph, James, farmer. Walnut township. The son of Isaac and
Mary (Love) Derolph ; born in Fa3'ette county, Pennsylvania, February
26, 1829. Isaac came with his parents to Ohio in 1835 5 ^^^^ family
settled in Madison township. Perry couiit3\ where Isaac purchased a
farm, about 1854. ^^ afterward moved to Hopewell township, in the
same county. Here he purchased a farm and remained during life.
He raised a family of four sons and three daughters — six now living.
He was by trade a blacksmith, also engaged in farming. He was a
member of the Presbyterian Church for many years. He died in Sep-
tember, 1856. James was educated in the common schools, and in con-
nection with his brother, conducted the home farm until the spring ot
1868. In 1855 Mr. Derolph married Mahala Poorman. They are the
parents of three daughters,: x'Vlmeda. with her parents ; Mary Emma,
wife of Henry M. Hite, residing in Walnut township ; Elizabeth, wife
of Franklin M. Boyer, resident of Perry count}^ In 1861, Mrs. Derolph
died, and January 17, 1867, he married Miss Sarah J., daughter of Da-
vid Church, a former well known resident of Peny county ; she was
born in Somerset, Perry county, September 10, 1834. Mr. Derolph
came to Fairfield county in 1868, and parchased the former Richard Buf-
fington home, then consisting of one hundred and ten acres. He now
owns one hundred and fifty acres, and in 1878, built a handsome resi-
dence. They are the parents of four sons and one daughter : Otto
William, James Arthur, and Thomas Albert, Isaac Harold and Bertha
Jane. They are members of the Reform Church.
Detwiler, John, farmer; was born in Switzerland, April 16, 1810;
son of John and Elizabeth Detwiler. He w^as educated in Switzerland,
and learned the trade of wood carver. He emigrated to America with
his uncle in 1838, coming direct to Pleasant township, Fairfield count}^,
where he learned the trade of carpenter and joiner. In 183 1, Mr. Det-
wiler was united in marriage to Miss Henderlek, who was born in Bal-
timore, Maryland, in 1806. Her father, Jacob Henderlek, was one of
the early pioneers of Liberty township. After his marriage he moved
to Libert}^ and settled upon a farm of eighty acres, belonging to his
wife. He has since added to his farm, until he now has two hundred
and fitty-three acres, finely cultivated and adorned with a handsome
and modern residence. They had a famil}- of nine children, of whom
three are living. Three died in infancy, and three after reaching ma-
turity. Maria, the wife of Daniel Stout, died in 1857 ; Susannah, wife
of David Eversole, died in 1879; Barbara was wife of Henrj- Boj-er,
and died in 1875 5 Jacob is a well known resident of Liberty town-
ship ; Henry resides with his father. He was married to Rebecca
LeFever, in 1868 ; Sarah is the wife of William Coftets, living on
the home farm. Mrs. Detwiler died January 15, 1873. The family
are members of the German Reformed Church. Mr. Detwiler, as soon
as a home could be provided for her, sent to Switzerland for his aged
296 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
mother, and brought her to his home, where she spent the remciinder of
her life. She died in 1865.
DoLSON, Thomas H., Attorne}' at Law, Lancaster, Ohio ; was born
November 22, 185 1, in Morgan county, Ohio ; son of E. B. and Hulda
(Stevenson) Dolson. Mr. Dolson was raised on a farm, Bud after re-
ceiving a collegiate education, entered the law office of Hon. C. D.
Martin, of this city, commencing the study of law under his instructions.
He was admitted to the practice of law by the Supreme Court of Ohio,
December 11, 1873, and has been in active practice ever since. Soon
after being admitted to the bar, he was elected to the office of Prose-
cuting Attorney for Fairfield count}-, Ohio, which position he held two
terms, of two years each, and now holds the same b}^ appointment, fill-
ing a vacancy caused by the death of his predecessor. He is a close
student and a hard worker, which insures his reaching a prominent po-
sition in the legal profession. Mr. Dolson was married October 17,
1876, to Miss Lida, daughter of B. F. and L C. (Arnold) Reinmund.
They are the parents of three children, viz. : Hulda Stevenson, Ben-
jamin Reinmund, and Daisy.
Dove, Elijah, of Bloom township, was born where he now resides,
in the year 18 1 1, and where his father entered land in an earl}^ day.
Mr. Dove received but a limited common school education in his
early life ; he has however been a constant reader and hard student, de-
voting his time principally during these latter years to religious subjects
and to his church. He was virtually the founder of the M. E. Church
in Carroll, over forty years ago, and has been not only an official mem-
ber since that time, but one of its warmest supporters ; and has seen the
societv grow in numbers, from ten or twelve to that of a hundred and
twenty-five. He was married in 1835, to Miss Mary Small, in every
sense a godly woman and a true helpmeet in societ}"-, church and family.
She died September i, 1877, leaving behind her a family of fifteen
children, thirteen of whom are living, and are members ol church.
John^W. Dove, the oldest son, was a captain of a company in l^e late
war. Joseph, the youngest son, is at home, and is the present superin-
tendent of the Methodist Episcopal Sabbath school at Carroll.
DuNW^AY, Jx\MES H., farmer, Walnut township. He was born in Rap-
pahannock county, Virginia, March 2, 1821 ; the eldest son of William
and Jane (Hopkins) Dunwa}^ William Dunway was born in Rappahan-
nock county, Virginia. He served in the War of 181 2 : he was a farmer in
Virginia; came to Ohio in 1837 ^^"^^l settled in Perry county one
year. In the spring of 1839 ^^^ moved to the place now owned by Hen-
ry Huber, remaining there two or three years. He raised a family of
thirteen children ; two sons and three daughters survive. James H.,
was educated in the common schools in Virginia and Ohio. He was at
home on the farm with his father until he was twent3'-seven. Mr. Dun-
way was married January 2, 1848, to Miss Margaret, daughter of Eli-
jah Berry, a well-known resident of Walnut township. She was born
in Walnut township, August 17, 1825. After marriage Mr. Dunway
lived on the Peter Hoover place three 3^ears, then on the Herbert Gran-
ger farm for fourteen years. In l864 or 1866 he purchased the place
where he has since lived, from David Cullen. At that time it contained
one hundred and six acres ; he now owns one hundred and sixteen.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTV.
297
The farm when purchased by Mr. Dun way was partially improved.
The family occupied an old log house until building his present resi-
dence in 187 1. They are the parents of two children, one died in in-
fancy September 19, 1848; Newton, born June 9, 1853, a farmer by
occupation ; he married Mar}' Ellen, daughter of Andrew Shell. They
are Uie parents of one son and two daughters, James Wilber and Mar-
garet. ^ Mrs. Jane Dunway died May 25, 1881, in her fifty-sixth year;
an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church for many years.
Mr. Dunway is a successful farmer and stock raiser.
Dyarman, James A., post office, Pleasantville. Born in Holmes
county, this State in 185 1 ; came to this county in 1865. Son of Joseph
and Sarah E. (Hull) Dyarman. Married August 12, 1872, to Miss
Mary Levering, daughter of John and Marv Levering. They have
three children : Charles L. ; Edna ; Mary E.'Mr. Dyarman is engaged
at present in the manufacture of wagons and buggies.
EvERSOLE, John, farmer. Walnut township. "He was born in Wal-
nut township, January 20, 1835 ^^}Son of Henry and Sophrona (Heis)
Eversole. Henry Eversole was born in Rockingham county, Virginia.
He married in 1833, a daughter of George Heis, a pioneer that settled
on a place now owned by Mr. Eversole and Kinsey Belt. He entered
one-fourth section of land, cleared it, and here spent his days. In his
later years he was a Baptist. His only child was the mother of John
Eversole. His death took place about 1S54. Henr}^ Eversole came to
Walnut township in 1833, locating on the place now"^ owned by his son.
It was then but slightly improved. He raised a family of nine children,
of whom all but one are living ; that one was killed by lightning in
1878. Henr}^ Eversole ran a threshing machine for many3^ears in con-
nection w^ith farming. At his death he owned one hundred and eighty
acres. He died August 20, 1850, aged forty-two years ; his widow
died in 1876. John Eversole received a good education, and turned his
attention to farming, at home, until his marriage, November i, i860, to
Elizabeth, daughter of D. Miller, a resident of Walnut township. She
was born in this township, November 28, 1835. Mr. Eversole has
always devoted his time to farming and stock raising. They are mem-
bers of the U. B. Church. The home place contains ninety acres.
They occupy a handsome residence, built in i860. He was an ardent
Union man during the war.
Eversole, Isaac W., farmer and stock raiser. He is the eldest
son of David and Catharine (Heistand) Eversole, and was born in Lib-
erty township, June 22, 1852. David Eversole was born in Fairfield
county; his father, Abraham Eversole, was one of the pioneers of the
county. In 1850 David settled on the farm still ow^ned by his heirs.
The farm contained three hundred and three acres, all of' which was
well improved. He was extensively engaged in buying and shipping
catde, being ver}- successful in all his business transactions. His suc-
cess in life was due to his perseverance, industr}-, and integritv. He
died in June, 1879, having reared a family of six sons and three
daughters. Isaac W., the subject of this sketch, received a liberal edu-
cation in his youth, having the advantages of the Academy at Rev-
noldsburg, and also Oberlin College one term. He takes a gVeat inter-
est in his farm, particularly raising the finer breeds of imported stoclc;
87
298 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
in which he is very successful. He owns and operates a large saw mill,
which is doing a large amount of business. Mr. Eversole has been
twice married; first to Miss Lizzie Snider, March 28, 1875. She died
December 19, 1879, ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ again united in marriage to Miss
Samantha J. Tussing, December 28, 1880. Mr. and Mrs. Eversole are
members of the Evang-elical Association, Mr. Eversole is a member
of the Knights of Pythias. ^
Eversole, Adam Henry, farmer. Liberty township. He was in^r-
ried in Liberty township February 22, 1858; son of David and
Catharine H. Eversole. He secured a good education, and chose
farming for his vocation in life, remaining at home until his
marriage, December 27, 1881, to Miss Phelina, daughter of
Edward Ritter, a well-known resident of Violet township. After
his marriage Mr. Eversole purchased the farm vipon which he is at
present residing. It contains one hundred and twenty-five acres, to
which he has added many fine improvements. He has also acted as
administrator for the estate of both his father and mother, and that of
Mrs. Naomi LeFever. Mr. and Mrs. Eversole are members of the
Evangelical Association Church.
Eversole, A. R., attorne}^ Lancaster. He was born in this city
in 1850. He read law under the direction of Col. John M. Connell,
and was admittted to practice by the Ohio Supreme Court in 1876. He
at once opened an office in Lancaster, and began a successful and busy
practice of his profession. His office is now in the Schaffer Block. At
the letst session of the General Assembly Mr. Eversole was an applicant
for the position of State Librarian, but other political counsels pre-
vailed. Pending the nomination, the Dispatch, of Columbus, under
date of December 17, 1880, made the following comments on Mr. Ever-
sole's ability: " We are informed that the friends of Mr. A. R. Ever-
sole, of Lancaster, will press his claims on Governor Foster for the
position of State Librarian. Mr. Eversole, it will be remembered, was
Republican candidate for Prosecuting Attorney last fall in his own
county, and such was his personal popularity, and general recognized
fitness for the position, that even in that ' Democratic Berks," he ran
about two hundred votes ahead of the remainder of the ticket. He is
a lawyer of recognized ability, a gentleman of personal worth, and in
every way qualified to fill the place of State Librarian ; besides, his
services in behalf of the Republican party are deserving of some fit
recognition.
Evans, Thomas Worthington, tanner ; was born in Logan, Ohio,
September 22, 1816. He acquired a fair education at the common
schools, and at an academy in Lancaster. He served an apprenticeship
to William D. Thorn, at the trade of tanner and currier, remaining in
his employ some time. Afterwards he worked as journeyman at Upper
Sandusky. He then moved to Tarleton, Pickaway county, where, in
1834, ^^ engaged in the tannery business on his own account, doing an
extensive and prosperous business ior thirty-five years. About 1876 he
removed to Lancaster, becoming a member of the firm of Martin,
Ewing & Company, and continuing business until the loss of their tan-
nery by fire, when Mr. Evans retired from business life. In 1835 ^^
was married to Susan Karshner, who was born in Ross county, Ohio,
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 299
in 1816. To Mr. and Mrs. Evans were born six children, four now
living, viz. : Elizabeth E., at home; William W. and Joseph K., com-
posing the firm of Evans Brothers, tanners, of Lancaster; and Samuel
J., residing at Columbus. The family are members of the M. E.
Church. Mr. Evans is one of the oldest living tanners in Ohio.
Eyeman, Henry B., was born in Richland township, Fairfield
count3% Ohio, on the 5th da}^ of March, 1819, and has ever since resided
here. He was married February 14, 1841, to Miss Mary Ann Baker,
daughter of Christian and Magdalena I3aker, who was born July 11,
1823. Their children were Daniel, born Januar}'- 3, 1843 ; Samantha
Jane, born October 10, 1845; Mary Magdalena, born April 27, 1848;
Christian Baker, born January 19, 1857 ; Franklin Pierce, born Octo-
ber 5, 1853; Henry Clinton, born April 13, 1856; Lewis Erwin, born
October 12, 1859; Homer Edmund, born August 28, 1863. Mary Ann
Eyeman died December 21, 1873. He was married second time to
Miss Maggie A. Baker, January 10, 1875. Mr. Eyeman is serving
his thirteenth year as Justice of the Peace of Richland township.
Eyeman, William, farmer, post ofiice Rushville. Was born in
Fairfield county, Ohio, January 13, 1821. He was married to Sarah
Lenville, January 18, 1843. Their children are, Joseph H., born No-
vember 9, 1843; Isophena D., born September 25, 1845; Mary E.,
born April 19, 1847 ; Henry A., born December 27, 1849; William L.,
born March 2, 1851; Edward C, born April 26, 1853; Samuel L.,
born June 7, 1856; Anna L., born April 25, 1859; Charles, born July
27. 1861. Joseph N., was married to Catharine Kerr in December,
1866 ; Isophena married to William Griggs in August, 1867 ; William
L., maried to Virginia Friend, September, 1874 ? Edward C, married to
Emma C. Stevenson, May 28, 1878; Samuel L., married to Emma
Rowles, August 18, 1881 ; Henry A., died September 15, 1849; Mary
E., died November 6, 1853.
Faller, James, farmer. Walnut township. He was born in Thorn
township. Perry county, Ohio, August 25, 1846. Is the son of Joseph
and Catharine (Crosson) Faller. Joseph Faller, a native of Germany,
came to America early in this centur}^ He sold clocks for many
years and finally settled on the place where he now lives, in Thorn
township. Perry county, about 1830. He raised a family of eleven
children, three daughters and five sons survive. He is still living and
in good health. James Faller read and studied in early years, thus im-
proving his early education, He was at home on the farm until twenty-
five years old. He was married February 16, 1871, to Miss Clara,
daughter of John Eshenrode, a farmer, resident of Reading township,
Perry county. She was born in Somerset, Perr};' county, March 29,
1853. Mr. Faller lived on the home place one year, then for three
years he conducted a farm owned by his father in the same township.
In the fall of 1875 he purchased the place in Walnut township, where
he still lives. He is a successful farmer and grape grower. He
is the father of seven children, five are living: Ida Catharine, Mary
Alice, James Edward, Henry Harrison, Presse Emanuel. Mrs. Fal-
ler is a member of the Reformed Church. They are genial, estimable
people.
Fahrer, Charles C, carriage and wagon maker, Lancaster, was
300 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
born in Baden, Germany, January 14, 1827, son of John H., and Mag-
dalena (Zimmerman) Fahrer. Charles came with his parents to Ameri-
ca in 183 1, locating at Lancaster, where his father engaged in the manu-
facture of wagons with good success the remainder of his life. He
reared a family of three sons. He was a consistent member of the
German Lutheran Church, and at his death in 1876, he was respected
and regretted by a large circle of friends. Charles C. was educated
in the public schools of Lancaster, and learned his trade of carriage
and wagon making, at which he worked until he began business for
himself. He makes a specialty of repairing. Mr. Fahrer has been
twice married — May 26, 1853, to Miss Ellen Carter, to whom were
born tour children, two sons and two daughters. In 1862 Mrs. Fahrer
died, and in 1863 he married Miss Barbara Britch. Four children were
born to them, three sons and one daughter. The family are members
of the Lutheran Church. Since 185 1 he has been a member of the
LO.O. F.
Fairchild, William, farmer, was born in Liberty township, De-
cember 17, 1820. Is a son of Peter and Ann (Smith) Fairchild. Pe-
ter Fairchild came to Ohio at an early day, setding in 1806 on the
farm where his son William now lives, the land at that time being a
dense forest. He cleared one hundred and sixty acres, and spent the
remainder of his life upon this farm. He reared a family of six sons
and five daughters, all of whom are living, and residents of Fairfield
county. Mr. Fairchild died in 1825. His widow survived him until 187 1,
when she died in her eighty-eighth year. William, the subject of this
sketch, enjoyed the advantage of a good education. After leaving
public school he entered Greenfield Academy, also Westerville College.
He then taught school until he took charge of the home place. . He pur-
chased one hundred and fifty acres adjoining, where he built a hand-
some residence, said to be the finest in the township. Mr. Fairchild
was married December 3, 1879, to Miss Eliza Burnes. They have one
son. Grant, born March 3, t88i.
. Fellers, Joshua, farmer, Bloom township, was born in Pennsyl-
vania, and came with his father, John Fellers, to Oiiio in 181 3, settling
on the farm where he now lives. He has been, the same as his father,
an official member of long standing and a warm supporter of the Bet-
zer Church, which he helped to establish. There were but three child-
ren of this family. His brother. Frederick Fellers, was never married,
but made his home with him until he died some years since. His sister
married Mr. Conrad Crumley, the late well-known cidzen of the coun-
ty. Mr. Fellers married Barbara Runkles, daughter of John Runkles,
one of the early settlers of the county. They raised a large family,
all of whom have grown up and become useful citizens of the county
and State.
Fisher Adam, farmer, Walnut township ; post office, Pleasantville.
Flick, Thomas, Violet township : post office, Pickerington ; farmer ;
son of John and Barbara (Kiblinger) Flick, who, in 1802, came from
Rockingham county, Virginia, to Pleasant township ; born November
12, 1812. Was m'arried to Bashbee Bowers November i, 1842, b}^
whom he had ten children. Abraham, Isaac, Mary A., Jacob, Eliza-
beth, Sarah A. Sarah A., died December 7, 1856 ; Thomas J., Lydia,
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 3OI
Lucinda. Lucinda, died July n, i860; and Emma. Mr. Flick had
one son, Isaac, in the army three 3'ears and two months. He is a mem-
ber of the Evangelical Church.
Frampton, Edward A., M. D., physician and surgeon, Bremen,
Ohio. Was born September 23, 1838, in Muskingum county-, Ohio ;
son of Isaac K. and Eunice C. (Benson) Fiampton. He was raised on
a farm, which business received his attention imtil he was nineteen
years of ^igc, when he began teaching school, and taught three terms
in Vinton county, Ohio. He then entered the ministr}^ of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, as a supply, employed by the Presiding Elder,
where he continued one year, having previously been licensed as a
local preacher. After that he took a certificate of membership from
the Methodist Episcopal church and joined the United Brethren church,
and traveled the Rushville circuit one year for that church. During the
time he traveled for the United Brethren church, he was married. May 29,
1862, to Miss Frances M., daughter of Doctor Peter F. and Mary Ann
(Christ) Turner, of Rushville, Ohio. They are the parents of one
child, viz. : Xemia. At the close of the conference year he was ap-
pointed to Chancy Mission, in Athens county, Ohio, but withdrew from
the ministry, in which he had proved an efficient and ready speaker,
and resumed the study of medicine. He had privately studied medi-
cine during the two years he was in the ministr}^ He resumed his
study under Doctor Turner, his father-in-law, continuing about eigh-
teen months, when he commenced his practice near Junction City,
Perry county, Ohio, and after eighteen months he came to Bremen,
where he remained until 1870, at which time he went to Zanesville,
Ohio, and entered into partnership with Doctor Turner, in the practice
of his profession, remaining seven months and removed to Lancaster,
Ohio, and after thirteen months' practice in that place they dissolved
partnership. Doctor Frampton desiring to return to his own property in
Bremen. Commencing practice before the law required diplomatic
physicians, he, at'terwards being examined, received a diploma from a
medical college in Pennsylvania, in 1869, and the same ^^ear was made
a member of the State Medical Association of Penns3''lvania. Since
his return to Bremen he has been in active practice, and in 1878 he
took into partnership in his practice Doctor Strayer, which partnership
continues up to this date. Doctor Frampton has been quite successful
in his practice and is recognized by his community as one of the best
of physicians. In 1872 he established a line of standard medicine., of
which he is proprietor. These medicines are sold throughout the coun-
try by agents.
Friedly, John, farmer. He is the onl}^ son of John S. and Ann
W. Friedl}^ and was born in Switzerland, Ma}' 2, 1827. Pie came
with his parents to America in 1831. They came direct to Ohio and
Hved in various places in Walnut and Liberty townships, until 1853,
when his father purchased the farm formerly owned by David Rife,
where he settled and reared his family, one son and two daughters,
Elizabeth, wife of Conrad Steiger, of Green township; Sophia, who
died in August, 1854, '"^^^^ John, Jr., who had only limited advantages ,
for obtaining an education. He began farming at an early age, which
he has alwa3'S followed. He owns one hundred and ten acres which is
302 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
well improved ; the buildings are of modern construction and contain
every convenience. The family residence being unusually pleasant
and commodious, making the farm one of the most desirable in the
township. Mr. Friedly is a member of the Reformed Church. He
has held the oflice of township trustee three years. He was united in
marriage to Miss Mary Thompson, June 23, 1853. The}^ are the par-
ents of ten children, all at home, whh the exception of the eldest
daughter, Mary Elizabeth, now the wife of John Waters, of Walnut
township.
Fritter, Kinnis, attorney at law, Lancaster, Ohio ; born in Staf-
ford county, Virg;inia, October 10, 1832. Came to Fairheld county,
Ohio, in August, 1845. Studied law with Medill & Connell, Lancaster,
Ohio ; admitted February, 1859, ^V Supreme Court at Columbus, Ohio.
Has practiced in Lancaster, Ohio, since. Was elected Mayor of
Lancaster, Ohio, in April, 1859, '^^^ served in that office four years,
being re-elected in April, 1861. Was pay agent of Ohio under Sol-
diers' Allotment system ; Assistant Assessor of Internal Revenue from
July, 1862, until April, 1864, when appointed deputy collector for Fair-
held county, of Internal Revenue, and served as such until October,
1866. W^as Lieutenant of Company K, One hundred and Fourteenth
Regiment Ohio Volunteers, for a short time. Was member of Board
of Education, Lancaster, Ohio, for six years, from 1876 to 1882. Was
member of City Council of Cit}^ of Lancaster, Ohio, for a short time,
1872. President of Lancaster Free Library and Reading Rooms As-
sociation since its organization in June, 1878.
Gafford, Thomas J., farmer. Walnut township. He was born in
Baltimore, Ohio, March 24, 1844 ' ^^^ ^^^ ^^ Joseph and Parthena
Gafford. Joseph was born in Mar3dand in 1803. He came to Ohio with
his relatives in 1813. He located in Lancaster and learned the trade
of shoemaker. About 1824 he removed to Baltimore, Maryland, and
kept grocery, also kept hotel, known as the Gafford House, for some
thirty years. He was an owner of canal boats in an early day. He
raised a family of seven children, three sons and one daughter survive.
He continued hotel keeping until his death, in 1861. His widow still
survives him and is a resident of Baltimore, and wifeof John Lamb, who
was educated in the common schools. T. J. 's youth was passed in assist-
ing his father in various occupations, unnl September i, 1861, when he
enlisted in Company K Seventeenth O. V. I., taking part in all bat-
tles in which his regiment was engaged, including Wild Cat, Kentucky,
to Savannah, Georgia. He served over four years, until the close of
the War, taking part in the reviev/ at Washington, and was mustered
out at Louisville, Kentucky, receiving his discharge at Camp Chase,
Columbus, Ohio, July, 1865. He was wounded in a raid, and disabled
for some time. Returning to civil life he entered Duff's Commercial
College, at Pittsburgh, for two terms, when he engaged in buying and
shipping produce, at Keokuk, Iowa, where, with his brother, S. B.
Gafford, he had removed in 1866. He returned to Ohio in 1869, and
in March, 1870, was married to Miss Mary J., daughter of John and
Mary (McNamee) Lamb. Mrs. Gafford was born in Walnut towhship,
March 30, 1849. They are the parents of two children, one still sur-
vives, Mary May, born May 15, 1876. After marriage, in the spring
HISTORY OF FAIRP'IELD COUNTY. 303
of 1770, he settled on the Lamb place, since which time he purchased
the same from W. M. Hutton, in 1878. It consists of one hundred and
forty acres. They occupy the residence built by John Lamb in 1840.
He is a prosperous citizen, industrious and energetic.
Gaiser, Christain, of the firm of Gaiser & Meyer, carriage and
buggy manufacturers. South Broadway, Lancaster, Ohio. Mr. Gaiser
was born October 13, 1849, ^^ Prussia; son of George and Elizabeth
Gaiser. At the age of fourteen he went to his trade and worked at it
until he was seventeen ; then came to America, landing in New York
City, and went from there to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he rem^ained
about two years ; then worked in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and other
States. He located in this city in 1872, and worked for Sears & Ma-
hony six years, when the}^ sold out to the new firm of Bowser, Gaiser &
Company, which continued until the fall of 1880, when the present firm
was lormed, which is now doing a first-class business in new work and
repairing. Mr. Gaiser was married April 30, 1878, to Miss Catharine
Klunk. They are the parents of one child, Catharine.
Geiger, Herbert, farmer, Walnut township. He was born in
Walnut township, September 25, 1810; the son of David and Catharine
(Wenegardner) Geiger. David Geiger was born in Virginia. He came
with his father, Adam Geiger, to Ohio, in 1802 or '3. The family lo-
cated on Pleasant Run, Pleasant township. After some two years, came
to Walnut township, and entered a section of land near Pleasantville,
where Adam Geiger spent the remainder of his days. David also lived
here during his life. He raised a family of five children, of whom three
sons and one daughter are living. He was a farmer and stock raiser,
and kept hotel for many 3^ears ; in religious belief, a Baptist. He died
about 1825. Herbert G., after his mother's death, was raised on the
farm of his grandfather, Winegardner, in Richland township. He was
educated in the common schools. He remained on the place, and assist-
ed his grandfather in farming and distiller}^, until 1847. At the age of
twenty-five, he learned the tanner and currier trade, when, in 1847, he
purchased the tannery business of an uncle in Rushville, which he con-
ducted successfully for eight years. In 1847, Mr. Geiger married Sarah,
daughter of William and Catharine Lamb, early settlers in Walnut
township. Mrs. Geiger was born in Walnut township, December 28,
182 1. After discontinuing the business of tanning, he purchased a farm
in Rush Creek township, conducting the same, still continuing to reside
in Rushville, until his removal to Walnut township, in i860, on the place
which he still owns, it being entered by his grandfather, Winegard-
ner, when he came to Ohio. The familv residence was built about
1869. Mr. Geiger now owns two hundred and forty-five acres. He
lived there until removing to his present residence in Salem in 1873,
where he is living a retired lite. The}^ are the parents of two children :
Henry W., residing on the home place in Walnut township ; and Cath-
arine A., residing with her parents. The family are members of the
Reform Church. He is a member of the Masonic order, also an active
member of the Grangers.
GiESY, Jacob, farmer. Liberty township. He was born m this town-
ship, March 8th, 1813. He is the only son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Soli-
day) Giesy. Jacob Giesy, Sr., was born in Switzerland in 1783 ; emi-
304 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
grating to America in 1804; and in the spring of 1805, moved to Fair-
field county ; he being one of the early pioneers of the county. He
settled in the midst of a wilderness, and lived to see it transformed into
a flourishing and well developed country. His children consist of one
son and eight daughters ; six now living, all residents of this county.
Mr. Giesy was a wheelwright by trade ; and in 1820, built on Paw-Paw
Creek, one of the hrst mills in the county, which is still standing. He
died in 1841, leaving a large circle of friends and acquaintances. He
had been a successful farmer, and possessed the esteem of his neigh-
bors. His wife died in 1861. Jacob Giesy, Jr., remained on his father's
farm during 3-outh, j-eceiving such educational advantages then attain-
able ; and when old enough, took charge of his father's farm and saw-
mill. In 1843, he married Mary Fultz. They are the parents of eleven
children, five of whom are now living. Of these, Elizabeth C, is
the wife of Henry Schafl:ner, of Liberty township; Sarah A., wife of
John Yager; George, a resident in the same township; Jesse A., and
Charles are at home. Mrs. Giesy died in 1868. Mr. Giesy's second
wife, Mrs. Louisa Giesy, was born May 21, 1831. Mr. Giesy has been
very successful in business, and has accumulated a handsome compe-
tency. In addition to the home farm of one hundred and sixty acres,
he owns another place of two hundred and sixty-two acres, fulh^ im-
proved.
GoDDEN, George H., carriage manufacturer, Libert}^ township.
He is the only child of Robert and Louisa (Burnett) Godden. He was
born at Newark, New Jersey, August 13, 1837. With his parents he
came to Ohio, in 1839. The family settled at Circleville, where he was
educated in the common schools. When eighteen, he became an ap-
prentice, for three years, to a carriage manufacturer in that place, Wil-
liam Bonder. After acquiring the trade, he worked as journeyman,
until the summer of 1861, when he enlisted in Compau}- B, Seventeenth
Regiment, O. V. I., and with that regiment participated in all their en-
gagements, from Stone River to the surrender of Joe Johnston, near
Raleigh, North Carolina ; at Resacca, Georgia, he was wounded in the
foot and removed to the hospital, remaining there two months. He
served until the war closed, taking part in the review at Washington,
and with the regiment was mustered out at Louisville, Kentucky-, and
discharged at Camp Chase, Columbus. Returning to civil life, he lo-
cated in Basil, Ohio. In the spring of 1866, he purchased the manu-
facturing business of John Bowser, and has since conducted the same, do-
ino- an extensive business, employing five hands. In i860 he was married
to Mrs. Sarah A. Switzer. They are the parents of two sons and two
daughters : Emma L.. Robert Henr}-, Liliie A., and Charles Freeman.
The" famil}^ are members of the Reformed Church. Mr, Godden is a
member of the Knights of Pythias.
Gravett, John, florist and gardner, Lancaster. He was born in
Sussex, England, September 12, 1826. At the age of fourteen he was
apprenticed to a Scotch florist, and after acquiring a full knowledge of
the business, he went to London, about 1847, where he entered the em-
ploy of a leading florist. At this place he was married to Ann Mallars,
who was born in London, England, in 1825. In 1850 they came to
America, setding in Lancaster, where Mr. Gravett entered the employ
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY* 305
of the late Darius Talmadge, with whom he continued for three years,
subsequently engaging in market gardening on his own account. In
In 1855, ^^^ purchased a portion of the place, which he still owns.
Some years later adding largely to it, and engaged in the nursery and
floral business, which he conducted on an extensive scale. To Mr. and
Mrs. Gravett have been born ten children, viz. : Ella, wife of Wiley
W. Brown ; John A., a graduate of VVooster College, now in charge of
the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad office at Salt Lake City ; Annie
and Jennie, residents of Colorado Springs, Colorado ; the former a clerk
in the railroad office, the latter engaged in the millinery business. The
remaining members of the family are still at home. Feeling the defi-
ciency of an education, Mr. Gravett has been attending to the edlication
of his own children, and takes great interest in educational matters.
He was elected member of the school board of special district of East
Lancaster, before it was included in the city limits, filling that position
for nine years. In 1874, ^^^ ^'^^ elected to the school board from the
fifth ward ; during two years he was president of the board, and for the
past three years has been secretary ; for six years he was director of the
Fairfield County Agricultural Societ}^
Graybill, Isaac, of Carroll, was born in 1827, on the farm now
owned by Robert J. Peters. In 1848, he was married to Miss Maria L.
Martin, daughter of the late and well known Judge Martin ; and who
was Justice of the Peace for twenty-five years, and for a long period ot
time, one of the Associate Judges of the county. Mr. Graybill's grand-
father, Samuel Graybill, came from Pennsylvania to this county in 1809,
and settled two miles west of Lancaster, on the Columbus pike, and
where he kept hotel many years. He became the head of a large family,
the descendants of whom are now well and favorably known through-
out the county. His son, Jacob Graybill, died in 1861, seventy-four
years old. He was the father of Isaac. Mrs. Graybill's father came
prior to the war of 181 2. His wife was Miss Francis Taylor, of New
Jersey ; and they made the overland trip in a little one-horse wagon, and
settled on thirty-five acres of ground, one mile east of Carroll, where
they lived and died. The house is still standing. Mr. Isaac Graybill
is a farmer in prosperous circumstances. He resides in a handsome
residence.
Groves, David, farmer. Walnut township. He was born in Lick-
ing county, June 18, 182 1. He was the oldest son of Joseph and Mary
(Stover) Groves. They were early settlers of Licking count}^ Thev
raised to maturity, David and Samuel, now residents of Kansas. David
was educated in the common schools. When he was but ten 3^ears old,
he was thrown on his own resources bv the death of his father. He was
raised in the family of Thomas McNaghten, in Walnut township, till
of age. He and his brother owned a place at Hebron, Licking county.
He was there two years ; while there, he was married in 1845, to Mar-
garet Jane Patton. To them were born one son, James P. In 1847.
Mrs. Groves died ; and in September 2, 185 1, he married Miss Teretha,
daughter of Jacob Kagay, an early settler on the place now owned b}^
Levi W. Meredith, who was a pioneer, a member of the Baptist church,
and raised a famil}^ of five children ; three are living. He died about
1870. After marriage, Mr. Groves located on his present home, and
89
3o6 Biographical sketches.
in 1865, built his present residence. He owns one hundred and eleven
acres. They are the parents of eight children, six now living : John
S., Lewis M., Mary A., Theodore E., Laura E. and Barbara J. For
some years he engaged in the tannery business. The family are mem-
bers of the Baptist church. Jacob Kagay, the father of the second Mrs.
Groves, was a soldier in the war of 1812 ; a native of Shenandoah
county, Virginia ; born about 1788, and came with the Bibler family to
Ohio, about 1803.
GusEMAN, Daniel, deceased. Daniel Guseman was a native
of Virginia, and came to this count}^ with his father when five
years old. He located at Lancaster, and worked at blacksmithing
there. He died in 1879. Mrs. Guseman's parents were natives
of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Guseman became the parents of
the following-named children: Oliver H., Theodore, Johnson, Sarah,
Abraham, Jackson, Mary, Thomas, Alexander, George and Fanny.
Three reside in Pickaway county, and one in this township. Thomas
is a blacksmith, and lives at home with his mother. Jackson and
Abraham enlisted August, 1862, in Ninetieth O. V. L, and Jackson
in 1864, in the One Hundred and Fiftj^-iifth O. V. L, and remained till
the close of the war. Abraham lost his health in the war.
HoFFERT, Elias, farmer, Rush creek township, post office Bremen,
Ohio ; born August 17, 181 8, in this township, and about one mile from
where he now lives ; son of Solomon and Margaret (Hendricks) HotTert.
Mr. Hoftert was raised a farmer, and has given his attention to agri-
cultural pursuits up to this time, in which he has been successful, hav-
ing accumulated an abundance lor his declining years, and came into
possession in 1857 of the farm that he now makes his home upon b3^
arduous industry and economy, upon which is a good two-stor}- frame
farm dwelling that denotes the thrift and enterprise of the owner. Mr.
Hoftert was married in the year 1841 to Miss Hannah, daughter of
Philip and Christina (Souters) Stoneburner. The}^ are the parents of
fifteen children, viz. : Philip, Emanuel, Susannah, William, Daniel,
deceased, Noah, Mary, Joseph, deceased, Elizabeth, deceased, Sarah,
Nancy, Matilda, deceased, Maggie, Elias J., and Ellen. Mr. Hoftert's
grandfather, Casper Hoftert, was of German descent, and emigrated
first to Virginia, where he was married to a Miss Stahley, and in 1801
he came to Ohio and settled on Raccoon Creek, at what has since been
known as Cheesetown, but afterward moved farther up the creek, where
he owned land, and where he died in November, 1825, and was buried
upon his own land. His wife. Miss Stahley, was also of German parent-
age, and lived until the winter of 1840, and died upon the homestead
of her son Solomon, and was buried beside her husband. Solomon
Hoftert, son of Casper Hoftert, and father of the subject of this sketch,
was born in Rockingham county, Virginia, June 16, 1786, and came to
Ohio with his father, and some time afterward entered land where
Philemon Hoftert now lives. Upon that farm he lived to the time of his
death in 1876, being in his ninety-first ^^ear. Solomon's wife. Miss
Rebecca (Hendricks) Hoftert, was of German parentage, and was born
in February, 1789, in Morrison's Cove, Pennsylvania; came to Ohio at
an early day with her father, who probably entered land on Jonathan's
Creek, Perry county, where he built one of the first flouring mills upon
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 307
that creek, and where he lived out his allotted time. Mrs. Hoffert de-
parted this life in 1861, in her seventy-second year. Solomon and
Rebecca (Hendricks) Hoftert's children were ten in number, viz, :
Elizabeth, Catharine, Samuel, EHas, Mary, Adam, Solomon, x\bsalom,
Philemon and Christina.
Hager, Jesse, grocer, Violet township, postoffice Pickering; was
born in Etna township, Licking county, February 26, 1840; was mar-
ried to Adaline Kraner, October 30, 1865 ; worked at shoemaking nine
years ; was for several years clerk in E. D. Kraner's dry goods store,
and in 1880 set up business for himself. Mr. Plager has served three
years in this township as justice of the peace.
Hansbarger, Abraham, merchant. Liberty township, post office
Baltimore ; born December 4, 1848 ; son of Joel and Elizabeth (Loose)
Hansbargar ; was married to Nettie Kring, March i, 1877: had one
child, Nettie, born December 10, 1877, and died March 13, 1878; wife
died December 24, 1877. Mr. Hansbarger is the senior member of the
firm of Hansbargar Brothers, dealers in dry ooods, house furnishing
goods, and grain. They handle one hundred thousand bushels of grain
annually, and outside of this, their monthly sales amount to four thou-
sand dollars.
Hansbargar, Charles F., merchant, Liberty township, post office
Baltimore; born May 4, 1854; ^°^ ^^ J^^^ "^^^^^ Elizabeth (Loose)
Hansbargar ; married to Nellie C. Albain, December 19, 1877 ; had one
child, Effie, born April 4, 1879, ^^^^ *^^^*^ J^b' ^5' ^879. Mr. Hans-
bargar is the junior member of the firm of Hansbargar Brothers, deal-
ers in dr}^ goods, house furnishing goods, and grain.
Harper, Mrs. Emma, Lancaster. She was born in Chillicothe,
Ohio, March 2, 1799, and came with her parents, Henry and Ruth
(Tanehill) Abrams, to Fairfield county, in 1801. The family located
three miles from Lancaster, where her father, Henry Abrams, resided
during his lifetime. He was a prominent citizen in the early years of
the present century. A member of the convention which framed the
Constitution of the State, he also filled a judicial position fourteen years.
He was the father of twenty children, of whom Mrs. Harper is the only
survivor. Henry Abrams died in 1822. Emma was married to John
L. Harper in 1820, who was a native of Philadelphia, born in 1792.
Previous to his marriage he had been a seafaring man, having com-
manded one or more vessels engaged in coasting trade. After coming
to Ohio he was in the employ of Governor Worthington for a time, as
assistant surveyor. After his marriage he made a voyage around the
world, being absent some five years. ]Mr. and Mrs. Harper were the
parents of two daughters, Sarah, a school teacher and artist by profes-
sion, now^ living with her mother; Orpha, died in her twentieth ^^ear,
in 1844. John L. Harper died in Illinois many years ago. Mrs. Har-
per is a vigorous and genial old lad}^ For many years she conducted
a millinery and dressmaking business, owning the property on Broad-
way where she resides. She has been a resident of Lancaster fifty-
eight 3'ears.
Haver, William P. ; was born in Walnut township, Fairfield
county, Ohio, February 14, 1838 ; son of George and Catharine (Whit-
aker) Haver. Mr. Haver was brought up on a farm, and is a success-
308 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
ful farmer and stock raiser ; located upon his present homestead in
1861. He owns two hundred acres of land, lives upon a farm formerly
bought by his father from Andrew Kroger, who had built, more than
iift}' years ago, a brick house upon the farm, and is now the residence
of Mr. Haver. He also owns a part of the farm that was entered by
his grandfather. Mr. Haver was married Ma}- 30, 1865, to Miss
Sirena, daughter of Moses Thompson, a well-known resident of Wal-
nut township. They are the parents of six children, of whom four are
now living, viz. : George W., Annie C, William P. and Clarence T.
Mr. Haver is a member of the I. O. O. F. Mrs. Haver is a mem-
ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church. George W. Haver, the father
of William P., was a native of Pennsylvania, who came with his father,
William Haver, to Ohio in an early day. William Haver entered one
hundred and seventy-seven acres of land in Walnut township, where
he lived up to 1833, when he died, being the first fatal case of cholera
that occurred in the township. Upon this farm George W. lived and
brought up a family of three children, viz. : Elizabeth, now the wife of
David Winegarner, a resident of Newark, Ohio : William P., the sub-
ject of this sketch, and Eli D. George W. was a successful farmer and
stock raiser, and owned, at the time of his death, January 26, 1861,
three hundred and fifty-two acres of land. He was, during his life, a
liberal contributor to all worthy objects that demanded his notice.
Helmick, Eberle F., farmer; w^as born in Baltimore, Fairfield
county, Ohio, July 6, 1836; son of Dr. Luke and Sophia (Siter) Hel-
mick. Dr. Luke Helmick was a native of Ohio and was born in 1804.
Earl}^ in life he studied medicine, and in July, 1827 he passed a credit-
able examination and was admitted to practice medicine by the medical
society of the Fitteenth District of Ohio. His first practice, after grad-
uating, was in Pleasant township, Fairfield county, where he remained
until his marriage to Miss Sophia Siter. He then located in Baltimore,
where he practiced successfully for many years, and his counsel was
sought in many of the adjoining counties. He was devoted to his pro-
fession and to the community in which he lived. All recognized in him
a personal friend and counselor. Dr. Helmick was a man of strong
religious convictions and a member of the Baptist church many years.
He was a member of the Masonic order. His death took place April
I, 1872. His widow survived him until 1880. E. F. Helmick was ed-
ucated in the schools in Baltimore, and was also a student at Wester-
ville. He engaged in mercantile life for some years and also conduct-
ed his father's farm in Liberty township. In 1857 he purchased the
farm where they now reside, consisting of one hundred and twenty-
nine acres of land fully improved. Mr. Helmick has been twice mar-
ried ; in 1857 to Miss Sarah Warner, who died the following year and
in 1858 to Miss Catharine Manger, by whom he has one son, Elza
Preston, born September 15, 1861. They also reared, from the time he
was ten years of age, W. H. Wright, who is an exemplary 3'oung man,
and for whom they entertain paternal feelings. The family are mem-
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Helmick is a member of
the Masonic order.
Henderson, A. C, retired, Walnut township. He was born in
Thorn township, Perry county, Ohio, September 2, 1843 ; the eldest
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
309
son of Hineman and Maria (Clum) Henderson. Hineman Henderson
was born in Thorn township. Perry county, about 1817, on the place
first settled by his lather, James Henderson, as early as 1803 or 1804. It
is still the family home, and consists of two hundred and five acres.
Hineman reared a famil}- of four sons and four daughters. For man}^
years he was an extensive buyer and shipper of live stock. He is a promi-
nent member of the Metliodist Episcopal church. He is still living, vigor-
ous in mind and body. A. C. Henderson was educated in the common
schools in Thorn township. His early life was spent on the home farm.
He also engaged with his father and Reason Frank in the stock busi-
ness. He was married October 10, 1866, to SamanthaJ., daughter of
'Squire H. B. Eyeman, a resident of Richland township. A. C. Hen-
derson continued to reside on the home place until the spring of 1875,
when he came to Walnut township, where he purchased the John
Kagay farm. In 1881 he built an elegant residence. A year previous
he built a fine barn. His place is indeed a desirable one. They are
the parents of two sons and one daughter, Murry Albert, born June 27,
1869; Etta May. born September 3, 1875, ^"^ Homer Carl, who was
born October 7, 1878. The family are members of the Methodist Epis-
copal Church. He is a member of the Masonic order.
Hensel, Samuel A., farmer. Liberty township. He was born in
this township February 28, 1823. He is the youngest son of Jacob
and Anna (Young) Hensel. His parents were natives of Switzerland,
and emigrated to America in 1806. About ten years they resided in
the States of Pennsylvania and Mar3dand. They came to Ohio in 1816,
setding in Liberty township, on the farm now owned b}^ his son, Jacob
Hensel. He entered and cleared a farm of one hundred and sixty acres,
and raised a familj'^ of nine children, seven of whom are living. He
died in 1855, mourned by a large circle of friends. Samuel A. Hensel
remained at home until twenty-seven 3'ears of age and engaged in
farming. He married, in 1850, Margaret Haley, daughter of George
Haley, one of the pioneers in Liberty township, where Mrs. Hensel
was born July 15, 1828. While engaged in clearing his new home, Mr.
Hensel rented a farm in the township. In 1853 he built a log house on
his place and moved there. The family still reside on this place. He
owns one hundred and forty-three acres. For three years he has been
township trustee. They are the parents of seven children, six are liv-
ing ; Jacob A., residing in Cleveland, Ohio; Barbara A., the wife of
Edwin Fritz, of Libert}' township ; Anna A., the wife of John H.
Rouch, of the same township ; Henr}^ A. resides on a portion of the
home place ; George F. and Maria A. are still at home.
Hershey, Rev. Scott T., pastor of Grace Reformed church, Lan-
caster, Ohio, was born at Colburn, Indiana, in 1852. He attended a
collegiate school in Western Indiana, and afterward entered Heidel-
berg College, at Tiffin, Ohio. Here he became popular as a speaker
and graduated with honors in 1875. The following 3'ear he graduated
from the Theological Seminary and entered the Reformed ministry.
After spending nearly six years at Denver, Indiana, he came to Lan-
caster in fall of 188 1. Mr. Hershey is an extensive writer for news-
papers, and has in press now a book on " Infidelity a Failure." Though
a young man, he has made a fine reputation as a lecturer.
3IO BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Hewetson, Peter, physician, Amanda township. Is the second
son of Dr. Joseph Hewetson, and was born on the 26th day of October,
1832, in Wigton, Gallowayshire, Scotland. His father graduated at
the Edinburgh University about the year 1826, and was engaged in the
practice of medicine in Scotland till 1833, when he came wdth his wife
and family, then consisting of his two eldest sons, John and Peter, to
America. Being afflicted with inflammatory rheumatism, and desiring
an avocation more regular and with less exposure, he chose that of
agriculture. On arriving in the States, he first stopped at Pittsburg,
Pennsylvania, for a short time, and in 1835 came to Belmont, county,
Ohio, where he engaged in wool growing. An accident occurring to one
of his neighbors, his arm being lacerated in a threshing machine, and no
surgeon near. Dr. Hewetson sent for his instruments and performed a
successful amputation, the first knowledge had by his townsmen that he
was a physician and surgeon. Bv this circumstance he was rather
forced into the practice of his profession in this country. He had a
family of eight children, viz. : John, Peter, Walter, Mary, deceased,
Dr. Alexander H., Mary Isabelle, Joseph, killed in the battle of Pitts-
burgh Landing, Dr. Thomas L., died August 1874, '"-^^ Amanda, Ohio.
Dr. Joseph Hewetson died in Belmont county, Ohio, January 1855.
Three of his sons who survive him are worthy representatives of him
and his profession. Dr. Peter Hewetson attended the Literary College
at Washington, Pennsylvania, after which he studied medicine with his
father, completing his studies with Dr. Henry West, of St. Clairsville,
Ohio. He attended lectures in New York and Cincinnati. After prac-
ticing medicine a short time in Belmont county, he came, October,
1858, to Amanda, Fairfield county, Ohio, and practiced his profession
in company with Dr. S. H. Porter. October, 1867, he married Miss
Effie A., daughter of Samuel Dum, Esq., of Amanda. They have
four children: Minnie Elizabeth, Mary Belle, Joseph E., and William
Larimer. In the war of the Rebellion the Doctor was in the Forty-
third Ohio Regiment, first as First Lieutenant, then Captain, and served
about a year as acting Surgeon. He resides in the village of Amanda,
and is one of the representative men and leading physicians of Fair-
field county.
Hewetson, Dr., John, Amanda, Fairfield county, is the eldest son
of Dr. Joseph Hewetson, and was born in Wigton, Gallowayshire,
Scotland, on the 3d day of January, 1831. He came to America with
his parents in 1833. He studied the profession of his father. Was en-
gaged in the practice of medicene at Qiiaker City, Guernsey county,
Ohio, till 1874, when he removed to Amanda, Fairfield county, where
he has practiced his profession since.
HiTE, John C, son of Samuel and Catharine Hite, was born near
Pleasantville, Pleasant township, Fairfield county, Ohio, on the 25th
day of November, 1827. He was raised a farmer, and in connec-
tion with that industr3^ in the fall of 1846, at the age of nineteen, he
began teaching school in Pleasantville. In this village he taught four
terms with remarkable success. He was regarded as being one of the
most successful teachers in his county. He was an ardent friend to edu-
cation, and was one of the projectors of the Fairfield Union Academy,
now known as the Pleasantville Collegiate Institute, at Pleasantville.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY." 3 II
He remained a farmer until October, 1868, when lie came to Lancaster,
Ohio, and purchased the bookstore of Tuthill & Rigle}-. He continued
in the book business until the fall of 1870, when he was induced by a
number of his leading political friends to purchase a one-half interest
of the Ohio Eagle, which he did, and continued one of its editors until
November 10, 1873, when he entered upon his duties as County Audi-
tor, having been previously elected to that office. This position he
filled four years with great satisfaction to the tax payers of both politi-
cal parties. On the 5th of April, 1879, ^^ ^^^ elected Superintendent
of the Ohio Reform School, which position he held until June, 1879,
when he resigned and returned to Lancaster, and took charge of the
Fairfield County Democrat^ as editor and publisher. This paper he
enlarged from a seven column folio to a six column quarto. This
change was made August 5, 1879, fi'O"^ which date the paper has been
known as The Saturday yoiirnal. Up to the time of the writing of
this sketch, he is still editor and publisher of this paper. Politicall}^
he is a Democrat, religiousl}^ a Missionary Baptist, in which church he
has taken great interest, especially in the Sunda}^ School work. He
has served in the capacity of Sunday School Superintendent in the Lan-
caster Baptist church for eleven years. He was married to Miss Marj^
Miller, of Pleasant township, Fairfield county, September 23, 1852.
HiTE, Levi, attorney-at-law, of the firm of Hite & Dolson, office
in Mumaugh's building. Main street, Lancaster, Ohio. Attorney Hite
was born February 11, 1848, in this count}^ son of Jonas and Ruth
(Stevenson) Hite, ot Germitn ancestry-. Young Hite was educated in
the public schools and in the Fairfield Union Academ}^ In January,
1872, he registered as a law student in the office of Hon. Charles D.
Martin, of this city, with whom he read until September of the same
year, when he entered the law department of Yale College, where he
graduated in June, 1875, "^"^^ ^'^'^ admitted to the bar in the District
Court of Vinton county, September 7, 1875, ^-nd immediately formed
the above firm. Attorney Hite was married September 9, 1879, ^^^ Miss
Lizzie, daughter of^Cyrus and Catharine (Swifzer) Courtright. They
are the parents of one child. Bertha.
Hite, Jonas, Walnut township, farmer ; was born Jime 9, 1820,
second son of Joseph and Frances (Berry) Hite. Joseph Hite was born
in Virginia about 1780; came with his father, Abraham Hite, to Ohio,
about 1807, settling in Walnut township on the farm now owned by John
A. Hite. He was a farmer, and lived upon that farm up to the time ol
his death. He raised afamily of ten children, of whom six are now liv-
ing, three sons and three daughters. Jonas was educated in the com-
mon schools to a limited extent. He was brought up a farmer, and
remained at home until he was married, September 24, 1844, to Miss
Lovina, daughter of Henry Huffman, who is a well-known farmer of
Walnut township. Mrs. Hite was born in Maryland, April 27, 1822.
They are the parents of ten children, eight of whom are living, viz. :
Henry H., a carpenter of Hadley Junction; Lewis S., ^p^armer of
Walnut township ; Mary Catharine, wife of Lewis Snj^der, of Walnut
township; Amos, a farmer of Perry county, Ohio ; AlmedaJ., wife of
George L. Snyder, ^who lives on the homestead ; Clarence C, wife of
Henry Miller, Jr., of Walnut township ; Belle V. Stella, at home ; and
312 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Flora, now a pupil of the Deaf and Dumb Asylum, at Columbus, Ohio.
After his marriage, Mr. Hite lived in various places in Walnut town-
ship, until 1848, when he settled upon the then almost unimproved farm
that he has since made his home, at first purchasing forty-one acres of
land, to which he has added until there is now one hundred and eleven
acres. He also owns twenty-two acres of the old homestead, that
lies near Thurston. He has improved, at different times, his home res-
idence. He has served as township trustee ; four years in the army,
and was instrumental in raising the quota of soldiers required in Wal-
nut township during the late war. Mr. and Mrs. Hite are members, in
good standing, in the Baptist Church. Mr. Hite's father, Joseph Hite,
settled in Rushcreek township about 181 7, on what is known as the
Swope farm, and upon which the village of Thurston now stands. Up-
on that farm he lived until 1862, at which time he moved to Huntington
county, Indiana, where he died in the fall of the same year. His farm
in Ohio contained two hundred acres of land. He was a prominent
member of the Baptist Church.
Hite, Abraham H., farme'-, Walnut township ; was born in Waluut
township April 13, 1828, the son of Samuel S. and Anna (Hite) Hite.
S. S. Hite was born about 1790, in Virginia. He came with his
father, Abraham Hite, to Ohio in 1805 or 1806. He lived on the
home place, now owned by John A. Hite. He raised a family of
seven children, three sons and one daughter survive. S. S. Hite was
a prosperous farmer and a strong supporter of religion. He died about
r87i ; his wile about 1865. A. H. Hite after completing his education
in the common schools, turned his attention to farming at home, until his
marriage, December 23, 1855, to Ann, daughter of Henry and Catha-
rine Hempy, who were early settlers in Greenfield township. Mrs. Hite
was born in Greenfield township, September 30, 1831. In the spring of
1856, he settled where he still resides, and has improved much b}^ build-
ings. It consists of one hundred and twenty-four acres. He also owns
eighty acres elsewhere. He is a successful stock raiser and farmer.
They are the parents of nine children, of whom six are livtng : Samuel
S., a resident of Walnut township, living on a place owned by his father ;
Henry M., living in Walnut township ; Levi and Eli were born Novem-
ber 19, 1861 ; they reside with their parents ; Catherine Elizabeth, born
May 19, 1866 ; Abraham, born October 14, 1868. Mr. Hite was one of
the soldiers in 18 12, under Captain Peter Lamb. He is a prosperous
and esteemed citizen.
Hite, John A., farmer, Walnut township, was born May 17th,
1838. He is a son of Samuel S. and Anna (Hite) Hite. Samuel S.
Hite was born in the State of Virginia, September 18, 1790 ; came to
Ohio with his father, Abraham, in 1806, who settled in Walnut town-
ship, upon the farm now owned by J. A. Hite, where he entered one
huudred and sixty acres of land, and lived up to the time of his death.
Samuel S. continued to live upon the homestead after his father's death
and raised a family of seven children, four of whom are living — three
sons and one daughter. He was a successful farmer and stock raiser,
and owned at the time of his ^death five hundred and sixty-six acres of
land. He died March 7, 187 1. John A. Hite was educated in the com-
mon schools of his native township, was brought up on a farm, and
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 313
lived at home until he was married, October 17, 1865, to Miss Charity
W., daughter of John Geiger, who was a resident of Walnut township.
Mrs. Hite was born in this township May 28, 1845. They are the
parents of nine children, of whom seven are still living — two sons and
five dauirhters. After his marriage he remained upon the homestead,
and now lives in a fine brick farm residence, built in 1840. He owns
two hiuidred and forty acres of land, and is one of the most extensive
farmers and stock raisers of his township.
Hite, Joseph, farmer ; post office, Pleasantville ; was born in
Pleasant township, October 24, i8\i, and has always resided in this
township. October 26, 1836, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Lamb,
who VA as born in Fairfield county March i, 1818. Their children were
William L., boiU September 14, 1837; Katharine, born October 18,
1840; Joseph Lemuel, born October 25, 1842; James K. Polk, born
Septem.ber 20, 1844; Sarah B., born April 2, 1849; Henry, born Oc-
tober 22, 185 1 ; Elizabeth Ann, born March 3, 1853 ; Maria El]ie,born
March 3, 1853 ; Mary Magdalena, born January 18, 1857 ; William L.,
died September 24, 1840; H^enry, died October 22, 1851 ; Katharine,
died September 20, 1856; Mar}^ Magdalena, died September 25, 1877 ;
Sarah B., died January 8, 1878; Maria Ellie, died October 5, 1878.
Hite, J. H., merchant, Pleasantville, born in this county in 1832;
son of Samuel and Catharine (Hockman) Hite. Mr. Hite was raised
on a farm, and at an early age commenced business for himself. He
first engaged in buying and shipping horses. About the 3'ear 1858 he
engaged in the grocery business and has followed that ever since. Mr.
Hite was married, in 1837, ^^ Miss Eliza J. Geiger, daughter of Daniel
and Jane Geiger. They have two living children, Plenny E. and
Daisie L.. and one deceased.
Hite, James K. Poi>k, farmer, post office, Pleasantville, was born
in Fairfield county, Ohio, in September, 1844. He was married Au-
gust 26, 1866, to Miss Minerva Jane Miller, who was born December 8,
1849. Their children are Alice, born October, 24, 1867 ; Sarah, born Au-
gust 24, 1869; Metta, born August 6, 1871 ; Samuel Joseph, born No-
vdmber 14, 1873 ; Emma E., born November 23, 1875 '- Jtickson, born
November 23, 1877; Leota May, born April 8, 1880 ; infant, born
March 12, 1882.
Holt, Isaac W., farmer, Walnut township; a native of Perry
county, Ohio, born October 7, 1834, ^^^ ^^'''^ ^^ William and Mary
(McMullen) Holt. William Holt was born in Essex countv, Mary-
land, November 14, 1783. He came to Ohio in 1805, settling in Perry
county. Thorn township, on the place now owned by Jacob Franks.
He was a pioneer, his land being covered with woods. This he cleared
away and made improvements, and on this farm he spent his days. He
raised a family of four children, two now living ; Elizabeth, wife of
Jacob Foster, a resident of Missouri, and Isaac W. William Holt
served in the war of 181 2. He was an active member of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church. His death took place Januar}- 31, 1842. Isaac
W. resided on the home farm until eighteen years old, when he learned
the carpenter and joiner trade, and engaged in this- occupation. In
1858 he married Sarah, daughter of Jessie Taylor, a resident of Wal-
nut township. Mrs. Holt was born in that township January 31, 1833.
40
314 siogrAphical sketches.
The young couple continued to live on the home place, in Thorn town-
ship. In 1862 he enlisted in Company I, One Hundred and Twenty-
sixth, O. V. I., and was on detached dut}' with that regiment at Mar-
tinsburg, Virginia. With a portion of his company he v/as taken prisoner
and was kept at Libby and at Belle Island. Paroled on account of physi-
cal disability incurred while in prison. He was then transferred to the
veteran reserve corps at Washington and served until the close of the
war. He received his discharge July 25, 1865. In the fall of 1865 he
disposed of his place in Thorn township and purchased property in
Walnut township, where he now resides. In 1872 he built himself a
fine residence. Mr. and Mrs. Holt are the parents of three children,
two are living; Ada J. and V/illiam Worden. They are members of
the Reform Church. For ten years he has been an officer in the church,
as deacon or elder. He is a prosperous tarmer and owns one hundred
and twenty-seven acres of land.
HosHOR, Oliver, farmer, Lockville, Ohio ; born in 1836 in Violet
township, this county : son of George and Mar}^ Hoshor, who were
among the earh^ pioneers of this county. Flis father was born on Pain
Creek, near Chillicothe, September 2, 1799. His mother came from
Bucks county, Pennsylvania, in 181 7. Mr. Hoshor was married to
Mary Litzenbarger, who w^as born Februar}^ 23, 1800, in Bucks county,
Pennsylvania ; daughter of George and Margaret (Straus) Litzenbar-
ger. This union was blessed with eight children, viz. : Urias. Wil-
liam, Oliver, John, Lucinda, Mary J. and Barbara. Mr. Hoshor, afte^
marrying, remained fifteen years in Violet township, and then came to
Bloom, where he resided until his death in 1879. Oliver Hoshor is a
single man, living at home and managing the farm.
Huber, William H., farmer. Walnut township. He was born in
Pleasant township, March 16, 1841 ; the eldest son of David and Han-
nah (Lamb) Huber. David Huber was born in Pleasant township in
1819, the son of Jacob Huber, a native of Lancaster county, Pennsylva-
nia, who came to Ohio in 1818, and settled on the place now owned by
his daughter, Mrs. J. E. Beatty. He cleared the place and lived there
during his life time ; his son David lived and died on the same place.
Mr. Huber raised a family of three children, William H., J. T. and
Mrs. J. E. Beatty, residents of Pleasant township. He was partially
interested in fine stock, and owned a herd of short horn cattle as early
as 1848. He also was interested in growing fine Merino wool. He
was the owner of eight hundred acres of land. He took an active in-
terest in railroads and schools. At his death he was director of the
Fairfield County Academy. His death took place June, 1876. His
widow, now in her sixty-fourth 3'ear, still survives him. William H.
acquired a good education, and in 1862 enlisted in the One hundred and
Twenty-sixth, O. V. I. He served with his regiment until discharged
for ph3'sical disability. He returned to civil life and completed his edu-
cation at Iron City Commercial College. He then assisted on the home
place until 1872. He was then married to Miss S. C, daughter of
Jacob V. Crawford, a resident of Berne township. Mrs. Huber was
born in Berne township, July 22, 1847. After marriage Mr. Huber set-
tled on his present home, in Walnut township, owning two hundred
acres. It is a fine place, with modern improvements. They are the
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 315
parents of one son and one daughter, Harry Ray and Minerva Dehl.
Mr. Huber is a member of the Masonic order, Knight's Templar and
I. O. O. F., also an active member of the Fairfield Agricultural Asso-
ciation, He is a successful breeder of short horn cattle and Poland
China hogs. He is a substantial citizen, and also owns sixt3'-three acres
in Berne township.
Hunter, Hocking H., deceased. He was born in Lancaster, Au-
gust 23, 1 801 ; the son of Captain Joseph and Doretha (Berkshire)
Hunter. Joseph Hunter was a native of Virginia, his wife of Mary-
land. He was an officer in the Revolution, and soon after the war he
settled in Kentuck}^ and in 1798 emigrated to Ohio. His son Hocking
H. was the first white child born in the county. He received a liberal
education in the Lancaster school, completing the same under Professor
Whittles}' at the Lancaster academy. He read law in the office of
Judge William L-vin. He was admitted to the bar in 1824. In 1827
he was appointed Prosecuting Attorney of Fairfield county, filling this
position nine 3'ears. In later 3^ears he was elected Judge of the Su-
preme Court of Ohio, on the Union ticket, resigning his office before
taking his seat on the bench. Mr. Hunter was a man of extraordina-
ry ability. During the war he promoted in many ways the
Union cause. To the poor and needy he was an able assistant. Few
have higher claims to a greatful remembrance. He was married to
Miss Ann Matlock, November 30, 1823, who was born in Kentucky in
1802. They were the parents of nine children, of whom three sons
and three daughters survive. Mr. Hunter died February, 4, 1872.
Mrs. Hunter is still living, vigorous in mind and body for one so ad-
vanced in years.
Jeffries, James, farmer. Walnut township ; was born in Fauquier
county, Virginia, January 21, 1809; son of William and Hannah (Ball)
Jeffi'ies. William Jeffi"ies was born in Virginia ; came to Ohio in 1820.
James Jeffries was raised upon a farm, and being compelled to help sup-
port the famil}^, his education was entire!}' neglected. With his parents
he resided in various places in Fairfield county. In September of 1833
he was married to Miss Mary Magdalene, daughter of George and
Hannah Benadura, of this county. She was born August 12, 1814. In
1833 Mr. Jeffi-ies located in Violet township, and soon after purchased a
farm there, where he resided fifteen years. In 1854 ^^^ purchased the
original Wilkins farm, where he has since resided, the farm being im-
proved at the time of the purchase, upon which he built the present
residence about i860. The home farm contains two hundred and fifty-
three acres, and in all he owns four hundred and seventeen acres of
land. His business has been successful, earning all he now owns. Mr.
and Mrs. Jeffi^ies are the parents of fourteen children, ten of whom are
living, viz.: Jerome Hamilton, a farmer of Licking county, Ohio;
Josephine Electa, wife of William Enfield, of Newark, Ohio ; Alex. S.,
a resident of Los iVngelos, California ; Alonzo H., of Delaware county,
Ohio; Dallas K., of Mercer county, Ohio; Sophia Melissa, wife of
William K, Thompson, of Walnut township, this county ; Ida Isadora,
wife of Warren Ingman, of Newark, Ohio; LeGrand Edward, of
California ; Elnora Florence, wife of William Kramer, and Letitia, wife
3l6 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
of George Shriner, of Pataskala, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Teffries are
members of the United Brethren Church.
Johnson, George O., carpenter, Baltimore, Liberty township; son
of John S. and Isabelle (Norris) Johnson. He was born in Baltimore,
March 6, 1852. He received his education in the common schools of
Baltimore, and when nineteen years of age he learned the trade of car-
penter and joiner. He then worked as a journeyman in Toledo for
a period of two years. Since 1879 ^^'' Johnson has resided in Balti-
more, where he is doing a flourishing business, having just completed
an elegant residence. He is a member of the Evangelical Church ;
also of the Masonic Order and I. O. O. F. He was united in marriage
June 29, 1874, ^^ Miss Orris Stevens, who was born in Toledo Septem-
ber 23, 1857. They are the parents of four children, three of whom
are living — Frank L., Wilbur A. and Orris.
Kanode, Samuel, farmer, post office Lancaster ; born in Ohio in
1854; son of Benjamin and Lydia (Good) Kanode ; married in 1878 to
Miss Laura J. Sites, daughter of Peter and Lydia (Mitchell) Sites.
Mr. Kanode was brought up on a farm, and has continued farming ever
since.
Kauffman, George, was born in the Cit}^ of Baltimore, Maryland,
in 1798. Under the regulation of a well- Ordered economy, which a
high sense of right never fails to produce where its genuine influence is
felt, his 3'oung mind received that direction which results in the devel-
opment of true manhood. When quite 3^oung he decided that his life
work should be that of a druggist. He diligently applied himself to the
requisite studies till thoroughly fitted for his profession. Full of ambi-
tion, energv, and enterprise, he, in 1826, came to what was then
the far West. He located in Lancaster, Fairfield county, Ohio. The
only road between Zanesville and Lancaster was a dim and almost
unfrequented Indian trace. Along this, through an unbroken forest.
Dr. Kauftman found the way to the place of his destination. As the
only means of transportation, his goods were brought from Baltimore
to Lancaster by wagons. He opened his drug store on the ground,
where he continued the business till the day of his death. At first his
means were limited, but he had abundant resources in pluck and
energy, and the full confidence of all who knew him. By close appli-
cation to business, and strict adherence to honorable business princi-
ples, which were always characteristic of the man, he soon built up a
fine trade, which, to the last, continued to enlarge. In 1833 he was
united in marriage to Miss Henrietta P. Beecher, a niece of General
Beecher, one of Ohio's foremost men. Dr. Kauftman was kind in his
intercourse with all men, strictly honorable in his dealings, charita-
ble in his judgments, beneficent in his actions, and benevolent in his
svmpathies. He was a man of great decision, consistency, and energ}'
of ciiaracter. As a husband, he was one of the kindest ; as a father,
kind, forgiving, and faithful. In early manhood he united with the
Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he continued an honored mem-
ber, filling, with great credit to himself, and marked usefulness to the
church, the offices of Trustee and Steward. He was for many years,
and at the time of his death. President of the Fairfield County Bible
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 317
Society. In a word, Dr. Kauffman uniformly sustained the highest
character for his virtues as a citizen, his piety as a Christian, his integ-
rity as a man of business, and his courtesy and manliness in all the
relations he sustained to others. He died in the autumn of 1866.
Kauffman, Mrs. Mary A,, Lancaster, was born in Lancaster,
December 13th, 1821 ; the youngest daughter of Timothy and Margaret
Sturgeon. Mary A. received a good education, and June i, 1841, was
united in marriage to William H. Kauffman, a native of Baltimore,
Maryland, where he was born April 20, 1814. In 1830 he came to
Ohio, and was employed b}- his uncle,. George Kauffman, who was
a prominent druggist for some years : afterward, William H. became
his partner, and eventually his successor, in the business, which he con-
tinued until his health compelled him to relinquish active life. He was
an active member of the Masonic order. He died in 1857. Mr. and
Mrs. Kauffman were the parents of seven children ; five are living : Maria
L., wife of George Burbery, of Logan ; Ada, Ida, Harry S. and Wil-
liam R. ; the latter a resident of Oregon.
Kerns, George, of Amanda, came with his father, Jacob, from
Lancaster countv, Pennsylvana, in 181 2. Jacob settled seven miles
southwest of Lancaster, on the Zane's trace, where Jacob Kerns, Jr.,
now lives. This was the old State road, and the route from Kentucky
to Pittsburg and on East. The place was also used as a hotel, where
thousands were entertained by the hospitality of this man. Jacob Kerns
had twelve children, eleven of whom raised families of their own ; three
boys and five girls are living at this writing. George Kerns lives in
Amanda ; Henry four miles west of Amanda ; Jacob is living on the
homestead. George Kerns, Sr., who came to Ohio with Jacob, settled
near Sugar Grove, but lived only a few vears. John and Christopher
Kerns, brothers of Jacob and George, came to Ohio a few years after-
ward. Also, two sisters, Mrs. John Rockey and Elizabeth Murry.
Mr. George Kerns, now a retired resident of Amanda, has' been a life-
long and an official member of the Old Sweyers' church. His son, H.
W., lives on the homestead property.
Ketner, N. a., farmer. Walnut township. He was born in this
township. May 7, 1829 ; the youngest son of George and Tobitha (Par-
ish) Ketner. George Ketner was born in Rockingham count3^ Vir-
ginia, in 1794. He came with his father, who had been a soldier in the
Revolutionary war, to Ohio, in 1806. The famil}^ resided in Licking
county, two or three years, thence removing to Walnut township, and
settled on the N. A. Ketner place, about 1809. Nicholas Ketner lived
until 1835. George resided on the same place during his lifetime. He
raised a family of two sons. A. a resident on a portion of the
home place, and N. A. Ketner. George Ketner died January, 1872.
He was a member of the Lutheran church, and an esteemed citizen.
His widow died May, 1876. N. A. was educated in the common
schools, and chose farming for an occupation ; he has always resided
on the home place. In 1857, he married Miss Susannah, daughter of
Benjamin Belt, who settled in Walnut township about 1820. Mrs. Ket-
ner was born in that township in 1835. They are the parents of three
children, two living : Mary M. and Edson B. The family are members
of the United Brethren church. Mr. Ketner owns eighty-two acres, and
3l8 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
is a great stock raiser. The family occupy a handsome residence, built
in 1879. ^^ ^^^^ built a commodious barn in 1882.
KiNKEAD, Joseph C, retired, Lancaster. He was born in Alle-
ghany county, Maryland, November 7th, 1816 ; son of James and Cath-
arine (Busby) Kinkead. His father was a native of Philadelphia, and
engineer and contractor on public works. He was engaged in the con-
struction of the National road. He located in Ohio in 1824. He reared
a family of seven children, of whom but Joseph C. and John H., the
present Governor of the State of Nevada, survive. Joseph C. was ed-
ucated in the common schools in Pennsylvania, where the parents re-
moved in 1818. After the family removed to Ohio, in 1824, he com-
pleted his education. Early in life, he obtained a position as clerk in a
dry goods house in Zanesville, until coming to Lancaster in 1833. Here
he entered the employ of a leading merchant, remaining several years,
until commencing the wholesale and retail grocery trade, about 1840.
Some two years later, he organized the firm of Kinkead & Doty, which
existed until 1856, when Mr. Kinkead withdrew from mercantile life.
Some years later, he purchased an interest in the Kinkead Flouring
Mills, with which he was connected until the spring of 1882. He also
owns and manages a farm of two hundred and fifty-three acres in Wal-
nut township, in addition to thirt3^-four acres in the corporation of Lan-
caster, upon a portion of which his pleasant home is situated. He has
resided here for the past twenty-one years. Although never desiring
public position, he was a member of the city council eight years ; also,
Vice President and President of Fairfield County Agricultural Societ}',
for several years. He has been a member of the L O. O. F. since
1838 ; a staunch Republican, and a prosperous and esteemed citizen.
Mr. Kinkead has been twice married ; first in 1850, to Miss Mary Ef-
finger ; to them were born three children: Ellen, residing with her
parents ; Mary, the wife of A. L. Pearce, proprietor of the Mithoft'
House ; and Edward E., a resident of Lancaster. The first Mrs. Kin-
kead died in 1857, and he was united in marriage in i860, to Miss Juli-
etta M., daughter of Richard Ainsworth, a prominent and early mer-
chant of Lancaster. They are the parents of five children, three now
living: Catharine Emily, Lizzie F., and Joseph A. The family are
members of the Presbyterian church.
KisTLER, Samuel L., plwsician and surgeon; was born near Jef-
ferson, Fairfield county, October 3, 1859; son of S. A. and Floride J.
(Lindley) Kistler ; was educated at the Clarksburg schools, and gradu-
ated from Starling Medical College, Columbus, Ohio, with class of
'81 and '82, receiving one of the honors in token of general excellence
in clinical cases. Mr. Kistler practiced a short time in Hocking county,
Ohio, in 1881 ; and in 1882 moved to Pickerington.
Knecht, Lewis, retired farmer, Lancaster. He was born in Ba-
varia, Germany, January i, 182 1, and is a son of Nicholas and Caro-
line (Korel) Knecht. He attended school until his fifteenth year, when
he was apprenticed to learn the trade of shoemaking. He came with
his parents to America, and with them located in Lancaster, where
Lewis worked at his trade until his twenty-first year. Nicholas Knecht
purchased a farm in Berne township, where he spent the remainder of
his days. He raised a family of six children, of whom four are living,
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, 319
one daughter and three sons. He died April 8, 1852. After the death
of his father, Lewis conducted the home farm two years, and engaged
in raising tobacco with great success. He purchased forty acres of
land adjoining the home farm, which he afterward traded for a farm
containing eighty acres. ■ He continued adding to his land until he now
owns three hundred and tifty-tive acres, also the family residence in
Lancaster. The success he has met is due to his own industry and busi-
ness foresight. He is a self-made man in every sense of the word.
He is a member of the Lutheran church. Mr. Knecht was married
November 14, 1844, ^^ Sarah Patterson. Their union was blessed with
ten children, eight of whom are living: David A., now a resident of
Clear Creek township ; Caroline, the wile of Simeon Folgeson, of
Pleasant township ; Susannah, married, and living in Berne township ;
Sarah, the wife of Freeman Reese, of Missouri ; Lewis W., a resident
of Hocking township ; Isabella, the wife of Samuel Ruff", also a resident
of Hocking township ; John and Henry, still at home. Mr. Knecht
has been twice married ; the second time to Miss Christina Fahrer in
May, 1876. She was born in Germany in 1828.
Rramer Brothers, merchants and editors of the Lithoplis Home
News, Lithopolis, Ohio. John B. Kramer was born April 28, 1853 ;
George P. Kramer, December 24, 1858, sons of Samuel Kramer, who
was born in 1809, in Reading, Pennsylvania, and came to Lithopolis
in 1835 '^"^ started a hat factory, which business he followed until mer-
chants began shipping in eastern ware and it was no longer profitable
to follow the business. Mr. Kramer was Postmaster at Lithopolis for
eleven years, and was among its earliest mayors. He was married in
1859 ^^ Nancy Bumbarger, who was born in 1819 in this county,
daughter of George and Sarah Bumbarger. John B. Kramer was
married June 26, 1879 ^° -^^^'^ Newton, who was born in 1859, ^^ Bloom-
field, Pickaway county, Ohio. Kramer Brothers branched out in the
printing business in June, 1879, ^^^ ^^ ^^ grocery business in 1882.
Kraner, Erasmus Darwin, merchant, post office, Pickerington,
Violet township, born, January 10, 1844, son of William and Eliza-
beth Kraner : married December 9, 1875, ^o Ellen N. Holmes. Has
two children, Charles H., born September 9, 1876, and James G., born
August 23, 1879. Mr. Kraner belongs to the F. A. M., and L O. O.
F., having held prominent offices in each.
KuHN, George W., post office. West Rushville, Ohio ; was born in
West Rusville, Fairfield county, Ohio, August 8, 1844, ^nd was married
to Rachel M. Young, November 26, 1872. Rachel M. Young was born
in Rushcreek township, Fairfield county, April 13, 1851. Their chil-
dren were Eva M.,born December 21, 1873: May Esther, born Sep-
tember 6, 1875 ; Maggie Orlena, born April 8, 1877 ; Charles Foster,
born July 24, 1879; James Summerfield, born August 14, 1881. Mr.
Kuhn was a member of Company F, Seventeenth O. V. L, serving in
Western Virginia, and was discharged in August, 1861. He afterwards
enlisted in Company C, Fort3'-sixth O. V. L, for three years, and
served until the 31st day of December, 1863, when he was discharged at
Scottsboro, Alabama, in order to enlist as a veteran. He enlisted as a
veteran January i, 1864, '^^^ served until the close of the war, and was
discharged July 22, 1865. He participated in the battles of Shiloh, Siege
320 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
of Corinth, Siege of Vicksburg, Black River, Jackson, Mission Ridge,
Relief of Knoxville, Resacca, Dallas, New Hope Church, Noonday
Creek, Kenesavv Mountain, Atlanta, July 22, 1864; Jonesboro, Cedar
Bluffs, Turkeytown, Griswoldville, Savannah, Congaree Creek, Colum-
bia, Bentonville and Raleigh.
KuMLER, Henry, farmer. Liberty township ; was born in Lancas-
ter, Pennsylvania, March 24, 1807, the only child of Henry and Ann
Catharine Kumler. Henry Kumler, Sr., was a native of Switzerland;
born in 1776, and emigrated to America in 1805. He first settled in
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he remained three years, when he re-
moved with his wife and child to Ohio, locating on the tarm now owned
by his son, in Liberty township. He cleared his land, and endured the
trials of pioneer life."^ He lived to see his farm well improved, and en-
joyed the fruits of his hard labor. He was a member of the Reform
Church. He died in [845. The son inherited the farm ot one hundred
and forty acres, at his father's death. Mr. Kumler has been twice
married, 'first to Miss Leah Minehart, September 2, 1838. They were
the parents of two sons, John, a resident of the State of Indiana, and
Noah, a well-known resident of Liberty township, Mrs. Kumler died
March i, 1843. He was married again to Anna Maria Haley, who was
born in Liberty township March 6, 1825. They are the parents of
thirteen children, twelve of whom are living; Henrj^ L., living on a
portion of the home place ; G. W., a prominent merchant in Basil ; S.
D., a druggist, of London, Madison county ; J. A., a druggist, of Bal-
timore, Ohio; D. B., a school teacher, and resident of Baltimore ;
David, a resident of Licking county; Barbara M., the wife of John
Warner, living in Walnut township ; Mary C, Lidia C, Narcessus A.,
Benjamin F., Edward M. at home. Their son, Edward, a lad thirteen
years old, now weighs one hundred and seventy pounds. The tamily
are members of the Reform Church.
Kumler, Noah, farmer, Liberty township ; was born in this town-
ship, the second son of Henry and Leah (Minehart) Kumler. In the
fall ot 1862 he enlisted in Company K, Seventeenth O. V. 1. He took
active part in the battles in which his regiment engaged, especially the
battle of Murfreesboro. He served until the close of the war, and took
part in the grand review at Washington, where he received his discharge
in 1865. He then returned to civil life and engaged in tarming, pur-
chasing the place where he now resides, the farm containing one hun-
dred and twenty acres. He has added many improvements in the way
of buildings, making it a very desirable home. Mr. Kumler was mar-
ried April II, 1867, to Catharine C. Alt. They are the parents of tour
children, three now living: Anna Mary, George A. and Theron H.
Mr. Kumler has, for twelve years, acted in the capacity of school
director. He is an active worker in the Sabbath School, and a member
of the Retorm Church ; Mrs. Kumler of the United Brethren church.
Lamb, John, retired. Walnut township. He was born in this town-
ship February 26, 1812; the eldest son of Peter and Mary (Walters)
Lamb. Peter Lamb setded in Walnut township about 1801. John
was raised and educated in this county. In 1834 ^^^ ^'^^^ married to
Maria, daughter of J. McNamee. In 1836, Mr. Lamb settled on the
place now owned by T. J. Gafford, then but partially cleared. He
HISTORY OF FAIRFlfiLD COONTY. 321
made many improvements, and in 1840 built a handsome residence,
where he resided until 1876. He is a successful farmer and stock
raiser, and owns one hundred and ninety-five acres. For several
years he was township trustee. To his first marriage were born seven
children, four of whom are living. Peter J., a resident of Illinois;
John L., also of Illinois; Mary J., wife of T. J. Gaftbrd, of Walnut
township ; Susan Virginia, wife of William Bope, of Walnut township.
Mrs. Lamb died April 26, 1861. Mr. Lamb was again married in No-
vember, 1862, to Mrs. Parthene Gaftbrd, a daughter of Abraham and
Parthene (Webster) Babcock. Mrs. Lamb was born in New York,
July I, 1803. She came to Ohio in 181 2, settling at Newark, Ohio.
Mr. Lamb moved to Baltimore about 1876, where he lives a retired life.
Mr. Lamb was wagonmaster under General Taylor, for one year. Mrs.
Lamb has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church over forty
years.
Lamb, Henry F., farmer. Walnut township. He was born in this
township, September 25, 1832 ; the 3'oungest son of Peter and Mary
M. (Walters) Lamb. Peter Lamb was a native of Virginia. He was
born in 1781, and came with his parents to Ohio in 1802. They lived
for a short time in Pleasant township. Peter Lamb purchased a half
section of land which is now owned b}' his son, Henr}^ F. His father,
Peter Lamb, Sr., died in Walnut township in 1804; his widow, Sep-
tember 22, 1822, aged seventy-four years. Peter Lamb, Jr., did much
to promote emigration to that township, giving assistance wherever
needed. At that time the Indians were numerous, but rarely trouble-
some. As a hunter he was famous and indulged in this pleasure to a
great extent. At one time he was one of a part}^ who, when out on a
bear hunt, mistook for a bear an Indian squaw% and she was shot in the
arm b}^ David Ewing. An explanation by the hunters to the Indians
settled the aftair satisfactorily. Mr. Lamb raised twelve children, of
whom eight are living. He died Ma}- , 1867 ; his widow in 1879.
Henry F. attended the Antrim University ; was also a student at Wes-
terville. He chose farming for an occupation, and resides on the home
place. In 1867 he married Elizabeth C. Laney. They ai*e the parents
of three children, viz. : Honora F., E. C. and Earl L. The farm on
which they live is finely cultivated, containing one hundred and sixty
acres. Mr. Lamb served nearly three years in the Eightv-eighth, O.
V. I. He was detailed as clerk in the prison office at Columbus, Ohio ;
here he served until the close of the w^ar and was mustered out at Camp
Chase, July 3, 1865. He is a member of the I. O. O. F. He has held
the office of township trustee eight years.
Lamb, William W., farmer. Walnut township. He was born in this
township, August 29, 1834; ^^^ ^^^ ^^ William and Catharine (Cupp)
Lamb. William Lamb was born in Virginia in 1794. He came with
his father, Peter Lamb, to Ohio in 1803 or 1804. William Lamb w'as
married about 1815, and settled on the farm now owned by his son,
William W. He cleared one hundred and sixty acres and built a log
house in which the family resided until the present brick residence was
built, about 1824 or 1825'. He was the lather of eight daughters and
tw^o sons, all now living. He was county commissioner one or more
terms. In politics he was a Democrat. He engaged in packing and
41
322 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
shipping pork about titteen years. He was a member ot the Baptist
church. He died in 1876; his widow in 1878. Wilham W., after ob-
taining an education, turned his attention to farming, always residing on
the home place. In 1866 he married Miss M. E., daughter of Richard
Buffington, an early settler in Walnut township. Mrs. Lamb was born
here, April 12, 1841. They are the parents of six children, four are
living. Lineaus E., who died in infancy; Cora Bell, in 1879, in her
twelfth year; Clarence R., Inez Myreth, Ernest A. and an infant.
Mr. Lamb owns a line farm of one hundred and sixty-seven acres.
Lamb, W. M., farmer, Walnut township. Mr. Lamb was born in
Pleasant township, May 14, 1836: the second son of Frederick and
Elizabeth (Caldwell) Lamb. Frederick was a native of Virginia ; born
in 1796, and came to Ohio in 1802, with his father, Peter Lamb. He
was a successful farmer and settled in Pleasant township, where he
owned, at his death, thirteen hundred acres of land. Mr. Lamb reared
a family of five sons and one daughter. Mr. Lamb was a member ot
the Methodist Protestant church. He died September i, 1868, in his
seventy-first year. W. M. Lamb received a fair education, and turned
his attention to farming, in which he has been very successful, being
the owner of three hundred and twelve acres. Mr. Lamb is also en-
gaged in buying and shipping live stock. He is a member of the I. O.
O. F., and is well known as a substantial and esteemed citizen. Mr.
Lamb has never united with any church, though contributing largly for
its maintenance. Mr. Lamb was married January 2, 1859, ^*-* Miss
Louisa Fink, born in Pleasant township, April 19, 1839. They are the
parents of eight children, seven of whom are living, viz. : Emma D.,
the wile of Jacob Schrader, a merchant of Baltimore ; Charles F., Ida
J., Mary C, Worthington, who died in 1876, in his seventh year;
Blanch L., William H. and Floyd Granville. Mrs. Lamb and daugh-
ters are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Laney, Mrs. Catharine, Liberty township. She was born in
Fairfield county, February 11, 1811 ; daughter of Benjamin and
Elonore Swartz. She was married in 1834 ^^ William Laney, who
was born in Ohio, March 6, 181 3. For a number of years he was em-
ployed by William Lamb, until his marriage, when he purchased a
farm in Hocking township, residing there about four years. He
returned to Baltimore in 1859, '^^^ purchased a family home of twenty
acres, and engaged in brick-making. In 1861 he enlisted in Company
G, Eighteenth O. V. I., serving over two years. He participated in
all the battles, including Chattanooga, where he was captured and taken
to Danville Prison ; was there six months. He died March 6, 1864.
He was an active member of the M. E. Church. They were the
parents of five daughters and four sons — Sarah, wife of Moses Knep-
per, of Violet township ; John S., a resident of Dakota ; William S., a
resident of Baltimore ; Elizabeth C, wife of Henry F. Lamb, of Wal-
nut township ; Franklin T., enlisted in the First Ohio Cavalry, in 1861,
and served through the war; he died at Indianapolis in July, 187 1 ;
Joseph C, engaged in the sev^^ing machine business at Springfield,
Ohio; Catharine C. is a dressmaker, and resides with her mother;
Susan resides with Mrs. Lamb in Walnut township ; Elonore is the wife
of Thomas J. Kirk, of Baltimore. After the death of her husband,
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 323
Mrs. Laney, with the assistance of her sons, continued to conduct the
brick business some eight years. She is a member of the M. E.
Church and an estimable lady.
Larimer, William R., farmer, North Berne, Fairfield county, Ohio ;
was born June 9, 1847, in Jackson township, Perry county, Ohio; son
of Abraham and Jane (Beck) Larimer, and grandson of Robin and
Margaret (Ray) Larimer. His parents both died when he was but a
small child, and so his protection lay at the hands of his friends and
relatives. He was first placed under the guardianship of his uncle,
George Beck, and remained in his famil}^ until he was nine years old,
after which he was adopted into his uncle's (William Larimer) family,
and remained a member of that family;- until he married. Mr. Larimer
enlisted in February, 1865, in the Army of the Cumberland, and par-
ticipated in several prominent battles. He was married to Miss Lucy
J. Price, daughter of James and Julia A. (Meteer) Price, and grand-
daughter of James and Nancy Price, and Robert and Esther Meteer.
Mrs. Larimer was born in Maxville, Perry county, Ohio, March 22,
1850. Their union has been blessed with two children, viz. : Annie L.
and Clarence W. Mr. Larimer came to Fairfield county in 1870, and
has lived in this and Rush creek township ever since. He is now liv-
ing in Berne township, and is engaged in selling mowers, self-binders,
reapers, plows, fine buggies, etc.
Langel, Daniel, farmer, Liberty township. He was born in
Penns3'lvania, October 16, 182 1 ; is the son of Philip and Elizabeth W.
Langel. He improved his educational advantages, and in 1836. came
with his parents to Ohio. Philip Langel settled in Violet township,
where he reared a family of eight children, four now living. He died
in 1852. David resided on the home place until his marriage, to
Susannah Bright, daughter of John Bright, a former v/ell-known resi-
dent of Liberty township. They raised a family of eleven children,
ten of whom are living. Jesse B. was a member of Company K, O.
V. L, and took part with his regiment in the battle of Mission Ridge,
and Chattanooga. He died of measles, March 2, 1864, in his twenty-
first year. Melinda E. is the wife of John VanArsdale, a resident of
Liberty township ; John, also of Liberty township ; Esther, the wife of
John Slanger, a resident of Tomkins countv, Ohio ; Enoch is a resi-
dent of Liberty township ; David P., also of Liberty ; Oliver, of Kan-
sas ; Isabel is the wife of Newton Smuck, of Basil ; Mary Ann, Sarah
Alice and Daniel, at home. After his marriage Mr. Langel purchased
a farm of two hundred and forty-five acres, of which but ten acres were
improved. In addition to this he owns seventy-five acres in the town-
ship where he resided until removing to his present residence, an
elegant place between Basil and Baltimore. He is a member of the
Evangelical Association, and the I. O. O. F.
Leith, John, deceased. The following account of the life and
career of John Leith is from his grandson. Judge J. W. Leith, now of
Nevada, Wyandot count}', Ohio: John Leith was a Scotchman, and
was one of two white men keeping an Indian trading post at the foot of
Mount Pleasant, in the year 1763, now one hundred and nineteen years
ago. Leith was a youth at the time, and was left by his emplo3^er in
charge of the post, while the latter went to Pittsburg to dispose of his
324 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Stock of furs and peltries, and bring back a fresh stock of goods and
trinkets. During his absence the Indians confiscated his goods, cap-
tured young Leith, and left the country. He was, verv much against
his will, adopted into an Indian family, and remained" with the tribe
many years. He married a white captive girl he found with tlie tribe.
Subsequentl}', and when he had two children, he got his family away
and made a perilous journey through the wilderness to Pittsburg, ar-
riving there greatly exhausted from hunger and fatigue, and only an
hour or two in advance of his savage pursuers, who would have tor-
tured them if they had been captured, In after years, and when Fair-
field county was filling up, Leith removed with his family and settled
in Walnut township, where he lived to a good old age, and was buried
in the Methodist grave yard, at New Salem.
Leonard, Daniel, the ancester of the Leonards in Liberty town-
ship, came from Switzerland in 1809, being then a widower with three
children. The vo3'age occupied sixteen weeks. They all remained in
or near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, three years ; and in 1809 moved to
Ohio, and purchased ninety-four acres of land, on which Daniel Leon-
ard lived and died. There were born unto Sebastian Leonard, the son
of Daniel Leonard, three sons and one daughter, Henry, John, Sebas-
tian, aud Barbara. The father and grandfather were both stone masons.
Sebastian Leonard helped to build the first brick house in Lancaster,
Ohio, part of which yet remains ; formerly known as Scoffield
brick. It was afterwards occupied as a gunsmith shop, and the front
was changed. Sebastian Leonard was drafted in the War of 18 12,
the same year his son, Henry, was born.
Leonard, Rev. George H., minister. Liberty township ; the grand-
son of Sebastian Leonard, who was one of the pioneers of Fairfield
county. George H. was born in Liberty township, September
20, 1837 ' the oldest son of Henry and Ann (Kerns) Leonard.
Henry commenced a mercantile business in Basil, as early as 1828,
conducting it successfully about twenty-eight years, until accepting the
position of financial agent of Heidelberg College, at Tiffin, Ohio.
Although in his seventy-first year, he is still actively engaged in ihe
duties of that office. He is an elder in the German Reform church ; a
vigorous and intellectual gentleman. His eldest son, George H., re-
ceived a liberal education, entering Heidelberg College in 1855, and
graduating from the literary department of that institution in 1859;
subsequently entered the theological seminary, connected with the same
college. Mr. Leonard was ordained to the ministrv September 15,
1861, at Danville, Ohio, serving the Highland charge near Hillsboro,
three and a half years. In January, 1865, he was placed in charge of
the church at Basil, where he has since continued. At that time the
membership numbered eighty-five ; it now consists of nearly three hun-
dred. A similar gratifying increase has taken place in another church
a short distance in the countr^^ of which Mr. Leonard is also pastor.
Lehman, Christian, deceased. He was born in Baden, German^-,
August I, 1811. He received his education in Germany and learned
the boot and shoemaker trade before coming to America in 1832. He
located in Baltimore, where he engaged in his trade, remaining there
eight years. In 1840 he came to Lancaster, and engaged in the same
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 325
business. From Lancaster he removed to Des Moines, Iowa, there
engaging in the grocery trade with success. He dealt also in real es-
tate while there and was fortunate in all his business, accumulating a
handsome fortune. He returned to Lancaster in 1858, where he en-
gaged in the grocery business, which is still carried on by Mrs. Leh-
man assisted by her son. Mr. Lehman was twice married; In 1838,
to Miss Salome Rushia, of Baltimore, who died in 1857. To
them were born seven children, all of whom are residents of wes-
tern States. He was again married in April, 1858, to Miss C. Gard-
ner. They were the parents of one son. Christian D. Mr. Lehman was
a member of the German Lutheran church ; also a member of Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows. His death occurred June 16, i860.
■^ Leonard, John, farmer, Liberty township. He was born in this
township, October 3, 1814 ; is a son of Sebastian and Barbara (Goss)
Leonard. After acquiring such an education as the schools of his
youth afforded, he engaged with his brothers in the grocery business in
Basil, where he remained until 1857, when he purchased the farm of
one hundred and seventy-eight acres, upon which he still resides. It
is now finely improved, the residence being a model of convenience.
Mr. Leonard now owns the homestead of his father, his two farms con-
taining four hundred and thirty acres. In 1830 he was married to Miss
Hannah Reese, who was born in Liberty township, July 30, 1819. They
are the parents of twelve children, five of whom died in infancy, and
one, Sebastian, died in October, 1869, aged 29 years. Mary Ann is mar-
ried and lives in Liberty township. Martha is the wife of Mr. Mc-
Cleery ; Minerva, Jessie, William F., and Thomas are still at home.
The family are members of the Reformed Church.
LiNviLLE, David F., druggist. New Salem, Walnut township. He
was born in Richland township. May 26, 1823, the son of Benjamin
and Sarah (Swazzey) Linville. Benjamin Linville was born in Rock-
ingham county, Virginia, December 17, 1791. He came to Ohio in
1812, returned to Virginia, and came to Ohio again in 1815, and re-
mained in Rush Creek township. He engaged in milling and distilling.
He and his brother owned a mill and three hundred acres of land in
Rush Creek. Fie was married in 1820. In 1825 he moved toZanesville
and engaged in milling until the spring of 1838, when he came to Thorn
township. Perry county. He purchased a farm and engaged in farm-
ing, and stock raising, assisted by his younger son. In 1862 he disposed of
his farm and removed toReynoldsburg, Franklin county, where he lived
until 1866, when he moved to New Salem, where he lived until the death
of his wife in April, 1872, since which time he has lived with his son
Daniel F. He raised a family of five children, three sons and one daugh-
ter are now living. His youngest son, Francis W. M., was a member
of the Seventeenth O. V. I., for three months. He assisted in raising
Compau}^ C, Forty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantr}^ September 21, 1S61.
He enlisted in this company as First Lieutenant, and was at the battles of
Pittsburg Landing, Corinth, Jackson, and Big Block. He died at Big
Block, Mississippi, from disease contracted in the army, July 25, 1863.
Daniel F. Linville was educated in the common schools in Zanesville.
He was married February i, 1843, to Miss Mar}- Ellen, daughter of
Jacob and Mary Ortman, who were early settlers in Walnut township.
326 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Mrs. Linville was born in Mar3'land, July 22, 182 1. Mr. Linville set-
tled in Walnut township, on the Ortman farm, conducting the same for
his father-in-law until October 1849, when he purchased ninety acres
of it, and lived there until 1872. In the spring of 1873, he came to
New Salem and engaged in the drug business. In 1874 the ^^'^ name
became David F. Linville & Son, drugs and general merchandise.
They are doing an extensive business. Mr. and Mrs. Linville are the
parents of ten children, three living, Mary Samantha, wife of Theo-
dore Berry, a resident of Walnut township. Allen H.,in business with
his father, and Francis C, engaged in the butcher trade in New Salem.
He was married in the fall of 1875, to Sarah E., daughter of Henry
and Mary Berry. They are the parents of two children. David F.
Linville built his present residence in 1874. '^^^^ family are members
of the Methodist Episcopal Church. David F., is Mayor of New Sa-
lem. In politics he is a Republican. He is a member of the Masonic
Order, and Knight Templers.
LoucKS, Ge:orge, farmer and stock raiser, Violet township ; post
office, Winchester, Franklin county ; son of Samuel and Christena
(Alspach) Loucks ; born near Waterloo, November 14, 1838 ; was mar-
ried to Lydia Swartz, (born February 27. 1840), February 27, 1862
has a family of eight children: Martha J., born January g, 1863
Charles E., born September 14, 1864; Mary E., born August 11, 1867
Daniel W., born February 18, 1869 ; Elmer E., born December 3, 1870
Louvina L., born February 4, 1873; Delia M., born August 6, 1878
Samuel O., born April 3, 1881. Mr. Loucks has held several township
offices, and is a member of the Refonn church.
McCleery, Samuel R., merchant; post office, Pleasantville : born
in this count}' in 1842 ; son of William and Priscilla (McCall) McCleery ;
grandson of James and Jane McCleery. Mr. McCleery is of Scotch-
Irish parentage. He enlisted in the army in 1861, in the three months'
service. Re-enlisted again in 1862, in the Eleventh Ohio Cavalry. He
was stationed in the Territories doing service against the Indians. Dis-
charged at Omaha in March, 1865. Is engaged at present in the hard-
ware business. Was married in 1873, to Miss Sarah E. Kemmerer.
They have one child living and one dead.
McCoRMicK, John D., deceased. He was born in Cincinnati in
1848. He came to Perry county in 185 1, and to Lancaster in 1873 ; he
studied law with Mr. Fritter, and was admitted to practice in Lancaster.
He was elected Mayor of Lancaster in 1877, ^^^ Prosecuting Attorney
of Fairfield county in 1880 ; and was filling that office when overtaken
suddenly by death. The same vear he was elected Mayor, he was mar-
ried to Lizzie, daughter of James McManamy of Lancaster. Mr. Mc-
Cormick's suddden death is thus noted by the Lancaster Gazette: " The
community was terriblv shocked on Saturday morning last, by the intel-
ligence that John D. McCormick. Prosecuting Attorney of this county,
had been found dead in his bed. He had evidently died of a conges-
tive chill or heart trouble. While Mr. McCormick has been more or
less indisposed for weeks past, with a touch of malarial fever, he has
never been so sick as to occasion alarm. A man of splendid physique,
hearty, robust and healthful, as a rule, his sudden death came like an
electric flash from the clear skies. He was a good citizen — kind, affec-
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 327
donate, charitable and enterprising, and was on a fair wav to make
himself a name in his profession as a lawyer. He was elected Mayor
of the city in 1876, filling the office with efficiency for one term, and in
the fall of 1880, he was elected Prosecuting Attorney, in which capacity
he displayed much zeal and activity. John D. McCormick was the sole
remnant of his father's family, and was born in the city of Cincinnati
in 1848. At an early age his parents died, and he was thrown upon his
own resources for a livelihood. He was honest, industrious and upright ;
attained a good education, being a graduate as Bachelor of Science
from Notre Dame Universit}', and led, up to his final hour, a useful life. ^
His wife, who was doubly afflicted by her absence in Cincinnati at ^h^^"'
time of his death, is inconsolable at her loss, while scores of friends re-
gret and mourn his early death."
McNaghten, David Y., ex-farmer and stock raiser, Walnvit town-
ship. He was born in this township, October 25, 1815 ; the son of
Thomas and Rebecca (Young) McNaghten. Thomas was a resident
of Pennsylvania, born about 1786. He came with his father to Ohio,
in 1803, settling on the place now owned b}^ A. Spitler. His father en-
tered one-fourth section of land for each of his nine children. He died
about 1818. Thomas settled on his section at an early day, cleared the
place, and here died. He raised a family of thirteen children, five sons
and one daughter now living. He owned some five hundred acres of
land at the time of his death ; he filled the position of Justice of the
Peace for some twenty years ; he was a member of the Baptist church ;
he served as lieutenant in a company from Walnut township, in the War
of 1812 ; was promoted to captain. He died in 1813. David Y,, en-
gaged in farming at home, until his marriage. March, 1836, to Miss
Deborah Ashbrook, a well known resident of Pleasant township ; she
was born in that township, May 6, 1819. For five years the young
couple resided on a place owned by his father, in Walnut township.
March 4, 1841, he settled on the place where he still resides, having
purchased one-fourth section of land, then partially cleared. In 1853,
he built a new residence, w^hich was destroyed by fire in 1878 ; he then
built his present residence. He now owns two hundred and thirteen
acres of land ; an ex-farmer and stock raiser. They are the parents of
eight children, two died in infancy. Aaron Thomas enlisted in 1861,
in the Seventeenth Regiment O. V. I., for three months. In the fall
of the same year, in the Sixty-second Regiment O. V. I., commanded
by Colonel Steele. In 1863 he was instantly killed, at the storming of
Fort Wagner ; Mary, the widow of David Said, of Pleasantville ; James
N., owns a portion of his grandfather's home place ; Rebecca Ellen,
wife of Leslie Lath, resides with her parents ; Ella R., wife of William
Taylor, a resident of Walnut township ; Eva Jane, resides with her
parents. Several members of the family are connected with the Baptist
church.
McNaghten, A. A., born in this county in 185 1 ; son of Noah and
Mariah (Ashbrook) McNaghten ; grandson of Thomas and Mary Mc-
Naghten ; grandson of Thomas P. and Anna Ashbrook. Mr. Mc-
Naghten's father was the founder of the Fairfield Union Academ}', lo-
cated at Pleasantville, Ohio. Has also been a trustee of the institution
32$ BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
for some twenty years. The subject of this sketch, with the other mem-
bers of the famil}', received their early education ^t this school. Mr.
McNaghten was married in 1872, to Miss Mary J. Shisler, daughter of
Emanuel and Sarah (Fairchild) Shisler. Thev have three children :
Nella G., Minnie S., Ralph W.
McNeil, J. B., Attorney at Law, Lancaster, Ohio.
Machlin, Philip, farmer, Liberty township. He was born in
Pleasant tow^nship, December 8, 1823, the son of Peter and Susan
(Conkle) Machlin. Peter Machlin w^as a native of Pennsylvania ; born
in 1794. Mr. Machlin came with his father to Ohio in 1805, settling in
Pleasant township, on the farm now owned by Adam Weaver. Peter
Machlin became a resident of Liberty township about 1835, locating on
the place now owned b}'^ John Andregg, upon which he spent his days.
He was the father of nine children, of whom six daughters and two
sons are living. His death took place June 30, 1878. Philip, from in-
fancy, lived with his grandfather, by whom he was educated. He
chose farming for an occupation, and after the death of his grandfather,
in 1842, he continued to reside on his grandfather's home place, in
Pleasant township, until 1848, when he removed to Liberty townsliip,
and located w^iere he still resides. About fifty acres had been cleared
and a log house was built on the place, which was succeeded in 1871
by a commodious family residence. Mr. Machlin is the owner of one
hundred and seventy-five acres of finely improved land. Mr. Machlin
was township trustee five years, and is a member of the Reform church,
also of the Masonic order. He has been twice married ; first, in 1846,
to Salome Radenbaugh, and to that marriage thirteen children were
born, of whom two sons and eight daughters a'-e living. Mrs, Mach-
lin died in May, 1864, and Mr. Machlin was again married, September
5, 1865, to Mrs. Ehza Jane Freeman, daughter of Henr^^ Conkle; to
this union has been born one son, Charlie, Jul}^ 31, 1867.
Machlin, Samuel, farmer and stock raiser ; post office, Lancaster.
Mr. Machlin was born in Pleasant township in 1807 ; son of Duval and
Mary (Rough) Macklin, who emigrated to this county from Pennsyl-
vania. Mr. Macklin has been twice married ; first in 1829 to Miss
Eliza Arnold, daughter of Jacob Arnold. They had four children, viz. :
Eli, deceased ; Mariah, Lucy A. and Mary A. Mr. Machlin was mar-
ried to Elizabeth Arnold, his second wife, in 1839. This union was
blessed with eight children, viz. : Jacob, deceased ; William, Benja-
min, Perry, George, Joseph, S. R. and Clara. All married but one.
Mayne, Dr. W. F., physician. Liberty township. Dr. Mayne was
born in Virginia, August 10, 1828; the son of H. C. and Ann (Robi-
son) Mayne. H. C. Ma3me came to Ohio in 1830, locating at Zanes-
ville, and remained there some seven j-ears. W. F. Mayne attended
the common school until eighteen years of age. He then came to
Basil, where he began the stud}^ of medicine, under the tutillage of his
father. In 1859 he commenced attending lectures in the Ohio Medical
College, continuing until he graduated. He then came to Basil and
commenced to practice his profession, which he has since continued un-
interruptedly. The doctor is widely known as a skillful physician, as
well as a cultured gentleman. He was married in June, 1865, to Miss
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 329
Eliza Jane McNeil, who was born in Ross county, Ohio. They are
the parents of fouy children. Dr. and Mrs. Mayne are members of the
Reform Church.
MeasoM, John, deceased, of Greenfield township, was a well known
citizen of Pleasant Summit, and prior to his recent death, the oldest
living settler in the township. His father, Isaac Measom settled in
Greenfield in 1799, when there were but a half dozen families in this
section of the country. His mother was a daughter of Ralph Cherry,
and his birth was among the first in the township. He grew up inured
to all the hardships and privations of pioneer life, and became a useful
and wealthy man, identifying himself prominently in both the afiairs of
church and county. The Methodist society of Pleasant Summit take
pleasure in giving him and his youngest brother, George Measoirl, great
credit as the founders and warm supporters of their prosperous church.
His father's family and his children, by his two marriages, are all dead.
His widow, formerlv Mrs. Davis, survives him. Tiiis Christian lady is
also bereft of her children, having only grandchildren to administer to
her needs and comforts. Her daughter. Miss Catharine Davis, mar-
ried first, Mr. George Measor?i, the youngest brother of John. He was
a lawyer and a good man, and after his death she married W. H.
Rarey, brother of John Rarey, the world renowned horse trainer. By
this marriage there were four children, all of whom are now married
save Annie, who lives with Mrs. Measom, on the grand old homestead,
near Pleasant Summit.
MiESSE, Gabriel, Jr., M. D., physician and surgeon, Lancaster,
Ohio ; was born January 5, 1838, near Dumontsville, Fairfield county,
Ohio; son of Gabriel Miesse, Sr., and Mary (Wiest) Miesse. Being
encouraged during his youth by his father, who was an amateur musi-
cian, a composer and writer of music, he developed considerable talent
for music. At present he has the reputation of being thoroughly versed
in all arts of musical matters, and has few equals as a pianist and
teacher of music. In his fourth year he went to school with a board
6x16 inches suspended from his neck by a leather string, upon one side
of which was the alphabet in glowing colors, and words tor spelling,
and upon the other side figures and multiplication table, interspersed
with verse. A year later he fell, while playing " tag," upon the steps
of his father's residence, receiving a severe wound in the forehead.
From the care and attention of his parents, he soon made rapid progress
towards recover}-. Soon after this his parents moved to Columbus,
Ohio. Here young Gabriel attended the city schools, and made rapid
progress in his studies. In 1845, while playing hat ball at school, he
came near losing his life. When he dropped the ball into one of the
hats, he started upon the retreat, and ran beneath one of a six horse
team that was drawing a wagon loaded with limestone for the constinic-
ton of the present State House. A gentleman saw the accident, and
"Whoa!" rang out upon the air, and the team was stopped just in
time to save him. In 1848 his parents located in Greenville, Dark
county, Ohio, landing there June 2d, after making a distance of ninetv-
six miles in two and one-half days, by wagon, hauling their household
goods with them. At this place young Gabriel became popular for his
musical abilitv, and classes were soon organized by him for the study
42 • o J J
330 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
of musie, many of whom can testify to his success as a teacher. At
the age of thirteen he began to establish a menagerie from the forest
near by, together with a museum of native animals, birds, reptiles,
fishes, a large collection of geological specimens, Indian relics, etc.
The birds were of many varieties, the most prominent being the bald
eagle, and white and gray cranes and loons. This miniature show was
well patronized, at an admission fee of ten cents. During the same
season P. T. Barnum's great menagerie arrived. Ere the day passed
Mr. Barnum noticed the sign over the door, "• Gabriel Miesse's happy
family of wild animals and birds," and soon retraced his steps to the
hotel and returned in company with Tom Thumb and others, purchased
tickets, and entered the show, with which they were much delighted,
and were amused to see the porcupine cast its quills. Several times in
the presence of, and to the surprise of the great showman, young Ga-
briel fondled the animal of feathers. In return for the pleasant sur-
prise Mr. Barnum placed a complimentar}- ticket to his mammoth show
in the hands of the 3-oung showman. This afforded him a great plea-
sure, and he was also permitted to ride with Tom Thumb upon one of
the elephants. At the age of sixteen years he frequently gave musical
entertainments to the delight of all in attendance. Often upon these
occasions his parents were obliged to stretch a rope across the room to
protect him during his renditions upon the piano. The long winter
evenings were usually of great pleasure to the famil}'^. At the age of
sixteen he frequently lectured to his many friends upon anatomy, often
reciting whole pages from memory, and by the use of the blackboard
illustrated the various structures of man. At this time he also became
proficient in the use of the knife in removing many cancers, tumors,
etc. Upon one occasion a middle-aged farmer came to Dr. Miesse's
father for the treatment of scurv}^, who gave the patient into the hands
of the young physician, with instructions to remove the encrustations
from the teeth of the suffering man. He proceeded to the task, and
finding the teeth so very loose that it was difficult to work at them with-
out removal, he extracted ten of them with his fingers, cleaned them,
replaced them in their proper sockets, and pressed them home. The
patient, well pleased with the work, returned home, and three months
afterward reported cured, the teeth having become firmly attached in
their places. This method of transplanting teeth has been successfully
followed b}^ the Doctor up to the present time. The subject of this
sketch studied medicine with his father. Dr. Gabriel Miesse, Sr.,
graduated with high honors, and received a diploma from one of the
leading medical colleges in 1856. Since graduating he has been in
constant practice of his profession. In 1857 he located in Sidney,
Ohio, and with the assistance of his uncle, Jacob Miesse, the}- estab-
lished a fine practice. In 1858 he returned to his father's home, on
account of poor health, where he remained, assisting his father until the
spring of 1862. He was married Ma}- 14, 1862, to Miss Caroline,
daughter of David and Rose Ann (Kemmerer) Kemmerer. She was
born March 16, 1840, near Lancaster, Ohio. They have one child,
Leon Edgar, born June 12, 1864, in Bremen, Auglaize county, Ohio.
David Kemmerer was born October 24, 1813, near Emaus, Pennsylva-
nia, and moved to Ohio, where he became a wealthy farmer, and an
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 331
influential man in his community- He departed this life September 5,
1866. Rose Ann Kemmerer was born March 19, 1820, near Dumonts-
ville, Ohio, and was married May 31, 1838, to David Kemmerer. The}^
became the parents of two children, Caroline, and Sarah, wife of
George W. Beck, cashier of the First National Bank, of Lancaster,
Ohio. Mrs. Kemmerer is still living. In June, of 1862, Dr. Miesse
located in Wapakoneta, Auglaize county, Ohio, where he met with
wonderful success, curing many obstinate cases of chronic diseases,
which brought him a large practice. In 1863, through the earnest
solicitations of his sister, Mrs. Sophia (Miesse) Koop, and his many
friends, he moved his family to New Bremen, same county. Here his
success was continued, many from adjoining counties calling upon him
for medical treatment. In 1864 he removed to Lancaster, where he
still lives, and enjoys an excellent practice, giving special attention to
chronic diseases. His books show over thirty thousand patients suc-
cessfully treated, and he refuses to make public the hundreds of testimo-
nials from patients scattered all over the countr}-. The Doctor is also an
artist of more than average ability. The design and construction of
his elegant residence, on East Main street, is sufficient to convince the
unbeliever. In 1872 the Doctor was elected to represent the Fifth
Ward in the City Council. From 1875 to 1877 he delivered a series of
lectures upon " Anato'my, Physiolog}^ and Hygiene;" "The Plow,
Its Uses and Improvements from Early Date to the Present Time ; "
" Fashions and Customs of a Hundred Years Ago ; " " Astronomy ; "
" The Solar System ;" " The Farmers' Grange ;" " The Sun's Heat ;"
" Light and Heat ;" "Is the Physical Organization of the Sun a Mass
of Fire?" etc. In 1878 he became a member, b}- order of the Council,
of a committee of five to plat the Fifth Ward. In 1880 the City Coun-
cil appointed him Chairman of a Platting Commission to plat the city
into streets and alle^^s within the corporate limits, which plat can be
seen at the Council Chamber.
Miller, David, deceased, Walnut township ; was born in Rock-
ingham county, Virginia, February 2,1803, the eldest son of Abraham
and Elizabeth (Brumbach) Miller. David came with his parents to
Ohio in the spring of 1805. He was educated in Walnut township, and
assisted his father in clearing the farm, until his marriage, December
9, 1828, to Miss Frances D., daughter of Jacob Guile, a former well-
known resident of Berne township. Mrs. Miller was born in this county,
September 11, 1810. After marriage, the}' continued to reside on
the home place. Upon his father's death, in 1831, he took sole charge
of the place. His mother resided with him. In 1833, he built a nice
residence. The barn built by his father is still in use ; it was built in
1820, Mr. and Mrs. Miller were the parents of one daughter and eleven
sons, eight sons and the daughter sdll living, all residents of this county.
Elizabeth, the wife of John Eversole ; three sons still at home, Jacob
K., an ex-grain buyer, of Millersport ; Josiah C. and Benjamin
F. on the home place'. Mr. Miller was grandfather to thirty children
and great grandfather to four. They were members of the United
Brethren Church. In 1875, Mr. Miller contributed $700 to the erection
of the United Brethren Church. He was a successful farmer, owning
at his death two hundred and sixty acres — the home place and one hun-
332 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
dred and ten acres elsewhere in the county. He died December 3,
1882, in his eightieth year.
Miller, Henry, farmer, Walnut township ; son of Abraham and Eliz-
abeth (Brumback) Miller. He was born in Walnut township, November
12, 1805. Abraham Miller, born in Pennsylvania, removed to Virginia,
where he was married and came with his wife and five children to Ohio
in the spring of 1805, settling in this township, on the place owned by
David Miller, which is still owned by his heirs. Abraham entered a one-
half section of land and improved it. He raised a tairnly of nine chil-
dren, two now living: Barbara, widow of Joseph Berry, a resident of
Iowa, and Henry Miller. Abraham Miller was Justice of the Peace for
a number of years. He was a member of Menonite Church. He died
September 3, 1831 ; his- widow, March 6, 1862, in her ninety-first year.
Henry Miller completed his education and helped in clearing the home
place. In 1826, his father gave him a one-fourth section of land. This
he improved. He built a hewed log house, where his present residence
stands. In 1839, ^^ ^'^^ married to Rachel Ann Biddell, who was born
in this county. To that marriage have been born eight children, four
of whom are living, Mrs. Miller died about 1861. Mr. Miller now
owns five hundred acres. He never desired office, but accepted that of
township treasurer one year. In 1862 Mr. Miller was married to Miss
Mary Shane, who was born in Walnut township. They are the parents
of three children, one living. Alma Jane, residing with her father.
Mrs. Miller died in 1872. Mr. Miller is a member of the Baptist
Church. He owns one hundred and sixty acres of land, which he
cleared. He is a self-made man.
Miller, Mrs. Barbara, was born in Pleasant township, February
5, 1813, daughter of Abraham and Mary M. (Musselman) Hite.
Abraham Hite was a son of Abraham Hite, Sr., a sketch of whose life
appears elsewhere. Mrs. Miller's father settled in Pleasant township
about 1805 or 1806, remaining there seven years. He came to Walnut
township in 1816, and settled on the place now owned by his daughter,
Mrs. Miller. He built the brick residence now occupied by her, in 1826.
He raised a family of three daughters, all living in Walnut township.
He was a member of the Baptist Church. He died in i860. Mrs.
Miller was married December i, 183 1, to John W. Miller, who was
born in this county, March 25, 1809. After marriage the young couple
resided on a portion of the Hite place ; afterwards took charge of the
home place, and still reside there. They were the parents of nine chil-
dren, of whom five are living: Mary Magdaline, wife of B. F. War-
ner, of Walnut township ; Jacob D., residing on a portion of the home
place ; Elizabeth, the wife of B. F. Winters, a resident of this township ;
Samuel W., married and living on the home place ; Benjamin F., born
Mav 4, 1854 married in 1875, ^^^ Miss Emma F. Cook. They are the
parents of three children, one son and one daughter living. Mr. Miller
died September 26, 1876. His widow, assisted by her sons, conducts
the home place. Mrs. Miller is a member of the Baptist Church.
Miller, Alexander, farmer, Libert}^ township. He was born in
Shenandoah countv, Virginia, January 13, 1814 ; the son of Peter and
Christiana (Hise}) Miller. He was educated in the common schools
of Virginia. He remained with his parents and engaged in farming
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 333
until he came to Ohio, in 1836. He located in Liberty township and
began work at the carpenters' trade, of which he had acquired some
knowledge before leaving his native State. In October, 1837, he was
married, to Hester, daughter of John Bright. He settled the following
year on the place where he still resides ; it was then entirely wild, but
has since been transibrmed into a fine improved farm, of two hundred
and forty-nine acres, with modern and commodious farm buildings.
Mr. and Mrs. Miller are the parents of thirteen children, of whom the
following are living : Peter, living upon the family homestead ; Har-
riet, the wife of Henry Smith, of Liberty township; Enoch F., who,
also, resides on a part of the home place ; Hannah, now Mrs. John
M3'ers. of Indiana ; Mary, the wife of Ezra Smith; John H., James
P., Ellen and Caroline Augusta, still at home. Mr. Miller and family
are members of the Lutheran church. His sons, Peter and Enoch F.,
were in the One Hundred and Sixtieth O. V. I. during the late war.
Miller, Samuel M. B., farmer. Walnut township. He was born
in this township Februar}- 8, 1837 ; the second son of James and Nar-
cisa (Shaw) Miller. James Miller was born in this township August
II, 181 1 ; only son of James Sr., who came to Ohio in 1801 or 1802,
settling on the place now owned by his grandson, S. M. B. Miller.
He entered one-fourth section of land and built a log house, where he
spent his da3's ; he died in 1847. James Miller, Jr., was married Jul v
3, 1834, to Narcisa Shaw, daughter of William Shaw, at one time a
resident of Walnut township, afterwards of Auglaize count}^ Ohio.
Mrs. Miller was born in Fa3-ette county, Virginia, October 5, 1814.
James Miller) resided on the home place until his death. They were
the parents of two sons ; D. L. died November, 1856, in his 21st 3^ear,
and S. M. B. James Miller was a member ot the Methodist Pro-
testant church. He died November 18, 1877. His widow is still liv-
ing. , S. M. B. M. was married Januar\^ i, 1863, to Miss Louisa,
daughtar of Elijah Berry: she was born in this count3'^ January 11,
1842. The3^ are the parents of three sons, E. B., J. M. and C. M.
Mr. Miller is a member of the I. O. O. F. He owns ninety-three acres
of land, and is a worth3^ citizen.
Miller, Henry G., was born in Guernsey county, Ohio, March
2, 1836. He resided in that county until 1850, when he removed lo
Morgan count3', and from there to Fairfield county, in 1865. He was
married October 29, i860, to Mary Melissa Nulton, who was born in
Washington count3-, Ohio, December 4, 1838. Their children are :
Alonzo E., born May 5, 1862 ; Lena E., born May 20, 1864 ; Lizzie L.,
born October 14, 1866; Flora W., born December 26, 1868; George
H-^, born March 25, 187 1 ; Anna F., born November 20, 1873 ; Mar3%
born May 4, 1876. Mr. Miller is one of the wealthiest farmers in
Pleasant township, and is the owner of a very fine residence.
Minehart, Absalo:m, farmer, Libert3' township. He was born in
Liberty township April 17, 1818; the son of Adam and Julia Ann
Minehart. Adam Minehart came to Ohio from Pennsylvania, in 1802,
he being at that time eighteen years of age. He entered a farm of
eighty acres, which he cleared. The farm is now owned b3' Joseph
Snider. Mr. Minehart occupied his time during winter teaching
school. He studied and taught both the English and German branches,
334 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
in which he become very proticient. In 1816 he was married. In 1833
he removed to the farm now owned by his son, Absalom, which he
had purchased some 3^ears before. Here he reared his family of seven
children. He remained here during his lifetime, and died June 14,
1848 ; his wife survived him, living with her son, Absalom, until his
death, in February, 187 1. Absalom received a good education, be-
ing competent to teach both the English and German languages. He is
a farmer and ownes one hundred and sixty acres of fine land ; in this
business he is successful. He married Miss Catharine Wagey in 1854 '
she was born in Licking county June 10, 1832. They are the parents
of three children — Adam, Jr., residing on the home farm ; Michael, at
home with his parents ; and Angle Louisa, born October 22, 1873. The
family are members of the Reform church.
MiTHOFF, George Augustus, retired, Lancaster. He was born
in Hanover, Germany, October i, 1813 : the son of Hector and
Ernestine (Rinehart) Mithofl'. After receiving a fair education in his
native country he came with his parents lo America in 1828. The
family first located in Pennsylvania, where, in company with his
brother, he engaged in the mercantile business, until the removal of
the family to Fairfield county, in 1840, settling in Lockville, where
George Augustus kept store several years. Subsequently he entered
the distilling business, and conducted it with great success, until his re-
tirement from active business, about 1869. January 28, 1844, Mr.
Mithoff married Cecelia, daughter of Captain Frederick Whittle, a
veteran of Waterloo, who came to Fairfield county in 1830. Mrs.
Mithoff was born in Germany, in 1825. They are the parents of eight
children, seven now living, Louisa, now Mrs. Charles Creed, residing
in Lancaster; Anna, the wife of Charles E. Martin, of Lancaster;
Hector A., book-keeper at the Hocking Valle}^ works ; Thomas, cashier
of the Hocking Valley National Bank ; George, employed at the same
place ; Lewis and Augustus. In 1859 ^^^"- Mithoff became a resident
of Lancaster, soon after purchasing several hundred acres of land,
upon which is an elegant residence, where the family still reside. He
was a prosperous and esteemed citizen, and for many years was presi-
dent of the Hocking Valley Bank.
Mortal, A. B. & Son, dealers in groceries, provisions, stoves
and tinware. East Rushville, Ohio.
MuMAUGH, John R., dealer in real estate, etc., Lancaster. He was
born in this county, Januar}^ 26, 1818 : son of William and Sarah (Reese)
Mumaugh. William Mumaugh was a native of the State of Maryland ;
born in 1795. He came with his father, Conrad Mumaugh, to Ohio in
1804, locating in Montgomer}^ county, near Dayton. In 1808, the fami-
1}^ removed to this count}-, settling in Hocking towmship, where Conrad
Mumaugh died about 183 1. William Mumaugh married in 1817, loca-
ting in Hocking township, where he lived until 1838, when he removed
to Allen county, three miles east of Lima. He died there in 1875.
John R., the eldest son of a family of eight sons and three daughters,
of whom all but one daughter are living. After acquiring an education,
John R. taught school for a brief period. In 1839, he came to Lancas-
ter, opening an office, and engaging in collecting and general book-
keeping ; to this he added the real estate business ; his services as ad-
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 335
ministrator, guardian, trustee and assignee, were in demand. Mr.
Mumaugii was director and stockholder of the Lancaster Branch
of the State Bank of Ohio, for fifteen 3'ears, until the institution was
changed to the Hocking Valley National Bank, with which he was
connected for three years. . He disposed of his bank stock, and has
since given his attention to real estate operations and milling, combined
with the management of several farms which he owns, consisting of
some four hundred acres in the vicinity of Lancaster. In December,
1841, he married Miss Hosannah, daughter of Frederick Shaeffer, a
former well known resident of Lancaster. They are the parents of six
children, four of whom are living: Sarah, Charles F., with his father,
engaged in business ; John S., a resident of San Francisco, California,
by profession a lawyer, but at present turning his whole attention to
stenograph}', or short-hand writing ; and Mary Fannie, still at home.
The family are members of St. John's Episcopal Church. Of this so-
ciet}' Mr. Mumaugh is senior warden. He is also connected with the
L O. O. F. and Masonic order. He occupies an elegant residence on
Main street.
MuRPHEY, William, farmer, Walnut township. He was born in
Walnut township, July 12, 1818 ; only son of William, Sr. and Hester
(Whitaker) Murphey. William, Sr., was born in Baltimore countv,
Maryland, in 1774. He came to Ohio in iSoo, and explored what is
now Fairfield county, while trapping and hunting. At this he saved
enough money to enter three and one-fourth sections of land ; now the
family home. In 1803 or '4, he settled on the place and cleared it. At
that time he built a log house, and afterward erected a brick. He
raised a family of eight children — one son and five daughters are living.
He was a prominent man, and a liberal supporter of all worthy and
Christian objects. He died January 8, 1854. William Murphey, Jr.,
after completing his education, was married December 25, 1849, ^^ Miss
Mary J., daughter of Thomas Cherr\% a farmer of Walnut township.
Mrs. Murphey was born August 22, 1830. They are the parents of
eight children : Albert, a merchant of Millersport ; Kate, wife of J. T.
Gill, of Walnut township; May, wife of A. W. Fry, of Salem, Ohio;
Charles, Emma, Thomas, William and Frank, at home. Belinda, born
December, 1870, died in her sixteenth 3^ear. Mr. Murphey had one
residence destroyed by fire ; he replaced it by a handsome home resi-
dence. He has three hundred and fift}^ acres of land, one hundred and
ninety-eight acres taken by the State for reservoir. Mrs. M. is a mem-
ber of the M. E. church. He is a member of the Masonic order.
MussER, Henry, farmer. Walnut township. He was born in Wal-
nut township, December 30, 1819; the eldest son of Ulrick and Eliza-
beth (Fry) Musser. Ulrick Musser was born in Berne, Switzerland, in
1790. He emigrated with his father, John Musser, to America, in 1803.
The family settled in Somerset, Pennsylvania, where they remained
nine years, when John Musser removed with his family to Ohio, settling
in Walnut township in 181 2. He entered a quarter section of land in
the vicinity of Baltimore. He died in 1828. Ulrick Musser purchased
a quarter section in 1818, which is still owned and occupied bv his
widow, now ninety years of age. He was a member of the Lutheran
church. He served in the War of 1812. He died June 11, 1853, leaving
336 Biographical sketches.
a family of seven children. Henry Musser was deprived of the advan-
tages of an early education, but he has intbrmed himself until he is a
man of more than ordinary intelligence. Mr. Musser is one of the
largest land owners in the county, owning one thousand one hundred
acres, of which the home farm contains over seven hundred acres ; this
place is handsomely improved. In 1869, he erected a residence, cost-
ing i^3,ooo. In politics he is a Republican. In i860 he was married
to Miss Ellen Lamb, a daughter of one of the pioneers of Walnut town-
ship, where Mrs. Musser was born in 1828. The}^ are the parents of
two daughters: Viola, the wife of Dr. A. A. Thoman, of Baltimore;
Etta is still at home.
Musser, Mrs. Barbara, was born in Libert}^ township, April 16,
1826; slie is the only daughter of Sebastian and Barbara (Goss) Leo-
nard. She received a good education in the schools of her youth, and
remained at home until her marriage to William Musser, in June, 1853.
Mr. Musser was born in this county in 1826, and was a farmer and
teacher until 185 1, when he went to Basil, where he entered the service
of Sebastian Lenord as a salesman, a position he filled until obliged to
relinquish on account of ill health. He, with his wife, were active
members of the Reformed church, and both good workers in the church
and Sabbath school. Their two children, Emma and Willie, died in in-
fancy. Mr. Musser died March 3, 1859. Since this time Mrs. Mus-
ser has lived a Christian's life, and is universally loved by all who
know her.
Nau, Dr. J. G., of Carroll, was born February 10, 1850, near Su-
gar Grove, this county, son of Jacob Nau, now of Groveport, Ohio.
His ^mother was Margaret Bradly, whose father settled in an earl}^ day
near Mr. Claypools, this township. Dr. Nau received his education
at the Lebanon College, Ohio, and at the Miami Medical College, Cin-
cinnati, <>-raduati.ng from that institution with the degree of M. D., in
the year 1876. He began the study of medicine under his brother, now
deceased, John H. Nau, in 1873, who had settled in the practice of his
profession in Carroll in 1871, but died in 1875. In 1877 Dr. Nau mar-
ried Miss Katie E. Courtright : she died March 17, 1880. Dr. Nau be-
came a member of the Hocking Valley Medical Association in 1876.
Was elected its president in 1879. In 1877 ^^ received his appoint-
ment as Medical Examiner for the U. B. Mutual Aid Society of Penn-
sylvania, and for the Union Mutual Compan}^ of Maine. He has been
Clerk of the Union School Board of Carroll since 1877. Is member of
the Ohio State Medical Association and is also Examining Ph3'sician of
the Carroll Council of the American Legion of Honor. He built his
residence in 1879.
Needels, B. J., physician, Lithopolis, Ohio, born April i, 1814, in
Bloom township, Fairfield county, Ohio, son of George and Kizia
(Jackson) Needels. His parents were both born in Delaware and
came to Bloom township and settled on the farm now known as the Bo-
vino- farm. They were among the early pioneers of this township.
His father's family numbered fourteen children and they lived to see all
married except one who died in infancy. Mr. Needels, the subject of
this sketch was twice married; the first took place October 3, 1833 to
Miss Catharine Ewing, who was born April 20, 181 2, in this county,
kiSTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 33y
daughter of William and Maiy (England) Evving. Mrs. Needels died
in Missouri in 1862. This union was blessed with five children, viz. :
William E,, Elizabeth J., George and Kizia, (twins), and Sarah A.,
all of whom are married and living in different States of the Union.
His second marriage was to Nancy Bovven, of Morrow county, Ohio.
In 1833 Mr. Needles went to Knox count^^ after remaining there two
years he moved to Hancock count3^ where he remained eighteen vears,
and then went to Gentr\' county, Missouri, returning again to this town-
ship in 1862. Mr. Needles began the practice of medicine in 1843 and
has continued it ever since, having at all times unusually good success.
The Doctor, becoming old and somewhat intirm, has concluded to re-
tire from his practice, except in very urgent cases where his services
are badly needed.
NoRRis, JosEPHus, deceased. He was born in Perrv county, Au-
gust 2, 183 1, and was a son of Thomas and Nanc}' Norris. Came to
Liberty township, where he purchased forty acres of land, and, with
H. G. Black, built a mill at Baltimore. He raised six children to ma-
turity, of whom but three are now living. His own death occurred
May 13, 1864. Josephus Norris spent his youth on the farm and en-
joyed the educational advantages of his day. Bv close reading he be-
came a man of more than ordinary intelligence. When eighteen 3'ears
old, he began learning the miller's trade, at which vocation he was very
successful-; at the same time he followed farming with equal suc-
cess. My. Norris was married, December 26. 1856, to Miss Rebecca
Jane Smith, who was born in Libert}- township, November 28, 1835.
They became the parents of nine children, six of whom are living :
Mary Electa, Clara Victorine, the wife of Hiram H. Burv ; Elmer E.,
Joseph Eddy, Grant and Lina Elizabeth. The home farm contains
one hundred and seventeen acres, upon which Mr. Norris built a fine
brick house in 1871. Mr. Norris died March i, 1882. Mrs. Norris
and her two sons now operate the farm and mill.
NouRsE, John Daniel, M. D., physician and surgeon, Lancaster,
Ohio, was born November 30, 1827, in Sharpsburg, Washington coun-
ty. Mainland ; son of Charles and Susan A. (Cameron) Nourse. Dr.
Nourse's great grandfather, James Nourse, left London in 1769, emi-
grated to America, and settled at Hampton Roads, 'Virginia, in 1770.
The subject of this sketch spent his bo}'hood days until his fourteenth
year, in Sharpsburg, Burkittsville and Frekerick City, Maryland, and
Sheperdstown, Jefterson county, Virginia, his father teaching school in
the above-named places. In 1841 his father moved to Ohio, settled in
Fairfield countv, and taught school, first in Rushville, and afterward in
Lancaster. While living in Rushville, in Jul}' of 1841, J. D. entered the
store of T. B. & C. Paden, of Pleasantville, same count}%' as a clerk, and
spent the six following 3^ears in clerking and teaching, and taught his
first school before he was sixteen years of age. Tn 1847 he went to
Alabama and taught school two years among the planters on the Tom-
bigbee River. During his stay there he commenced the study of medi-
cine with one of his patrons, who was a physician. He returned to
Ohio in Jul}', 1849, ^^^ entered the oflice of Dr. D. A. Fisher, of Balti-
more, Fairtield county, where he continued his studies until April, 1851,
attending medical lectures in Cleveland in the winter seasons, efradua-
48 ^
338 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
tiiii^ Februar}' 26, 185 1. He then located in Baltimore, and was mar-
ried May I, 185 1, to Miss Catharine M. Berry, of New Salem, Ohio.
They are the parents of two children, viz. : Darlin<^ton B., born Feb-
ruary II, 1858, and John H., born April 19, 1865. In 1859 Di'- Nourse
moved to Rushville, Ohio, where he was engaged in merchantile busi-
ness for tvventv-two years, when in the winter of 1862 and 1863 he
again attended medical lectures, this time at the Jefferson Medical Col-
lege, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after which he moved to Reynolds-
burg, Franklin county, Ohio, in October, 1864, and in May, 1877
moved to Lancaster, Ohio, where he now resides, and is in active prac-
tice of his profession.
Oliver, W. W., blacksmith, Baltimore; born in the city of New
York, February 9, 1826; son of Thomas and Sarah (Lamberson)
Oliver. Was married to Eliza Bury, June 28, 1849, ^"^^^^^ ^^^^ Feb-
ruar}^ 27, 1867. They had six children, viz. : William H., born June
27, 185 1 ; Edward W"., born February 25, 1853 ; John O., born May 14,
18^9; Olie O., born February 18, i860; Francis B., born January 18,
1862, and Tiilie, born June 18, 1866. Mr. Oliver was married to Mary
Baker, June 26, 1869; had two children, Rosa E., born January 22,
1872, and Charles F., born October i, 1876. Mr. Oliver was in Com-
pany K, Seventeenth Ohio Regiment ; was wath Sherman on his march
to the sea. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., both subordinate and
encampment.
Ormax, Henry, builder and contractor, Lancaster. He was born
in Maryland, June 15, 1804. After acquiring a common school educa-
tion, at the age of fourteen he commenced an apprenticeship of seven
years and combined the trades of cabinet maker and carpenter. Be-
fore fully completing it he started on foot for Ohio, in 1823, reaching
Somerset, Perry county. He remained there until April, 1824, when he
came to Lancaster, working as journeyman. He then worked on the
old market house then in course ol erection, receiving eighteen dollars
per month and board. He began the building and contracting business
in 1826, and continued successfully until retiring from active life in re-
cent years. He is a vigorous and genial old gentleman. Although
never desiring public office he was a member of the city council one
term. He has been a member of the Masonic order since 1826, and is
an exemplary member of the English Lutheran church. He was unit-
ed in marriage February' 23, 1828, to Ann Beck. Mrs. Orman was
born in Lancaster in 1808. To them have been born eight children, of
whom live are living, viz. : Henry Jr., is a carpenter and resident of
Arcadia, California; Jacob B., Thomas and George, compose the tirm
of J. B. Orman & Brothers, and Ellen still at home. Jacob B. Orman,
the senior member of the enterprising firm of Orman Brothers, was
born in Lancaster, January 14, 1834, where he acquired a fair educa-
tion, subsequently learning the carpenter trade, wiiich he followed until
1862, when he was appointed Quartermaster of the Ninetieth O.V.L, and
wdth that regiment took part in many hard fought battles, including
Stone River, Chickamauga and the campaign to Atlanta. He was
also at Franklin, and at Nashville was promoted to the captainc}' in the
Quartermaster's department in 1864, serving until the close of the war.
Returning to civil life he organized the firm of J. B. Orman & Brothers
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 339
in 1868. This tirm deals extensively in lumber, sash, doors, blinds and
building material, also conducting a plaining mill. Mr. J. B. Orman is
an active member of the order of Free Masons, also the G. A. R.
George, the 3'oungest son of Henry Orman, was also a member of a
Fairrield county regiment during the rebellion, and served during the
war, the greater part of the time being on detached duty at Columbus
and Washington.
Ortman, Simon, retired, Walnut township. He was born in Fred-
erick county, Mar3dand, x\pril 28, 1811 ; the only son of Jacob and
Mar}^ (Brown) Ortman. Jacob Ortman, a native of Maryland, was
born September 17, 1783, and came with his wife and three children to
Ohio in 1825. They settled in Walnut township on the place now owned
by Frank Foster. He purchased one-fourth section of land, partially
improved. In 1832 he built the residence still occupied on the place.
He raised a lamily of three children. He was a member of the Meth-
odist Episcopal church. He owned at his death some two hundred and
fifty acres of land. He died October 2, 1849 ; his widow in April, 1854.
Simon Ortman, after completing his education, engaged in farming.
He married May 22, 1834, Miss Elsie, daughter of Rev. James Hooper,
a former itinerant preacher in the Methodist Episcopal church, and a
resident of Perry county. Mrs. Ortman was born in Perry county,
September 26, 1813. Mr. Ortman became a resident of Perry county
after his marriage, until 1868, when he came to New Salem and lived
three years. In the spring of 1872 he returned to the farm and
lived there five 3'^ears, when he returned to New Salem and built the
fine residence in which he resides. To his first marriage were born
three children, viz. : Maggie, who is the wife of M. C. Bugh ; she
died in 1878, in her twenty-second year; Benson C, a merchant of
New Salem, and one who died in infancy. The first Mrs. Ortman died
October i, 1875. In 1877 he was united in marriage to Louisa Baker,
who lived three years after marriage; she died September 22, 1880.
June I. 1882, he was married to Mrs. Mary E. Darnell, daughter of
John R. Connell, of Adams county, Ohio. Mr. Ortman was licensed
as local preacher of the Methodist Episcopal church in 1852. Mrs.
Ortman, when married to Mr. Ortman, was the mother of one son,
Wilber M. Darnell, born September 9, 1863, who resides with his par-
ents.
OuTCALT, James, Lancaster. He is the oldest son of John and
Mary A. (Clark) Outcalt. John Outcalt was born in New Jersey in
1812. He came with his parents to Ohio in 1820. The}- settled in
Hocking township, v\'here they lived for a number of years ; thence
removing to Liberty, and purchasing the farm now owned by Joseph
Snider. In 1853 John Outcalt changed his place of residence, select-
ing for his home the farm. It is now owned and occupied b}- his son,
and there his widow still resides. Mrs. Outcalt is a lady of^ sixty-five
years, though appearing many years younger. She is a lady of fine
culture, and lield in the highest esteem by her man}^ friends. John
Outcalt died vSeptember 22, 1878. James secured a good education.
During the winter months he taught school, and in the summer assisted
at home. In 1858 he engaged in clerking in Morrow county. He
remained here until the fall of 1861, when he enlisted in the Seven-
340 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
teenth O. V. I. He was in active service three years, and participated
in the battles of Stone River, Chickamanga, and Atlanta. He was
also with Sherman on his famous march to the sea. When his term of
enlistment had expired, he re-enlisted and took part in the grand re-
view at Washington. At the close of the war he had attained the rank
of First Lieutenant, and was also Acting Qiiartermaster a part of the
time while in the service. He returned to civil life in July, 1865. Mr.
Outcalt engaged in mercantile business in Crawford and Morrow coun-
ties until the spring of 1880, when he returned to Fairfield county. He
was united in marriage in May, 1868, to Miss Mary J. Lyon, of Morrow
county. Mr. and Mrs. Outcalt are the parents of three children —
Bertha M., Edwin C. and J. Milton. The family are members of the
Baptist Church. Mr. Outcalt is also a member of the Masonic
order.
Outcalt, Gilbert, farmer, Liberty township. He was born in
Middlesex county. New Jersey, October 12, 1803; son of John T. and
Mar}^ (Taylor) Outcalt. He came with his parents to Ohio in 1820,
settling in Liberty township, on the farm now owned by G. W. Reel-
horn. Gilbert improved such educational advantages as were offered in
New Jersey. In Libertv township he assisted his father in clearing
their farm, remaining at home until his marriage to Miss Nancy Camp-
bell, in March, 1826. She was born in Rockingham count3^ Virginia,
January .10, 1808. For some ^^ears the young couple resided on the old
Campbell farm, Mrs. Outcalt falling heir to a portion of the old place
at the death of her father. Mr. and Mrs. Outcalt removed to
Coltimbus in 1868, remaining there until their return to their former
residence in 1878. The home farm contains one hundred and fifty
acres, finely cultivated. Mr. Outcalt is engaged largely in raising and
selling stock. Of the ten children in this family, two died in infancy ;
Andrew, who was born in 1827, died in August, 1863 ; Mary Catharine
is now the wife of G. Zone, of Columbus ; Harvey C. is a resident of
Columbus; Henr}^ D. resides upon the home place; Thomas J. is an
assistant in the post office at Columbus ; A. Judson and Hiram are con-
nected with the Deaf and Dumb Asylum at Columbus ; Sarah was the
wife of Alfred Farranger. She died in February, 1876, leaving one
son, Claude, who is now residing with his grandparents. Four of Mr,
Outcalt's sons rendered able assistance during the late war. Thomas,
Henry and Judson enlisted in the Seventeenth O. V. L, and partici-
pated in all the engagements of that regiment for three years. A. Jud-
son was wounded at the battle of Lookout Mountain ; Thomas lost an
arm in the engagement at Murfreesboro. Hiram -served with the one
hundred day men. The family are members of the Baptist Church.
Palmer. William, farmer, Walnut township. He was born in
Richland township, February 20, 1819; son of Jonathan and Nancy
(Dundon) Palmer. Jonathan Palmer, a native of Delaware, born in
1783, came witli his wife and four children to Ohio in 1818, settling in
Richland township ; a portion of the place is now owned by his son,
John Palmer. He cleared this place, and there raised his family of
eleven chileren, of which five sons and one daughter remain. He was
a member of the M. E. Church. He died in May, 1859, ^'^'^^ widow in
.1862. William Palmer availed himself of a common school education.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
341
He was married November 22, 1840. to Margaret Havermill, who was
born in Missom-i, January i, 1823. Tlie}^ are the parents of ten chil-
dren, of whom five are living. Elizabeth, wife of Hamilton Elder, a
resident of Walnut township ; Catharine, wife of David Miller, a resi-
dent of Thorn township. Perry county ; Nancy, wife of Henry H. Hite,
of Walnut township; Rebecca, wife of Lewis S. Hite, and Jonathan,
residing on the home farm, who was born August 27, 1848. He was
married March 18, 1880, to Emily, daughter of Henry Miller. They
are the parents of one son. Mr. Palmer moved to Walnut township
from Richland in 1865. Mrs. Palmer died June 17, 1870. In the
spring of 187 1 the family moved to the present place of residence,
which he recently purchased. In 1880 he built a handsome residence.
Mr. Palmer was married the second time March 12, 1872, to Ann
Elizabeth, daughter of Peter Sperry, a tbrmer well-known resident of
Walnut township. The family are members of the M. E. Church.
Mr. Palmer and son are members of the Masonic order.
Palmetek, M., dentist, Lancaster. He was born in Coldwater,
Michigan. He studied dentistry in Indiana, engaging in practice in
Kendall ville, and in Elkhart. He came to Ohio. in 1874, ^^^ located
at once in this city. His office is on Broad street, over the grocery of
John D. Jackson. His rooms are excellently fitted, and accord well with
the character and habits of the man.
Parido, Charles W., County Recorder, Lancaster. He was born
in Clark county, Kentucky, September 22, 1844, eldest son of William
and Mary H. Parido. William Pando was a farmer, a well-known
resident of Pleasant township, Two of his sons are living — Charles
W. and Robert T., the latter a resident of Indiana. His youngest son,
William P., was a member of the One Hundred and Twenty-sixth, O.
V. I. He was killed at the battle of the Wilderness, May 6, 1864.
Charles W. was a pupil at the common schools until fifteen years old,
when he attended the Fairfield Union Academy, graduating' from that
institution tn 1866. He then engaged in teaching a number of years,
until elected Recorder of Fairfield county in 188 1. He is a member of
the M. E. Church, also the I. O. O. F.
Parrish, Benjamin, farmer. Liberty township. He was born in
this township Januar}^ 14, 1823 ; son of John and Rebecca (Belt) Par-
rish. John Parrish was born in Baltimore county, Maryland, in 1792.
He first visited Ohio in 181 3. In 18 15 he came with his father to Ohio ;
the latter was born in Maryland in 1757. They settled in Walnut town-
ship on the place owned by Mrs. Margaret "Parrish. He purchased
three hundred acres. He was a shoemaker by trade. He died in 1844.
^ In belief he was a Qiiaker. John cleared the home place. He married
a daughter of Joseph Belt. They were the parents of three sons and
one daughter; three are living — Benjamin; Alfred, a carpenter by
trade, and a resident in Licking count}^ ; Mary resides with her brother
Benjamin in Liberty township. John Parrish died February 3, 186S,
his wife in 1830. Benjamin Parrish never had the opportunities of an
education until of age, his mother's death devolving many cares upon
him. He took charge of the home place for two years. He was sub-
sequently with his brother, making his home in the family. In the
spring of 1879 ^^^ located on the place where he now lives, in Liberty
342 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
township. He owns one hundred and forty-four acres. In 1880 he
built a handsome residence. He is a genial and pleasant gentleman.
Parrish, Mrs. Margaret, Walnut township. She was born in
this township October 20, 1825, and is thu ^youngest daughter of Samuel
and Sarah Coffman, earl}^ settlers in Walnut township. November 11,
1850, she W(is married to Leonard Parrish, a son of John Parrish, who
settled early on the farm, still the home of the family. John Parrish
came with his father, Aquilla, in 1815, from Maryland. He entered
three hundred acres of land. Leonard Parrish was born on the home
place November 13, 1820. He was a farmer, and raised a family of
three sons and two daughters — Alonzo, born Jul}^ 27. 1853 ; Harley,
August 27, 1855 ; Melissa Angelica, January 5, 1857 ; Rosa Lee, March
6, 1861, and Joseph, Januar^^ 6, 1867. The family now own one hun-
dred and seventy-five acres of well-improved land, on which a commo-
dious residence was built in 1861. Mr. Parrish died April 4, 1874, since
which time Mrs. Parrish and her sons have managed the farm. The
family are members of the M. E. Church, to which Mrs. Parrish has
belonged over forty years. The two oldest sons are members of the
L O. O. F., and one daughter and one son are Good Templars,
Paul, John, farmer, Walnut township. He was born in thit town-
ship, Fairfield county, January 25, 1816; son of Jacob and Mary
(Beard) Paul. Jacob Paul was born in Switzerland in 1772. He emi-
grated with his parents to America in 1804. The family settled in Vir-
ginia, where Jacob Paul remained about one 3-ear, when he came to
Ohio, locating in Fairfield count}-, and entered one hundred and sixty
acres of land, the present site of Pleasantville. He married Mary
Beard, and lived for two years on the first named place. He then pur-
chased the place now owned by his son John, which also contains one
hundred and sixty acres. Here he built a fine hewed log house. He
raised a family of six sons and two daughters. He died in 1852, his
widow in 1859. J*^^''" Paul received a tair education, which he has im-
proved by a careful course of reading. He has always engaged in
farming. When the canal was built, Mr. Paul held the position of
foreman for repairing the section between Newark and Carroll. Mr.
Paul has always lived on the home place. In 1844 he was married to
Miss Emil}' Watson, daughter of William Watson, a pioneer of Wal-
nut township. She was born May 18, 1822. They are the parents of
eight children — Francis M., of the firm of Paul & Holland, of Basil;
W. W., a resident of Iowa; J. M., a member of the bar in Carroll
City, Carroll county, Iowa ; Geoj:;ge E., a resident of Walnut township ;
Amanda V., the wife of Frank B. Wiseman, of Rushville, Ohio;
Emma S., the wife of Nathan Melick, of Richland township; John
Wesle}^ and Mary Etta, at home. The family are members of the M.
E. Church.
Pearce, William B., retired, Lancaster. He was born in Alle-
gheny county, Pennsylvania, August 30, i860. He emigrated to Ohio
with his parents, Lewis and Lydia (Bowser) Pearce, in 181 1. The
famil}' settled in Richland township. William B. acquired a common
school education, and remained on the home farm until his eighteenth
3^ear, when he learned the carpenter and joiner trade. He came to
Lancaster in 1832, his first work in this city being on the Ewing man-
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 343
sion. He continued the carpenter business until 1859, when he removed
to a farm of one hundred and nine acres, which he still owns, located
two and one-half miles from Lancaster. He resided there and conducted
the place till the spring of 1878, when he returned to Lancaster, occu-
pying a commodious residence, built by himself in 1834. Since leaving
the farm he has led a retired life. Six years he was a member of the
Cit}'^ Council, also Trustee of Berne township one or more terms. He
is a prosperous and substantial citizen, a genial and well-preserved old
gentleman. Mr. Pearce was married in 1833 to Lavina Shellenbarger,
daughter of Samuel Shellenbarger, a pioneer of Fairfield county. To
them were born fourteen children, of whom seven sons and three daugh-
ters are living. Mrs. Pearce died in 1862. He was again married the
following year to Mrs. Sarah Calkins, daughter of George Crook, a
former resident of Berne township. Mrs. Pearce was born in Berne
township, in 1826. At the time of her marriage to Mr. Pearce, she
was the mother of two sons and two daughters — William R., J. H.,
Marie E. and Amelia A. Calkins. To the second marriage of Mr.
Pearce were born two sons and one daughter, viz. : Deleran A., Mar}^
S. and Hayden B.
Pearse, a. v., proprietor of Mithoff House, Lancaster, Ohio ; was
born Jan^rary 12, 1846, in Walnut township, Fairfield county, Ohio;
son of Janies Wilson and H. D. (Ward) Pearse. Mr. Pearse was
raised a farmer, and followed that business until 1875, when he went
into the hotel and di-y goods business at Millersport, Fairfield county,
remaining until 1877, ^^ which date he went to Somerset, Perry county,
Ohio, and kept hotel one year, from where he came to where he now
is engaged as betbre mentioned. Mr. Pearse was married December
29, 1881, to Miss Minnie, daughter of Joseph and Mary (Etlinger)
Kinkade. Mr. Pearse's lather was born and raised in Fairfield county,
Ohio, and was engaged on public works during his j'ounger days, and
assisted in the deep cut, in Walnut township, for the passage of the
Ohio canal. He lived until December of 1868. A. V. Pearse's mother
was born and raised in Onondaga county. New York ; came to Ohio at
an early day with her parents, where she became acquainted with and
married James W. Pearse.
Pence, David, Sr., deceased: was born in Virginia, Februar\^ 4,
1777. He was married to Barbara Ruffner, in Shenandoah countv,
Virginia, February 22, 1803. Their children were Aaron, born De-
cember 10, 1803; Anna, born August 9, 1806; Nelly, born March i,
1808; Polly, born Januar^^ 4, 1812 ; Joseph, born May 13, 1813 ; Re-
becca, born October 28, 1817 ; Elizabeth, born April 26, 1820 ; David,
born November 3, 1822 ; Savilla, born November 3, 1822 ; Sophia,
born Novembar 29, 1826. Mr. Pence was married a second time Feb-
ruary I, 1832, in Licking countv, Ohio, to Katharine Groves. Their
children were John, born November 7, 1832 ; Henr}-, born December
27, 1836; Samantha, born November 26, 1838; Sarah Katharine, born
July 20. 1840.
Pence, David, Jr., was born in Richland township, Fairfield coun-
ty, on the 3d da}^ of November, 1822. He was married Jul}^ 23, 1853,
to Miss Harriet N. Pugh, who was born in Walnut township, Fairfield
county, September 16, 1821. Their children were: Margaret Ann,
344 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
born May ii, 1854; Henry Clinton, born January 16, 1856. Margaret
Ann was married to Joseph S. Sites, in November, 1874. Henry Clin-
ton was married to Anna Shisler, in May, 1880. Mr. Pence is at pres-
ent one of the proprietors of' the Pleasantville flouring mills.
Pence, David & Co., proprietors Pleasantville grist mills. This
mill was erected in 1881, and is one of the largest flouring mills in Fair-
field count}'. The machinery is all new, and the firm are prepared to
do custom grinding for all who ma}' favor them with their patronage.
Pij^ters, Orrin E., merchant, Lancaster, Ohio. Son of Judge G.
M. and Miranda E. Peters ; was born in Pickawa}- county, Ohio. Feb-
ruary 4, 1842. The family moved to Columbus, Ohio, about 1845, re-
maining thereuntil the fall of 1855, and then moved to Lancaster, Ohio.
In October, 1854, Miranda E. Peters died; and in April, 1868, G. M.
Peters died. Judge Peters was an early setller in Ohio, and an exten-
sive merchant and manufacturer at Logan, for many years; at one
time holding the position of Judge in Hocking county. Ori'in E. im-
proved such educational advantages as the common schools aftbrded ;
he also took a course of studies at the commercial college of Duft', Mc-
Coy & Co., Columbus, Ohio; in February, 1856, he entered the large
dry goods house of Kutz, Reber & Co., remaining with them until Sep-
tember 6, 186 1, when he inlisted in Company A, Seventeenth Regiment
O. V. L, and was soon after made Commissary Sergeant of the Seven-
teenth Regiment, O. V. L ; being with the Regimenr in the engage-
ments of Wild Cat, Mill Springs, Hoover's Gap, Chickamauga. Mis-
sion Ridge, and many other miner engagements ; serving as volunteer
aid de camp to Colonel J. M. Connell, commanding brigade at Chicha-
mauga, and at the crossing of Brown's Ferry. In December, 1863, he
was detailed for duty in the depot commissary departments on the At-
lanta campaign ; and was mustered out of service at Atlanta, Georgia,
in October, 1864, returning to Lancaster. Mr. Peters engaged in clerk-
ing for a brief period, until March, 1865, when the Arm of Peters, Mil-
ler & Brother, was organized ; two years later, Mr. Peters purchased
the interest of Miller & Brother, and the firm was O. E. Peters until
January, i, 1870, when the firm of Peters, Trout & Co. was tbrmed,
and remained until January i, 1876, when Peters cS: Trout became sole
owners, and has continued under the firm name of Peters & Trout ever
since. In 1881, they erected the elegant and commodious building,
forty by one hundred and fifty-three feet, three stories high, which was
built especially for their business, and which they occupy. They em-
ploy from ten to twelve men on first floor, and from fifty to sixty hands
in their work shops, manufacturing custom-made clothing ; they also are
large dealers in ready-made clothing, hats, caps, gents' furnishing
goods, etc. It is certainly an establishment of which Lancaster may-
well be proud, as it has few equals in Ohio. Mr. Peters was mar-
ried February 14, 1865, to Miss Margaret Ann Eckert. They are
the parents of four children, three living — two daughters and one son.
Peters, J. A., M. D., of Dumontsville ; a prominent physician of
this town and vicinity ; is a graduate of the Reynoldsburg schools, and
of the Louisville Medical College. His literary attainments were all
that the best public and high schools could afford, and his course in
medicine thorough. He had been a student of Materia Medica many
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 345
years, completing his course of studies preparatory to his entering col-
les^e under Dr. Short of Winchester. He also attended lectures in Co-
lumbus prior to his going to Louisville, where he graduated, taking
the degree of M. D, in the Louisville Medical College, in the year 1878.
Since graduation, Dr. Peters has worked into a large and successlul
practice. The pliysicians of Dumontsville, beginning with the first,
have been Dr. Meissie, Dr. Brooks, Dr. Mills, Dr. Bright and Dr.
Peters.
PuGH, B. M.. farmer. Walnut township. He is the son of John H.
and Rachel (Murphy) Pugh, He was born in Walnut township, July
3, 1832. He was educated in the common schools, and chose the occu-
pation of farming for his vocation of life. He purchased a farm of three
hundred and eighty-two acres, which he still conducts. He is also
largeh^ engaged in bu^ang and shipping grain at different points in his
own and surrounding towns, doing the most extensive business in the
county. He is engaged now in the erection of a steam flouring mill in
Basil. It is to have a capacity for grinding one hundred bushels of
wheat per day. Mr. Pugh is widel}' and favorably known as a success-
ful and enterprising business man of the highest integrity. He was
married in November. 1859, ^*^ Miss Sarah Fall. The}' were the parents
of seven children. Mrs. Pugh died April 7. 1878. The grandfather of
Mr. Pugh came from Virginia to Walnut township in 1805. He cleared
a farm of two hundred and fifty acres, and lived here twenty-six years,
and reared a family of five sons and three daughters. John H., the
father of B. M. Pugh, owned and cultivated a farm of four hundred
acres ; he also engaged extensively in stock raising. He died March 5,
1868 ; his widow is still living with one of her sons on the home place,
in good health and with faculties unimpaired, although in her seventy-
fourth year.
Pugh, Jesse, deceased, was born near Winchester, Virginia, Sep-
tember 5, 1776, and was married to Elizabeth Hampson, about 1799.
She was born in Virginia, June 4, 1778. Tiiey had eight children, viz. :
Margaret, born December i, 1801 ; John H., born September i, 1803;
Mar3^ born July 13, 1806: Elizabeth, born May 29, 1809; Jonathan,
born June 9, 1812 : James H., born December 17, 1815 ; Daniel, born
September 2, 1818; Harriet, born September 16, 1821. All are dead,
but Harriet, wife of David Pence. Mr. Pugh came to Fairfield county
in 1803.
Rainey, S. W., Mayor of Lancaster. He was born in this city in
1842. He was married in 1866 to Miss Mary A. Koontz, who was born
in Winchester, Franklin count}^ in 1842. They are the parents of five
living childran, viz. : Ida May, Harry E., William C. ; and George H.
and Barbara E., twins. Two, John C. and Gertrude, twins, are dead.
Mr. Rainey received a good education in the Lancaster public schools.
He enlisted in Company G, Seventeenth Regiment O. V. I., and par-
ticipated in the following engagements: Hoover's Gap, Stone River,
Kingston, Siege at x\tlanta, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, and was in
Sherman's March to the Sea. Mr. Rainey remained in the service till
1865, when he was honorably discharged, and returned at once to his
home. He was elected a member ol the city council in 1877, serving
44
346 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
till 188 1. In 1879, he tilled the office of land appraiser. In 1881, he
was elected to the office he now fills.
Rauch, John, farmer, Liberty township ; the eldest son of Philip
and Susannah (Alspiiughy Rauch. He was born in Liberty township,
March 16, 1825. His father was born in Berkshire county, Pennsylva-
nia, about 1785. Philip came with his father, George Rauch, to Ohio
in 1806 or '07. They remained in the vicinity of Lancaster a few
months, and came to Liberty township the following spring, settling on
the place now owned by John Rauch. George Rauch was one of the
pioneers of the township. He had served in the Revolutionary war.
His death took place in 1829. His youngest son, Philip, raised a fami-
ly of ten children, of whom four sons and three daughters are still liv-
ing. He was a prominent member of the Lutheran church. He was a
soldier in the War of 1812. His death took place in 1841. John Rauch
improved his educational advantages, and engaged in farming the home
place. He now owns three hundred and fifty acres of finely improved
land. In 1870 he built a handsome tamily residence. He served as
township treasurer two terms, and as township trustee seven or eight
years. In 1850 he was married to Naoma Wisley. They are the par-
ents of ten children, of whom seven are living: Louisa, the wife of
Adam Rutherford of Greenfield township ; Andrew, a resident of Lib-
ert}^ townshiy ; the remaining five are at home.
Rarick, John C, farmer, Walnut township. He was born in Thorn
township, Perry county, Ohio, March i, 1836; only living son of Peter
and L3^dia (Winer) Rarick. Peter Rarick was born in Pennsylvania,
July nth, 1803. He came to Ohio with his parents the same vear.
His father cleared a farm in Thorn township and spent his days there.
His son, Peter, Jr., lived on the same place many years. He raised
a family of three sons and two daughters, all residents of Perry county
with but one exception, J. C, who resides in this county. He was a
successful farmer and stock raiser. He died August -9th, 1880. J. C.
Rarick was educated in the commoii schools and chose farming for an
occupation. He was married December i, 1859, ^^ Melissa, daughter
of John Cupp, an early resident of Thorn township. She was born in
Thorn township, Perry county, May 12th, 1S42. Mr. Rarick remained
a resident of Thorn township some three years. In 1862 he removed
to Walnut township, locating on the site of his present home — a part of
his father's estate, which he purchased from the heirs. He owns one
hundred acres. In 1870 the present residence was built, and in 1874 ^
fine barn was erected. They are the parents of four children — Ida
Jane, born December loth, i860, now the wife of Lewis Radebaugh, a
resident of Walnut townsnip ; Lydia Emma, born July 19th, 1865;
Clarence and Clara \\ ere born. January 19th, 1867. The family are
members of the Evangelical Association, and he of the I. O. O. F.
Reed, Mrs. Rebecca, Lancaster. She was born in Hagerstown,
Maryland, January 30th, 1812. Her parents, Henr}^ and Mary (Bow-
man) Arnold, were earlyand prominent residents of Lancaster, arriv-
ing there in 18 10. Henry Arnold visited Lancaster some years previ-
ous, when he had purchased some real estate. He conducted a mer-
cantile business on the southwest corner of Main and Columbus streets,
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 347
which is still known as the -'Arnold Corner." He was an enterprising
merchant and successful business man. He died September i8th, 1858.
His family consisted of eight children — three are living, viz : Elizabeth,
the widow of Dr. McNeal ; Rebecca ; and Mrs. Isabella Reinmund.
Rebecca was married June 24th, 1833, to Thomas Reed, a native of
Hanisburg, Penn., born in 1800. and a merchant by occupation. He
came to Ohio in the early settlement of the State, tirst locating at
Chillicothe, afterwards removing to Lancaster, where, at the time of
his marriage, he was a member of the firm of Reed & Reese, an ex-
tensive mercantile house. To Mr. and Mrs. Reed were born four chil-
dren, viz. : Margaret, the wife of George W. Athey (she died in 1859,
in her twenty-fourth year) ; Henry B., a book-keeper by profession
(died February 2d, 1862) ; and the third died in infancy. The only
survivor, Eloise S., resides with her mother, and is an accomplished
and efficient teacher in one of the grammar schools of this city. Mr.
Reed was a member of the Masonic order, and at the time of his death,
September 29th, i860, he was engaged in the mercantile trade.
Reese, Hon. Robert E., lawyer, Lancaster. He was born in
Rush Creek township, June 14, 1847 ; the youngest son of Thomas and
Eliza (Trimble) Reese. Thomas Reese was a native of Lancaster
count}^, Pennsylvania, and came to Rush Creek township about 1828.
He was a prominent man in his day, filling the position of Commis-
sioner of Fairfield county for two or three terms. Robert E., after
receiving an education in the common schools, followed farming for a
time, when he entered the Fairfield Union Academ}^ at Pleasantville,
graduating from there in 1868. Soon after he became a law student of
the Universit}' of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, reading law for some time
in the office of General Newton Schleick, at Lancaster. He was ad-
mitted to the bar at Washington C. H., Fayette countv, Ohio, in May,
187 1, commencing the practice of liis profession in Logan, Ohio. In
the fall of 1873 he was elected to the Ohio State Senate, and re-elected
in 1875. ^t the expiration of his second term as Senator, he removed
to Lancaster. Mr. Reese was married in 1876 to Miss Helen R. Gill.
They are the parents of two daughters, Maud and Hazel.
Reeves, John G., attorney-at-law, Lancaster, Ohio ; was born Sep-
tember 17, 1840, near this place: son of Josiah and Martha (Gra3-bill)
Reeves. Mr. Reeves was brought up on a tarm by his grandfather.
Judge John Graybill, his father having died while John G. was quite
young. He lived with his grandfather until 1861, attending school at
home in the district school, at Lancaster, and the Ohio University at
Athens, Ohio, until i860, when he commenced reading law with Martin
& Schleich, of Lancaster, continuing until 1861, when he enlisted in
the arm}' for three years, or during the war, in the Seventh O. V. C,
First Battalion, which was consolidated with, and became the First
Battalion of the Sixth O. V. C, and in 1862 were detached and became
the First Independent Battalion O. V. C, and in 1863 was formed into
the Eleventh O. V. C. Mr. Reeves enlisted as a private, and was
appointed Orderly Sergeant of Company C, December 21, 1861,
in which capacity he served about eleven months. September 21,
1862, he was appointed as Second Lieutenant of the same company,
and June 9, 1863, was promoted to First Lieutenant, and lipon the or-
348 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
ganization of the Eleventh O. V. C. was appointed its Adjutant, and
soon after was appointed Adjutant of Post of Fort Laramie, and soon
after that he received the appointment of Provost Marshal of the Dis-
trict of Fort Laramie. In the spring of 1864 he was appointed Assist-
ant Inspector of the Western Division of the District of Nebraska, unon
the staff' of General Robert Mitchell, who was in command of the Dis-
trict of Nebraska. Mr. Reeves' jurisdiction extended from Julesburo-,
Nebraska, to South Pass City, W3'oming Territor}-. He was also
chosen as Captain of Company L, Eleventh Regiment, but was not
mustered in on account of the close of the war, but served out his time
as Inspector. Was honorably discharged in April of 1865, when he
returned home. His regiment was engaged in guarding the overland
mail and emigrant route from Julesburg, Nebraska, to South Pass, Wyo-
ming Territory, and on the South Platte route from Julesburg to Fort
liallack, and was engaged in several skirmishes with the Indians, the
most prominent being that at Mud Springs, which lasted five days.
After his return home, and in May of 1865, he was admitted by the
Supreme Court of Ohio to the practice of law, and immediately began
a practice in this place, which he still continues. In 1880 at "Cincin-
nati he was admitted to the practice of law in the United States Courts.
In 1867 he was elected City Solicitor of this place, which he held two
successive terms of two years each. In 1871 he was elected Prosecut-
ing Attorney of Fairfield count}^ Ohio, which office he held three
successive terms of two years each. He is now Grand Commander of
Ohio of American Legion of Honor, and has filled the office of Grand
Vice Regent of Royal Arcanum. Mr. Reeves was married January
29, 1866, to Lizzie R., daughter of Samuel Hooker, Sr., and Sarah
(Shull) Hooker, of Hooker's Station, near this place. The}' are the
parents of one child, viz. : Harry E.
Reinmund, Mrs. Isabella C., Lancaster. She was born in Lan-
caster, January 5, 1827, youngest daughter of Henry and Mary (Bow-
man) Arnold. She was educated in Lancaster, and at the Episcopal
Seminar}^ at Granville, Ohio. She was married to Benjamin F.
Reinmund, who was born in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania,
September 29, 1820. Early in life he commenced mercantile pur-
suits in his father's (Joseph Reinmund's) store, in Lancaster. Joseph
Reinmund was an early and successful merchant in Lancaster. Benja-
min F. was also engaged with his father in the banking business, in
connection with John D. Martin. Mr. Reinmund afterward conducted
an insurance and real estate business, which he continued until his
death. He was a member ot the English Lutlieran Churcli, and super-
intended its Sunday school thirty years. At the time of his death he
was President of the Lancaster Gas Company. To Mr. and Mrs. Rein-
mund were born two sons and two daughters — Henry J., now a resident
of Lancaster; Alida L., the wife of Thomas L. Dawson, of Lancas-
ter; Mar}' E., wife of Samuel H. Tong. of Lancaster: and Bowman
F., a member of the firm of Beery, Beck, Obaugh & Company.
Reinmund, H. J., Lancaster. He was born in Lancaster, February
22, 1843. In 1861 he was appointed Qiiartermaster Sergeant in the
Sixty-first Regiment, O. V. I., serving through the war. In 1864 he
was appointed freight and ticket agent" at Lancaster, Ohio, on the C. &
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 349
M. V. R. R. In 1865 he engaged in the fire insurance business, and in
1866 took charge of all agencies for the ^tna Fire Insurance Com-
pany, of Hartford, Connecticut, in Southern Ohio. In 1867 he removed
to Cincinnati, and was employed in the branch office of the ^tna Fire
Insurance Company, as Superintendent of the Bureau of the Interior,
under J. B. Bennett, manager. During his stay in Cincinnati he was
married, Februar}' 8, 1870, to Emma Rammelsberg, daughter of Fred-
erick Rammelsberg, of the large furniture company of Mitchell &
Rammelsberg, of Cincinnati. In 1874 ^^^ ^'^''^^ obliged to resign his
position with the insurance company, owing to the sickness and death
of his father, B. F. Reinmund. He returned to Lancaster and suc-
ceeded his father as President of the Lancaster Gaslight and Coke
Company. He was President of the Fairfield County Bank three
years. He is married, and the father of two sons and two daughters.
Reinhold, Rev. C. M., minister. Liberty township. He was born
in German}'. March 19, 1828 ; eldest son of C. H. and Christian Rein-
hold. In 1833 his widowed mother and himself came to America,
locating in Preble county, where C. M. attended the public schools,
and assisted his mother on the farm. He taught school and fitted him-
self tor the ministry, studying for seven \ears. Fie entered the Evan-
gelical Association in the Ohio Conference. He began his labors in
the ministry in W^-andotte county, where he preached twelve years.
He has served as Presiding Elder of the Ohio Conference for twelve
years. He is a member of the German Conference. He has supplied
many of the churches in Central Ohio, preaching in German as well as
English. He came to Basil as pastor of the Evangelical Association,
where he has a large and flourishing congregation. He also preaches
at Zion Church, Liberty township. He is held in high esteem by his
congregation. He has heen twice married. In 1855 to Miss Esther
Wagner. They were the parents of three children, one daughter still
living, nov^r the wife of J. W. Merk, of Sycamore, Ohio. Mrs. Rein-
bold died in i860. He was again married in 1868 to Miss Catharine
Peters. The}- are the parents of one son, Franklin, now in his thir-
teenth 3''ear.
Rhodes, Dr. John H., ph3'sician, Lancaster. He was born in
Frederick count}^, Maryland, October 3, 1823 ; the eldest son of Sam-
uel and John Rhodes. Samuel Rhodes, a native of Maryland, was born
March 3, 1792. He is a carpenter b}' trade. He first settled in this
county in 1816, making the I'ourney from Maryland on horseback. Re-
moving to Lancaster in 1832, he engaged in the carpenter trade, in
which he still continues, although in his ninety-first year. He has re-
sided in the same place, on Columbus street. Lancaster, forty-nine 3^ears.
He was a soldier of the War of 181 2. He has been a member of the
German Lutheran church fifty-six years. His only son, Dr. John H.,
during his 3-outh, worked at the carpenter trade, after he had completed
his education in the common schools. When nineteen years of age, he
entered the office of Dr. Waite. with whom he read medicine about
three years. In 1845. he commenced the practice of medicine. He af-
terward resumed the carpenter trade ; also learned the trade of machin-
ist ; for many 3'ears he engaging in this. A portion of the time he was
foreman of the Amey Machine Works of Lancaster. About 1870, he
350 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
again took up the practice of medicine, which he still continues, having
adopted the exanthematic method of cure, in which he is quite success-
ful. In 1846, the doctor was married to Catharine, daughter of Joseph
Graybill, a pioneer of Fairfield county. They are the parents of two
daughters : Mary Elizabeth, and Susan Catharine.
RiCKETTs, William M., sewing machine agent, Violet township;
post office, Pickerington ; born April i, 1843. Married to Frances A.
Curtis, January 8, 1868. Has a family of six children : Effie M., born
October 5, 1868, and died March 27, 1872 ; Joseph C, born November 7,
1870, and died five weeks after birth; Edward M., born December 27,
1871 ; Charles C, born August 29, 1874; Mamie E., born March 6,
1877 ; William M., born March 9, 18S0. Mr. Ricketts is a member of
the Knights of Honor, and was for two 5^ears a guard at the Ohio Peni-
tentiary.
Ricketts, Alvin, teacher, Violet township ; post office, Pickering-
ton ; born January 20, 1839 ' ''^'-'^^ °^ Chaney and Phoebe Ann Ricketts.
He has taught since 1861 ; educated at Pleasantville, by Joseph Feman,
and at Lancaster, by John Williams. His parents were married April
19, 1S38.
Ricketts, William S., farmer. Liberty township. He is the son
of Jeremiah and Elizabeth Ricketts, and was born in Violet township,
July 20, 181 7. Jeremiah Ricketts came from Pennsylvania with his
father at an early date in the history of Fairfield county. The family
brought their possessions on horseback, there being only Indian trails
to follow. Reason Ricketts and his son, Jeremiah, began the work in-
cident to the life of the pioneer ; but by industry, energy, and the clos-
est economy, they managed to live, and began to see field after field
cleared, each year adding a few more acres, until the forest gave away
to cultivated fields. Reason Ricketts died in 1830 ; Jeremiah remained
in Violet township, and cleared a farm now owned and occupied by his
son. Reason, Jr. He reared a family of five sons, all of whom are liv-
ing.- He lived to enjoy the results of his industry and toil of his early
manhood, and owned at his death two hundred and fort}- acres of land.
He had held the office of township trustee and treasurer. Mr. Ricketts
died in 1867. William S. received a fair education, followed the busi-
ness of farming, and remained at home until his marriage to Miss Eliza
A. Herman, December 17, 1846. They are the parents of six children :
James H., a resident of Mercer county, Ohio ; Emma, the wife of Dal-
las Jellrees, also of Mercer county ; Olive L., the wife of John R. Klink,
a resident of Licking county ; Allen B., is at home ; Ida M., the wife
of William P. Klink, also of Licking county ; Mabel E., at home. Mr.
Ricketts removed from Violet to Liberty township in 1863. He owns
one hundi-ed and ten acres in Violet township, and one hundred ninety-
four acres in Liberty township. He is a prosperous farmer and an
esteemed citizen.
Riffle, G. J., marble cutter, Lancaster, Ohio. Was born April i,
1854, ^" tl''is city ; son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Fink) Riffle. He was
raised in his native town, and attended school here and in Greenfield
township. At the age of eighteen years he became an apprentice to
the marble cutters' trade, with S. A. Pool & Co., of Lancaster, Ohio.
After learning his trade, he went to Somerset, Perry county, Ohio, and
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 35 1
engaged at his trade, opening a shop for himself. At this place he only
remained one year, when he returned to his native place, and bought
out Pool & Co., opening in business, which he continued until the fall
of 1881, when he sold to Pool, one of the former owners of the works,
and is now engaged in managing the works for Pool, and is a designer
of monuments, making most all the designs used in that shop. Mr.
Riffle was married November 15, 1881, to Miss Nettie, daughter of
William H. and Jane (Coons) Shutt. Mr. Riffle's father was born in
Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, and came to Ohio in an early
day with his father, who settled near Somerset, Perry county, Ohio.
After becoming a man, he returned to the East, learned the cabinet
trade and then came to Lancaster, where he opened in that business,
and remained until about the time of the late civil war, when he bought
a farm near this place, and has since given his attention to fruit
culture.
RiGBY, William, deceased, Lancaster. He was born in Calvert
county, Maryland, in 1752. He enlisted in the Revolutionary War, at
the commencement, and served until its close, participating in Brand}'-
wine and other important engagements. Mr. Rigby ranked as captain
in the commissar}' department. He also served with General Sullivan
in his expedition against the Indians. He always regretted the suffer-
ing entailed on the Indians by that expedition. Their homes were de-
stro3-ed, and they were obliged to fly for their lives, without food or
shelter ; man}^ lives were lost and much suffering endured. At the close
of the war he removed his wife and seven children from Maryland to
Berkley county, Virginia, where the}^ resided until 1804, when they
came to Ohio. He settled in Pleasant township, where he resided until
his death. He was married twice, and raised a family of ten children,
who are residing in various States.
RippEY, William, deceased, Lancaster; was born in Cumberland
county, Pennsylvania, Feb. 29 18^4. While a young man he removed
to Pittsburgh, where he engaged in business ; soon after moving to
Zanesville, Ohio, about 1840, at about the time the canal was being con-
structed. He located at Logan, Hocking county, where he conducted
a successful dr^r goods business a number of years. While residing
there he was interested in the steam flouring mills. He was also an ex-
tensive shipper and bu3'er of grain. He became a resident of Lancas-
ter in 1865. Mr. Rippey v/as married three times ; one daughter M^as
born to the first marriage, Emma C, wife of J. L. Collins, of Logan,
Ohio. After the death of Mrs. Rippey, he was married again to Mary
C. Bliss, who, after a married life of several years, died leaving several
children — two now living. Colonel Charles H. Rippe}-, of the Bar of
Columbus, and Ruth, the wife of C. M. Gould, of Logan, Ohio. Octo-
ber 14, 1849, Mr. Rippey was married the third time, to Miss Matilda
Curtis, who was born in Frederick county, Maryland, in 1828. They
are the parents of six children, Carrie S., the wife of George Hooker,
a resident of this county ; Willemetta, now the wife of William E. Greir,
of this county ; Matilda C, now Mrs. Samuel Beck, of Lancaster : Ida
and Kittie, still under the parental roof; Florence M., died in 1878, in
the eleventh year of her age. Mr. Rippey was a successful business
man. He was respected and loved by all who knew him. He was a
352
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church ; also, the I. O. O. F., for
many 3^ears. He died August i6, 1882.
Rolls, Eli, grain and coal merchant, post office, Pleasantville ; was
born in this county in 1827 ; engaged in business for himself about the
3'ear 1869 ; was engaged in the dr}^ goods trade previous to going into
his present business. He is a son of William and Matilda (Stuart)
Rolls. He was married in 1872, to Miss Anna M. Kraner, daughter of
Emanuel and Ellenor M. Kraner. They have one child, Etta E.
Root, Ephraiim, carpenter, North Berne, Ohio ; was born in 1827
in Fairfield county, Ohio; son of John and Magdalene (Richers) Root.
His paternal ancestors are of the old English stock, and his maternal,
German. His motiier was born in Virginia, and came to this county
about sevent3'-six years ago. Mr. Root, the subject of this sketch, was
married in 185 1, to Amanda, daughter of Philip and Sarah (vSmith)
Siefert, who was born in 183 1 in York county, PennsNdvania. At the
age of five years he came with his parents to near Somerset, Perry
county, Ohio, where they remained two 3'ears, then moved to Rush
Creek townshij), Fairfield county, Ohio, remaining there until about six
years ago, and then came to this township where they have resided
ever since. They are the parents of six children, all of whom are liv-
ing, viz. : Lovina, Sarah, Clara, George, Emma and Mary. The two
last are twins. Three of their children are married, viz. : Lovina,
Sarah and Clara, two of whom live in this count3^ and the other in
Roseville, Perry count3^ Mr. Root learned the carpenter trade at the
age of twenty-one, and has followed it until the present time.
RoBETS, LuzERE, druggist, Stoutsville ; born Ju]3' 19, 1840, in Del-
aware county ; removed to Illinois in 1857 ; served four 3'ears in the
Twentieth O. V. I. ; removed to Kansas in 1858 ; was married March
21, 1870, to Miss Lucinda Francis. He returned to Ohio in 1874, '^"^
settled in Delaware count3% thence to Tarlton, Pickawa3^ county-, in
1876, and to Stoutsville in Februar3^ 1879. ^^ ^^ ^^^^ father of four
children, viz. : May, born Ma3^ 30, 1874 ? C3mthia,born Ma3' 16, 1876 ;
Nellie, born June 16, 1877; John M., born August 3. 1881. The sub-
ject of this .sketch is a druggist in the village ot Stoutsville, where he
is engaged as a dealer in drugs and medicines ; also, a choice selec-
tion of toilet soaps, perfumery, trusses, shoulder braces, sponges, etc.,
and all kinds of druggists' sundries usuall3' kept in a first-class drug
store.
Roshon, Samuel, farmer. Liberty township, post office, Baltimore ;
was born in Montgomery count3^, Penns3dvania ; son of Jacob and Mar3'
(Barefoot) Roshon; was married to Elizabeth Hensel. April 10, 1841,
b3^ whom he has eight children: Martin J., born Januar3' 18, 1842;
Israel, born November 12, 1843, who died in 1867; Fran3'. born Sep-
tember 12, 1845 ; Samuel, born Mav 13, 1848, who died April 3, 1857 ;
Mary A., born Ma3^ 26, 1850; Saloma C, born April 9, 1852; Peter
E., born September 12, 1854; Sarah E., born November 5, 1S57, who
died Januar3' 8, 1882. Mrs. Roshon died March 17, 1863. He was
married to Julia A. (Alspach) Smurr, April 6, 1865, b3' whom he had
eight children; Elizabeth F., born Jul3^ 12, 1S66, and who died Janu-
ary 26, 1882 ; Justus T., born February 11, 1868; Peny F., born Sep-
tember 13, 1869; Dora v., born September 8, 1871 ; Archie A., born
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNt\% 353
February 19, 1874; Lydia M., born March 20, 1876; Carrie G., born
April 10, 1878; Harvey O., born March 18, 1881
Rudolph, Christian, retired ; was born in Berks county, Pennsyl-
vania, November 2. 1800. His educational advantages v^^ere limited,
being thrown upon his own resources at an early age. In his twelfth
3^ear he began work in a tannery. He came with his parents to Fair-
iield county, the family locating two miles east of Lancaster. Soon
after, Christian entered the employ of a U. S. Mail Contractor, whose
route extended from Pittsburgh to Ma3^sville, Kentucky. Mr. Rudolph
continued in this for six 3^ears, his route being from Lancaster to Wheel-
ing, West Virginia, making the journey on horseback. For his ser-
vices he received tifteen dollars per month. After this he engaged quite
extensively in staging and running private conveyances, also, conduct-
ing a livery stable. He was one of the first to run a private coach from
Lancaster to Cincinnati, and carrying the mail and passengers from the
depot since the construction of the railroad, until 1865. He has resided
at the family home since 1835, ^^^d is a substantial citizen and a vigorous
and genial gentleman. He married Miss Corlinda See. They are the
parents of two sons : George, now a resident of Kansas, and John, a
former business man of Lancaster, who died in 1867. In 1839, ^^'•
Rudolph was married to Mrs. Rachel Busby, daughter of Philip Fet-
ters. Mrs. Rudolph was born in Fairfield county. May 16, 1809. To
this last union tour daughters have been born, three of whom are living
— lea Marian, living with her parents: Rachel, the wife of Jacob W.
Demuth, of Lancaster, and Margaret Ellen, wife of Charles F. Stuart,
of Fairfield county.
RuTTER, W. S. M. D., of Clearport, was born in Pleasant town-
ship, November 22, 1822 ; read medicine under Doctor Kinsman, then
of Lancaster, now of Columbus, and took the degree of M. D. from
the Columbus Medical College, in the spring of 1873. After gradua-
tion Doctor Rutter went West, where he practiced his profession one
year, in Seneca, LaSalle county, and was a while just west of Chicago,
but in 1876 removed to Clearport, where he has since enjoyed a large
practice in the pursuit of his profession. His grandfather, Baltzer
Rutter, came from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and settled in
Fairfield count}' in an earl}- day. His son, U. C. Rutter, father of
Doctor Rutter, was born and raised in Pleasant township, taught school
eighteen years in Lancaster, and in his own township ; was count}'-
examiner of schools many years ; was a member of the State Legisla-
ture in 1862 and re-elected in 1864, and is the author of the " Key to
Interest," a book published by Applegate & Company, of Cincinnati,
which has a large sale. His first wife was Miss Maggie Bowes, now
dead. She was of LaSalle county, Illinois, and died there. His second
wife was Miss Emma F. Rockey, daughter of Jacob Rockey, of
Amanda. He is the father of one child, Arthur Rutter.
Saunders, Benjamin H., machinist, Lancaster. He was born in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, November 8, 1843 ; the son of David I. and
Sarah (Langston) Saunders. While young the parents of Benjamin
H. died, and he was taken into the family of his uncle, Francis J.
Langston, there his youth was spent. He was educated in the public
45
354 lilOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
schools of Alexaticiria, Virginia. In 1858 he came with his uncle's
family to Zanesville, where he learned the trade of machinist. In 1861
he enlisted in Company C, Seventy-eighth O. V. I. He participated
with his regiment in all its engagements, including Fort Donaldson,
Shiloh, Cornith and the capture ot Jackson, Tennessee ; also the siege
of Vicksburg, the Atlantic campaign, and with Sherman in his march
to the sea. Mr. Saunders served as color bearer during many of the
engagements. He served in the war until its close, and took part in
the grand review at Washington. He was mustered out with his regi-
ment at Louisville, Kentucky, July 15, 1865. He returned to Lancas-
ter and worked at his trade, where he was employed by the Cincinnati
and Muskingum Valle}' Railroad. He was married to Miss Clara Jane,
daughter of William Jeffries, a well-known citizen of Lancaster. They
are the parents of tour children, Charles, George, Benjamin, Jr., and
Mary. The family are members of the Baptist church. He is a mem-
ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of
Phythias.
Sandoe, Rev. H. IL, pastor of the Reformed church at Baltimore,
Ohio; was born in Schuylkill county, Pennsvlvrnia, December 27,
1841 ; son of Rev. W. B. and Nancy (Allvord) Sandoe, the former of
whom has been a minister of of the Reformed church since 185 1, and
is still officiating as such in one of his former fields of labor, in Schuyl-
kill county, Pennsylvania. He was, during man}- years past, been
stationed at various points in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Rev. H.
H. Sandoe was a pupil of the common schools until reaching the age of
sixteen, when, for some three years, he was engaged at farming and
clerking in Elkhart county, Indiana, and at Sidney, Shelby county,
Ohio, until August, 1861, when he enlisted in Compau}^ B, Twentieth
O. V. I., and with that regiment participated in some thirty-nine en-
gagements, from Fort Donaldson to the surrender of J. E. Johnston to
General Sherman, near Raleigh, North Carolina, making the march to
the sea, taking part in the grand review at Washington, and after four
3^ear's faithful service to his countr}^, was mustered out at Camp Chase
in Jul}^ 1865. In September of the following ^^ear Mr. Sandoe entered
Heidelberg College, at Tiffin, O., remaining there four years, and in
February, 1S70, he was ordained to the ministr}^ "by a committee of
Tiffin classics." His first field was at Liberty Centre, Henr}' county,
Ohio, remaining there one year; and for a term of two years in Pu-
laski county, Indiana, following which he was stationed for the same
length of time in Christian connty, Illinois : also in Ashland county,
Ohio, for three and a half years, previous to coming to Baltimore,
Fairfield county^ in October, 1878, where his charge consists of four
different congregations, which, during the pastorate of Mr. Sandoe,
has been both spiritually and financially successful. Rev. Sandoe was
married June 18, 1868, to Miss EHza M. Barton, of Monroe, Michigan.
Their union is blessed by one daughter and one son — L3^dorah O.,
born in Tiffin, Ohio, October 6, 1868, now a pupil at Pleasantville Col-
legiate Institute ; and DeeNevin, born in Baltimore, O., March 16, 1882.
ScHLEiCH, Daniel J., is of German descent, andis the second son of
John Darst and Mary (Halderman) Schleich. The father was born in
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 355
Frederick, Maryland, December 31, 1799. The mother was a native of
Pennsylvania. They had twelve children, named as follows, eight of
whom^are now living': Newton, Eliza Elizabeth, Margaret Nina, David
J., Henrietta, Sarah, Ritchie (deceased), Rebecca, John Darst, Anna
(deceased) and David — one died in infancy. John Darst Schleich came
to Fairfield county about the year 18 17. "^He first learned the trade of
house carpenter and cabinet making, carrying on business in Lancaster,
Ohio. Many of the principal bviildings in this city was erected by him.
He afterwards purchased a farm in Amanda township, then another in
Ross countv, upon which he lived for a short time, when he removed
(1840) to the homestead in Hocking township, near Lancaster, where
he died on the loth of June, 1880. His wife died at the homestead on
the 4th of February, 1848. Daniel J. was born in Fairfield county,
Ohio, on the 19th of January, 1834; ^^as educated at the district and
select schools of the county ; and was brought up on the farm. _ In the
fall of 1 861 he received an appointment by Governor Dennison of
Second Lieutenant in the Sixty-first O. V. L He assisted in organizing
a companv and was promoted to First Lieutenant, and then to Captain.
He was at the battles of Cedar Mountain and Second Bull Run, and all
the various battles that occurred in the Shenandoah Valley between the
first named engagements. In October, 1862, he retired from the service
on account of Hlness. On the 22d of October, 1863, he was married to
Sarah Jane, daughter of Peter Hay, Esq., of Amanda township. In
the spring of 1864 he engaged with the Adams Express Company as
messenger on the Illinois'Central Railroad, from Odin to Cairo. About
1865 he purchased a farm near the old homestead in Fairfield county,
where he followed farming and stock raising up to the spring of 1881,
when he sold his farm, and is now residing in the village of Amanda.
They have five children — four boys and one girl — namely : Thomas
Frederick, Edward Hay, Augustus Tajlor, Ellen, and Walter. In
politics Mr. Schleich is a Democrat. He and his wife are members of
the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Schleich was several years Township
Treasurer, a member of the School Board, and has held several minor
offices in his township. He is one of the solid representative men^of
Fairfield county.
Schleicher, Louis, baker, Lancaster. He was born in Waldeck,
Germany, June 15th, 1818, and educated in the public schools until six-
teen years old, when he began an apprenticeship at the baker's trade, at
which he worked four years. He was then conscripted and served
four years in the army. In 1840 he worked as a journeyman in various
cities' until coming to^\merica in 1847. He came to Lancaster, where
he was engaged as a baker two years, and then purchased his partner's
interest in the business, and has since conducted it successfully. In
1850 Mr. Schleicher was married to Miss Christina , in Baden,
Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Schleicher are the parents of eight chil-
dren, of whom four are now living, viz. : William C, a well known
business man of Lancaster ; Tena E., Edward P., and Rose CaroHne,
are at home ; Edward assists his father, who deals largely in real estate.
Mr. Schleicher and family are members of the German Lutheran
Church.
356
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Scott, Dr. Hervey, was born at Oldtown, Greene county, Ohio.
January 30, 1809. Until the close of his seventeenth year he worked
on the farm with his father, enduring the hardships, privations and
struggles of purely frontier life. His early education, such as it was,
was received in the little rough log school-houses of the pioneer age, by
the light of oiled paper windows. In February, 1826, he went to live
in the Mitton family, in South Charleston, Clark county, Ohio, to go
to school and learn the trade of manufacturing spinning wheels. In
1833 he commenced the study of the medical profession, and in 1836
went into the practice. Two years later he changed his profession to
that of dentistry, and in April, 1839, located in Lancaster, where he
has continued to reside to the present time. On the 7th of November,
1830, he was first married to Lydia Ann Milton, of South Charleston,
who died childless on the 12th day of June, 1841. On the loth day of
April, 1842, he was a second time married to Priscilla Ann Crook, of
Lancaster, who was the mother of his children. Her death occurred
on the 14th da}^ of July, 1873. In May, 1875, he was married to his
third wife, Sophia Stebbin, of Chicopee, Massachusetts, who deceased
October 10. 1852. His family consisted of six children, viz. : Hervey,
Mary Elizabeth, Sarah M., John Clark, Charles Robert, and William
Derbin. Mary Elizabeth and Charles Robert died respectively at the
ages of two years and at eight months. Hervey died at Chillicothe, No-
vember 29, 1873, at the age of thirty years and seven months. He
left a widow (Mrs. Emma Scott) and one son (Hervey Howe), now
residents of Lancaster. vSarah M. married Charles Hutchison, and is
at present residing in Toledo, Ohio. She is the mother of two chil-
dren— Mary Hamilton and Helen. Helen died at the age of a little
over one month, in December, 1881. J. Clark married IdaO'Harra, of
Columbus, in 1874. They have had three sons — George, Walter, and
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 357
Starling. George died in September, 1882, at the age of over seven
years. J. Clark resides in Lancaster, and is by profession a dentist.
The ancestors of Dr. Scott first came to America in the early part
of the eighteenth centurv. On the father's side they were Irish ; on
the mother's Scotch. The Scotts settled first in North Carolina, and
there his fatlier was born. The McFarlands, which was the name on
the mother's side, settled in Rockbridge county, Virginia, and there
his mother was born. During the troviblous times of the Revolution
between Whig and Tory, the grandfather, being a Whig, sought safet}^
b}^ removing his familv to Rockbridge county, Virginia. Near the
close of the centur}^ both families, with others, removed to and settled
in Kentuck}', first at the Crab Orchard and afterwards on Indian Creek,
near Cynthiana, in Harrison county. The place on which the Scott
family settled, on Indian Creek, is known to this day as "Scott Station,"
on account of a garrison of soldiers having been stationed there to
protect the frontiers during the Indian troubles. There the doctor's
parents were married in 1800, and in 1808 emigrated to Ohio and set-
tled at Oldtown, near Xenia. The Scott family consisted of eleven
children, of whom the doctor is the fourth, viz. : Rachel, Margaret,
William, Hervey, Milton, Washington, Cynthia (the two latter were
twins), Clark, Emily, Benjamin, and Joseph. Washington, Clark,
Emily, and Benjamin, died in childhood ; Joseph died at the age of
eighteen vears ; Margaret, the second in age, died at the age of about
sixty vears; and Rachel, the first born, died in infancy; four are liv-
ing— William and Milton, in Madison count}^ Ohio ; Cynthia, in Thorn-
town, Ind. ; and Hervey, in Lancaster. The name of the grandfather
Scott was Ahram, and that of grandfather McFarland was William.
All four of the grand parents died respectively between 181 2 and 1820,
at their homes on Indian Creek. Moses was father of the doctor and
Lettie his mother. The mother died in August, 1842, aged sixty-two
years ; the father died in October, 1865, at the age of ninet3^-two years.
Seipkl, Rudolph, deceased, was born December 3, 1832, in Wasser-
las, Bavaria. Came to America in the spring of 1852, settling in Hock-
ing county, Ohio, about nine miles below Logan. In the fall of 1852, he
came to Lancaster. Ohio, and engaged as a clerk with firm of Rising
& L3'ons, afterwards the firm changed to P. Rising, and again to Kutz,
Reber & Co., with whom he continued until 1863. He went south and was
engaged in the sutler department of the army nine months, after which
he engaged in the furniture business in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1866
he returned 'to Lancaster, Ohio, formed a partnership and entered the
clothing business under the firm name of Rising, Miller & Seipel, Feb-
ruary I, 1879, ^^^ above firm dissolved partnership and Mr. Seipel
opened in the same business himself, which he continued up to the time
of his death, June 22, 1880. Mr. Seipel was married July 9, 1857, and
became the father of eight children.
Shaeffer, Isaac, of Madison township, came to the county in the
spring of 1798. from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and built the first
mill in Madison township, in 1804, afterwards known as the Defam-
baugh mill. He first built a log house at that place, then built where S.
V. Wolf lives now, building the saw mill.in 1814, and the grist mill in 1830.
He married Miss Julia Reams, daughter of Abram Reams, and his oldest
358 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
daughter, Miss Delilah Shaeffer, born in January, between the first and
fifteenth, 1800, he thinks he was the first white child born in the county.
His other children were Judith, Rachael. Joab and Isaac Shaeffer.
Joab Shaeffer, his son, owned the Wolf mill in fee simple, for a time,
but dying in 1846, the property reverted to Isaac, first then the heirs of
Joab, who owns it now. Mr. Shaefier was a large land holder, and did
much to improve the condition of the new settlement. Isaac Kerns,
his grandson, was raised by him. His daughter, Delilah, married Jacob
Kerns, father of Isaac. Judith married Christian Huber, and settled
in Pleasant township. Joab married Nancy Clark, of Hocking county,
and was tlie father of Julia Shaefier, the wife of S. V. Wolf.
Shaeffer, Jacob, of Madison township, is a son of Abram Shaef-
fer, the first settler of the township, and who came first, in 1798, with
his brother, Isaac Shaefier, Abram Ream, Martin Sandes and one or
two others. He returned east, after the first sta}^, a short time, then
came back and settled where Mr. Kohler now^ lives, and in sight of
where his son Jacob resides. Abram Shaeffer married Barbara Ream,
sister to Julia, Isaac's wife, and their cabin was the simplest made in
that day. Then bears, wolves and deer were plenty, but the family
would sometimes be three or four weeks without any bread. The In-
dians were sometimes quite intimate and on one occasion gave some
trouble. Mr. Shaeffer went in search of his horse that was in the habit
of running off", and after going a mile or so, found it in the possession of
Indians who wanted five dollars before the}^ would consent to release
the animal. Mr. Shaeffer had the mone}^ in his pocket but feared to
show his pocket-book and went back under the pretense of getting the
money at home, and when sufficient distance took out the money and
put it in his shoe, leaving the V in the pocket-book. This, however,
satisfied them and he got his horse. He made for himself moccasins for
shoes and buck skin breeches. The children were Joel, born December 18,
1800 ; Samuel, Ezra, Judida, Catharine, David, Abram, Isaac, Jacob, Ez-
ra, again ; Salem, George and Ada. Jacob was born April 13, 181 4 ; re-
ceived his education in the old Shaeffer school house on his father's farm,
and where he has toiled ever since. In 1834 ^^^ married a daughter of
Frederick J. Martin, an old settler, who lived where John F. Martin
lives now. He is the father of Judge Sylvanus Shaeffer, Mrs. Amanda
Hilliard, James and Samuel Shaeffer. He was elected land appraiser
in 1862, and in 1880, and is well and favorably known over the county.
Shaeffer, Jacob G., of Madison township, was born September
28, 1794? in York county, Penns3'lvania. His father, Samuel Shaeffer,
came, in the year 1802, and settled on land now owned by Israel Shaef-
fer. His wife, Elizabeth Gilbert, died when Jacob was but five years
old. The children were Elizabeth, John, Andrew, Samuel G. and
George, who died when young. Mr. Shaeffer was married the second
time when about eighty years old, but left no issue by this marriage.
When they first built a cabin they had no floor to it, nor was it daub-
bed, and in this they lived for a time. Some three years after they
came, the first still house in the township was built on this farm, and
manufactured the best of whisky. These were the days of corn husk-
ing, grubbing, rolling logs, etc. Jacob G. Shaeffer sometimes worked
out, receiving for his compensation the magnificent sum of three dollars
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 359
a month. Went to Baltimore when j^oung with a drove of hogs, and
had not his girl been left behind, would have staid in Pennsylvania ; but
returned to get her in due time, and when not quite twenty years of age
married, and she not sixteen. It was a love affair begun August 30,
sixty-eight years ago, and not yet consumated. After the nuptial feast
of this 3'oung couple, the}' walked into their new home the next day,
where they have resided since. Mrs. Shaeffer is now eighty-four years
old, is in a helpless condition, and has lost her eye sight. Mr. Shaeffer
is in his eighty-eighth year of his age and does still drive a span of
fractious horses. The couple have pulled well together all through life,
are now in possession of considerable landed estates, and are at luxu-
rious ease in their old age. Doctor Shaeffer, of Circleville, Ohio, is
their son.
Shaeffer, Charles F., Lancaster; born in Lancaster, Ohio, Janu-
ary 2, 1820; son of Frederick A. and Marj^ (Boos) Shaeffer. Frederick
Shaeffer was a native of Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, and was born
in 1792. He came to Lancaster in 1812, a tailor by trade. He followed
tha-t business above the store room of Christian King, for many years.
He married in 1817, and raised a numerous family. Five are living,
four sons and one daughter. At an early day he engaged in the hotel
business, which he continued until 1858, when he returned to his farm
in Hocking township, and there resided until his death in January,
1879. Charles F., the oldest living son, when about seventeen years
old, entered the Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio, where he com-
pleted his education, and for two years following he read law in the
office of Hocking H. Hunter, and was immediately admitted to the bar
at Lebanon, Ohio. He began active practice, and continued until 1861,
when he was appointed United States Assessor, a position that he tilled
for six 3'ears. Since he has led rather a retired life. Mr. Shaeffer was
married June 18, 1846, to Rebecca S., daughter of Rev. Samuel Car-
penter, who was one of the pioneer preachers of the Hocking Valle}'.
Mrs. Shaeffer was born in Lancaster, July 22, 1823. There were six
children born to this marriage, three sons and three daughters. Mary
S., the wife of Peter H. Ward, an attorney of Kentland, Indiana;
Samuel C, an engineer by profession; Florence M., Frederick W.,
Charles A. and Laura Belle. Mrs. Shaeffer died in December, 1876.
Shaeffer, S. Theodore, Probate Judge, Lancaster, Ohio ; was
born August 9, 1842, in Madison township, Fairfield county, Ohio ; son
of Jacob and Elizabeth (Martens) Shaeffer. Mr. Shaeffer was brought
up on a farm, and followed that business until he was nineteen years
of age, when he began teaching school in the winter season, and con-
tinued farming in the summer season, until October, 1878, at which
time he was elected to his present office, and in 1881 was re-elected.
All his teaching was done in Fairfield county. At the age of twenty-six
years he was elected Justice of the Peace for Clearcreek township,
which office he held continuously for ten years, and resigned for tiie
purpose of accepting his present office. At the earnest solicitation of
his friends he consented to accept the nomination tor Probate Judge,
and was first nominated for Justice of the Peace in his absence, both
the offices being wholly unsought for upon his part. The Judge was
married the first time March 6, 1866, to Louisa C., daughter of Samuel
360 ' BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
and Catharine (Hammel) Barr, of Clearcreek township, this county.
The}' became the parents of two children, viz. : EHzabeth C. and Laura
A. Mrs. Shaeffer died April 10, 1874, ^^ged twenty-nine years and two
months. He was married a second time September 12, 1878, to Nannie
A., daughter ot Samuel and Catharine (Hammel) Barr, of Clearcreek
township, this county. They are the parents of two children, viz. :
Mary M. and Lola S.
Shaw, Virgil E., deceased. He was born in Pleasant township,
August 5, 182 1. He received his education in the common schools and
in Greentield Academy, which he attended six months, taught by Prof.
Williams. Mr. Shaw was a close student, and after leaving school
studied law in the office of Hocking H. Hunter and John Garaghty, and
was admitted to practice after completing his studies. He served as
Prosecuting Attorney four years, and Probate Judge three years. After
the death of Colonel McVay he was elected Justice to fill his unexpired
term, and re-elected for nine years. At the expiration of that time he
returned to the practice of law. Mr. Shaw was a member of Lancaster
Masonic Lodge, No. 57, of which lodge he was Master ten years. He
was also a member of the Lancaster Commander}^ of which he was
Commander two 3^ears. He was a son of the Hon. Salmon Shaw, de-
ceased, who was a member of the House of Representatives from Fair-
field county for several years. He was married to Miss Martha R. Pin-
ney, of Lithopolis, in 1849, ^7 ^^^^ Rev. M. Z. Kreider, who was at the
time acting Grand Master of the Masonic Grand Lodge of Ohio. At the
time of his death he was a prominent member of the Masonic Lodge
of Lancaster, having held the highest offices in that order, at one
time acting as Deputy Lecturer of the State. He was made a Master
Mason March 28, 1843, and was always an active and prominent
member of the Lodge. He served as Master of the Lodge from 185 1 to
1853, inclusive, and from 1857 to i860, inclusive, and for the years
1873 and 1876. He was created a Knight Templar Ma}^ 4, 1843, and
received the Council degrees the following year. He served as Pre-
late in the Commandery during the years 1855-6-7-8-9, and i860, and
1872, and was Eminent Commanderin 1873,1876 and 1877. He-entered
the law office of Hocking H. Hunter and John Garaghty as a student
in his twent^^-fitth year, and has been practicing law as a member of
the Lancaster bar continuously, save the eight 3^ears he filled the offices
of Prosecuting Attorney and" Probate Judge of Fairfield county, to
which offices he was elected in 185 1 and 1854 I'espectively. In early
life Judge Shaw espoused the cause of religion, and ever afterward was
a consistent, faithful Christian and church member. About a vear be-
fore his death he united with the Presbyterian Church of this cit}' . The
obsequies were celebrated at the Presbyterian Chnrch, with both relig-
ious and Masonic rites. Rev. J. R. Boyd, pastor, delivered an impres-
sive discourse, and the Masonic burial service was read by Rev. J. N.
Rippey, rector of St. John's Episcopal Church, with responses bv the
fraternity, a large number of whom were in attendance, together with
a numerous assemblage of citizens.
Sherman, Judge Charles R., was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, in
1788. He was a graduate of Dartmouth College ; read law in Norwich,
where he was admitted to the bar, and married to Mary Hoyt before
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 36 1
coming to Ohio on horseback in 1810. Returning to Connecticut in the
tall of 1811, for his wife and one son, (the late Judge Charles T. Sher-
man, of Cleveland), he settled at Lancaster, where he reached distinc-
tion as a lawyer, having a practice that extended from the Ohio river to
Detroit. He was for some years associated with Hon. Lewis Cass in
the practice of their profession. He held many positions of honor and
trust, including that of Judge of the Supreme Court of the State of
Ohio, to which important office he was elected in 1823, filling the. same
with dignity and ability until his death, an event which took place
June 24, 1829, in the forty-first year of his age. His widow survived
him many years. She died in 1852. Judge Sherman, at the time of
his death, left a family of eleven children, of whom six are now living.
Their oldest is M. Elizabeth, now Mrs. William Reese, of Lancaster.
General W. T. Sherman is the next oldest living. The next younger
is the Hon. John Sherman. Lampson and Hoyt Sherman are prosper-
ous bankers of Des Moines, Iowa ; and the youngest, Frances Beecher
Sherman, is the wife of Colonel Charles Moulton, of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Showalter, D. H., farmer. Walnut township. He was born in
Augusta county, Virginia, September 8, 1847 ; son of David and Maria
(Eversole) Showalter. With his parents he removed to Rockingham
county, Virginia, in 1850, w^here he was educated in the common schools.
At the age of sixteen he entered Brooklyn Academy in Albemarl coun-
ty, Virginia. He was there one year. He then attended Lockwillow
Academv, in Augusta count}^, Virginia, where he completed his educa-
tion. He was married August 13, 1869, to Clara J., daughter of Sam-
uel G. and Matilda (McNaman) Bush. Mrs. Showalter was born Feb-
ruary 6, 1852, in Walnut township. After marriage he resided in Vir-
ginia for a year and a half. In 187 1, he came to Fairfield county, and
settled on a part of the Bush homestead for two 3'ears. In 1873, he re-
moved to the State of Missouri, where he engaged in stock raising. He
returned to Ohio in 1878, and the same year built his present residence.
He owns one hundred and fitly-eight acres of fine land. The}' are the
parents of two daughters and one son : Clara Daisy, Harry Foy, and
Maria Matilda. Mr. Showalter was elected township assessor in the
spring of 1882. They are members of the Disciple Church.
Shultz, William A., attorney at law, Lancaster. He is a native
of this county, receiving his primary education in its common schools.
He studied law with P. O. Van Trump, and was admitted to practice in
December, 1862. He at once opened an office in Lancaster, and has
since been continuously and actively engaged in his profession. The
next 3'ear after his admittance, he was elected city solicitor, which office
he filled until 1866, when he was elected prosecuting attorney. In 1868
he was re-elected, filling the office ver}' acceptably to the people. Since
then his business has occupied his entire attention. Mr. Shultz's father,
Henr}^ was a cabinet maker in Lancaster, and was extensively and
favorably known. He died at the age of thirty-seven years, when Wil-
liam was about nine years old. By industry he obtained a good edu-
cation in the city schools ; and before and after his majoritv he w'orked
as a painter and as a clerk, by which means he supported himself. In
1868, Mr. Shultz was married to Miss Ella Grove, who was born in
Maryland. Mr. and Mrs. Shultz are the parents of three children:
46
362 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Linnie, bora in 1869; Frank, in 1872; and an infant, deceased. Mrs.
Rosabella Shultz, Mr. Shultz's mother, is now living with him, at the
age of more than three score vears.
Shultz, George W., lumberman and sash and door manufactm-er,
Lancaster. He is a well known business man of Lancaster, and was
born in Fairiield count}', February 23, 1850. His parents, Jacob and
Maria (Deeds) Shultz, were natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio, respec-
tively. The tbrmer, a native of Little York, Pennsylvania, was born
in 1814, and came to Ohio in 1832 ; a miller by traded owning and con-
ducting the Pleasant Run flouring mills, in Pleasant township, many
years. His family consisted of two sons and three daughters. Mrs.
Shultz and the younger members of the family reside on the home farm,
where Mr. Jacob Shultz died in February, 1882. George W., after re-
ceiving a good education, in his eighteenth year, commenced learning
the carpenter and joiner trade, which, after acquiring, he followed as
journeyman ; five or six 3'ears subsequently, he conducted business as
builder and contractor on his own account. In the spring of 1879, ^^^
purchased the lumber 3^ard and planing mill formerly owned by Vory
Brothers, which he has since conducted, engaging quite extensively in
the manufacture of sash, doors and blinds, employing some ten or twelve
hands constantly, and is doing a satisfactory and increasing business.
Mr. Shultz was united in marriage, December 25, 1873, to Miss Susan
Hood, daughter of John Hood, of Lancaster. Mr. and Mrs. Shultz
are the parents of five children, but one now living: Welbert, born
December 7, 1881.
Shumaker, Hiram H., M. D., Sheriff^ Lancaster. He was born
in this county, May 20, 1824. He was a student at Delaware College
for a number of terms, and subsequently entered Starling Medical Col-
lege, from which institution he graduated in 1849. ^^ ^^ once com-
menced the practice of medicine, which he continued successfully about
five years. Soon after he entered politics, filling the position of Justice
of the Peace for twelve j^ears, in Berne township. He was also Deputy
Sheriff three years, and elected Sherifl^ in 1880. Dr. Shumaker was
married in 1849, ^o Catharine E., daughter of Thomas Jackson, an early
settler of Berne township. They are the parents of seven children,
four sons and three daughters.
Sieber, Henry, Superintendent County Home ; post office, Lan-
caster; born in German}^ in 1826. After serving King William four
years, Mr. Sieber came to America, and settled in Ohio in 1850. Mr.
Sieber has held the office of Superintendent of County Infirmary to
the entire satisfaction of the people over sixteen vears. He is a son of
George and Elizabeth (Kivoner) Sieber. Married in 1852,10 Miss De-
lilah Blester, daughter of John and Esther Blester. They have four
children : Louisa, William, Ella, Sarah A.
SiFFORD, Daniel, Jr., lumberman and contractor, Lancaster. The
youngest and only Hving son of Daniel, Sr., and Effie (Sturgeon) Sifibrd.
He was born in Lancaster, June 29, 1849, ^"^ ^'^^ the recipient of a
liberal education, having been a student several terms at Gambler Col-
lege, as well as one term at Eastman Commercial College, Poughkeep-
sie. New York. He then assisted his father in the drug store some time.
In 1870, he entered the employ of Black, Bornman& Co., bridge build-
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTS. 363
ers, with whom he remained live ^^ears, during which time he acquired
a full knowledge of the business. He purchased, in 1879, *^^ lumber
yaj^d and building business of Simeon Denton, which he has since con-
tinued, removing the same in 1880 to its present location on Mill street,
where he is doing an extensive trade in lumber and building materials,
and as a contractor. Within a recent period he has erected many fine
buildings, including the Temple of Fashion for Messrs. Peters & Trout,
employing continually from twenty-five to thirty hands. His business
aggregated the past year $100,000. Mr. Sifford was married August
7, 1874, to Miss Lydia D. Van Burton. To them were born two sons
and two daughters: John, Daniel, Jr., Mary and Effie.
Sites, J. S., attorney, Lancsater. He is a native of Fairfield
county and is a son of Emanuel and Fanny Sites, of Pleasant town-
ship. He attended the common schools in his youth and the Freeman
Seminary, where he received his preparatory course. He then entered
the Fairfield Union Academy, where he graduated, prepared for the
junior collegiate class. He entered this class in the Delaware college,
from which institution he graduated in 1882. He then began the read-
ing of law. While thus engaged he w^as employed to superin-
tend the Dresden public schools for the years 1872 and 1873.
In 1875 1^^ '^'^s admitted to practice law in Lancaster, where
he at once established an office, and where he has since been
actively and successfully engaged in the practice of his profession. In
1878, Mr. Sites was elected a member of the city council. In 1880, he
was re-elected and chosen President of that body. Politically, he is a Re-
publiean, and active in his fidelity to his party. Mr. Sites was married
in 1875, to Miss Anna, daughter of David Pence, of Pleasant town-
ship. They are the parents of two children, David E. and Jessie L.
Slough, Tall, attorney, Lancaster ; was born in Fairfield county
September 12, 1837, the only son of Frederick and Mary (Tallman)
Slough. His grandfather, John Slough, a native of Germany, settled
on a place in Bloom township. His youngest son, Frederick, the father
of Tall Slough, was a cabinet maker and a resident of Canal Winches-
ter, where he died in March, 1846. His family consisted of one son
and one daughter, all of whom are living. Tall, after acquiring a com-
mon school education, was a pupil at the High School at Lancaster for
several terms. Subsequently he was emplo3"ed in the warehouse of his
uncle at Canal Winchester, and also taught school for a brief period.
He then read law in the office of Robert Clarjc, and was admitted to the
bar in i860, at once commencing the practice of his profession. In
1861, he was elected City Solicitor, and in 1862, was elected Prosecu-
ting Attorney. He was re-elected to the same position in 1864. In 1867,
he was elected Mayor of Lancaster, to which position he was called b}-
the voice of the people four consecutive terms. Since retiring from
office, in 1875, he has devoted his attention wholly to his extensive law
practice. Mr. Slough, in 1865, married Miss Mary C. Fleming. Him-
self and Mrs. Slough are consistent members ot the Roman Catholic
Church.
Smith, Benjamin, farmer. Liberty township ; was born January 5,
1805, in Berks county, Pennsylvania; son of Henry and Susannah S.
Smith. Benjamin received a fair education and learned the wagon
364 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
maker's trade. He commenced business for himself at the a|:^e of
twent3'-three years at his trade, continuing until 1837, when he came to
Ohio, locating in Violet township, where he engaged in farming. In
the spring of 1855 he removed to Liberty township, and purchased one
hundred and ninety-six acres, formerly known as the Wagner farm. He
owns in all three hundred and seventy acres in this township. Mr.
Smith married Miss A. Billock. This union was blessed with thirteen
children, nine of whom are living: Sarah, wife of Harrison Shaefter, of
Liberty township : William, a resident of Indiana ; Mary Ann, wife of
W. Cheeseman, now residing in Kansas ; Henry and James live in Lib-
erty township ; Caroline, wife of Jacob Barr, of Logan, Ohio; John,
Ezra Lucinda and Elizabeth are at home. Benjamin died in 1865, ^ged
thirty-one years ; Samuel, a soldier in the late war, died August 3,
1865, one week after reaching home, from disease contracted in the
arm3^
Smith, John, farmer. Violet township, post office, Pickerington ;
was born in this township, October 18, 1819; was married Februar}' 4,
1843, to Mary Ann Dressier, daughter of vSamuel and Mary Dressier,
by whom he had nine children: Lewis C, born May 10, 1844;
Samuel, born January 29, 1846; Samantha, born January 29,
1846; Elliot O., born June 30, 1848; Irene, born November 26,
1850; Emma M., born March 5, 1854; Anna C, born December
II, 1856; Francis C, born June 11, 1858; Sarah A., born July i, i860.
After the death of his first wife he married Arabella (Myers) Ricketts,
by whom he had one child, Franklin, born January 9, 1864. Mr.
Smith belonged to the Lutheran Church forty-three years, aud in 1880
joined the Reiormed Church. He belongs to the F. & A. M., and has
held several public offices.
Smith, John C, confectioner, Lancaster; was born in Hesse, Ger-
man}^, October 2, 1820. With his parents he emigrated to America in
1833. The family settled in Columbia, Pennsylvania, where, after re-
ceiving a common school education, at the age of seventeen, he com-
menced an apprenticeship at the confectioner trade. He worked as a
journeyman two years. In 1841, he came to Ohio, and was employed
for several years in Cincinnati. He settled in Lancaster in 1843, where
he at once commenced the confectioner business in the Arnold corner,
remaining there two years. Following this, he did business in theTall-
madge block twenty-one years. He then purchased the property on the
northwest corner of Main and Columbus streets, where he is still doing
an extensive business in confectionery, nuts, foreign fruits and toys. Mr.
Smith was married in 1844, to Miss Catherine Mayer. They are the
parents of four children, three now living: Rev, George H., now of
the Sandwich Islands; Rev. William M., of Berrian Springs, Michi-
gan, and Julia, at home.
Snider, Noah, was born in Liberty township, this county, and is
the only son of Jacob and Phebe Snider. He attended the public
schools in Liberty township, receiving an ordinary education. He fol-
lowed farming at home until his marriage to Miss Mary Fritznis, in
1865. Mr. and Mrs. Snider are the parents of six children, five
daughters and one son. After marriage Mr. Snider purchased a farm
oi ninety-six acres, which he cultivated in connection with his father's
HISTOKY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 365
farm; In 1881 he purchased the Empress Flouring Mill, in Baltimore
and is now doing a large business. Mr. and Mrs. Snider and family-
are members of the Evangelical Church. Mr. Snider is a member of
the Masonic order, and also an Odd Fellow and a member of the
Knights of Pythias. His father, Jacob, was an early settler in this
count}'. He was born in Germany, and came with his father to America
in 1818. Thev located in Pleasant township, where his father remained
live years. They then removed to Liberty township, where Jacob Sni-
der still resides. He is still farming, and is one of the best citizens in
the township.
Snider, Samuel, farmer. Liberty township. He was born in this
township February 6, 1824; son of Randolph and Mary Ann (Bow-
man) Snider. Samuel received a good education, and turned his atten-
tion to farming. He remained at home until twenty-four years of age.
He married Miss Mar}^ Soliday in 1848. She was born in Liberty
township in 1827. After marriage Mr. Snider settled on the farm where
he still lives. It contains four hundred and thirty acres. Here he built
a fine residence. At the completion of the Ohio Central Railroad
through his premises, he erected an extensive warehouse, with a capacity
of fifteen thousand bushels of grain. He is now extensively engaged in
buying and shipping grain to various places in the country. Mr.
Snider also deals extensiveh^ in coal. Mr. and Mrs. Snider are the
parents of eleven children, nine now living. D. P. has charge of the
home farm ; Elizabeth A. was the wife of David Eversole ; she died
in 1879; Sarah, the wife of John Stranger; John H. and Charles F.
have charge of the warehouse; George W,, Amanda Jane, William
Clark and Mary Alice are still at home. The family are members of
the Evangelical Association.
Snider, Joseph, was born in Liberty township, Fairfield county,
Ohio, November 27, 1819', son of Rudolph and Mar}^ C. (Bowman)
Snider. His parents v\^ere natives of Switzerland, and emigrated to
America in 1814, first locating in Berne township, Fairfield county,
where they remained until lemoving to Liberty township in 1817, set-
tling on the place now owned by their son Emanuel. They reared a
famil}^ of eight children, five of whom are now living, all residents of
Liberty township, and among its most substantial citizens. Rudolph
Snider was a successful farmer, and an active and consistent member ot
the Evangelical Association. His death occurred February 14, 1870.
Joseph, the subject of this sketch, after receiving such an education as
the schools of the neighborhood afforded, remained on the home place
vmtil he obtained his majority, following which for some five years he
conducted a farm owned by his father. lu 1850 Mr, Snider settled on
the farm where he still resides. He is the owner of two hundred and
eighteen acres of fine land, with tasteful and fine surroundings. He
was married in 1845 to Anna, daughter of John Rauch. Their union
was blessed with one daughter, Sarah Catharine, now Mrs. Frederick
Hulshv. Mr. Snider and famil}' are members of the Evangelical As-
sociation. He is a genial and pleasant gentleman, and one of the sub-
stantial farmers and stock raisers of Fairfield county.
Snider, Rev. Absalom, was born in Licking county, Ohio, October
8, 1840. He is the onlv son of J. W. and Susan Snider. Mr. Snider
1.
^66 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
was educated in the common schools of his native county, and reared
upon a farm until he was eighteen 37ears of age. At that age he taught
school. He afterward attended normal school one term. January 5,
1865, he was married to Effie E., daughter of Christopher and Jane
Trovinger. They are the parents of four sons an four daughters. Soon
after his marriage he located where he still lives. He followed farming
six years ; during the time he prepared himself, by stud}', for the min-
istry. In 187 1 he united with the Scioto Conference of the U. B.
Church, passed a regular examination, and was ordained in 1874. ^^^
first charge was Jacksonville Circuit, Licking county, Ohio, where he
remained five 3^ears. From there he came to the Pleasant Run Circuit,
having under his charge four appointments that demand all his time.
He has given the charge of the farm of sixty acres into the hands of
his sons. Mr. Snider is a self-made man, and served as township
assessor from 1865 to 1871. Christopher Trovinger was born in Wash-
ington county, Maryland, February 23, 1808. In 1815 he came to Ohio
with his father, Samuel Trovinger, who settled upon the farm now
owned by H. Sperry, which he cleared up, and where he lived to the
time of his death, April 6, 1852. Christopher Trovinger became owner
of three hundred acres of land, a good portion of which he cleared up.
He was a school teacher b}^ profession, which he continued manv years,
until late in life. He served as township clerk as early as 1832, filling
that office, except one year, for thirty years. Was first elected Justice
of the Peace in 1836, holding that office almost continually for twenty-
seven years. Was County Commissioner, first elected in 1862, and re-
elected in 1865, serving six years. He is a Democrat in politics; has
been a member of the M. E. Church for thirty-seven years. Mr. Tro-
vinger married Jane Lyle, the daughter of an early settler, who settled
on a part of what is known as the Lyle farm. They became the parents
of eight children, six of whom are living, four daughters and two sons.
Mr. Trovinger died January 6, 1881. His widow is still living in Vir-
ginia, and is in her sevent3'-third 3ear.
Snyder, John, farmer. Walnut township. He was born in Rocking-
ham county, Virginia, May 3, 1819 ; the only son of George and Ann
M. (Plecker) Snyder. George Snyder was a native of Maryland, and
was born in 1791. He came to Ohio, in 1828, with his wife and five
children, and settled in Walnut township on the place now owned by
John Snyder. A house had been built before he bought the place. He
reared a family of eight children to maturity, of whom three sons and
three daughters are living. He was a member of the Reform church
many years. He died in 1863 ; his widow in February, 1880, in her
seventy-eighth year. John Snyder was brought up on the farm, and
inured to labor. He has been twice married ; first, in 1845, ^^ Abigail,
daughter of Calvin Hite. To them were born three children, viz. :
Lewis B., a resident of Walnut township ; John R., janitor of the Court
House in Lancaster, and George L., a resident of Walnut township.
Mrs. Snyder died in 185 1, and in 1853 Mr. Snyder was married to
Miss Margaret, daughter of Joseph Harris, a well known resident of
Walnut township. She was born in this township, July 2, 1828. They
are the parents of six children, four of v^hom are living, viz. : William
M., a carpenter at Hadley Junction ; Dillen H., also a carpenter at
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 367
Basil, and Almeda and Edward D. at home. Mr. Snyder, after his
first marriage, lived near his father until 1872, having purchased the
interests of the other heirs. He built his present home in 1871, and in
addition to his farming, ran a tliresher about fifteen years. He has
been township trustee a number of years, and has held other important
trusts.
SoLiDAY, Samuel, was born in Walnut township, February 17,
18 II. He is the oldest son of Frederick and Mary (Baeden) Soliday.
natives of Switzerland. Frederick emigrated to America in 1803, and
soon came to Walnut township, where he entered a section of land, on
which he lived many years. He took part in the war of 181 2. He
died in 1873 at Newark, to which place he had removed several years
previous. Samuel Soliday received an ordinary education in the pio-
neer schools, and was raised on the farm, an avocation he fully master-
ed, and which he has always followed. He remained with his parents
until his marriage to Elizabeth Giesy in 1835. 'I^^'^^J became the par-
ents of four children, three of whom are still living, viz. : Mar}^ M.,
wife of Lewis Miller, of Liberty township, and Eva A., and Elizabeth,
still at home. Mrs. Soliday died in 1877. The family are members of
the Reform church, and are among the influential and honored families
in this county.
Soliday, Jacob, farmer, Walnut township. He was born in can-
ton Basil, Switzerland, May 15, 1802 ; the youngest son of John Adam
and Elizabeth Solida}^ He came with his parents to America in 1803,
coming direct to Lancaster, where they stopped a short time. In Augusfj
1853, they entered and settled on a section -of land, a part of which
is the home of Jacob Soliday. He put up a log cabin. He raised a
family of six daughters and two sons, of which Jacob is the only sur-
vivor. John A. Soliday was a member of the Reform churcii. He
died in 1814; his widow in 1834. Jacob was educated in the schools
then taught in some neighbor's house. The Indians were numerous
and harmless. He remembers them calling for pumpkins in exchange
for deer meat. Jacob engaged in farming. He cleared one hundred
and twenty acres, where he lived with his mother and two sisters. He
first married, December 14, 1824, to Elizabeth Crider. They were the
parents of eight children, of whom six are living, four daughters and
two sons. Mrs. Soliday died February 1,1836. He was married the second
time to Miss Mary, daughter of Peter Doring, a pioneer of Pleasant town-
ship. Mrs. Soliday was born December 30, 1818. They are the parents of
twelve children. Six sons and five daughters are living, viz. : Sarah
Ann, wife of Lafay(>i^te Arnold, resident of Greenfield ; Lydia, wife of
Samuel Weller, of Baltimore, Ohio ; John Adam, of Allen count}^, In-
diana ; S. D., a merchant at Fort Wayne, Indiana; S. P., of Henr^^
county, Ohio ; Emma, wife of Jefferson Kern, a merchant of Pleasant
township ; Julia, wife of J. P. Gebbart, of Pleasant township ; Jose-
phine, wife of G. W. Bush, of Walnut township ; George W. conducts
the home place; J. F., a resident of Walnut township; L. H., now
clerking in Baltimore, residing with his parents. Mr. Soliday is the
longest time resident of Walnut township. In 1824 he cast his vote for
General Jackson. He has since voted the Democratic ticket. Since
1827 he has been a member of the Reform church. He built his pres-
368
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
ent residence about 1832. His sons, John, Adam and S. D., were in the
late war.
Spangler, William, farmer, Walnut township. He was born in
Pleasant township, January 12, 1841, eldest son of Jacob and Eva
(Hite) Spangler. Jacob Spangler was born in Fairfield county, about
1820. His father was a pioneer in the county. Jacob raised a family
of five children, of whom two sons and two daughters are living. He
was a member of the German Lutheran church. William Spangler,
after acquiring his education in the common schools, turned his atten-
tion to farming. He remained at home until of age. He was then em-
ployed bv David Bright, in Greenfield township. He remained in his
employ three years. March 3, 1864 he was married to Miss Julia
Ann, dauo"hter of David Bright, a well-known resident of Greenfield
township. She was born in that township December 9, 1846. In the
spring of 1864, the}' came to Walnut township, where they lived on the
Mason farm seven years. In the fall ol 1871, he came in possession of
his present home, one hundred and seventy-five acres, about one-half
the old homestead. In 187 1, he built their present residence, and in
1875 a fine barn. They are the parents of six children: David S.,
Jacob D., Gilbert B., Dolly U., John R., and Frank H.
Sperry, W. a., farmer. Walnut township. He was born October
16, 1843, in this township, son of Peter and Juliet (Taylor) Sperry.
Peter Sperry came to Frederick county, Virginia, in 1803. In 1831 he
came with his wife to Ohio, and settled in Walnut township, on a place
still owned bv the family. The place was partially improved ; the house
that was on the place then is still occupied. He purchased one hun-
dred and thirteen acres. He raised a family of six children, of whom
three sons and two daughters are living. His son Samuel was a mem-
ber of the One Hundred and Twenty-sixth O. V. I., and was wounded
at the battle of the Wilderness, Ma}^ 6, 1864. He died in the hospital at
Washington, May 27, 1864. Peter Sperr}^ was a member of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church. He died March 7, 1882 ; his wife in 1848. W.
A., was educated and taught school ; this he engaged in until 1882.
He was married June 26, 1873, to Miss Jennie, daughter of William
Watson, a well-known resident of Walnut township ; she was born in
that township. They are the parents of one son and one daughter:
Willie E., and Bertie V. In 1873 he purchased a portion of his father's
place, and built his present residence. ' He devotes his time to farming
and stock raising. He owns one hundred and seven acres of land.
They are members of Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Sperry and
his father were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and also
of the Masonic Order.
Sperry, Milton, farmer. Walnut township. He was born in this
township September i, 1841, and is a son of Peter and Juliet (Taylor)
Sperry. He was educated in the common schools of his diiy and Union
Academy, and was brought up a farmer, which vocation he yet follows.
Arriving" at age he began teaching and was also connected with the
educational works of D. Appleton & Co., introducing their school
books about two years. He continued to teach until 1872,
after which date he was concerned in several mercantile transactions.
November 18, 1868, he was married to Mary Ida, daughter of William
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUnTY. 369
Walters, a former resident of Reading township, Perry county. Mrs.
Sperry was born in Muskingum county, May lo, 1849. After his mar-
riage Mr. Sperrv was engaged as principal of various schools, and was
also in the dry goods trade one 3'ear. He removed to New Salem,
where he remained till the spring of 1880, engaged teaching there
and in the vicinity, e.vcepting in 1878, when he was in Colorado re-
cruiting his health. He taught there till October, 1879, when he
returned to Ohio and followed teaching again. In 1880 he engaged
with a Buffalo hrm as salesman of their school furniture, in which he
had good success, and which he still follows. In the spring of 1882 he
removed to his father's place, of one hundred and thirteen acres, which
he also conducts. Mr. and Mrs. Sperrv are the parents of one son,
Peter Pharos, born June 4, 1876. Mr. Sperry was enumerator lor the
census of 1880, in Walnut township. The family are members of the
Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Sperry is also a member of the
Masonic Order.
Si'iTZLER, Abraham, farmer. Walnut township. He was born in
Shenandoah countv, Virginia, February 5, 1808, and is a son of Joseph
and Barbara (Kauffman) Snitzler. He came with his parents to Ohio
in 1810. They settled in Walnut township, on the place now owned by
Mr. Spitzler. It had been partiall}^ cleared by John McNaughten, and
consisted of one hundred and sixty acres. Joseph Spitzler raised nine
children to maturity. His death occurred in 1815. The farm has been
cleared bv his sons, principall}' by Abraham, wlio received a common
school education, and also a few terras in the Union Academy. He re-
mained at home until of age, when he learned the carpenter's trade, at
which he worked in various places three 3'ears. He then rented the
home farm from his mother, and operated it during her lifetime. In
1836 he was married to Elizabeth, daughter of David Pence, an early
settler in Richland township. She was born April 26, 1820. After his
marriage, he purchased a part of the home place, which he improved,
and in 1863 built his present residence, and in 1876 an excellent barn.
The home farm contains one hundred and eighty acres. Mr. and Mrs.
Spitzler are the parents of six children, of whom one is dead. Those
living are: David P., residing on part of the home place; Selma
Ann, wife of Jacob Barr, residing in Richland township; Aaron, a
resident of Iowa ; Thomas Jefferson, living on a part of the home place ;
and Manson M., living at home. The family are members of the Bap-
tist church.
Steele, Colonel C. P., retired, Lancaster, was born in West
Virginia, April 11, 1828. Receiving an ordinal'}- education, his youth
was passed in pursuits incident to farm life, until arriving at the age of
eighteen, when he became a member of the Third Ohio Regiment, dur-
ing the war with Mexico. He was at the battle of Montere}^, and in
the campaign under General Taylor. At the close of that war he went
to California, via Cape Horn. He spent a number of years in South
America, and was a resident of Valparaiso at tlie time of the great earth-
quake in 1851. Returning to the United States in i860, he was one of
the first to respond to the call for troops in April, 1861, raising a com-
pany in Belmont county and in West Virginia, which became a part of
the Seventeenth Regiment O. V. I. ; and upon the formation of the reg-
47
370
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
imentvvas elected Major, taking an active part in the various campaigns
under General McClellan, participating in the battle of Rich Mountain,
at which time his three months' term of service expired. Returning
home, he at once actively engaged in recruiting the Sixty-second
O. V. I., of which regiment he took command, spending the winter of
1862 on the B. & O. R. R., from Cumberland to Martinsburg and in
the Winchester valley, taking an active part in the first fight at Win-
chester, Was engaged in numerous skirmishes and raids at Manassas
Junction, Port Republic, and elsewhere in that vicinity, returning to
McCleilan's command upon the peninsula in time to participate at Har-
rison's Landing, where his regiment rendered efficient service in cover-
ing the retreat. Soon after Colonel Steele's regiment was ordered
South, making the campaign of North Carolina, also in South Caro-
lina, where they assisted in the engagements upon the Blackwater, and
at the capture of Coal and Folly Islands, the latter being placed in
charge of Colonel Steele immediately after its capture. While leading
a charge on Fort Wagner the Colonel was severely wounded, which
rendered him unfit for further service. He was discharged in October,
1863. Returning to civil life, he married in the latter part of 1863, Miss
Maria E., 3'oungest daughter of Hon. Thomas Ewing. This union
is blessed with five children, two daughters and three sons. Concern-
ing the Colonel's military experience, the following extracts are given,
the first from the official record of the Union and Confederate armies,
and the second from an Ohio newspaper: " Col. C. F. Steele, of this
city, commanded the first expedition, consisting of three companies, D,
I and K, Seventeenth Regiment O. V. I. (from Fairfield, Perry and
Belmont counties), which entered West Virginia below Parkersburg,
in the war of the Rebellion. ' Three companies under Major Steele,
were detached at Clarksburg, the 27th day of June, to proceed to Par-
kersburg, and there take boats for Ravenswood and march to Riple;y.
The Major arrived at Parkersburg on Friday, the 28th. The same eve-
ning he embarked on two steamboats, commanded by Captain Kountz,
and reached a landinjif two miles below Ravenswood, with two com-
panics, having left the third company at Bellville. The Major pro-
ceeded to Riple}^, which he reached at four a. m. of the 29th. He placed
his advanced guard, hidden from sight, and having surrounded the
place, completely surprised it, capturing the postmaster and some
eight}^ other secessionists. He administered the oath of allegiance to
the captives, installed the postmaster lately appointed b}' the Govern-
ment, took the captive postmaster with him to Ravenswood, where they
captured all they could and swore them in, as at Ripley. Major Steele
deemed it prudent to leave two companies, D and I, at Ravenswood,
and brought the other company, K, to Clarksburg, which he reached
July I.' " '" * " Col. C. F. vSteele is known to have been the man who
got up the first flag in this county in response to the call of the Presi-
dent for seventy-five thousand men to save the Union. The Colonel
says the first money he paid out towards that object was two dollars
for a flag staff' to put on the court house, which remained there until
the close of the war. The man who assisted him in getting up the flag
was Captain Hiram Craft, of Indianapolis, who superintended the mak-
ing of it. The first one who agreed to volunteer with him was Walter
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 37 1
Hewetson, of Bridgeport. The Chronicle oflice volunteered printing
the bills for a meeting. The man who made the most impressive speech
was Rev. Johnson, who said he onl}^ had one son, but was willing he
should enlist. The boy sprang up at once and enrolled his name. An
eloquent speech was made by Ross Alexander, Esq., who, like Arte-
mus Ward, was willing his 'wife's relations' should go. The ladies
of the place made a beautiful silk flag for the company, which was pre-
sented by Miss Celia Groves. It was taken by the company to Camp
Anderson, Lancaster, Ohio, where it was adopted as the regimental
flag of the Seventeenth Ohio, and carried through the three months'
service. The Colonel returned for three years with the Sixty-second
Regiment, taking with him one of the finest companies in the State
from' Somerton, this county, and remained in the service till the i8th of
July, 1863, when, while leading a charge on Fort Wagner, he was terribly
wounded. Every officer with him, except two, was killed or wounded,
one of which was Captain Ta3'lor, of the Belmont company, who was
spared then, only to fall in the next battle. The wounded, as soon as
they could be removed, were sent to New York, where the Colonel was
met by Mr. Alexander Branum, and taken out to his home. Few who
saw him then thought he could ever recover from his injiu'ies, from
which he still continues to suffer at times severely. The Colonel also
represented this county in the Mexican war, and was one of the first to
go to California, having joined the expedition of Governor Shannon in
the fall of 1848, and sailed round Cape Horn, making the voyage in
five months and a half."
Steen, Jacob, merchant and postmaster at Reno, Cass county,
Iowa ; was born in Eynchburg, Virginia, October 9, 1847, and was
married in Juh^ 1869, to Miss Hettie A. H. Sain, who was born Janu-
ary 29, 1848, near Rushville, Fairfield county, Ohio. Their children
are Clarence Albert, who was born in the City of Brooklyn, February
20, 1872, and who died in New York City, June 23, 1872. Mr. Steen
has been engaged for several 3^ears in the mercantile business, and at
present is a merchant at Reno, Iowa.
Steiger, Christian, is a native of Fairfield count}', and was born
in Greenfield township on the 8th day of August, 1839. ^^ ^"^''^ mar-
ried to Barbara Ann Wirtz in 1870. She was born in Pleasant town-
ship in 1844. Their children are Benjamin Franklin, born April 14.
187 1 ; Elphemia Belle, born March 6, 1873 ; Willis Otto, born Septem-
ber II, 1875; Elizabeth May, born November 21, 1877; Clarence
Monroe, born February 26, 1880.
Stemen, Nicholas, farmer and stock raiser, Violet township, post
office, Pickerington ; son of Nicholas and Catharine (Beery) Stemen ;
born in Jackson township. Perry count}', January 11, 1829. His father
was one of the first settlers ; was married February 24, 1853, to Lydia
Brenneman, daughter of John Brenneman, born December 24, 1829.
Tiiey have a family of five children — John, born February 28, 1854;
Nancy, born June 6, 1855 ; Lewis, born March 21, 1862 ; Willie, born
October 4, 1864; Emma, born January 26, 1868. Mr. Stemen makes
a specialty of fine stock. He belongs to the Mennonite Church.
Stewart, W. H., Railroad agent, Pleasantville post office ; born in
1846; came to Fairfield county in 1871. Mr. Stewart engaged as a
372 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
clerk in different places during a good part of his early life ; son of
James and Margaret Stewart. He was married in 187 1 to Miss Minnie
S. Ashbrook, daughter of John M. and Katharine Ashbrook. They
have four children — Cora L., Lulu F., Anna M., John A. Mr. Stew-
art was in the arm}^ some four months, having enlisted in 1861 in the
One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Indiana Regiment.
Stewart. Gkigg'S., physician and surgeon, post office, Pickering-
ton ; born at Ripley, Jackson county, West' Virginia, March 29, 1854 5
son of George F. and Maria (Stout) Stewart. He attended Marshall
College, Cabell county, West Virginia, and the Miami Medical Col-
lege, Cincinnati, Ohio, graduating Februar}- 28, 1877. Married to
Maggie C. Sebrell, at Hempstead, Texas, August 30, 1879. ^^^ died
August 18, 1881, leaving one child, Charles A., who was born August
5, 1881. Mr. Stewart practiced two years at Leon, West Virginia, and
from thence he moved to Pickerington. He is a member of the
L O. O. F.
Stevenson, Mordecai, deceased ; was born in Frederick count}-,
Mar\'land, November 23, 1786. He was married March 4, 1812, to
Mis& Rebecca Comer, who was born August 14, 1789. Their children
were Isabelle, born March 5, 1813 ; Elizabeth, born January i, 1815 :
Daniel L., born June 9, 1817; Samuel E., born June 9, 1819; Ruth,
born January 19, 1822 ; Josiah, born September 8, 1824. He was mar-
ried a second time in 1834, ^^ Mrs. Eleanor Henthorn. Their children
were Noah R., born March 4, 1835 5 William B., born Februar}- 5,
1837; Rebecca E.. born October 12, 1839; David K., born March 20,
1841 ; Franklin D., born March 18, 1848. Franklin D. Stevenson was
married September 19, 1879, ^° Anna M. Gingher, who was born June
30. 185 1. They have one child, Traftbrd C, born December 3, 1880.
Mordecai Stevenson died in September, 1877.
Stevenson, Jesse, deceased; was born March 2, 1778. He was
married to Rachel Stevenson, who was born September 31, 1784. Their
children were Edward W., born March 26, 1805 ; George B., born
December 16, 1806; Henry, born April 9, 1808; Reuben, born Octo-
ber 12, 1899; Elijah, born August 28, 1811 ; John, born January 20,
1813 ; Sarah, born November 2, 1814; Loudy, born March 12, 1816:
Harriet, born Mav 6, 1819; Aaron, born May 26, 1821 ; Isaiah, born
March 14, 1823; Miranda, born October 7, 1825 : Jesse B., born Sep-
tember 31, 1827. Their two nieces raised by them were Harriet Ste-
venson, born September 4, 1838 ; Marv Elizabeth Stevenson, born July
18, 1841. Jesse Stevenson. wSr., died September 14, 1861 ; Isaiah died
August 17, 1871 ; Reuben died September 25, 1881 ; Henry died De-
cember 13, 1878.
Stevenson, Daniel, Sr., was born in Baltimore countv, Mary-
land, on the 2d day of September, 1737. He came to Richland town-
ship. Fairfield co\mty, in 1805. He located on section seventeen. He
was married to Rutli Stevenson, who was born January 2, 1743 ; the
date of their marriage is unknown. Their children were John, Jesse,
Daniel, Satyr, Mordecai, Edward, George. John died June 22, 1843 ;
Edward died October 22, 1844. Daniel Stevenson, Sr., died Septem-
ber 3, 1827. His wife, Ruth Stevenson, died June 12, 1831.
Stevenson, Daniel, Jr., was born in Baltimore county, Maryland
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 373
June 23, 1782, and emigrated to Richland township, Fairfield county,
Ohio, in 1805. He was married to Elizabeth Murray, March 28, 1825.
She was born March 10, 1789. Their children were Rosalee, born
September 20, iSijf); Edward Thompson, born June 3, 1827 ; Sarah
Murray, born March 13, 1S30. Daniel Stevenson died September 30,
1865 ; Elizabeth Stevenson died December 23, 1834. Their son, Ed-
ward Thompson Stevenson, was married June 29, 185 1, to Frances
Fetter}^ who was born July 7, 1822. They had three children, viz. :
Loretta Clementine, born July 16, 1855 ; Sarah Fidelia, born Decem-
ber 6, 1856, who died September 20, 1861 ; and Emma Catharine, who
v.'as born SeJ^tember i, 1859, '^^^^^ who died December 23, 1881.
Stout, Simon, merchant, born March 17, 1830; married November
30, 1856, to Louisa Neff. There were born of this union ten children,
eight living and two dead. Those living are: Nelson F., born April
30, 1857: Lucretia, born April 10, 1859; Willson V., born April 20,
1863 ;Carrie B., born June 23, 1867 : Anna C, born December 6, 1869 ;
Bertha Mav, born March 20, 1874; Maggie Florence, born February
24, 1877, ^^"<^^ Minnie Lee, born December 18, 1881. The subject of
this sketch is at this time engaged in business in the village of Stouts,
ville, where he constantly keeps on hand a full line of dry goods, hats-
caps, boots, shoes, hardware, queensware, notions, hosiery, cigars, to-
bacco, tinware, groceries, etc., etc. Mr. Stout is one of the leading bu-
siness men of Fairfield county.
Stout, John, farmer ; post office, Stoutsville : was born February 16,
1840 ; married October 10, 1861, to Miss Maiy J. Shupe. There were
born of this union five children, viz. : Ida Jane, born July 28, 1863 ;
Emma Belle, born July 14, 1865; Anna Leotta, born September 12,
1869; Charles Edson, born December 24, 1871 ; and Ella Florence, born
August 20, 1873, Ella died in June, 1874. The subject of this sketch
is a farmer and stock raiser' living just east of Stoutsville, on the farm
occupied by his father, Benjamin Stout, at the time of his death. He
is one of the prominent men of this township.
Stout, Nelson T., farmer; post office, Stoutsville; born April 30,
1857 ; married October 22, 1879, ^^ Miss Rosa Odafier. There were
born of this union two children, viz. : Bertie Blanche, born Septem-
ber 20, 1880, and Elsie Mable, born December 26, 1881. The subject
of this sketch is at present engaged in farming, one-half mile east of
Stoutsville. He is one of the energetic young farmers of this town-
ship.
Stover, Theopolis ; was born in Licking county, October i, 1831,
and is theelciest son of John and Catharine (Roads) Stover. He came
to Fairfield county with his parents, who settled in tlie center of Liberty
township, and there r.aised a famih' of five children, three of whom are
now living. The father died October i, 1880. Theopolis attended the
district schools till his seventeentii year, when he entered Granville Col-
lege and remained till he graduated. He then engaged in teaching,
a profession which he has followed with little interi-uption ever since.
He taught tlie Basil schools seven years and the Baltimore school one
3^ear. He has acceptably served his township as assessor, clerk and
justice of the peace. This last office he has held continuously since 1865,
except one term. Mr. Stover was married October 31, 1865, to a
374
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES,
daughter of Sebastian Goss. Of his seven children four are now liv-
ing, viz. : Grace E., Jessie L., John C. and Henry M. The family are
active members of the Baptist church.
Strayer, Frank, P., physician and surgeon, Bremen, Ohio, was
born October 23, 1853, in Sugar Grove, Berne township, Fairfield coun-
ty, Ohio ; son of Jacob E. and Sarah (Brandon) Strayer. He was
brought up on a farm and followed agricultural pursuits until he was
sixteen years of age, when he went to school at Worthington, Ohio,
about two 3'ears, afterward attending the Ohio Wesleyan University at
Delaware, Ohio, about one year. At this time he quit college on ac-
count of his health. He taught school one term before attending col-
lege and one term since his attendance. In November, 1875, ^^^ began
the study of medicine with Dr. Frampton, of Bremen, Ohio, which he
continued four years, attending lectures at the Columbus Medical Col-
lege, and received a <^iploma of graduation in the spring of 1879, ^o^^
after which he entered into partnership with Dr. Frampton, of Bre-
men, and has continued the same to this time. Dr. Strayer is a con-
sistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and has served as
Sunday scliool superintendent ten years, in which he was signally suc-
cessful. He is now steward and trustee of the Methodist Episcopal
church in Bremen, Ohio. Dr. vStra3'er's grand parents, upon his father's
side, were of German descent, and were born in Penns3'lvania. His
motiier's father was of Scotch descent ; her mother of German, both of
whom were born in Virginia. The doctor's father came to Ohio from
Maryland about 1826, and settled in Berne township, where he still re-
sides. His mother was born in Virginia, and came to Ohio with her
parents in an early dav.
Stutson, Alverd, was born in Zanesville, Ohio, August 8, 1835 5
son of James and Amelia (Musgrove) Stutson. Attended school for
some years in Zanesville, until his removal, with his parents, to West
Jefferson, Madison county, Ohio, in 1845, where he completed his edu-
cation. Earlv in life he engaged in clerking in his father's store, also
in the store of his brother, with whom he remained until 1863. The
latter year he removed to London, Ohio, engaging in trade on his own
account, where he conducted an extensive and successful dry goods bu-
siness until 1870. He tlien became a resident of Topeka, Kansas, re-
maining there four years, during which time he was cashier of the Cap-
ital Bank, of Topeka, occupying that position until the winding up of the
business of the bank. In February, 1877, he purchased the old estab-
lished dr}' goods business of Phillip Rising, thus becoming a resident
of Lancaster in that vear and since. He has continued in the dry goods
and carpet trade, which, from moderate beginning, has grown to an
extensive business, and in addition has a branch house at Washing-
ton Court House, Ohio. Mr. Stutson has been twice married ; first, in
1 861, to Miss Eliza Jones, who died in 1863, leaving one son, Harry A.,
now an assistant in his father's store at Washington Court House. The
present Mrs. Stutson, to whom he was married in 1865, was Miss Emma
Norton, of Springfield, Ohio. Their union is blessed with two daugh-
ters and one son, viz. : Nellie C, Norton and Florence. Mr. Stutson
is a member of the Masonic order. Himself and family are members
of the Methodist Episcopal church.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 375
Sturgeon Family : They were among the early pioneers of
Lancaster. Timothy Sturgeon, a native of Pennsylvania, first visited
Ohio in 1801. Having decided to settle in Lancaster, he soon after re-
turned to Pennsylvania and married Margaret Johnson. In 1802 he
returned to Ohio with his young wile, and became a permanent resi-
dent of Lancaster, where he engaged in the watch and clock business
for many years. He was a prominent and active man, tilling the posi-
tion of Justice of the Peace for some time. He was also treasurer of
Fairfield county one or more terms. He was a member of the Presby-
terian church, an esteemed citizen, and successful business man. He
accumulated a handsome property, a portion of which was ten acres of
land in what is now a part of Lancaster. He reared four children, two
of whom survive ; Thomas, and Mary A., the widow of William Kauff-
man. Timothy Sturgeon died in 1826. Thomas Sturgeon was born in
Lancaster, October 17, 1808. He acquired a fair education and learn-
ed the trade of jeweler and silversmith, a business he followed until
1840. He then purchased a farm and conducted it ten or twelve years,
during which time he dealt extensively in live stock. In 1852 Mr.
Siurgeon, in company with Samuel Crim, made a trip overland to Cal-
ifornia, taking with them one hundred head of horses and mules, and
also conveyed on horseback fort3'-four passengers, receiving from each
the sum of one hundred and fift}^ dollars. The venture was a profita-
ble one. While in California he dealt in live stock, and was the owner
of an extensive cattle ranch. Returning home in 1854, he soon after
built the capacious family residence on Mulbeny street, and has since de-
voted his attention to the care and management of the estate left b}^ his
father. He has been actively engaged in building, having erected nu-
merous substantial dwellings in the vicinity of his own home. Mr,
Sturgeon has been twice married; first, about 1834, ^^ Miss Margaret,
daughter of Judge David Ewing. They became the parents of two
daughters, viz. : Maria and Ellen. The former is the widow of H. V.
Weakly, and a resident of Lancaster. The latter was the widow of
William Dot}' ; she died at Atlanta, Georgia, in March, 1882. Mrs.
Sturgeon died about 1837. ^^^'- Sturgeon was again married, in 1844,
to Miss Matilda Publer. The}' are the parents of five daughters and
four sons, all residents of Lancaster, with the exception of one son,
who is living in Columbus.
SuTPHEN, J. M., was born in New Jersey in 1836. He came to
Ohio when 3'oung and located in Lancaster. He was married to Ellen
Clarke, who was born in this county. They have four children, viz. :
Fannie, Frank, Clark and Dora. In 1862 Mr. Sutphen enlisted as
First Lieutenant in Company D, Ninetieth O. V. I., and the next year
was promoted to Captain. He continued in the service till the close of
the war. In 1874 ^^^ ^"^^^ appointed postmaster by President Grant.
He was re-appointed in 1878 by President Hayes. He held the office
until the appointment of Mr. Williams. Prior to his appointment, Mr.
Sutphen was connected with the Gazette Printing Company. His
father, John B. Sutphen, was born September 7, 1808, in the State of
New Jersey, and died in Lancaster June 22, 1882, in the 74th year of
his age. In his youth he united with the Baptist church. He was
married to Sarah A. Quick in the year 1831. They moved to Ohio and
376 Biographical sketches.
settled in Fairfield county in 1838. They had seven children, three of
whom and eleven grandchildren are now living. He, soon after com-
ing to Ohio, cast in his lot with the Baptist church at Baltimore, in this
county, which church he served many }-ears as deacon. The last tew
years of his lite were spent in Lancaster, \vliere he attended services in
the church of his choice, when it was open for that purpose, and at
other times he worshiped with God's people in other churches. By
industrious toil he reared and maintained his family in comfort and re-
spectabilitv. The death of his beloved wife, ten years ago, was to him
a deep affliction which he keenly felt during those years. Now his
body lies beside that of the wife of his youth and those of four children.
SuTPHEN', D. C, post office, Pleasantville ; merchant; born in this
county in 1842. Mr. Sutphen w^as brought up on a farm ; has been
engaged in the mercantile business some five vears. Mr. Sutjihen also
fills the ofiice of Justice of the Peace, liaving been elected to that oflice
without au}^ solicitation on his part. He is leader of the brass band
of Pleasantville. He is a son of R. D. and Sarah (Zerkle) Sutphen.
Was married in 1864 to Miss Hannah E. Horner, daughter of FI. B.
Horner, of Basil, this county ; they have two children — Franklin M. and
Harley H. ' ■
Taylor, Milton F., farmer. Walnut township. He was born in
this township, September 23, 1848 ; the son of Jesse and Ann (Kramer)
Taylor. Jesse Tavlor was born in Frederick county, Virginia, Sep-
tember 9, 1806. In 1829 he came, wnth his parents, to Ohio. The
family resided in Lancaster one year; thev then settled in Walnut
township, on the place, a portion of which is now owned by AL F.
Taylor. He purchased eighty acres. In 1865 he died in his ninety-
fourth 3'ear. Jesse, Jr., continued to live on the home place, and in
1858 built the present residence. He raised a tamily of four children, —
William H., a resident of Nebraska; Sarah, wife of Newton Holt, of
Walnut township; David R., enlisted in the Fortieth O. V. I. in 1861,
and was killed in the battle of Pittsburgh Landing, April 6, 1862. To
his second marriage he raised one son, Milton F. Mr. Taylor was a
member of the Reform church. He died March 7, 187S. His widow
still survives him in her sixty-sixth year. Milton F. received a fair
education ; he attended the Fairfield Academy, at Pleasantville, one
year. He farmed the home place until his marriage, November 6,
1878, to Miss Ella R., daughter of David Y. McNaughten, a well-
known resident of Walnut township. They are the parents of one
daughter, born September 9, 1880. He is a member of the Masonic
Order. He owns two hundred and forty acres of land. He has a fine
lot of extra blooded stock. The mother of Mr. Taylor is a member
of the Reform church.
Thomas, B. A., M. D., of Rushville, Fairfield county, Ohio ; a son
of Jesse Thomas. He was born August 22, 1835, in Reading town-
ship, Perr}^ county, Ohio ; was reared on a farm ; received a common
school education, with the exception of one term of select school in
Somerset, Perry county, Ohio, b}^ Charles Nourse, principal. At the
age of twenty-two 3'ears commenced teaching school and taught for
the period of three years, in the winter months. In the year i860 he
was teaching a spring term ; had taught fifteen days when the war
HISTORY OF- FAIRFIELD COUNTY. ' 377
broke put. He left the school room and enlisted in Captain James
Stinchcomb's Company F. Seventeenth Regiment, Ohio Infantry Vol-
unteers. VVas appointed First Sergeant of the company. He served
four months, in Western Virginia. In the fall of 1861 he recruited
Companv D, Sixtv-second Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantr}^, and
was elected Captain, and served with the regiment until the latter part
of June, 1863, on Folly Island, South Carolina, when broken down
in health, at the urgent solicitation of the Lieutenant Colonel and
Surgeon of the regiment, he was discharged on account of disability.
After returning home he endeavored to follow farming, but on account
of diseases contracted in the service, he was compelled to change his
occupation. Having already studied medicine to a considerable extent,
he chose the profession of a physician, and read medicine with J. D.
Nourse, M. D., of Rushville, Ohio, and attended lectures at the Star-
ling Medical College, in 1864 and 1865. He commenced practice in
the spring of 1865 in Rushville, and attended lectures again in 1868
and 1869, and graduated at the Starling Medical College, since which
time he has practiced in Rushville, Ohio. He was married to Ella
Rissler, daughter cf Thomas Rissler, of Richland township, Fairfield
county, Ohio, September 10, 1861. She was born February 22, 1842.
Their children are Eva C, born June 13, 1864: Minnie, born April 8,
1866, and Edward H., born April 20, 1873.
Thomas, Reuben, farmer, post office, Tarlton ; born x\pril 24, 183 1.
Married November 17, 1853, to Miss Isabelle A, Brink. There were
born of this union twelve children: Virginia B., born November 22,
1854; Tlieodore C, born November 13, 1856, died September 29,
1858; Charles E,. born September 19, 1858; Archibald A., born June
7, i86o; Edward B., born July 6, 1862; Albert C, born March 15,
1864; Cora Dell, born September 16, 1S66 ; Getta M., born March 23,
1868; Harry F., born March 12, 1870; Emma J., born June 30, 1872;
Lucy Lee, born November i, 1875 • Sadie Belle, born May i, 1877.
The subject of this sketch is living one mile south of Oakland. He is
one of the most enterprising farmers of Clearcreek township.
Thompson, William K., farmer, Walnut township. He was born
in Walnut township October 11, 1839; o^^b' ^^^ ^^ Moses and Anna
(Calb) Thompson. Moses was born in Pennsvlvania. He came, when
a boy, with his lather to Ohio ; the family settled in Walnut township,
on the place now owned by Theopolis Reace. When a 3'oung man
Moses settled on the place now owned b}^ William K. Thompson. He
cleared and improved the place ; he built the familv residence in 1858
or 1859. He raised one son and three daughters — Mary Jane, wife of
James Groves, residing in Franklin count}- ; Elizabeth, wife of Peter
B. Cool, of Walnut township; Serena, wife of William P. Kaven,
of Walnut township : and William K. Moses Thompson was an ac-
tive member of the Methodist Episcopal church for many 3'ears. He
owned, at his death, one hundred and sixt3--nine acres of land ; he died
in 1863. William K., after acquiring his education, engaged in farm-
ing. He married, March 30, 1865, Miss Sophia Melissa, daughter
of James and Mary Jeffi'ies, of Walnut township. They are the par-
ents of eight children, James D., Lizzie R., Ada L., William, Verde,
Claud C, Herbert, Maud and Jasper. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson are
48
378 BIOGXIAPHICAL SKETCHES.
members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He owns one hundred
and sixty-nine' acres of land. In 1879 ^^^ built a model barn.
ToTjii, C. F., proprietor of feed store, Lancaster. He was born in
Hanover, German}', December 16, 1816, where he received his edu-
cation. In 1832, he came with some friends to America. He came to
Lancaster and learned the cooper trade. In 1844, '^^^ commenced busi-
ness for liimself, continuing in the same some hve or six years. He
there commenced dealing in coal, lime, feed, and has been doing a fair
trade. He was a member of the city council one term. He was mar-
ried July 22. 1839, to Elizabeth M. McCabe, who was born in Lancas-
ter, Ohio, March 22, 1816. To this union were born eight children;
two jf them, Henrv and Charles F., who enlisted in the Union arm}^
and served imtil the close of the war ; the former died in Missouri in
1880, leaving one daughter, Alice M., who has been cared for b}^ her
grandparents. The father of Mrs. Totje, Rev. Sosthenes McCabe,
came with his father, William McCabe, to Lancaster, in 1801, who was
a pioneer of Fairfield county ; by trade he was a cooper. He died
about 1820, at the age of ninety-three years. Sosthenes, early in life,
followed the business of brick making, subsequently learned the cooper
t'"ade. In 181 2, he married Mary Owen, tiiey raised a family of three
daughters, of whom Mrs. Totji is the onl}^ survivor. He occupied many
public positions, viz. : Justice of the peace, for many 3'ears ; assessor of
Fairfield county, one or more terms ; in the War of 1812, he was team-
ster. Later in life, he was a minister of the Baptist church. He died
about 1864.
Trimble, William, deceased. He was born in Pennsylvania ; by
profession a surveyor ;■ he came to Ohio in 1798; he returned to
Pennsylvania, where he married. He then came to Ohio, locating
permanently. In 1800, he settled in Pleasant township, between
Rushville and Lancaster. He was employed in surveying the old
Zanesville road. He settled on a half section in Pleasant township,
where he spent his days. He was elected Justice of the Peace, and
■filled that position until his death. He was a member of the Legisla-
ture as Representative and Senator for sixteen years. In 181 2, he
was engaged in hauling provision to the army in the Northwest. He
was a staunch Whig. At one time he conducted an extensive tannery
on the home place. He engaged for a while in hotel keeping in Pleas-
ant township. He raised a family of ten children, of whom survive
five sons and four daughters. He was an elder in the Presbyterian
church for many years. He died July 25, 1827. His only living son,
Robert Trimble, was born in Pleasant township, May 10, 1819. He was
educated in Greenfield Academy, conducted by Dr. W^illiams, previous
to which he attended the home academy at Lancaster. He turned his
attention to farming and teaching. He engaged also with his brother
in buying and shipping stock to Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York.
Mr. Trimble was married in 1852, to Maria D. Armstrong, of Franklin
county. After marriage he purchased a place in Greenfield township,
remaining there until 1862, when he removed to Franklin county, where
he owned a farm. He was elected Justice of the Peace in Truro town-
ship in 1863, filling that position nine }.ears. In 1873 he removed to
Columbus, where he has since resided. They are the parents of three
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 379
children, one surviving — Oliver T., a resident of Emporia, Kansas, a
druggist by profession.
TscHOPP, Henry, millwright and farmer, Pleasant township. He
is the eldest son of Daniel and iVnnie (Hefsel) Tschopp. He was born
in Pleasant township, October ii. 1828. He received his education in
the common schools, in Pleasant township ; at the age of seventeen, he
decided to learn his father's trade, that of millwright, and worked with
his father until his twenty-fourth year, when he began business for him-
self. Mr. Tschopp has been very successful in his undertakings, and
is well known in various parts of the State as an extensive contractor
and builder of mills. He is also engaged in farming, owning a fine
place of two hundred and twenty-five acres. He has filled the office of
Justice of the Peace for a term of three years. Mr. Tschopp was unit-
ed in marriage, in December, 1850, to Miss Sophia Lamb. They are the
parents of three sons and three daughters. Mr. T. has never indenti-
fied himself with any church. She is a member of the Baptist church.
Daniel Tschop, the father of Henry, was one of the pioneers of Fair-
field county. He was a native of Switzerland, born in 1796. He emi-
grated to America in 1815, coming direct to Fairfield county, where
he settled and raised a famih^ of six children, to maturity, five of whom
are residents of Fairfield county. Mr. T. died in 1861.
TuTHiLL & Co., booksellers and stationers, Lancaster. This is one
of the principal business firms of the city. The}' keep constantly on
hand a full supply of school books, stationer3^ etc., such as is necessary
to suppl}' all demands and suit the tastes of the most fastidious. They
have been in business sufficiently long to become established and well
known throughout the county, and will take pleasure in accommodating
any one desiring to make purchases in their line.
Valentine, S. K., grain and flour merchant, Stoutsville ; born Au-
gust 27, 1822. Married, September 8, 1846, to Rosanna Myers. There
were born of this union seven children, five of whom are living: Cla-
rissa, born March 24, 1848; Diana, born September 19, 1852: Louisa
Jane, born January 2, 1854; Harriet Ann, born September 15, 1861 ;
Samuel, born April 28, 1862. The subject of this sketch resides two
miles south of Stoutsville. Mr. Valentine is one of the most prominent
men of the township in which he resides.
Valentine, Eli, farmer; post ofhce, Tarlton ; born March 25,
1847. Married October 13, 1868, to Lucinda Thomas. Is the father of
seven children, six of whom are living : Clarence E, born August 19,
1870; Harley O., born March 13, 1872; Carrie May, born Januar}' 4,
1874; Sumner Clay, born April 3, 1875 ; Ettie, born August 18, 1878;
died December 8, 1878; Minnie Lee, born January 28, 1879; Mertie,
born December 14. 1880. The subject of this sketch resides one-half
mile south of Oakland, and is one of the energetic farmers of Clear
Creek township.
Wagenhals, Charles F., merchant, Lancaster, Ohio. Was born
January 15, 1851, in Lancaster, Ohio; son of Charles G. and Caroline
(Kull) Wagenhals. Mr. Wagenhals was raised in the place of his na-
tivity, and attended the public schools of this place until he was about
fourteen years old, when he went to the baker's trade, at which he
worked as an apprentice three years ; after learning his trade, he went
380 B10(5RAPHICAL SKETCHES. ,
into the grocery and bakine^ business, and continued about three rnonthfe,'
when he abandoned tlie baking part of Iiis business, and continued the
grocery business, to which, rn May of 1882, he added dry goods, and
still continues on Columbus street, with good success, and has been in
business about twelve 3-ears. Mr. Wagenhals was married August 19,
1869, to Miss Marv Margaret, daughter of John George and Mary
Catharine (Hartman) Eise. They are the parents of six children, viz. :
William G., Katie Clara, Charles Martin, deceased at four months and
fifteen days old; Maggie S., Eddie Theodore, and Freddie Samuel.
Mr. Wagenhals" father was born October 23, 1801, in Wittenberg,
German}-, and emigrated to America while he was yet a young man,
and settled in Lancaster. Ohio, where he has since lived, and
was married in September of 1834. to Sarah, daughter of Daniel
Bacher, of this county. He was married the second time, about
1847, to Caroline Kull. They are the parents of si.\ children, of
wlK)m Charles F., the subject of this sketch, was the second. The
children are now all deceased but two, viz. : Charles F. and Emanuel.
Mrs. Wagenhals' parents lived in Germany, where she was born Feb-
ruary 23, 1850, at Darmstadt. Her father died in his forty-fifth year,
in Germany ; and about two years after his death, in 1854, her mother
with two children emigrated to America, at first settling in Lancaster,
Penns3dyania, where, in 1855, her mother was married the second time,
to Adam Wetzel, and they moved to Logan, Ohio, where he died in
1858. In i86r, she was married the third time, to George Hanstine,
who lived only about three months af"ter his marriage, and left her the
third time a widow. She still lives in Logan, Ohio.
Wagner, Jacob, farmer. Liberty township, post office, Baltimore ;
was born December 4, 1806: son of Andrew and Mary (Soliday) Wag-
ner; was married to Susan Macklen, March 27, 1834; ^'^^^ one child —
Catherine, born Marcli 27, 1835. -^^^ wife died January 20, 1836: was
married to Mar}' O'Hensel, by whom he had six children: Mary,
born, April 30, 1838; Frederick, born August 21, 1840, Elizabeth, born
March 4, 1845, died February 14, 1869; Jacob, born March 15, 1837,
died March 15, 1864; Adam, born December 15, 1849: Joseph,
born December 28, 1851, died December 10, 1873.
Wagner, Mks. Sarah Elizabeth, Walnut township; was born in
Licking county December 13, 1823. the oldest daughter of Joseph and
Ann M. Alt. Her parents removed to Liberty township in 1824. She
was educated in the common schools, and was married in 1844, to
Daniel Wagner, who was born in Walnut township, March 11, 1825, and
who was a son of Andrew Wagner. He inherited the home place,
which is still owned bv his son Daniel M. He was a successful farmer;
was a member of the Reformed Church. Mr. and Mrs. Wagner were
<he parents of five living children: Anna Maria, wife of Jacob
Schreyer, a resident of Liberty township; Sarah E., at home; Susan
C, wile of Frank P. Miller, in Indiana; Daniel M., born August 10,
1857, now residing on and conductinj^' the home place, and Rebecca, the
wile of Albert F. Turner, residing in Walnut township. Daniel Wag^
ner was the owner, at death, September 23, 1875, ot" three hundred and
ninety-seven acres. Mrs. Wagner conducted the home farm a few
years, but now Daniel M. Wagnei* owns and manages it.
\
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 38 1
~ Wagner; John J., teacher, Liberty township; was born irt Fairfield
coimtv, Ohio, October '23, 1840, eldest son of Andrew and Elizabeth
(Alt) 'Wagner, a native of Fairfield count}-, born about 1814, a son of
Andrew, Sr., who was a pioneer in Walnut township, and an early set-
tler. He died about 1837. Andrew. Jr., raised a family of ten chil-
dren, all living but one: Andrew Judson, who died in 1879. J- J-
Wagner was educated in the common schools in Liberty township, un-
til eighteen years of age. In 1S65 he was appointed principal ot the
Baltimore grammar scho'^1. He has been a teacher twenty-six years;
ten years a member of the board of examine';s. Mr. Wagner married
in 1868 Miss E. H. Smith, of Delawa^-e, Ohio. They are the parents
of one daughter, Lillie M., born February 8, 1869. The}^ are mem-
bers of the United Brethren Church.
Walkrr. Captain William H., assistant foreman in the car shops,
Lancaster; was born in Wayne county. New York, February 22, 1837.
His parents. George and Charlotte (Lossing) Walker, came to Pike
county, Ohio, in 1844, removing to Fairfield county in 1848. William
H. received a common school education in Berne township. He ac-
quired from his father a knowledge of the carpenter and joiner trade,
and worked at the same until April 19, 1861, when he enlisted in Com-
pan}- A, Seventeenth O. V. L, lor three months, under the first call for
volunteers. During his first term of service, he took part in the battle
of Laurel Hill. At the expiration of three months, he recuited twenty
men for Company I, Seventeenth O. V. L, enlisted in that regiment,
and was ajipointed a non-commissioned ofiicer, and took an active part
in the numerous battles, skirmishes and raids participated in by the reg-
iment, incluuing Stone River. Hoover's Gap, Pittsburg Landing, Chick-
amauga, and Resacca, Ga. ; in the latter he commanded the company.
He was also engaged at Atlanta, Georgia, filling the position of Second
Lieutenant. Here he was seriously wounded. Soon after he received
a commission as Captain and was detailed to the stafi' of General A.
Beck, as Acting Commissar}-, making the march to the sea, thus
serving from the commencement until the close of. the war. Captain
Walker was married September 25, i86r, to Miss Caroline Mock. To
them were born two sons and three daughters, two now survive — Hur-
bin W., now engaged with his father learning thetrade of car builder ;
Miss Leah, residin'g with her parents. Mrs. Walker died October 5,
1876, and the Captain was again united in marriage, Nov. 22, 1877, to
Miss Jane Hamilton. To them have been born one son and one daugh-
ter— William F. and Marie Elizabeth. Captain Walker entered the
employ of the C. & M. V. Railroad in 1865, as assistant foreman of the
car shops, a position which he now occupies. In 187 1 he was a member
of the city council, and continued to represent the fifth ward in that body
nine years. He is also a member of the I. O. O. F,, Knights of Honor
and G. A. R. Himself and family^ are members of the German Re-
form Church.
Watson, William J., farmer, Walnut township ; was born in Fred-
erick county, Virginia, July 4, 1827, eldest child of Thomas B.
and Susannah (Thomas) Watson. Thomas B. Watson was born in
Frederick county, Virginia' in 1794. He first visited Ohio in 18 18, re-
maining one year with an older brother, Abraham Watson, who was an
382 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
early settler in Walnut township. He remained in Virginia until 1836,
when he settled in Richland township, on the place now owned by Noah
McNaughten. He afterward removed to Walnut township, where he
remained until removing to Illinois in 1854. He raised a family of
eleven children, of whom nine are living. He died about 1870. Wil-
liam J. was educated in the common schools. When fifteen he was
left to take car^ o( himself. He worked at tarming and taught school
for several winters. He married in September, 1854, Martha C.
daughter of Jacob G. Wineman, one of the pioneers of Thorn township.
Perry county. Mrs. Watson was born in Thorn township. Perry
county, December 2, 1837. ^" '854 he located on the place where he
still resides — the former Jacob Ortman place. In 1861 he built his
present residence. They are the parents of three sons and two daugh-
ters : Charles M., a resident of Pleasant township ; Olive Jane, wife of
A. M. McNaghten, a resident of Walnut township; Willie G., Martha
A. and Benson G. Mr. Watson is a member of the Methodist Episco-
pal Church. He owns one hundred and twenty-five acres of land, and
engages in stock raising and firming.
Watson, William H., Walnut township. He was born in this
township December 2, 1838; son of J. C. and Rebecca (Cunningham)
Watson. J. C. was a native of Ireland; came to America in 1781
with his father, Thomas Watson. They remained in Maryland a num-
ber of 3''ears, coming to Ohio in early years ; they settled in the vicinity
of Salem. Thomas Watson died in 1822. His son James settled on
the place now owned by W. H. Watson, in 1813. At that time it was
a dense woods. The log house he built at an early dav was the fam-
ily residence until building the present brick mansion in 1873. He
raised a family of thirteen children, of whom but four sons and two
daughters survive. He never aspired to public office. He was a life
long member of the M. E. Church, a successful farmer and stock
raiser. At his death he owned two hundred and forty-five acres. In
politics he was a Whig. His death took place March 2, 1856. His
widow died in 1877, in her eighty-first year. ^She, during life, con-
ducted the home place, with the assistance of her sons. J. C. Watson
was the father of the following children: Thomas S., who died in
Delaware, Ohio, in 1876; James G., a prominent farmer near Lan-
caster, died April 29, 187 1 ; Jonathan C, retired, lives in Delaware,
Ohio; Joseph C., residing in Columbus, Ohio; and William H. The
last named was educated in the common schools, and by profession a
farmer. He resided with his mother until his marriage, October 29,
1863, to Miss Almeda F., daughter ot John and Mary Brandon. Mrs.
Watson was born in Walnut township. October 29, 1845. They are
the parents of eight children, three sons and five daughters — Mertie
C, James B., Etta B., Uphema V., John F.. Georgie Dell, Gracie and
Harry G. Mr. Watson, after marriage, took charge of the home place,
his mother residing with him until her death. He owns two hundred
acres. They are members of the M. E. Church. The youngest son
of the family of James C. W^atson is engaged in tile manufacturing ;
the daughter married and moved West; Emma Eliza, wife of G. W.
Friend, is residing in Lancaster, Ohio. L C. Watson was in the War
of 1812.
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. ^S^
Watson, George W., grain dealer, Liberty township. He was
born in Walnut township, and is the youngest son of William and Susan
(McNamee) Watson. He was educated in the common schools. At
the age of fifteen he was thrown on his own resources, and left home
for California, where he engaged in the business of stock raising with
success, for tifteen years. He then sold out his ranche and returned
to Fairfield county in 1868. He purchased a farm in Walnut township,
where he resided some live 3-ears. In 1874, ^^^^ returned to Baltimore,
and became the owner of a drug store. He was also largely engaged
in buying and shipping grain. He disposed of his drugstore, and now
devotes all his time to the bu3ing and shipping of grain, in which he
is doiuij a laro-e business. Mr. Watson is a member of the M. E.
Church, and also of the Masonic order. In 1869 he was married to
Miss Kate K. King, daughter of Peter King, a resident of Perry county.
Their marriajje has been blessed with five children, four of whom —
two sons and two daughters — are living.
Warner, Benjamin F., farmer, Walnut township. He was born
in this township November 12, 1821, and is a son of Thomas and Eliza-
beth (Bibler) Warner. Thomas Warner was born in Mar^-land in
1775 ; was raised in Berks county, Vir^^lbia, and came to Ohio early in
the present century. He remained in the vicinity of Lancaster a few
years, and came to Walnut township in 1803, to the place now known
as the John Lamb farm. It was partially cleared. He entered the
land now owned by F. B. and R. F. Warner. He was a soldier in
the War of 1812, after which he removed to Richland township, where
he also entered land. He remained there till the spring of 1821, when
he settled on the farm now occupied by T. B. Warner, where he spent
the remainder of his days. He lived in a hewed log house that stood
in the front of the present residence. He raised to maturity a familvof
seven sons and two daughters, of whom six sons and one daughter are
living. Thomas Warner was a hospitable, kind man, and one whose
life was verv useful to all who came in search of a home. He was an
active member of the Baptist Church many years. His death occurred
in 1847, his widow living till 1871, in her eighty-ninth year. She
had been a member of the Baptist Church seventy-six years. Benja-
min F. Warner was born in Richland townsiiip, February 24, 181 2. He
received the common school education of his day : learned the trade
of a farmer, and when a boy he often went to Zanesville to mill. After
attaining his majority, he superintended clearing the land for the reser-
voir, and was also prominentl}' connected with the construction of the
National Road. Was also connected with the construction of the
Maysville and Zanesville turnpike road, of which he built se^-eral miles.
He was a contractor on canals near Portsmouth. He went to Natchez
with horses, when he met with reverses, losing nearly all his money.
In 1842 he returned and conducted the home place two or three 3'ears.
He was married in 1844 to Susan Kramer, of Richland township.
They became the parents of one son and one daughter — David E., a
resident of Adams county, Indiana, and Catharine, wife of Nicholas
Ketner, a resident of Liberty township. Mrs. Wagner died in 1S47.
Mr. Wagner came to Walnut township, where he bought a farm, and
conducted the farm owned by his brother Samuel. October 13, 1853,
384 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
he was marrried to Mary M., daughter of John W. Miller, a former
well-knovvn resident of Walnut township. She was born November 2,
1832. They are the parents of six children, hve of whom are living.
Mr. Wagner has been a citizen of Walnut township since 1855 ; has
always taken an active interest in all matters of importanje ; has been
a prominent member of the New School Baptist Church, and has been
a School Director twenty-four years.
Weakley, Perry V., farmer. Liberty township. He was born in
Marjdand, March 4, 1817 ; son of James S. and Mary H. Weakley.
He came with his parents to Ohio in 1832, locating first in Greenlield
township. The familv afterward removed to Pleasant township, where
they lived lor a number of 3'ears. Perry received a good education,
and remained at home until his father's death. In 1845 he was united
in marriage to Miss Barbara Leitnaker, daughter of Henry Leit-
naker, of Libert}^ township. In the fall of 1850 he settled upon tlie
farm where they still live. They are the parents of one son — S. Doug-
las, born March 30. 1847, in Greenfield township. He resides on a
portion of the home place. The family are members of the U. B.
Church, Mr. Weakley uniting with that church about forty-live years
ago.
Weaver, John, farmer, Liberty township. He was born September
I, 1830; the son of Jacob and Mary E.( Walters)W^eaver. Jacob came
from Virginia to Ohio in 18 16, settling in Pleasant township, where his
father cleared a farm and resided until his death in 1S53. John was
educated in the common schools and assisted his father until his mar-
riage, in 1857, to Annie C. Hirstenter. Mrs. Weaver was born in Lib-
erty township. August 18, 1832. Mr. and Mrs. Weaver are the parents
of three children — A. J., residing on the home farm; Amanda, the
wife of Jacob Hane (also on the home place); Theopolis S. Mr.
Weaver has lived on his present farm since 1859. ^^ consists of two
hundred and twenty acres. He is a member of the United Brethren
Church and a teacher in the Sabbath school.
Weist, S. S., Liberty township; post office, Baltimore; carriage
maker; born September i, 1834; son of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Bow-
ser) Weist; married to Rebecca A. Brandt, December 15, 1859; ^^^^
two children — Eldon O., born April 10, 1862 : Ara B., born January 3,
1869. He was in the Seventeenth Ohio Regiment, under Captain W.
H.Walker; was in several battles under Sherman, and was neve)
wounded or taken prisoner. Mr. Weist has passed all the chairs in the
1. O. O. F.. and in 1879 ^^^^ elected Mayor, in which office he served
three years.
Webster, Thomas D., manufacturer, Lancaster. He was born
in New Jersey, March 8, 1829; son of Joshua and Phoebe (Neft) Web-
ster. The family removed to Ohio in 1835, settling iii'st in Zanesville,
where they resided about two years, coming to Lancaster in 1837.
Joshua Webster began the practice of a veterinary surgeon. He also
bought and kept for sale a large number of horses. He continued in
business in Lancaster undl his death in 1846. Thomas D.. was edu-
cated in the public schools of Lancaster until his twentieth year. He
then learned the trade of iron moulder, and worked as journeyman in
Lancaster and other places until 1855. In 1852 he was united in mar-
jHiSTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 385
riage to Miss Eliza J. Griffin. Mr. and Mrs. Webster are the parents
of six children, three of whom are living — Clara S., the wife of F. L.
Knight, of Rushville township ; Katie D. and Cora L. are still at home.
In 1855 Mr. Webster began the manufacture of agricultural imple-
ments, several of his own invention ; later he has added the sale of
wagons, carriages and buggies, in which he does a large and extensive
trade, selling of the celebrated Brown wagon as many as one hundred
during the year. Mr. Webster is a very successful bnsiness man, and
by energy and industry he has been able to extend his business, and
add to it every year. Himself and familv are members of the Metho-
dist Church.
Wetzel, Geofge H., druggist, Lancaster. He was born iiji this place
October 12, 1849; eldest son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Walker) Wetzel.
Jacob Wetzel was a native of Baden, German}-. He came to Lan-
caster in 1840, and engaged in the hotel business. He raised a family
of seven children ; three sons and three daughters are living, and resi-
dents of Lancaster. Jacob Wetzel died May 4, 1877. George H. was
a pupil in the public schools in Lancaster until fifteen years of age,
when he entered the employ of Slocum & White, then a leading drug
house in Lancaster. He remained with them some three years, follow-
ing whic he has an experience as dispensing chemist in an extensive
establishment in Cincinnati, also in Omaha, Nebraska. He returned
to his former position with Slocum & White, with whom he remained
until commencing business for himself in 1874. ^^ removed to his
present location on Main street in the spring of 1882, where he is doing
an extensive business in drugs, medicines, oils, paints, etc. He is a
member of the Masonic order, also the L O. O. F. and the German
Lutheran Church. He was married June i, 1876, to Miss N. Bope.
They are the parents of one son and one daughter, Charles E. and
Lena Leota.
White, Dr. James, was born in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania,
June 10, 1799. He was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania,
of the class of 1821. Coming to Ohio the same year, he settled at
Lancaster, and at once commenced the practice of his profession,
which soon became both extensive and lucrative. He was mar-
ried November. 22, 1825, to Miss Maria Elizabeth Beecher, a union
that was blessed with six children, of whom tour are living,
viz. : Julia, now the wife of E. L. Slocum, a resident of Lan-
caster ; Stanley Benton, a druggist of Licking county, Ohio ; E.
Beecher, a well-known druggist of Lancaster ; James W., a practicing
physician of Upper Sandusky, Ohio. Dr. White was an ardent stu-
dent and a skillful physician, and an active member of the Baptist
Church for many 3'ears. He died September 26, 1868. Mrs. White is
still living, vigorous in mind and bod}^ and is an intellectual and genial
lady. Dr. White was devoted to his profession, both as a science and
in its practice, and kept himself informed of the advancement made
therein through its literature. He also gave careful study to all the
cases that came under his care, and was thoroughly conscientious, giv-
ing to all the best of his ability and watchful care, without thought of
his own personal comfort or convenience. His tender sympathy and
delicacy in the sick room endeared him to all the families in his large
386 BIOGRAPHICAL SKP:TCHES.
practice. His courteous consideration of others was a marked charac-
teristic, which was shown in a special manner to the members of his
own profession, and in the helpfulness given to young physicians —
always ready to give them the benefit of his long years of patient labor
and study. His family have received touching and grateful acknowl-
edgments of his kindness in this respect. Through all his attainments
as a ph3'sician, and nis character as a man of pure life and integrity,
there shone his faith as a Christian, which was the growing principle of
his life.
White, Thomas H.. Justice, Lancaster. He was born in Mus-
kingum county, Ohio, May 20, 1820. He came to Fairtield count}^ in
183 1, and was afterwards married to Rebecca P. Koontz, a native of
Lancaster. For some time Mr. White was engaged in the dr}-- goods
trade. In 1874 ^^^'- White was elected Justice of the Peace, an office
he yet most efficiently fills. Mr. and Mrs. White are the parents of
four children — Alice, Thomas C, Mar^- and Otis K. At this date
(spring of 1881) Alice is the wife of St. Clair Pearce, and resides in
Columbus ; Thomas C. is married and lives in Cincinnati ; Otis K. is
an engineer on the Pittsburg, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railway ; Mary
is 5^et at home.
Whitec amp, William L., Liberty township; was born in West-
phalia, Germanv, December 12, 1844; son of Frank and Elizabeth
(Stein) W^hitecamp, the former of whom still resides in German^s en-
joving vigorous health, in the eighty-third year of his age. William
L., after acquiring a liberal education at the schools in the vicinity of
his father's home, and at an agricultural college, remained with his
parents until reaching the age of eighteen, when he entered the employ
of Baron Von Oheim, as overseer, in which capacity he remained until
coming to America in 1867, reaching Baltimore, Fairfield count}^ the
fall of the same year. He at once entered into active business as man-
ager for his brother-in-law, Henr}' Gehring, a position which he filled
for some two years. Subsequently he was an employe of Kauffman, in
the Mithoff House, in Lancaster, for some time, following which for
one year he was a resident of St. Louis, Missouri, where he was engaged
as foreman in the shipping department of a sugar refinery. Returning
to Baltimore, Ohio, he was married in 187 1 to Miss Bettie Harris,
who, after a married life of eighteen months, died in 1873. For two
years following the death of his wife Mr. Whitecamp occupied a posi-
tion as clerk in a hotel at Columbus. The greater portion of the year
1876 he devoted to traveling through the Western States and Territories,
until the fall of the same year, when he became the proprietor of the
hotel at Baltimore, Fairfield county, Ohio, which he has still continued
to conduct in the most successful manner, purchasing the property in
January, 1881, remodeling and building additions to the same. Mr.
Whitecamp was again united in matrimony in January, 1879, ^^ Miss
Mary, daughter of Enos Miller, of Walnut township. To this union
were born two children, one of whom is living — Mabel E., born June
21, 1880. Mr. Whitecamp is a consistent member of the Lutheran
Church, also of the Masonic order. He is a prosperous and an esteemed
citizen.
Whitzel, J. a., of Greencastle, was born in Seneca county, Ohio,
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 387
August 3, 1850; received a liberal education, completing a course in
part at the Oberlin College, at Oberlin, Ohio ; was afterward associated
with Colonel Frees several years in the dr}- goods business in New^ Lex-
ington, Ohio, but for the past ten 3'ears has carried on farming in Bloom
township. In 187 1 he was married to Miss Mary Courtright, daughter
of Jacob Courtright, a well-known citizen of this township, and is the
father of three children living. He has been an official member of the
Presbyterian Church for man}- years past, and superintendent of its
flourishing Sabbath school.
WiDENER, John, grocer, Lancaster. He was born in Washington
county, Maryland : son of Jacob and Mary Widener. He came with
his parents to Ohio in 1834, '^^^^ father settling in Pleasant township,
where he engaged in farming and the manufacture of brick. He resided
here during his lifetime, and reared a family of ten children. He died
in 1855. John received a fair education, attending the common schools
until sixteen years of age, when he learned the shoemaking trade.
After completing his trade he worked as journeyman until 1854, w^hen
he commenced business for himself in Rushcreek township. He con-
ducted it successfully, but finally disposed of it and took charge of the
home farm, at the death of his father. He remained there until his
mother's death in 1868. He then settled his business relating to the
estate, and removed to Lancaster, where he engaged extensively in
manufacturing brick, emplo3nng from eight to ten men in the work.
Mr. Widener has recently purchased the well-known grocery house
conducted by C. F. Wagenhals, located on the corner of Columbus
and German streets. In 1865 he was married to Miss Mary Sullivan,
daughter of Philip Sullivan, a well-known resident of Baltimore. Mr.
and Mrs. Widener are the parents of nine children, eight of w'hom are
living. The family are members of the M, E. Church.
WiLHELM, Samuel, farmer and stock raiser, post office Lancaster ;
born in Berkley county. West Virginia, in 181 1, came to this county
in 1834 ' ^^^ '^^ John and Margaret (Thomas) Wilhelm. Married
June 20, 1834, ^o Miss Rachel Arnold, daughter of Frederick and Bar-
bara (Petrey) Arnold. They have six children, Mary, deceased ;
Dianna, James, Martin L. T. M., Margaret; all are married but one.
Mrs. Wilhelm's grandfather was sold when a boy and put to making
powder for the Revolutionary War.
Williams, Charles H., postmaster, Lancaster; w^as born in
Peny county, in 1848. He came to this city in 1865, and engaged as
assistant postmaster, which position he filled till June 21, 1882. He was
married to Miss Ida Stewart. They are the parents of two children — Jen-
nie and Fannie M. Mr. and Mrs. Williams are consistent members of
the Methodist church, and active in the discharge of their duties
therein. Mr. Williams is an active member of the Republican party
and was, for some time, treasurer of the County Central Committee,
and is now its chairman. He is a member of the K. T., the I. O. O.
F. and the K. of H. He was appointed postmaster by the present ad-
ministration, June 27, 1882, and assumed his duties July 10.
Williamson, George, post office, Lancaster, Hocking township ;
farmer ; born March 16, 1809, in this township ; son of Peter and Ke-
siah (Low) Williamson. Peter was a native pf Virginia, emigrated to
388 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Jhis township in 1806, and settled on the same section his son, George,
lives on now. In 1824 George went on the Ohio Canal, in the Engi-
neer department, and remained there until 1832, and then settled on
the farm where he now resides. In 1834 he married Louisa Morris.
Her parents, James and Albena (Rees) Morris, were both natives of
Virginia and emigrated to this county in 1804, and settled in Amanda
township. They became the parents of the following named children :
Oliver, William, who married Miss D. Schleich in 1854, ^^^ <^^*2<^ ^"
1877 ; James, Kezia, David, George and Rebecca.
Wise, W. M., teacher, Stoutsville ; born in Cincinnati August 4,
1855 ; came to Pickaway county in 1858, removed to this county in
1874. Married October i, 1875, to Miss Mary NefF; is the father of
two children — Jennie, born December 20, 1876 ; Maggie, born August
7, 1878. The subject of this sketch is at present living in the village of
Stoutsville. He is one of the leading teachers of Fairlield county.
Wolf, Isaac V., of Madison township ; is a grandson of Valentine
Wolf, one of the early settlers of this part of the county and who was
born in Frederick county, Maryland, February 27, 1774. His brother.
William Wolf, was in the Shay Rebellion, ana was also an early settler
here. Mr. Valentine Wolf married Miss Mary Dern, of Maryland,
also, and became the father of three sons — Ezra, Isaac and Salem, all
of whom were well-known in the county. Mr. Valentine Wolf and
family came in wagons and settled on the farm now, in part, owned by
Jacob Miller. In this log house was held the first election in the town-
ship, in 1812. Ezra Wolf afterwards lived here and weatherboarded
the hewed logs in 1844. Valentine Wolf was among the first black-
smiths in the township. He died .October 14, 1846. Ezra Wolf, the
oldest son, took charge of the farm, erected a saw mill about the year
1830, and carried it on until 1844. He lived on the homestead place
sixt3'--five years. Salem lived in the township until 1847, and then
moved to Lancaster, where he died in 1875. Ezra, also, died in 1875,
August 31, nearly seventy-two years old. Ezra was born in Frederick
county, Mar3dand, January i, 1804 ; was seven years old when his par-
ents came to this State. Was a member of the Methodist Episcopal
church forty years, and did, as the last act of his life, build Bethany
Church, Perry county. Was Justice of the Peace six years, first elected
in 1840. Was married to Barbara Spangler, daughter of Samuel
Spangler. Colonel Spangler was born March 3, 1783, in Pennsyl-
vania, was an early settler of this countv, and a cabinet maker.
In 1804 lie settled in Fairfield county Perry township. S. V.
Wolf, a son of Ezra, was born September 28, 1833 ; married
a Miss Julia Shaefter, October 21, 1856, granddaughter of Isaac
Shaeffer, who built a saw mill, as early as 1815, and the grist
mill in 1830, and the house in 1832. Samuel is one of eight sons and
has eight sisters ; is a lar<{e landholder, and a successful farmer. His
mill is in fine condition and has an immense patronage. M. Wolf is a
man of no political ambition but is well-known everywhere in the
county, having been more or less publically identified with its interests
for many years. Was clerk of the township five years, and trustee sev-
eral years.
Wolfe, William H., Clerk of Court, Lancaster. He was born in
HISTORY OP FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 389
Pickaway county, March 6, 1841 ; the son of Samnel and Eliza (Kraft)
Wolf. He received a limited education in his youth, and until his
twentieth year, en^jaged in farming. He then commenced teaching in
the common schools ; in which he continued eight years, during which
time he filled the position of Principal of the north grammar school,
also south grammar school, in Lancaster. He also occupied similar
positions in the schools of Bucyrus, Bowling Green and Delphos. He
was elected clerk of the court of this count}^ in 1881. He has been
twice married, first in 1852, to Miss Anna Morgan. They were the
parents of one daughter, Mabel E. Mrs. Wolf died in 1873. He was
again united in marriage in 1876, to Miss Clara A., daughter of Colonel
Phillipa Bope, of Lancaster. To this union one son and two daughters
were born — Ralph PL, Grace F. and Clara B. Mr. Wolf and family
are members of the Presbyterian church. He is also a member of the
L O. O. and Ro^al Arcanum.
Wolf, George, farmer ; post office, Stoutsville ; born March 8,
1823 ; married September 27, 1846. He is the father of seven children,
five of whom are now living, Jacob, George, John, Daniel and William
Henry. William Henry is, at present, living on the farm occupied by
his father. He was born August 14, 1857. Married to Maria Leist,
December 20, 1881. There was born of this marriage one child, now
dead. The subject of this sketch, George Wolf, is one of the oldest
settlers and leading men of Clearcreek township.
Woi.F, Jacob B., farmer, post office, Clear Creek ; was born March
21, 1848; married February 11, 1869 to Elizabeth Shupe. He is the
father of two children — Lydia, born August 27, 1870 ; George Franklin,
born December 24, 1873. The subject of this sketch, at present, re-
sides two and one-half miles east of Stoutsville. He is one of the en-
terprising young farmers of Clear Creek township.
Wolf, George W., farmer; post office, Stoutsville; was born
August 29, 1849; iTi'ii'ned October 10, 1872, to Miss Hannah Shupe.
He is the father of six children: Cora L, born November 3, 1873;
Elmer E., born September 17, 1879; Kirby A., born September 5,
1877; Clinton, born April i, 1875; Edward, born January 23, 1881,
died February 23, 1881 ; Carrie F., born February 23, 1882. The sub-
ject of this sketch is at present living three-fourths of a mile east of
Stoutsville, where he has just erected a fine, large brick house. He is
one of the prominent young farmers of this township.
Wolf, Daniel, farmer, post office, Stoutsville ; was born January
31, 1855 ; married Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph and Rebecca Dumm.
There were born of this marriage four children : Joseph, born August
24, 1876: Amos F., born October 14, 1877 ; Ida E., born December 2,
1878; Etta R.. born March 14, 1881. Mr. Wolf is one of the leading
young farmers of this township.
Wolfinger, George, son of Fredrick and Margaret W. ; was born
in September, 1848. His parents are of German descent ; was married in
1876 to Miss Ellen, daughter of Benjamin and Lyda (Stemen) Friesner.
Mrs. W. was born in 1847. They are the parents of two children,
Henry B. and George O.
Work, Mrs. Mary M., Lancaster; was born in Fairfield county,
Ohio, November 8, 1820, the only child of Isaac L. and Sarah (Grun-
39°
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
del") Davis. I. L. Davis was a native of Delaware county, Pennsyl-
vania. He came with his father, N. M. Davis, to Ohio in 1804, settling
on the place where Mrs. Work was born, and where her grandfather
and father spent their days. Isaac L. Davis learned the trade of paper
making, and conducted his business on the Hocking river for many
years. Mr. Davis married, in 1819, Sarah, daughter of Peter Grunder,
a pioneer of Fairtield county. Mrs. Davis has been twice married, and
is still living, having reached her eighty-first year. She is now a resi-
dent of Logan county. Mrs. Work received a good education, and in
1840 she was united in marriage to John Work, who was born October
II, 1814, in Fairfield county. He was of Irish descent and a tinner by
trade. He established the firm of W^ork & Cornell, dealei"s in tin, cop-
per and sheet iron. Mr. Work succeeded to the business, which he con-
tinued for many years. He died April 4, 1878. He was a member of
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows for thirty-three years ; an es-
teemed citizen and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. His
wife is a member of the same church. They were the parents of four
children, of whom are living Sarah, wife of Dr. J. S. Beck, of Dayton ;
Mary M., wife of George O. Warrington, of Da3'ton ; Charles and
Maggie, still residing at home.
Wright,^. H., Judge of Common Pleas Court. Judge Wright
resides in Lancaster, where he is prominently identified with all public
questions, and is one of the leading citizens of the county.
YoNTZ, Dr. Joseph, physician, Walnut township ; was born in
Washington county, Maryland, March i, 1819; son of Benjamin
Yontz. He was born in Mar3dand. He came to Ohio in 183 1, settling
in Walnut township, on the place owned by Isaac Wiseman. He lived
there some three or four years. He then moved to Thorn township.
Perry county, returning to Walnut township about 1855. He died here
about i860. He raised a famil}- of three sons and one daughter, all
living. Benjamin Yontz filled the position of Justice of the Peace in
Thorn township during his residence there. Dr. Yontz was educated
in the common schools. In 1836 he studied medicine with Dr. M. D.
Brock, then a practicing ph3'sician in New Salem. He was then in
the office of Dr. F. L. Flowers, in Brownsville, one year ; then in
Jeflferson county, in the office of Dr. Richard Parson until 1840. He
then returned to Salem and commenced the practice of his profession
in 1840, for six months. He then removed to Pleasantville, where he
practiced until 1850, when he returned to New Salem, where he has
since continued to practice. In 1843 he married Miss Eleanor, daugh-
ter of John Shaw. They are the parents of three sons and one daugh-
ter— Clara, wife of D. H. C. Baker, of New Salem ; L. Grand B., a
resident of Ottawa, Putnam county, Ohio; E. A. and Glen, at home.
They are members of the Methodist Protestant Episcopal Church. He
is a member of the Masonic Order, Independent Order of Odd Fellows
and Good Templars.
Zeigler, William F., Violet township ; post office, Pickerington,
born April 10, 1847 ; son of Henry and Judea Zeigler ; Justice of the
Peace, Ma3'or and Township Treasurer. Married to Lanie Burmen
August 26, 1866. He has a famil3^ of six children, viz. : Charles H.,
born April 29, 1867 ; Florence, born September 28, 1868, (Florence
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY. 39I
died) ; Albert, born June ii, 1871 ; Ida M., born September 20, 1873 :
Cora, born January 26, 1877, and William W., born September 25,
1880. Mr. Zeigler belongs to the I. O. O. F. and owns a half interest
in a threshing machine, saw mill and a brick making establishment.
Zollinger, Jacob, farmer, Walnut township. He was born in
Reading township, Perry county, Ohio, June 11, 1818 ; the youngest
son of Lewis and Catharine (Houlz) Zollinger. Lewis Zollinger was
born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania. He came to Ohio in 1808, set-
tling in Richland township, on a place now owned b}^ William Johnson,
where he remained until 1823 or 1824, when he purchased the Jacob
Houtz place, in the same township. There he resided until coming to
this township in 1848. He raised a lamilv of one daughter and two sons.
Jacob is the sole survivor. He was an esteemed citizen for many years.
He is a member of the United Brethren church. He died in 1849 ; his
widow in August, 1869. Jacob Zollinger, after completing his education,
engaged in farming, coming to this count}' in 1849. He married, in 1841,
Miss Margaret, daughter of William Linnville, an early settler in Rich-
land township. Mrs. Zollinger was born in Richland township, Sep-
tember 18, 1821. He purchased two hundred and fifty acres, the origi-
nal Peter H. Howser farm, a partly improved place. He built his pres-
ent residence in 1858. The home place consisted of four hundred and
fifteen acres, also three hundred and fifty acres in Perry and Licking
counties. They are the parents of eight children. His eldest son, J.
L., is a well known resident of Walnut towmship. He owns over four
hundred acres. He is a prominent tarmer and stock raiser. He is a
member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Zollinger, John L., farmer, Walnut township.
392 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
ERRATA.
The following biography was received too late for insertion in its
proper place :
Bright, Enoch, farmer and stock raiser, Liberty township : is the
oldest son of John and Elizabeth (Myers) Bright. John Bright, Sr.,
were born in Berke county, Pennsylv^ania, about 1787. He first visited
Ohio in 1808, where, with his lather he inade extensive purchases of
land in Libert}' townsliip, becoming a permanent settler on the same
sometime between 1808 and 18 12. During the war of 181 2 he sent a
substitute to represent him in the field. In 1832 he built what is known
as Bright's mills, which were at that time considered among the first
flouring mills in Central Ohio. It contained three run of burrs and was
conducted by Mr. Bright and his sons during his life time, and is still
in active operation. Mr. Bright, Sr., was a Hberal supporter of all
Christian and benevolent enterprises, an active and exemplary member
of the Evangelic d Association, a denomination whose camp meetings
were held on his premises for man^^ years, and those who attended those
annual gatherings always found his house and grounds ready to re-
ceive them " without money and without price." A brick church was
erected on a lot of land donated by him to the Evangelical Association
in 1842. In 1870 this was replaced by a handsome, modern structure.
Mr. Bright was a pioneer and a prominent man in his day, owning at
one time seventeen hundred acres of land in the immediate vicinity of
his home. He was three times married, and raised a famil}^ of seven
children, five of whom are now living, all prominent residents of Liber-
ty township. His death took place September 12, 1853 ; his widow
still survives him. Enoch Bright, his oldest son, was born in Liberty
township, Fairfield county, January 3, 1830, where, after acquiring a
fair education, engaged in milling and farming until he was married,
July 25, 1852, to Miss Louisa Yager, and immediately settled upon the
tarm, where he still resides, having, during these years, changed it
from a comparatively unimproved place to one of the best improved and
most productive farms in the township. To Mr. and Mrs. Bright were
born eleven children, of whom eight are living. Their eldest daughter
Mahala, is the wdfe of David Alt, of Baltimore, Ohio. Their eldest
son, T. G. Bright, is also married and resides on a portion of the home
place. Three daughters and three sons are still at home. Mr. Bright
and his famil}^ are members of the Evangelical Association. He is a
genial and hospital gentleman, a substantial and esteemed citizen.
PART V.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
B"^ ^- S- COLBOI^I^^-
G O
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY,
CHAPTER I.
GEOGRAPHY, TOPO(JRAPHV AND (JEOLOGY.
Perry County is situated in the southeastern part of the State ot'
Ohio, is bounded on the north by Licking and Muskingum, on the east
by Muskingum and Morgan, on the south by Athens and Hocking,
and on the west b}- Hocking and Fairfield. Its area is four hundred
square miles. It is of irregular shape, and is longest from north-west
to south-east.
The divide, separating the waters which flow into the Hocking,
trom those that flow into the Muskingum, reaches the long way through
the county, coming in at the north, in Thorn township, west of Thorn-
ville, and going out at the south, in Bearfield township, near Porterville.
The highest parts of this divide, are about 500 feet above the level of
Lake Erie : and about 1000 higher than the Adantic ocean.
About one-third of the county is drained into the Muskingum, and
the remaining two-thirds into the Hocking. The Moxahala, (more
commonly called Jonathan's Creek,) and its tributaries drain that por-
tion of the county whose waters flow into the Muskingum ; and Rush
Creek, Monday "Creek, Sunday Creek and their tributaries, that por-
tion, of the waters which flows" into the Hocking. The Moxahala, or
Jonathans' Creek, has a principal north and south branch, the sources
of which are comparatively far apart. The head-waters of the north
branch are in the neighborhood of Thorn ville ; those of the south
branch are several miles southeast of New Lexington. The north and
south branches of the Moxahala do not, in fact, unite within the limits
of the county, but several miles over the line in Muskingum. Rush
Creek also has two main branches, (known as north and south,) which,
like those of the Moxahala, have their source in diflerent parts of the
county. The head waters of the the north branch are in the western
part of Thorn township ; those of the south branch are near Reho-
both, nearly twenty miles distant. The north and south branches of
Rush Creek do not come together in the limits oi' Perry, but near Bre-
men, in Fairfield county. Monday Creek has its chief sources in the
neighborhood of Bristol, Maxville and Middletown, and Sunday creek
consisting of three principal branches, in the vicinity of Whipstown.
Oakfield and Thompsonville. All these creeks have numerous tribu-
taries, and the natural drainage system of the county is one of the best
in the State.
The description of the divide, and what has been said about the
water courses "and drainage, has already indicated, in a great measure,
2 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
the general topography of the county. The divide, as has been stated,
extends through the count}' from northwest to southeast, its line being
crooked and irregular. Between the streams that flow from this back-
bone ridge, and its numerous spurs, are other ridges, many of them
nearly as high as the great divide itself. In other places, the elevations
between the streams are only small plateaus, sufficiently elevated to be
picturesque and healthy. . But Perry has, in fact, all kinds of land,
trom narrow valleys, gentle slopes, and moderatelv rolling country, to
winding and tortuous ridges, and steep and almost inaccessible hills.
As to soil, that of Perry County is neither the best nor the worst.
A considerable portion of it has ever been, and is now, quite productive.
Nearly all of it would originally produce ver}- good crops. Much of it,
in course of vears, became worn-out and would yield no more, but is
fast being reclaimed, and bids tair to produce more than ever, under a
good system of farming. The virgin soil was thin, and would not hold
out a great while, without a care and attention that was seldom given.
But a new day is dawning on the farming community.
When the first white settlers arrived, the country in general was
well timbered. The timber consisted of oak, hickory, poplar, walnut,
ash, elm, sugar, maple, beech, gum, chestnut, sycamore, wild cherry,
dogwood and some other varieties. Manj^ of the oaks were very large
and of a fine quality. .
Wild beasts were not scarce w^hen the early settlers came. Bears,
deer, panthers, wild-cats, wolves and catamounts roamed at will
through the dense forests with none to molest them or make them
afraid. Bears, indeed, lingered around long enough to capture fatten-
ing hogs I'l-om pens and to eat peaches under trees planted by the pio-
neers. Foxes, coons, opossums, ground-hogs, rabbits, squirrels -and
other small animals abounded. Wild turke3'S were plentiful, and the
hoot of the owl, the cry of the whippoorwill and the call of the pheas-
ant, were familiar sounds in the ears of the men and women who left
civilization behind and w^ent forth to battle for existence and homes in
the wild forest.
Nearly all of Perry county lies within the coal measures, the only-
exception being about six-sevenths of Thorn township and about one-
fifth each of Reading and Jackson. It is not to be inferred that all the
remaining portion of the county lies in the workable coal area, for such
is not the fact. But the surface and all projecting rocks are such as
belong to the geological structure known as the coal measures, though
the coal seams in some parts of it may be found wanting. The coal
measures, so-called, consists of seams of coal with interstratified depos-
its of limestone shale, sandstone, iron ore and fire-clay. The coal
seams are not scattered haphazard through the series, but have their
proper places in the formation. Though this is true generally, it some-
times happens that a coal seam becomes thin and worthless, and in
some places fails altogether ; but each seam has its own place in the
series, and hence the classification as given by the professional geolo-
gists. The series of deposits known as the Coal Measures, is said to
rest on the Maxville limestone, and when that is lacking, upon the
Logan sandstone or upper Waverly stone.
The principal coal seam of the series is known as number six, or the
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 3
Nelsonville seam, the Straitsville seam, the "great vein," the great
seam, and perhaps by other names. It was tirst mined at Nelsonvdlle,
but is the same seam as the Shawnee, Straitsville, Corning, Rendville
and Buckingham seam. This seam is six feet thick at Nelsonville,
from ten to eleven at Straitsville and Shawnee, and from ten to thirteen
at Buckingham, Corning, Rendville and othor points on Sunday Creek.
A seam from three to four feet in thickness, generally believed by geol-
ogists to be the same as the "great seam" further south, extends over
nearly all of Pike, Clayton. Harrison and much of Reading, Bearfield
and Madison townships. This is the seam generally mined. Another
coal seam from lour to five feet thick, about sixteen feet lower in the
coal measure formation, is found in the neighborhood of New Lexing-
ton, and it is thought will be found generally wherever the other seam
exists. Some geologists express the opinion that those two seams taken
together, are the equivalent of the great seam of Straitsville and Sun-
day Creek, as there they appear to be two distinct seams, though
found close together.
From forty to fift}^ feet above the "great vein," where the hills are
high enough, is what is to be tound the Norris coal, the seam from five
to six feet in thickness. This seam, however, is not persistent, and
sometimes is wanting altogether. But it is a good coal and is found in
several places. Another seam of coal known as the Stallsmith, from
eighty to ninety feet above the great seam, and from four to five feet
thick, is tolerably persistent, though it sometimes is not found when due.
This coal has been mined, is pronounced a good coal, and is said to be
highl}' valuable for some purposes. What is called the lower New Lex-
ington seam, because it has been mined at this place, if it be persistent,
as it probably is, mav prove to be a very valuable coal of commerce.
It is from five to six feet thick in places, and is a dry -burning coal, and
valuable for many purposes. If this seam extends over a wide area to
the north and east, it will in the agcrregate be of very great value.
There are some other veins of coal that are soft, in the geological
sti"ucture of the Coal Measures, but they are unimportant, and may be
omitted specific mention.
The iron ores may be grouped into two divisions — those situated be-
low the great coal seam No. 6, and those found above it. A seam of
ore is often found resting on the Maxville and Newtonville limestone.
Prof. Andrews states that he has found a good ore above the horizon
near Maxville, and also in Reading and Madison townships. He has
found other ores near Crossenville, entirely belonging to the lower coal
measures, but he could not ascertain their places definitely. The Baird
ore, so called because it is the one chiefly used at Baird's iron works in
Monday Creek township, is a well defined and valuable seam, and is
situated about thirty-five feet below the great seam, No. 6, of coal.
This places it below the lower New Lexington coal. This has proved
to be a very valuable ore, but as it dips to the east, and is too thin to
admit of drifting, it is only available near the western margin of the
coal measures. The " sour apple" ore, situated above the Norris coal,
has been discovered in many places, and traced all the way from Sun-
day Creek to New Lexington. It has not been much used yet, but it
is believed to be a good ore, The "Iron Point" ore is an important
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
deposit an(^ is situated about one hundred feet above the great coal
seam, No. 6. "Fho equivalent of the Iron Point ore has been discov-
ered at several places, varying in thickness from one to thirteen feet.
The " Hone ore," two miles east of New Lexington, discovered by
the Moxahala Furnace Company-, was, on a purchased area of some-
thing over an acre, from seven to eight feet thick, and of good quality.
Another de]:)Osit of ore, believed to be on the iiorizon of the Iron Point
ore, was found on the Whitlock farm, in Pleasant township. In the
neighbt)rhood of Bristol in Pike township, a large area of the Iron Point
ore has been found, ranging trom two to thirteen feet in thickness.
There are other outci'ops and deposits of ore in various places and at
dilTerenl horizons, but geologists have not tully studied or classilied
them, and a suHicient number of borings has not been made to fairly
test their extent or value. Experience, the best of all teachers, has
proven that good and valuable ores exist in Reading, Jackson, Pike,
Pleasant. Monroe, Saltlick, Coal and Monday Creek townships, and
there is little doubt that Harrison, Bearfield, Clavton, Hopewell and
Madison townships will ultimately be found rich in the same commod-
it}-. General theories and opinions go for something, particularlv
those of learneil and trained geologists : but there i-U'e so man}- varia-
tions and limitations to the general recognized structure of the Coal
Measures with then- limestone, ore. coal, sandstone, shale, etc., that
only actual and minute inspection and investigation can full}' disclose
the wonders that directly underlie the surface of the Coal Measures of
Perry county. Even the great coal seam is sometimes wholl}- or par-
tially missing where geologically due ; the iron ores often lie in pockets,
and are sometimes discovered where no geologist with all the intbrma-
tion available would expect to find them. Hence, it will take time,
more or less, and certainly it will require some expenditure of money
and not a little labor, and careful, untiring investigation, to fully de-
termine the area, extent and value of iron ore deposits in Perry county.
As has been stated, the coal measures rest upon the Maxville lime-
stone, and that rests upon the Logan sandstone, or Upper Waverl}'.
The Maxville limestone, or its equivalent, is sometimes missing, and in
that case the coal measures rest directly upon the sandstone of the
Upper Waverly. Geologists state that the Maxville and Newtonville
limestones are one, and that their equivalent is found along the lowest
valleys in both the eastern and western parts of Perry county. The
northern branches of Rush Creek and Jonathan's Creek, both, in
places, uncover the limestone and expose it to full view. In many
other places it is believed that it might be easil}^ uncovered and found.
What is asserted to be an equivalent of the Maxville and Newtonville
limestone was largely quarried in Reading, Clapton, and Madison
townships, for use in constructing the Zanesville and Maysville turn-
pike. There are several limestone quarries in Perrv county, developed
since the erection of blast furnaces, of a higher horizon than the Max-
ville limestone, but geologists do not a]'>j-)ear to have traced them care-
fully, and whether thev belong to the Putnam Hill. Zoar, or Cambridge
series, or to independent and unclassified lonnation, is a subject of con-
jecture, and to be decided by future investigations. Many of them are
known to be of good quality, whatever mav be their relation to the
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 5
general geological structure of the coal measure system. In the recog-
nized limestone horizons, there is sometimes found bastard limestone
deposits, which are of little or no value. In other localities flinl or
chert appears to take the place of limestone. The chert is used for
pikeing roads. or streets, and is very useful and durable for that purpose.
Fire clays are often found interstratitied among the coal measure
rocks, though there has been, as yet, no special investigation of this
subject, or considerable test of the qualities of the clav. There is little
room to doubt, however, that a very considerable portion of Perry
county will prove It) be rich in this important material. Potter's clav is
found to exist, in a greater or less degree, in all parts of the countv,
though the !)est and richest beds appear to be in the eastern part, in
which section many potteries are in operation and large quantities of
ware manufactured.
When the white settlers came there was a salt spring, or '' deer
lick." on thf present site of McCuneville. hence the name of Saltlick
township. There is a sulphur spring on a branch of Sunday Creek,
and there is also a similar spring of medical virtue in the south-western
part of Reading township. There are a few alum springs, and a num-
ber of alum wells of no special value or economic importance, and onlv
interesting as indicating the various composition of the coal measure
s\-stem.
The county is extremely well watered, considered in the aggregate.
In addition to the creeks and smaller streams, that are hereinbefore out-
lined, the surface of the county is dotted with numerous springs, afford-
ing a bount-itul supply of pure water the year round. Digging wells
was one hardship that few of the pioneers were called upon to undergo.
Wells are even yet infrequent, except in towns and villages, and good,
pure water is almost everywhere secured at no very great depth and at
no inordinate expense. The spring water is usually " soft " and the
well water " hard," though both have exceptions.
Sandstone of a durable nature, suitable for building purposes, is
found in almost all parts of the county. The most of this stone quar-
ries easily and works well. Though the county abounds in stone quar-
ries and outcrops of stone, verv little of it, comparatively, lies so near
the surface as to disturb the plowman, or in any way to interfere with
the proper cultivation of the soil. If the Maxville or Newtonville lime-
stone is good for building purposes — and it is now almost universally
so considered — the county surely has an abundant supply of different
kinds of stone for building, both for home and foreign consumption. A
few stone houses were built, quite early in the history of the county,
which have withstood the storms. tVeezes, and thaws of many a year,
and are yet but little the worse for the wear. If these may be taken as
testimony, the stone may be considered as of a fairly durable character.
It is not within the scope or general purpose of this work to enter
into a discussion of speculative or minutely descriptive geology. Nearly
all of Perry countv is included within the coal measures, and the soil is
all, or nearlv all. supposed to be native, and composed from the decay-
ing and pulverization of the underh'ing rocks. Nearl}^ all of Thorn
township, and small portions of Reading and Jackson townships, are
in the " Drit't'" section, which comprises about two-thirds of the State,
6 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
and all the north-western part. The soil and directly underlying
deposits of the Drift are of foreign origin, and came, at some unknown
and remote period, probably from the far north, the round gravel-
stones found in it, rounded and rolled, probably, by the strong glacial
currents that bore down from the north. The little smooth, roundish
stones, of various colors, that are seen along the railroads in most of
Perry county, are not native inhabitants, but have been brought in from
the Drift region west and north, where they have been long enough to
gain a residence ; and vet, in the long ago, they were unconscious
immi^J^rants from a far-oti' country. The stones and pebbles of the
coal measures are of quite a different character. Whoever reads what
is herein written concerning geolog}^ will obtain a hint of the uncer-
taintv and incompleteness of the science ; whoever studies carefully the
various printed works upon the subject, will be yet more deeply im-
pressed with the same fact. Yet it is undeniable that much valuable
and economic knowledge has been gathered and assorted h}^ learned
and patient geologiss and investigators: and further information that
will bear good fruit to commere and mankind, is sure to be secured by
their stud}^ and industry ; yet it is but simple candor to admit that there
is much about the changes and making of the earth which they cannot
fathom or disclose, and that, in view of the man}^ useful pursuits which
may occupy every energy of the mind and body, it seems something
like folly to waste time upon mere speculation or guesses as to the inert,
unconscious, unknown and unknowable.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY
CHAPTER II.
COAL, IRON ORE, SALT, AND OTHER MINERALS.
Man}^ of the early settlers of Reading, Clayton, Pike, and Harrison
townships, who came from coal counties in Pennsylvania, knew the
article when they saw it, and it was not long before their eyes detected
the outcrops jn the hill-sides, or the uncovered seams in the beds of
small streams, where the action of the water had washed away the cov-
ering of earth. Yet such discoveries were of no present significance
or value. There was no demand for coal ; no grates or stoves, even, in
which to use it for home consumption. Besides, the settler's cabin con-
sisted, in most cases, of but one room, and good wood of all kinds was
plentiful everywhere.
The first demand was for blacksmith coal, and for many years it was
thought a good article for this purpose could be obtained in only a few
favored places. Coal for this purpose, was at first stripped where the
covering of earth over it was not very deep, or taken from the beds of
streams where the surface had been entirely washed away. About 1816,
or soon thereafter, the blacksmiths began to use coal at Somerset,
Rehoboth, New Lexington, and a few other places. Also, about this
time grates and coal were introduced into Somerset, and a little later,
as the villages grew, into Rehoboth and New Lexington. Coal first
found its wa}^ into taverns, public offices, stores and shops, and grad-
ually into the sitting rooms of well-to-do persons in town and country,
in the coal region and near its neighborhood. It is impossible to tell
at this time, who mined the first coal, in this or that neighborhood, or
in the county at large. Tradition tells that a colored man named
Shedron, was the pioneer miner in the St. Joseph region. It is said
that he carried the coal from the bottom of his shaft or pit, up a ladder
on his back, where he dumped it in reach of his customers. Of course
the enterprising colored man did not then know of any place where the
coal could be drifted from the hillside, or he would have dispensed with
his sack and ladder. What is now known as the Isaac Denny bank,
one mile north of New Lexington, was opened on the undermining
plan, about 1830, and operated somewhat extensively, by Dr. Poujade,
a Frenchman.' He imported a Frenchman from somewhere, the old
country, probably, and he was the first professional miner that the old
citizens remember to have seen in the neighborhood of Rehoboth or
New Lexington.
He was a polite, polished fellow, and it was rarely that the Ameri-
can girls got a glimpse of him until he had seen his bath tub and made
his toilet. Poujade sold coal to the people of New Lexington, and
Rehoboth, and to the farmers for miles around. Soon after 1830, the
great vein was discovered and opened at different places on Sunday
and Monday Creeks. In some instances the coal-house was the coal
8 HISTORY OK PKRUY COUNTY.
bank, situated only a rod or two Irom the cabin door. New mines
gradually began to be opened all over the coal region, and many land-
owners commenced mining coal tor their own use, and perhaps, to
accommodate a few neighbors ; and so, in general terms, coal came
into common use in Perry county.
Coal was not much used for cooking purposes, prior to i860 ; and
nine-tenths of the good house-wives of Perry vowed, honestly enough,
no doubt, that they would never, never, have a coal cooking stove.
But, for all that, now, in most parts of the county, a load ot" wood is a
curiositv, and the race of women who always intended to have a wood
cook stove is well nigh extinct.
The coal question did not become much of a factor in public afiairs,
until the first railroad — the Cincinnati Wilmington aud Zanesvilie —
came to be located. As stated elsewhere, there were three rival routes,
claiming the location of the road. These were commonly known as the
Somerset, the St. Joseph, and the New Lexington or Rush Creek V^al-
ley route. The valley of Rush Creek Ibrmed a natural route, a goodly
portion of the way through the county, and this had its influence in
determining the course of the road, though it brought it miles awa\-
from a direct line. The New Lexington route tapped a coal section,
and ran twelve or fifteen miles through it, and this fact was pleaded
earl}' and late, in season and out of season, and the most possible
made of the situation. It is highl}^ probable, if not an undisputed fact,
that the advantages offered by the proximity of coal along the New
Lexington line, determined the result and secured the location of the road.
Soon after the completion of the Cincinnati Wilmington and Zanes-
vilie Railroad, some eight or ten mines were opened along the line,
between New Lexington and Roseville, the most westerly mine being
siiuated only one mile east of the former place. The demand for coal
was good trom the start, but cars were not in sufficient suppl}^ and the
business, for a time, was very much hindered on that account. A few
years later, all the principal mines consolidated, under the name ot the
Perry Count}- Coal Compan}^ employed an agent to travel and look
after the selling of coal, and had regular officers and managers, for the
management and government of the mines. This company prospered,
for a number of years, and built up a good trade for their coal at
Circleville, Washington, C. H., Wilmington, Dayton, Xenia. Troy,
Springfield, Urbana, Piqua, Hamilton and other towns in Ohio and
Indiana, and occasionally, during a low stage ot water, had a good
demand, at high prices, from the city of Cincinnati.
Soon after the close of the Civil War, however, about 1865-6 the
Coal Company became so embarrassed by the rates and rules of trans-
portation, adopted by the railroad management, that their trade was
hindered, crippled, and eventually destroyed. The Perry County Coal
Company disbanded, the miners were discharged, and all the coal
works along the line, for the time being, went to ruin. But, after a few
3'^ears, when the railroad came under the management of the Panhandle
system, and several of the coal mines had passed into new hands, the
works were repaired, new mines opened, new houses built, min ;rs
again set to work, the coal trade along the line revived, and the busi-
ness has been in successful operation down to the present time.
\
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. g
The next road which the coal region of Perry influenced in locating,
was the Old Scioto and Hocking Valley, with terminal points at
Newark and Portsmouth. It was at first confidently expected that this
road would be located by the way of Lancaster, and down the valley
to Logan ; but, in the meanwhile, certain of the public spirited citizens
of Somerset, who had failed to secure the Cincinnati Wilmington and
Zanesville road, concluded to make an eftbrt U) have the Scioto and
Hocking Valley located b^- Somerset instead oi' Lancaster. Years
before this, the great vein had been opened near Straitsville, (Old) and
instead of a thickness of twelve or thirteen feet, which the seam
actually has, by some sort of slide, or covering of slate, the coal
seemed to show a frontage of, and thickness of over one hundred feet.
The men who- were engineering the Somerset interest made the most
of this wonderful phenomenon, and had it thoroughly written up, and
advertised it both in this country and Europe. It is sufiicient that the
great Straitsville coal bank turned the scale in favor of the Somerset
and Perry county route. The main line was to go onh- wdthin four
miles of Straitsville, and the great coal vein was to be reached by a
four mile switch from Maxville.
Though the old Scioto and Hocking Valley road failed in the panic
of 1854, ^"^ ^^^^ road-bed, and all the franchises passed by judicial
sale into other hands in 1864; still it had its inflluences. remote and
direct, in developing the Peny county coal fields. The old road bed
was used by the Newark, Somerset and Straitsville Railroad, to the
neighborhood of Junction City ; and north of Logan the old road-bed
of the Scioto and Hocking Valley, was used a goodlv portion of the
way to Straitsville, (New) b}' the Hocking Valley branch. There was
this important change : The N. S. and S., was diverted far enough
from the old line to reach the great vein directly at Shawnee ;
and the Hocking Valley branch diverted far enough from the old line
to reach the great vein at New Straitsville. Thus the great coal
seam originally deflected the location of the old Scioto and Hock-
ing Valley, from Fairfield eastward into Perry ; and again, when
the N. S. and S., and the Hocking Valley roads were constructed
upon the ruins of the former road, they were both deflected so as
to reach the ''great vein" direct, instead of by a four mile switch, as
the old Scioto and Hocking Valle}' proposed.
In 1871-2. Shawnee and New Straitsville, both being laid out and
reached b}" rail, coal mines began to be opened, and suitable coal
works erected. New Straitsville had a little the start, but in all material
aspects the growth of the coal trade in one town, has been that of the
other, with the exception that New Straitsville shipped its coal by way
of the Hocking Valley, and Shawnee by way of the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad. The trade has grown until some eight or ten com-
panies in each town, with large capital and vast resources, are pushing
the work with great energy and success, with a large number of skillful
and experienced miners employed, and paying out. in the aggregate, sums
of money that seem almost fabulous. Strikes and other drawbacks have
occasionally occurred, but as a general thing, the business has steadily
progressed, satisfactorily and profitably to all parties concerned. Coal
is also extensively mined at Bristol, Dicksonton, and other places north
lO HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
of Shawnee, on the same raih-oad. The coal at Bristol is only a three
foot seam, but it is in large demand for some purposes, and is said
to be a superior engine coal. Mining began at Bristol before Shawnee
was reached, and has never ceased. The Shawnee and New
Straitsville coal is shipped to various points, mostl}- long distances,
•and the demand is all the while increasing. About the time it
was sought to reach the great vein, at the neighborhood of
Straitsville, (Old) an enterprise was set on foot at New Lexington, the
design of which was to reach the same great seam in the Sunday
Creek Valle}'. This movement eventuated in the organization of the
old Atlantic and Lake Erie Railroad Company, with proposed terminal
points at Toledo and Pomeroy. The mineral deposits of the Sunday
Creek Valley, were the basis and impetus of this railroad movement,
and all its successors. The Great Vein Mining Company ; The Sunday
Creek Valley Company ; The Hurd Company ; The Brier Ridge Com-
pany, and several other companies, corporate and private, were in con-
nection with, or supplementarv to this railroad movement. Work was
commenced on the road in 1870, and it was completed from New Lex-
ington to Moxahala in I874. Soon after, there was some mining done
at various points between New Lexington and Moxahala, but trans-
portation was inadequate, the outlet unsatisfactory, and the mines were
subsequently abandoned.
It was not until the fall of 1879, ^"*^^ after the road, under new
owners and new management, had been driven through the tunnel at
Oaklield, and down into the valley of Sunday Creek, that the mining
of coal was commenced in a large way. Soon after this date, how-
ever, various companies, and notably the Ohio Central Coal Company,
sunk their shafts in the valley, and erected coal works preparatory to a
large business. With the completion of the railroad to Columbus, and
also to Toledo, and the accumulation of cars and other equipments per-
taining to railroads, new mines were opened, the number of miners
largely increased at Rendville and Corning, and the out-put propor-
tionately augmented. In the latter part of 18S0, and the early part of
1881, a branch road was constructed from the main line below Corning,
up the west branch of Sunday Creek, to Buckingham and Hemlock,
where new mines have been opened, and nearly eight hundred skilled
miners imported from Germany to work in them, and these new men
are daily putting out coal in enormous quantities. It is estimated that
from five to six hundred cars per day, will soon be shipped from the
Sunday Creek Valley, on the Ohio Central Railroad. There is a
steady demand for the coal, and it is shipped to numerous points north
and west. The great vein in the Sunday Creek Valley is reached by
means of shafts, and lies from twenty-five to eighty feet beneath the
surface. Coal was mined in the Sunday Creek Valley and hauled
in wagons to various parts ot Morgan county, a long time before there
was any railroad in the valley ; but this was taken from a seam higher
in the hills than the great vein, and was reached by drifting.
Bairds' was the pioneer furnace in Perry County. Mr. Baird who
had been connected with the Logan Furnace, which used a very con-
siderable portion of ore from the neighborhood of Maxville, knew all
about its qualities, and consequently, it was not an uncertain enterprise,
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. TI
when he concluded to establish a furnace in the hills, where the ore,
coal and limestone were all ready at hand. It has been stated on the
best of authority, that iron has been made at Bairds' Furnace, cheaper
than anywhere else on the face of the globe.
The Fannie, XX., and New York Furnace at Shawnee, the Bes-
sie, at New Straitsville, and the Moxahala Furnace, followed the origi-
nal one in quick succession. Also Winona and Gore Furnace. They
are situated a little over the line in Hocking county, but they draw a
large part of their ores and limestones from Perr}' county. The manu-
facture of iron in the county is believed to be yet in its infancy.
The old Salt Works, at the present site of McCuneville, were erec-
ted about 1826, and for a few years, were run with success
and profit ; but the decline in the price of salt, the erection of large
works in other parts of the country, combined with other causes, broke
up the proprietors, and the works were abandoned. All was razed or
burned, except the large stone chimney, which stood firm, tall and
erect, forty-five years, a faithful sentinel, ever on duty, pointing to the
dead past, silent and mute, and prophesying of the future. When the
N. S. and S. R. R. had been determined upon, John McCune, of
Newark, Licking count}^ who now owned the premises, decided to
erect new works, on the site of the old, which he proceeded to do, with
persistent energy and perseverance, spending more than forty thousand
dollars before he realized a dollar. He sunk the old well deeper,
bored new ones, and put up modern and expensive machinery, of all
kinds. Mr. McCune made salt for several years, apparently with profit.
The establishment was finally sold to the Consolidated Salt Company,
that owns nearly all the works in the country. This company run the
McCuneville works for a while, but finally stopped them, and they now re-
mains as silent as when the old stone chimney stood a lone sentinel of
the narrow valley.
However, it is within the range of probability, that^ the works will
again be put in operation, and that similar ones will be erected in other
parts of the county. There is litde doubt that salt can be obtained in
many places, in profitable paying quantities, but borings have never
been made.
The manufacture of Potter's ware was, on a small scale, a very
early industry in Perr}^ county. Ware has been made at Somerset,
Rehoboth, McLuney, New Lexington, Crooksville, Roseville, Sallillo,
and at a number of other places in the county. The manufacture of
Potters ware is now mostly confined to the eastern portion of the county,
where it has grown to be a large and profitable industry, so much so
that the ware has reached a high state of perfecdon, and large quantities
are exported to distant Western and Southern States. There are indi-
cations that the industry will, in the near future, be introduced into
parts of the south end of the county, where it has not hitherto obtained
a foothold. The clay is practicably inexhaustible, and only awaits the
exterprising, plastic "hand of the potter, to shape it into vessels of use
and beauty.
Limestone, abundant, in more than three 'fourths of the county,
has never been much used or developed. A considerable quantity was
used in the construction of the Zanesville and Maysville Turnpike, and
j^ HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
the Maxville limestone is well known far and near, at which place a
superior article of lime has been manufactured, and in large quantities,
for a great number of vears. It has also been much used in the furna-
ces of that neighborhood. Lime from the vicinity of Shawnee, New
Straitsville and Moxahala, has been used in furnaces, and is known
to be _<'"ood. There are several limestone stratas in the county, and
there is no doubt that they are in the aggregate of immense value : but
their development and use have only begun. Building stone, of various
kinds ;ind giades. including limestone, is so inexhaustible and widely
diffused, that no aggregate conception can be had of its extent or value,
until further developed, and brought into more extensive use, at home
and abroad. A commencement has scarcelv been made.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 1 3
k
CHAPTER 111.
INDIANS AND FIRST WHITES.
Indians.— There is no history or tradition of any permanent Indian
town ill what is now Perry county, though Indians often encamped tem-
porarily, especially on Sunday and Monday creek, and near the "Great
Swamp," as named by the explorer, Christopher Gist, or Big and Lit-
tle Lake, now the old part ot the Licking Summit Reservoir. The In-
dians came to these lakes to Hsh, and to hunt bears, which were quite
numerous in that vicinity. There was an Indian trail which crossed the
Muskingum near where Zanesville now is, and crossed what is now
Perry and Fairtield counties, to "Standing Rock," (Mount Pleasant)
whicli was followed the most of the wav by ''Zanes Trace'" and is not
far from the line of the present Zanesville and Maysville Turnpike.
There was another Indian trail from near where Dresden now is
passing through Muskingum, Licking and Perry to the Great Swamp,
(Reservoir.) For fifty years or more previous to the time Perry
county was settled, the Shawnees, Delawares and Wyandots, were the
principal occupants of the country, along the Muskingum and Scioto
rivers, and they all roamed over the great stretch of country that lay
between them. It is probable that these tribes tacitly agreed to occupy
the intermediate ground between the Muskingum and the Scioto as a
common hunting ground. The Shawnees originally came from Florida.
The Wyandots came from the north, and, at one time inhabited the
Peninsula of Michigan, at another time the north side of the St.
Lawrence river. The Indians, chiefly the Wyandots, it is to be pre-
sumed, came into what is now Perry county, after its first setdement by
the early pioneers ; but they were peaceable, though some of them
were unprincipled, and would steal horses, and children, too, if they
had an opportunity. But there is no account of any successful attempt"^
at child stealing by them, in this part of the country, though the
mother, brothers and sisters of a child stolen by the Indians, lived a
long time, three or four miles east of Somerset. About 1790, a boy
child of the name of Armstrong was stolen by the Indians east of the
Ohio, and carried him from home and friends into capdvity. The
child grew to manhood among the Indians, in the Maumee country, be-
came an Indian in appearance and habits, married an Indian girl, and
went to battle with the Indian braves. After Wayne's victory and the
treaty of Greenville, and after the war of 181 2, and the arts and ways
of peace were once more cultivated, young Armstrong longed to know
something of his parents, brothers and sisters, of whom he had some
recollection, and for whom he cherished an allection. after all the years
of his savage life. His father was dead, but the rest of the family had
removed to the neighborhood of Somerset, Ohio. From Missionaries
14 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
in the Maumee country, or some other source, Armstrong learned
where his relatives lived, and resolved to pay them a visit, and accord-
ingly did so. He was now married, had an Indian wife and children,
but the meeting was affectionate and touching. Armstrong lingered
among his kin-folks as if loth to leave, and was at length prostrated
with fever of a dangerous character. Armstrong in his weakness and
sometimes delirium, longed for his Indian wite, who was a sort of a
Medicine woman, and pleaded that she be sent for. Robert Col-
born, an old friend ot the family, who lived one mile east of Somerset,
hearing those appeals, resolved to go for the Indian woman, the sick
man's wife. He had a wearisome ride of over one hundred miles ; he
safely reached his destination, rode into the Indian village, sought out
the sick man's wife. She immediately mounted a pony and accom-
panied the messenger on his return trip. They did not let the grass
grow under their horses feet, and in an incredible short time they ar-
rived at the house where the sick man lay.
The squaw wife "powwowed" over her husband awhile, then went
a short distance from the house, up and down a ravine, gathering roots
and herbs. She returned to the house, went into the kitchen, and pre-
pared a decoction of some nature, and administered it occasionally to
her sick companion. In a few days he was better, and in a short time
became so much improved that he returned with his wife to their In-
dian home, and never again visited the homes of his pale faced kins-
men.
The First Whites.— It is not in the power of historian's pen to tell
who was the first civilized or white person, to set foot upon, or traverse
the soil of what is now Perrv county ; but as the great Indian trails
from the East to the West, passed directly through the territory of which
it is now composed, it is in the highest degree probable that scores
if not hundreds of captives, young and old, from Western Virginia and
Pennsylvania, passed through here the latter part of the last century.
It is also known that Christopher Gist, an acquaintance and companion
of Washington, who was one of the members of the land company
represented b}^ him, passed by and camped all night near the Big
Lake, (Reservoir,) in 175 1. This company had heard wonderful stories
of the richness of the country west of the Ohio, but it was then as little
known to civilization as the heart of Africa is to-da3^ Capt. Gist was
a surveyor, as well as explorer. A man of considerable note and great
daring. In the service of the land company, before mentioned, and
accompanied by a few attendants, he set out from the forks of the Ohio,
(Pittsburgh) and followed an Indian trail to the forks of the Muskin-
gum, (Coshocton) and thence by way of Wakatomika (Dresden) to
the old Indian town on the Scioto and Miami. This trail led through
Muskingum and Licking, to the "Great Swamp," (Reservoir). The
original lake was in Perry county, near where Thornport now is. Cap-
tain Gist's Journal, which was subsequently published, shows that his
party encamped upon its shore, and "the next day" he continues, "we
set out from the Great Swamp." Gist was joined at the Muskingum,
by a white man and a half breed, who accompanied him through the
remainder of his journey.
There is also authority for the statement that chaplain Jones and an
HISTORY OF f'ERRY COUNTY. 1 5
Indian trader by the name of David Duncan, passed along this same
trail by way of the Big Lake in 1773, on a journey from the Indian
towns on the Scioto to the Indian towns on the Muskingum. Rev.
Da^'id Jones had been a missionary among the Indians on the Scioto,
sent out there by the Philadelphia Baptist Association, His diary shows
that he followed a trail from the Indian towns on the Scioto to Standing
Stone, Lancaster, -' where was an Indian town consisting chiefly of Del-
awares, and which was situated on a creek called Hock Hockin. It
appears muddy, is not wide, but soon admits of large canoes." This
Rev. Jones was chaplain in Wayne's army of 1795, and preached the
first sermon January 13th, 1790, ever preached in the neighborhood
of Cincinnati.
The surveyors came along in the closing decade of the last centur}'.
They simph^ run the section lines, but their camp fires blazed in many
places. They run the lines and sunk the corner stones ; the marks on
some of the witness trees blazed by their axes could be seen not very
long ago.
Soon after the surveyors, and in some cases cotemporaneous with
them, came the explorers and also the first hunters. Many of them
built their camp fires and erected temporar}?- places of abode. Several
of these men subsequently became permanent settlers. This part of the
country received quite a number of emigrants v\dio had first settled in
the level country, a short distance farther west. Two cases of these
are well known. Robert Colborn, who had emigrated from Somerset
county, Pennsylvania, to the neighborhood of Lancaster in 1800, be-
came dissatisfied, loaded a few efi'ects on horseback, and started east
along Zane's Trace. One mile east of where Somerset now is, he
came upon a good spring, liked the appearance of the countr}-, unloaded
his goods and resolved to stay. He subsequently entered a half sec-
tion and lived there about twenty years, when he removed to Indiana.
One of his daughters, Mrs. Mary Cole, born near Somerset in 1803,
now lives at Noblesville, Hamilton county, Indiana, and is in the eight-
ieth year of her age. A brother, Jonathan Colborn, but born in Penn-
sylvania in 1799, lives in the same place. Robert McClellan, who also
lived near Lancaster, started out with a companion or two to hunt and
spy out the land. They came over by where Rushville now is and
down where Bremen is, then up Rush Creek to where New Lexington
now is. At this place they left Rush Creek and started up the Oxa-
w^oosie. About a mile south of the present site of New Lexington,
they diverged from the stream and soon came upon a big spring. Rob-
ert McClellan sat his gun against a tree, stooped and took a drink of
water, then rose and said : " Here will I live and here will I die." He
did subsequently enter the land, became the second settler of Pike
township, lived and died there, and one of his descendeuts resides up
on the land until this day. James Comly also fled from the malaria of
the Pickaway plains, and became the original proprietor of New
Lexington. In ways similar to these the county received man}- of its
earliest pioneers.
The Primitive Wilderness. — For the benefit of those who would
like a glimpse of the country as it appeared to the Indians and first
whites, the following description is reproduced from the Centennial Ad-
lO HISTOKV OF PERRY COUNTY.
dress of James Taylor at New Lexington, Ohio, July 4th, 1876. The
pen picture may be a trifle fanciful and colored, but it is near enough
reality to be read and studied with interest :
■ " One hundred years ago to-day, the sun in his course looked down
upon no spot of earth more picturesque and lovely than the territory
now known as Perr}' county. The entire area from east to west, and
from north to south, was covered with the primeval forest, *• planted by
the Lord at creation's dawn : " — a wild paradise, an untrained and un-
pruned Eden, to which our tirst parents, condemned in just retribution
for tiieir disobedience, to spend their day and centuries of lite amid the
arid deserts and on the barren hills of Asia, would have been glad to
have gained an entrance. Here the Arcadians could have tended their
flocks on greener pastures, in a happier climate, and in more impene-
trable shades than in their native land ; here could have been found the
realization of the poet's conception of a "■ boundless contiguity of
shade;" and here, if man had remained in his fabled simplicity and
purity, Utopia might have found "• a local habitation and a name.'"
The valleys, slopes and hilltops bore unmistakable evidence that the
tenth, and perhaps the fortieth, generation of trees was then standing,
each of which had withstood the lightnings and storms of a thousand
years. Upon the summit of the water-shed between the Muskingum
and the Hocking, where now stand Somerset, Bristol, Oaktield and
Porterville, there then stood white oaks, and perhaps other trees, which
may have been in the green before the enunciation of the Serm.on on
the Mount, and before Paul preached on Mars Hill ; which were good-
ly trees prior to the battle of Hastings ; and which were giants among
their fellows before Columbus dreamed of or discovered the western
world, and before John Cabot set foot on the shores of North America.
From April till November the ground was covered with wild pea
vines, which aflbrded pastures as green, as luxuriant and as nutritious
as our best fields of clover. At the approach of winter it dried up, re-
taining its foliage and nutritious properties, so that in sinnmerit afforded
pasture, and in winter hay and grain tor the herds of buffalo, elk and
deer, as well as food for swarms of wild turkeys, pheasants, quails and
pigeons, which fed and fattened on the wild pea, and the fruit of. the
juneberry tree, the black and the red haw, the wild cherry, the dog-
berr}^ and the gum, the beechnut, the chestnut and the acorn ; the birds
sharing their fruit with the bear and the beaver, the raccoon, the opos-
sum, the hedgehog and the woodchuck, and gray squirrels, equal in num-
ber to the promise of the seed of Abraham. Nature prepared the food, and
the herbeating and graniverous beasts and birds fattened themselves to
fatten the panther, the catamount, the fox and the wolf, the eagle, the
hawk and the owl ; while the feathers and skins of the latter were made
to do service in adding to the comfort and adorment of the cabins and
persons of the wild men of the woods.
In summer and winter, at morning, noon and night, the forest was
vocal with the chirpings, twitterings, calls, cries and songs of birds, of
which there was almost an infinite variety, and in numbers beyond cal-
culation or estimate — eagles, hawks, owls, ravens, crows, robins, blue-
jays, anteaters, tomtits, woodpeckers, thrushes, sparrows, snipes and
swallows. From May to August the night air seemed to vibrate with
HISTORY OK PfeRRV COUNTY; ty
the plaintive cry of the whippoorwill ; throughout the year, and all the
night long, the laughing and talking owls (species now extinct in this
region) met in companies to chatter, laugh and scream, imitating the
human voice in conversation, in laughter and the Indian war-whoop;
orioles of man}^ varieties, with plumage of orange, blue and gold,
abounded everywhere ; and myriads of flying squirrels, inhabiting the
cavities of trees, excited the wonder and admiration of Europeans and
inhabitants of the trans-Alleghany States.
In spring the blossoms of the wild plum, the crabapple and the
grape, perfumed the air, and in autumn brought tbrth their green,
golden and amber fruit for the use of the red man and tor beasts and
fowls.'"
3
ig HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
CHAPTER IV.
PIONEER HABITS AND CUSTOiMS "THE GOOD OLD DAYS."
The pioneers of Perry county were mostly young married men and
women ; the former from twenty-five to thirty-five years of age, and
the latter from twenty to thirty. They usually had a number of little
children, the oldest not often over ten years. The intention to emigrate
was generally formed soon after marriage — sometimes before that im-
portant event. Economy and frugality, of course, were practiced in
order that a little property might be acquired and a litde money laid
up. Somedmes the head of the family came out alone and entered the
land, and returning removed the famil}' and effects afterward.
When the surplus household goods and other property were disposed
of, away back in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, New York or
New Jersey — for the early settlers of this count}^ were principally from
those States — preparations were soon completed for the move to Ohio.
The pioneers came in all sorts of ways ; governed more or less b}^ their
pecuniary circumstances and general surroundings at the old home.
The majority moved in covered wagons, drawn by two, three or four
horses. Oxen were sometimes used in place of horses. Others brought
all they possessed on horseback, not being well enough off to own or
hire a wagon. Yet others moved with one horse and cart. Emigrants
were usually from three to six weeks on the way. The western Penn-
sylvanians made the journey in about three weeks. A cow or two was
driven along. A trusty rifle was always a part of the movables, and a
faithful dog was chained or tied to the hind part of the wagon. The
women and children slept in the wagon, and the family meals were
cooked and prepared at the roadside. In some cases where the wagon
or wagons were very full of goods, the family pitched a tent and camped
upon the ground. The journey was a long, tedious one ; but it was
generally looked back to and remembered with pleasure. The crossing
of the Ohio and Muskingum rivers frightened many of the women and
children, and was in fact attended with difficulties and even perils.
The breaking up of old homes, and the sundering of the ties ot
kindred and friendship, was a thing of sadness and a great trial to
many ; to those who laughed, as well as to those who cried. For the
merriest heart was only the mask of sadness. Ohio seemed a long wa}-
off", and the distance appeared much greater than now. Yet all hoped,
alter a few years, to be able to visit the old home and friends left be-
hind. Most of the men who lived long, did get to return; some of
them several times. And a few of the women — a very few, however,
after passing middle life, rode back in carriages or stage coaches, and
revisited the scenes of their girlhood. But the great majority of the
young pioneer women, when the emigrant wagon started out, looked
back with tearful eyes, for the last time, upon the old familiar scenes,
and were, in fact, bidding them good-bye forever.
History of perry county. 19
When the emigrant wagon reached its destination, sometimes,
though not otten, a cabin had been made ready for occupancy, and a
few acres cleared ; the head of the famil}^ having come out previously
and done the work or employed some one to do it. In most cases,
however, the pioneers went into this unbroken forest, and the family
lived in the wagon, or camped upon the ground, while a small cabin
was prepared. If neighbors were handy, or within five or six miles,
it did not take verv long to accomplish this ; for timber was plentiful
and convenient, axes were heavy and sharp, and the men knew how
and were willing to wield them. In some cases, indeed, when hands
were plenty, a cabin was built from the stump in one day, and a family
living in it next day. But it ordinaril}' took a longer time than this.
The hrst cabins were small — fourteen to sixteen, or sixteen to eighteen
feet, and built out of round poles or logs. The floor was made of pun-
cheons, split out of larger logs, and one side hewed tolerably smooth
with a broad-ax. The roof was made of clapboards rived out with a
mallet and frow and held to their places on the roof with weight poles,
straightened on one side to closely fit the roof, and separated the pro-
per distance by heavy short sticks, of the required length. A door
was also made out of smooth, light puncheon boards, hewed on both
sides, fastened by cross-pieces and nailed or pegged on. A piece of
a log or two was cut out for a window, and greased white paper was
pasted on to admit the light. It was sometimes a difficult thing to get
flour to make the paste, and corn-meal or hominy would not answer.
A large hole was left or cut in the lower part of the center of one end of
the cabin tor the fire-place.
The chimney was built of sticks and mud on the outside, and car-
ried to the highest part of the roof. The hearth, usuall}- a very large
one, was laid with large flat stones, when such could be had. In their
absence, the best available stone was used. The upper floor was also
laid with puncheon, and the room above was called a loft or garret.
This was reached by a ladder, sometimes from within, and sometimes
from the outside of the house. In other cases, where the ground at one
end of the cabin was a little high, the loft was reached from the out-
side bv a long puncheon, one end of which was laid upon the ground,
and the other against the bottom of the door or opening of the loft.
Again, the ladder on the inside was sometimes dispensed with, and in
lieu thereof, there was a row of long stout pegs driven into holes bored
in the wall, reaching from the ground-floor to the ceiling. It is astonish-
ing how quickly and gracefully the girl of the period — the pioneer peri-
od, of course — would glide or fly up this row of pins to her sleeping
chamber. The nimblest girl of to-da3% might |pe equal to the perform-
ance, but she would be likely to hesitate before undertaking it. The
furniture of the pioneer cabin was of the scantiest and rudest kind.
Bedsteads were sometimes made out of rough dog-wood poles, and
bottomed with strips of stout elm bark for cords.
Benches and three-legged stools took the place of chairs. A cup-
board, usually called a "dresser," was constructed by boring holes in
the logs, driving strong wooden pins into them and placing boards on
the pins. A row of wide shelves was made in much the same way ;
furnishing a place to store bed-clothes. Other families had a chest or
20 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
box for this purpose. Large round boxes, made from the bark of a
smooth elm tree, were often made and used for the clean and safekeep-
ing of clothing and other cherished articles. Trammels and hooks
soon came into use, but the "hig pole" reaching across the chimney,
at about the height of the chamber floor and the wooden hook attached
to it, often served to suspend the pots over the tire. Iron was not plen-
tiful, or easih' obtained, in those days, and pots were scarce enough.
With all tlu' iron underlying the hills, many a pioneer woman has
cooked a meal for compau}' in one pot, — boiling water for home-made
coffee or tea. baking bread, boiling potatoes and frying meat all in the
same \essel. This required skill and fine management : but the feat
was frequenth' accomplished. A family who owned an iron pot, a
skillet and a dutcii oven, were considered very fortunate, and well off
for cooking utensils. One pot and one skillet was the more common
outfit.
There was. of necessity, not much in the wa}' of adornment in the
homes of the pioneers. The battle for bread and life was too sharp
and earnest for this. Yet, in many houses, small and inexpensive ar-
ticles of mingled use and adornment were not uncommon. Pewter
was the composition of the plates, and most of the other dishes in use
of which there were not many. The tlrinking cups were mostly made
of gourds. Splitwood brooms were the instruments with which the
pioneer mothers swept, scrubbed and scoured the rough puncheon
floors. The cradle, an indispensable article in almost every household,
was rough and homely enough, but in it has been rocked some of the
proudest, brightest and most honored men and women of the land.
Distance, or lapse of time, lends much enchantment to the view,
no doubt : for the lot of the pioneers was a hard one, and it is much to
their credit, that they encountered and overcame hardships and priva-
tions that were enough to appall the strongest arm and the bravest
heart. Before a crop could be raised, a heavy growth of timber had
to be cut off, logs and brush burned, rails split and fences made. In
addition to this a luxuriant growth of underbrush and saplings, ren-
dered it necessary to grub and literally dig up almost eveiy rod of
ground. Barns, stables, cribs and other out-buildings, were to build,
and wood chopped to keep the cabins warm and comfortable lor more
than half the year. Buildings could not all be erected, and the land all
cleared, at once. But litde by little, day after day, year after year,
the forest went down, buildings went up, fields were cleared and culti-
vated, orchards were planted, gardens laid out, and thus was the soli-
tary wilderness changed from its primitive condition into a suitable
abode for civilized man. There were hardships enough at best: but
the pioneers were neighborlv and ever ready to assist each other, when
necessary. If a house, barn or stable was to be raised, neighbors
would gladly turn out and help, even from a long distance, and the
hard work was often enlivened bv jokes, stories, and songs. Neighbor
women would also turn out and help with the baking and cooking,
and the choppers, house-raisers and log-rollers were treated to the best
that could be procured.
The pioneer women have seldom received the credit and praise that
;is justly due them. Many of them came fVom comparatively luxurioui^
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 21
homes in the farther east, and without a murmur took up their abode in
a small, rough, cabin in the woods, upon the outskirts of civilization,
and patiently endured all the hardships and privations of pioneer
lite. In addition to the cares of the children and household, many
ot them occasionally assisted their husbands in the fields. And, where
they did not do this, with taking care of the children, cook-
ing, washing, knitting, weaving, spinning and sewing, they had
enough to do. The women of to-day cannot comprehend how
the nursing pioneer mothers, could do all this for a large family.
They could only do it by hard and constant work. They visited,
to be sure, but when tlie\' went \'isiting, they took solid, saibstantial
work along, and alwa3'S accomphshed their self-appointed task. Flax
and wool, were to be spun and woven, and the goods to be cut into gar-
ments and made up, and that without any sewing machine, except the
deft fingers of the natural hands. Linen for Sunda}' and spare clothes
was made ot copperas and white, and checked or striped for pretty.
When nicely handled it was soft and comfortable. Linsey-woolsey, or
Linsey, was made of wool and cotton, and was a ver}^ durable goods,
though not very handsome. Plain white linen on horne-fulled cloth or
jeans, comprised the clothing for the males ; and copperas-checked linen.
Hnsey-woolsey and flannel, that of the females. The flannet goods for
dresses was often colored and striped quite handsomely, and a suit
made of it looked comfortable and becoming. The hunting shirt and
wamus were the most common garbs of the pioneer. The hunting
shirts were otten neatly cut and ornamented with fringe, and were pic-
turesque and prett}'. Father Dominic Young, spoken of in another
chapter, who rode over a wide stretch of country here at an early day,
once said to the writer that "almost ever}^ man he met carried a rifle
and wore a hunting shirt.''
Johnn3'-cake, hog and hominy, were necessarily the principal diet
of the pioneers. Without corn and hogs the western country must have
settled up very slowly. Mills were few and far awa}' and earlv settlers
had to go a good long distance, often on horseback. But there were
mills at ix)th Zanesville and Lancaster, and the pioneers of Perr}' were
not so bad otf tor grinding facilities as those of many other counties in
the State. A number of "• corn-crackers " were early set up in the
county, but they did not amount to much, and could not always be de-
pended upon. Corn could be produced but sparingly, at first, and as
a natural result, pork was tor a time a scarce article with manv. In its
absence the pioneer's trusty rifle had to be depended upon for meat, and
it seldom tailed to bring in a supply of some sort. Bears were not un-
common, while deer and wild turkeys were plentiful. There w^ere
many squirrels, and flsh could be caught in the creeks. Nearly every
famil}' had cows, and there was milk to drink, and some butter made.
After the rirst few years, the pioneers in general had tull and plenty,
so iar as substantial eatables were concerned. To be sure, tea, cofle'e,
and other luxuries came in slowly.
Many of the pioneers were members of religious denominations.
They were principally, Lutherans, Baptists, Catholics, Methodists,
Presbyterians, German Retbrmed and United Brethren. They had not
been here long until there was public religious worship and regular, stji-
22 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
ted service. The first public worship and pretiching were at private
houses, before the erection of buildings dedicated to the service of the
sanctuary. Settlements were sparsely populated, and persons were
accustomed to go a long distance to attend divine service, sometimes
a-foot, but generally on horseback. The pioneer women found time to
attend these ministrations, in the midst of all their other pressing du-
ties. These occasions were often very happy ones to the neighbors and
friends assembled, and the best of feeling appeared to prevail among
those who were present.
The school buildings of the earl}- days were not what the}^ have been
since, and are now. School houses were few, and school books were
scarce, and good, competent teachers very rare, if not almost unknown.
There were no. regular text books. Ever}^ book was a school book.
The " Master" boarded around among the parents of the pupils, but
usually contrived to stav most at the places where there appeared to be
Ihe best living, and other accommodations. Reading, writing, arith-
metic and geograph}^ were taught, after a fashion. The girls studied
spelling, reading, writing and geography. It was considered unlady-
like for a girl to handle a slate and pencil and to study arithmetic. It
was barely tolerated in girls who aspired to be teachers ; but in no oth-
ers. The greater part of these schools were curiosities, in their way;
but it must be admitted that many persons managed to make them the
foundation for a good and useful education, and for a worthy and suc-
cessful career in life. It was customary to " bar out" the Master for
a " treat " at Christmas ; and it was not an uncommon thing for him to
throw off the weight-poles, come down through the roof and call
"books." In some cases where the roof was nailed on, he would lay
a board over the top of the chimney, and smoke out his tormentors.
At other times he would goodnaturedly treat to the apples and ginger-
cakes, and then he would be considered "the best fellow in the world."
Spelling-matches were quite frequent, and there were many good
spellers among the early pupils. The pioneer men could nearly all
read and write, and knew a little of arithmetic and geography. The
women could mostly read write, and, also knew something of geogra-
phy. They were all anxious that their children should receive a better
education than their parents possessed, and the great majority of them
did become better educated than their parents, though the early schools
were crude and unsatisfactory enough. The school houses were ver}^
similar to the dwellings of the earlv settlers, except that in nearly all,
one end was devoted to a fireplace, and a long, narrow window was
made on three sides, with the invariable white paper pasted over to
admit the light.
Before the time that the sons and daughters of the pioneers began
to marry, the parents had mostly become well-to-do and in good cir-
cumstances. The farms were tolerabh' well cleared out, orchards were
grown, and most of the settlers had moved out of the first cabins into
better houses. An old-time wedding was a festive and joyous occasion ;
though there was seldom an3'^thing like indecorum or undue hilarity. A
wedding, in those days, rarely occui'red without a large assemblage of
invited guests. Sometime previovis to the day fixed for the nuptials, a
suitable and authorized person would ride around the neighborhood.
HISTORY OF 1'EK.RY COUNTY. 23
often for miles, giving the invitations to the desired guests, on behalf of
the bride or the bride's parents. The groom also had the" privilege of
inviting all his friends. It was commonh' understood between the pros-
pective bride and groom whom each was to invite, so that invitations
might not be duplicated. But this precaution was not always taken.
If the prospective bride and groom lived any considerable distance
apart, which was usually the case, the invited friends of the groom
came to his residence on horseback, at an appointed hour, and at anoth-
er hour agreed upon, would proceed in procession to the house ot the
bride, where soon after the arrival of the groom, the marriage cere-
mony would take place. The wedding dinner would be in waiting, and
soon after congratulations, the dining table would be tilled, the bride
and groom, and attendants, if any, having the place of honor at the
table. The spread was always bountitul, and everything neat, clean
and inviting, if not altogether stylish. Roast turkies, chickens, pies,
cakes and custards were conspicuous at these great wedding dinners.
Nice, solid, yellow butter, rolled and worked by the plastic hands ol
some one skilled in that art, were often fashioned and moulded in the
form of chickens, ducks, or other fowls, and sometimes lambs, deer,
rabbits or other animals, and placed at some little elevation on the table.
Of course these were intended to be looked at and not chopped into or
eaten. But now and then some bold and daring innovator, near the
close of the wedding feast, would cut out a good-sized slice and try its
virtue as a lubricator on bread or potatoes ; always, no doubt, to his en-
tire satisfatction. The wedding over, there was an informal, "go as you
please" sort of enjoyment for the remainder of the da}'. Toward even-
ing, most of the married guests would return to their homes, but the
young people were enlisted during the campaign, and remained over
night at the home of the bride's parents, or wdierever the wedding took
place. At night, often, there would be dancing, playing, singing or
social converse, attended with mirth and jollity.
The infair, which took place on the day after the wedding, was cel-
ebrated at the home of the groom, and differed from the wedding day
only by the absence of the marriage ceremony. About nine or ten
o'clock, of the day succeeding the wedding, the bride and groom, at-
attendants, and all the guests at the house, and probably a few others
who had gone to their homes to remain over night, would prepare for a
horseback ride to the residence of the groom, often miles away. Horses
would be bridled and saddled and temporarily hitched to fences or trees
about the yard, until the ladies had donned their riding suits, and grace-
fully made, one by one, the last important pose before the looking-glass.
The horseblock, at this juncture, plays an important part in the pro-
gramme. It is simply a short " cut, " about three feet in length, from
an oak log three or four feet in diameter, sawed off square at both ends,
and set up on one end in the yard near the house. The horses of the
bride and her " attendance " are brought up, then ladies step from a
chair or stool on to the block, and in a twinkling are tirmh' seated in
their saddles, and their horses probably prancing, for horses appear to
have a sort of instinct for red letter days. Other horses are in turn
brought up, and soon the ladies are all in their saddles. Very few ot
the young fellows bring their steeds to the block, but, putting the lelt
24 HISTORY OF I'EKKY COUNTV.
toot in the stirrup, bound into' the saddle. Just before starting, except
the spangled uniforms, the scene is not unlike a grand entree at a circus.
The horses are mostly excited, and prance, and jump, and wheel or
turn around in the yard. There are usually a few old stagers that stand
quietly enough, and seem to wonder at the unnecessary excitement of
their fellows^ At last all is ready, the couples fall in, and the showy
cavalcade moves off iit. a brisk pace. Grass does not grow much under
the feet of the horses as the gay procession speeds on, over hill and dale,
now through the woods and now through the open country, until it
reaches its destination. As has been stated, the infair was simpl}' a
repetition of the wedding festivities, with the exception of the marriage
ceremonv. There was no wedding tour in the old-time days. Soon
after marriage, the newly wedded couple setup housekeeping on their
own account.
It must not be interred that weddings and infairs were the only
social occasions of the early times. The country was not settled long
until singings and singing schools became a very prominent feature.
The old style " buckwheat notes '" were used, but in the opinion of the
old-musicians and singers, at least, the music was generally better and
more desirable than most of the music of to-da}'. The early sons and
dauji^hters mostlv had ""ood luno;s and strono- voices, and there was, no
doubt, force and volume in their singing.
On the night of the Fourteenth day of February, there were singings
in almost ever}- neighborhood ; and, after singing, there would be a
•' Valentine drawing. " The names of the irirls would be written on
slips of paper and placed in a hat, from which the boys would draw.
Then the young men's names would be likewise placed, and the girls
would have their turn at drawing. These drawings were frequently
the source of amusement. There w-ere necessaril3' raisings and log-
rollings in the first years of settlement, but there was, ordinarily, more
prose than poetry about them. But later came the choppings, quiltings,
wool-pickings, sewings, knittings, spinnings, and other industrial frol-
ics, all of which helped to lighten and variegate the too monotonous
da3^s oi the toiling, patient men and women, who opened the wilderness
to civilization, and made it what it ought to be, a garden and paradise tbr
the generations to follow. li the country is not the paradise antici-
pated, it surely is not the fault of the pioneer men and women, who em-
igrated far into the wild woods, encountered Indians, fought with wild
beasts, lived in cabins on hard fare, felled the heavy trees, grubbed out
the undergrowth, burned the debris, planted orchards and laid out gar-
dens, and truly caused the wilderness to " bud and blossom as the
rose. " But they are nearly all gone. There are those 3^et living, who
were children ana came out with pioneer fathers and mothers. But the
men and w^omen themselves — persons who were grown when they came
here — have all passed to their final rest and eternal reward.
Whatever is to be the future history of this county, and however
interesting it may be, the time wall never come again — certainly not for
long ages — when men and women will leave old settled communities,
and come here into a virgin wilderness to found new homes. This in-
teresting period of history has closed. Tradition will soon begin to
grow dim, and, without the aid of printing, the names, deeds, and
HiS'i'oRV or PERR^' cDuKtv. 25
heroism of the pioneers would gradually fade from human view. But
wherever this chapter of " The Good Old Days " is preserved and read
by the hreside, and in the homes of present and coming generations,
the dauntless, toiling pioneer men and women will be cherished and
remembered, and the example of their noble deeds and precious sacri-
fices will not be lost upon the earth.
26 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY
CHAPTER V.
NATIONALITY AND RACES.
The first settlers of Perry county, as a class, were Pennsylvania
Germans. The_y located chiefly in Thorn, Reading, and Hopewell
townships. Notwithstanding subsequent modiflcations, from various
causes, the impress of the original t3^pe is very perceivable in Thorn,
and much of Hopewell and Reading, at the present day. Industry,
frugalit}^ and thrift characterize these people and their descendants in
an eminent degree. Along with the Pennsylvania Germans, or very
soon after them, came other Pennsylvanians, of English descent ; also
Virginians and Marylanders, who were not German, who settled prin-
cipally in Reading, Madison, Havrison, Clayton, Pike, Jackson, Salt-
lick, Monday-creek, and Bearfleld. There were many exceptions, of
course ; but, as a class, these emigrants were light haired, with fair
complexions and blue eyes. Some of them also settled in Thorn and
Hopewell townships, in near proximit}-^ to their good neighbors, the Penn-
sylvania Germans. A little later, and not long after 1820, came a very
considerable influx of people of Irish birth or parentage, who settled in
something like colonies or groups, mostly in Jackson, Reading, Pike,
Cla3'ton, Harrison, Monroe, and Monday-creek townships. Previous
to this time a considerable number of Scotch Irish, or their descend-
ants, had sought and obtained homes in various parts of the county.
There was also, about this time, and before and after, a considerable
sprinkling of English, Scotch, German, and French, direct from the
old country. The county also received some population from the New
England States, and from New York, Kentucky, and North Carolina.
Canada and Nova Scotia also added to its numbers. As a matter of
course, many persons came in from adjoining, neighboring, or even
distant counties of Ohio, and these and other causes have contributed
still further to making the present population of Perry one of mixed
nationality and race.
From 1840 to 1869 there was no sudden or marked change in the
elements of population ; but, soon aflter the latter date, the coal and
iron development began, the mining towns grew with astonishing rapid-
ity, and their inhabitants almost all came from outside the county.
The Welsh, a race who had before made no foothold, now came in
large numbers, erected churches, bought houses, and became, in every
wa}^ a factor in the permanent population. There was also an influx
af English, Norwegian, and men of other nationalities of the Caucasian
race. There has also come in a colored population, at Rendville and
Corning, of nearly one thousand, and probably a majority of them from
Meigs county, Ohio, and West Virginia, while others are from widely
separated places, and some from distant southern States. The opening
of mines at Buckingham and Hemlock, on the west branch of Sunday
creek, was signalized by the introduction of a colony direct from Ger-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 2*J
many, consisting of about one thousand persons, and embracing about
seven hundred active German miners. This large concentrated Ger-
man element, if it meets with no bad luck, will make its impress on
the population of the region, which will be easily perceptible half a cen-
tury from now. Of course, the building up of the mining towns has
brought in many tradesmen, shopkeepers, and merchants, from various
cities, towns, and villages, in different States ; and this adds yet further
to the mixed and varied character of the people ; and this state of affairs
is likely to be increased, rather than diminished, by events that are now
clearly foreshadowed.
Intermarriages between the different classes of people referred to,
except the colored race, have, in some respects, been the rule, rather
than the exception ; while, in other cases, the rule has been the other
way, though the exceptions have been numerous. The marriages of
persons of Irish descent with other races has probably' been less fre-
quent than any other mixed marriages, in proportion to numbers ; but
the exceptions are very numerous, where persons of this race have
married with Germans or English, or their descendants, and sometimes
with other races.
There is no other county in Ohio, outside of the large cities, that
contains such a diversified population as Perry, as regards race, de-
scent, or intermarriage. It is also worthy of note that, in most cases,
it is next to impossible in the second or third generation, even of un-
mixed blood, to distinguish the race to which the youth belong. All
races and people assimilate, and, in a little while, instead of speaking
the mother tongue or dialect, and having the distinctive habits and cus-
toms of clans or factions of Old World origin, they become identified as
an integral part of the great Anglo-Saxon race, which has, apparently,
just commenced its influence and work upon the earth. While losing
none of the intellect or virtues of the Old World ancestors, their de-
scendants are quick to take in all the benefits and acquirements of bet-
ter opportunities for self improvement in the American Republic of
the New World. This assimilation of diverse nationalities is carried
on faster in a rural and town population, like that of Perry county,
than it is in large cities, where there is more disposition and better
facilities for maintaining class societies and keeping up Old World
habits and customs.
28 HISTORY OF TEKRY COUNTY,
CHAPTER VI.
TRAGEDY AND COMEDY.
Tjie Murder op^ DeArmand. — The first noted tragedy that oc-
curred in the county, after its organization, was the murder of a French-
man, by the name of DeiVrmand, which occurred about one mile
northeast of New Lexington, near the Rehoboth road, in 1822. De-
Armand was a bhicksmith by trade, had a shop in Somerset, and, had
also worked in Rehoboth and New Lexington, and was well known to
the citizens of those villages. He was a good mechanic, intelligent
and of good manners, and was esteemed wherever known. On a
Sundav afternoon of the year named, he was in Rehoboth, called at
the Post Office, and received a letter. He at once opened the letter
in the presence of several parties, took from it a ten dollar bill which
the letter contained, and soon after started on foot for New Lexington.
After proceeding some distance walking leisurely, he observed two men
coming along the road behind him. They came up with DeArmand a
little south of the township line, on the farm of John Colborn. The
three men walked along conversing in a friendly manner, when one of
the strangers proposed to go a short distance from the road into the
woods and enjoy a game of cards, to which proposition DeArmand
consented. The public road at that time was some rods further east
than at present, and the place where the men stopped to play is within
three or four rods of the present line of the road, near the head of a
ravine, and about twenty or thirty rods from the present residence of
Joseph Hammond. After playing a short time the men demanded the
money, which they said they had .seen DeArmand take from the
letter at the Post Oflice. DeArmand, quick as thought determined to
defend himself and mone}^ He struck one of the men a heavy blow
with his cane, which felled him to the ground. The other assailant
closed with DeArmand, but he could probably have managed him also,
when the one that DeArmand had knocked down with his cane, re-
covered and came to the assistance of his comrade. Both the strangers
had been roughly handled by the pluck}^ mercurial Frenchman, but
they now attacked him furiously with knives, he still fighting and strug-
gling tor his life. They stabbed and lacerated him in various places,
in a most brutal manner. He became unconscious and his assailants
left him for dead. He did not know how long he remained insensible,
but when he regained consciousness, he could not walk, stand, or hal-
loo loud enough to attract attention, and secure succor; but during the
night lie managed to crawl down the ravine one fourth of a mile to
where it intersects the road. Here the next morning he was discover-
ed by Napoleon B. Colborn, asmalllboy, who was attracted to the spot
by the strange waving of the tall grass. DeArmand was weltering in
HISTORY .OF PERRY COUNTY. 29
bis own blood, and nearly dead. He was conve3'ed as soon as possible
to the residence of John Colborn, the nearest house, and medical aid
procured. DeArmand rallied to some extent, and his mind was clear
enoui^h to tell all about the great misfortune that had befallen him. It
was clear that his assailants intended robbery, at least, but the general
opinion was that he was in possession of some information, which if
disclosed in court would bear hard against parties who had been accus-
ed or suspected of certain crimes or misdemeanors. DeArmand lin-
gered for six weeks, but after all that medical skill could do, he passed
awa3% dying as a result of the many fearful wounds he received in that
unequal, bloody encounter, in the lonely, silent woods. He was a
Catholic, in rehgion, and Father Dominic Young, then a young Priest,
came and ministered the spiritual consolations of the Church, in his
dying hours. Jacob Costigan, now an old citizen of Somerset, then a
boy in his teens, was present with Father Young on this occasion. It
is not known that DeArmand had any relatives in this country. Far
from his native and beloved France, yet in the country of his choice,
with only strange hands to smooth his pillow% and receive his dying
grasp, he passed into the realms of the unseen and eternal. His mor-
tal remains were interred at St. Joseph's cemetery, sixty years ago.
No arrests were made at the time, and the sla3-ers of DeArmand
were never apprehended. The two men were seen Sunday afternoon
crossing the forebay of Coml3's milldam, at New L.xington. One of
the men had his head tied up. They did not go through the town, but
passed around it near where the Ohio Central road now runs. The3'
were seen by several persons crossing Rush Creek at the mill, but noth-
ing was ihen known of the murder. It seems strange now that clews
were not followed up, but the countr3Mvasne\v, and at that time sparseh'
populated, and there were no professional detectives. Whoever the
murderers w^ere, they are doubtless dead, and sla3^ers and slain have
alike gone to their final account.
The Execution of David Work. — An account of the trial of Da-
vid Work for the murder of Christopher Hocker, is given in the chapter
upon Courts. David Work was a citizen of Fairfield count3^ and a
man of propert3', residini^ about two miles west of Lancaster. He was
about thirty-six years of age. He had living with him, a boy, Chris-
topher Hocker, aged about fifteen or sixteen 3'ears. Work and some of
his neighbors did not get along ver3^ amicably. Sometime in the spring
.of 1836, one of his neighbors got out a search warrant for missing prop-
erty, consisting of a number of small articles, and they w^ere found
upon the premises of Work, who was subsequentl3' arrested for the lar-
cen3-, and at a preliminar3' hearing before a magistrate Christo-
phei- Hocker was a witness, and his evidence tended to criminate Work.
Sometime after this preliminary trial, the bo3', Hocker, w'as missing.
Suspicion w^as aroused, a search was made, and his dead body w'as at
last found buried in Work's cornfield. Work was charged wath the
murder, and by reason of change of venue, was tried, convicted and
hung at Somerset, in Perry county.
Work was incarcerated in the old jail, on Soutii Columbus St., and
there he awaited his trial and afterward the day of execution. Daniel
30 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
Kishler was Sheriff and had the prisoner in charge about thirty-five
days. When the fatal day came, there was an immense assembly of
people congregated either to witness the execution or attracted by the
military and civic display that was anticipated. Perry county at that
time contained several military companies, known as the Somerset
Guards, National Guards, New Lexington Guards, Rehoboth Guards,
Perry Guards and two companies of calvar}'. They were all, or nearly
all, present, and acted in support of the civil authorities in the execu-
tion of the law. Executions were then public, and multitudes were sure
to be present on all such occasions. The clashing of sabers, the waving
of plumes, the sound of martial music, the various companies all
differentl}' uniformed, and the thousands of people, all contributed to a
spectacle the equal of which was never seen in the county either before
or since.
When the fatal hour came Work was prompt and ready, and he, at-
tended by the civil officers, filed out of the old jail, his last dreary
abode, into a hollow square of military escort. The martial music
struck up. and the word "forward march" was given. The gallows
had been erected about one-fourth of a mile west of town, on a little
knoll situated in a narrow valley, with surroundings very much in the
nature of an amphitheater. The distance from the jail to the place of
execution was about half a mile. The civic and military escort marched
up Columbus street to the eastern Public Square, then down Main to the
western Public Square, and on through the western end of town to the
appointed place. Work walked all the way, and with military step,
kep time to the sound of martial music, in unison with his military es-
cort. Upon reaching the place of execution, the populace was kept
back and the gallows surrounded by the military. Work was nerve to
the last ; he ascended the gallows stairs with steady step and took his
place on the platfonn. There was little delay, and the trap was soon
sprung and the soul of David Work launched into eternity. Many of
the vast crowd had turned away before the final scene, and a deep feel-
ing of awe rested upon all who were present.
Work had been convicted vipon circumstantial evidence alone,
though the proofs appeared to be very convincing ; and everybody fa-
miliar with the case and the evidence brought forth at the final trial,
both in Fairfield and Perry, came to the conclusion that the accused
was guilty, as charged. Nevertheless, it is not too much to say — after
a lapse of nearl}^ fifty years, and the additional light thrown upon the
inconclusiveness of circumstantial evidence, on both sides of the Atlan-
tic— that David Work may possibly have been innocent of the murder
of Christopher Hocker. In the light of a possible doubt that might
exist in the case, there were persons who expected to the last that a re-
prieve might come, and Work be sent to the penitentiary. It is asserted
by old citizens that a brother of the murdered boy — who was im-
known to all but a very few, anticipating that a reprieve might come
even after the prisoner had left the jail — rode along near the military
escort, from the prison to the scaffold, armed and resolved to take sum-
mary revenge upon Work, if his execution should be, from an}^ cause,
postponed. It does not appear that Work hoped for any reprieve, and,
during his last days, it is tolerably certain tliat he did not. All his
HISTORY OV PERRY COUNTY. 3I
words and actions tended to show that he expected to meet death at
the time and manner appointed. P'orty-eight hours before the execu-
tion, Work, with the hand-cuHs upon his wrists, deHberately wrote a
short sketch of his life, and gave his version of the circumstances which
led to his arrest, trial and conviction. Without saying so directly, he
intimates clearly that there were other persons who, for some cause,
might have motives for putting Hocker out of the way, and that, at an}^
rate he (Work) was innocent of the murder, and altogether ignorant
of the manner in which the unfortunate boy came to his untimely
and violent death.
It is but fair to all, hving and dead, to conclude this sketch of the
execution of David Work, with his own words, as written down forty-
eight hours before his death. Accordingly, the closing paragraph of
his address or proclamation to the public is here subjoined :
"I now wish to inform the public that I have been talsely accused
and that I am as innocent of the murder of Christopher Hocker as the
child that is unborn. I would, not say so if it was not the truth; so
you see the effect of exaggerated minds on an individual that suspicion
may be tixed upon ; the imagination is evil, and all his doings are evil ;
he will not be allowed credit tor anything that ever was done in his
life, even though he had never lifted his hand against his fellow in
violence, he can, by a cold unfeeling world, and through the power of
false evidence be sentenced to death. I myself, expect to be put to
death in less than forty-eight hours. M}^ death warrant was read to
me on last Saturday week, by the Sheriff, m}- coffin is made, mv
shroud is made, the rope is made, the gallows is made that I am to be
executed upon ; and I now declare to the public that I am not guilty of
the crime of murder. I defy the world to produce a man that can sa}'-
in truth, th^t I ever lifted my hand against any individual in violence,
and, in particular, I challenge the living tnends of all that are dead to
produce a single truth, as evidence taxing me with violence on the per-
son or persons of any that are dead. Reports have come to m}- know^l-
edge that I had murd,ered my wives, and that I had murdered a ped-
dler, and that I was guilty of misdemeanors almost without number.
I will here state that I never saw but one peddler in mv house, and his
name was Murray ; and that I saw him in the month of May last in
Greencastle, ten miles northwest of Lancaster, Ohio. It will be one
hundred and forty-five days on' the day of execution that I have lain
inside of the walls of a prison, bound hand and foot. I write all that
I have wrote, with my hand-cuffs riveted on, nor can I have them
taken off until the day of execution, when I am to dress m3-self in my
shroud, and be taken from the jail to the gallows. I am, myself, the
first man I ever saw in irons ; my trial was the first I ever had before a
jury; I never have been before this, m}- trial, brought into a court
house, not even as a witness in any case. I here state that a report has
come to my knowledge, that some oi my relations have been partners
with me in misdemeanors that have been imagined against me. I sav
the world is cold and uncharitable. I will state here that I have
enjo3^ed the best of health through all my imprisonment : my mind has
been perfectly calm and collected ; I have not had a single dream ; my
sleep is sound and sweet, and refreshing to the body. If I thought I
32 irTS'rOHV OF I'ERKA' COUNTY.
liad titnc 1 could state something more ; nut the hour of my death is
just before me, and I must ch-op the pen. I foririve all those who have
injured me, and I thank those who have waited upon me through this
my imprisonment. I wish Zebulon Kennard to have twenty dollars for
his kindness to me while guarding the jail, when collected. I subscribe
myself the unfortunate D. Work."'
The Hippodrome War.— The Hippodrome War, as the disturb-
ance is usuall}' termed, . which occurred in Somerset, in September,
1853, was a very serious aftair, and for a time threatened far greater
dangers.
Welch's Hippodrome, a large traveling show, was announced to
exhibit in Somerset, Wednesda}^ September 7th, of the 3-ear before
mentioned, and came on according to announcement.
At this date, and for months previous, work was in progress on the
old Scioto and Hocking Valley Railroad. There were at least tw^o
hundred laborers engaged upon the "deep cut" at Somerset, and there
were many other hands employed upon another section, not far away.
Nearly all of these railroad hands were* of Irish nationality and quite a
number of them had been discharged from other places, and were gen-
erally looked upon as dangerous men. The great majority, how^ever,
were peaceable and industrious.
The Hippodrome had been extensively advertised and puffed, and
brought out large crowds of people, day and evening, the weather
being ver^^ line. It had been arranged by Fink and Dittoe, the con-
tractors on the cut, that the wives and children of the laborers should
attend the show in the daytime, and the men at night. The showmen
knew of this state of things, and had their fears for the' night enter-
tainment, especiall}^ as they had been informed at Thornville, or some
other place, that the railroad laborers had planned and determined to
take possession of the show at night. The strong probability is, that
there was no ground for such a report, and it is not believed that the
workmen had any such intention, though they were in and about the
show in great force at night. This was onl}^ natural, under the circum-
stances. The report, however, made the showmen very suspicious and
excited them very much.
The direct cause of the affray occurred inside the canvas, not far
from the entrance, soon after the commencement ot the Hippodrome
performance. A railroad laborer took out his pipe and began to smoke,
which was of course, against the rules. Just here there is a discrepanc}'
of statements. It is claimed on one hand, that the pipe was rudely
knocked out of the smoker's mouth, who resented, and a hght com-
menced. It is alleged on the other side that the laborer who was smok-
ing was requested to go out with his pipe, which he declined doing, and
then force was used to eject him, which brought on the fight. It is cer-
tain that the fight began fifteen or twenty feet inside of the entrance,
and that very soon a dozen or more engaged in it. The showmen at
first appeared to be getting the worst of the battle ; then tlie performance
stopped, when a number of men ran swit'tlv from the neighborhood of
the dressing room and took part in the combat. The men on both sides
all appeared to have clubs or other weapons, and the sound of the knocks
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 33
resounded thick and fast, as clubs struck other clubs or descended upon
liuman heads. There was something of a panic among- the throng of
people inside the canvass ; women screamed, children cried, and a num-
ber crawled out or were dragged out under the can\'ass, at points remote
from the place where the light was going on. Happily, however, the
great majority of persons remained quietlv in their seats, otherwise a
disaster of great magnitude might have ensued. The showmen soon
drove their antagonists outside of the tent, but there the contest contin-
ued wdth increased tiny and additional numbers. Iron pins, clubs,
stones and beer bottles w^ere the principal weapons used. Near the en-
trance to the tent stood a wagon loaded with cronk beer, in stone bottles,
which were unceremoniously captured by the showmen and effectively
used during the remainder of the light, and it is not improbable that the
beer vender's ammunition, pressed into the service, decided the result.
It was a fearful scene, and attended by a hideous noise of growling, swear-
ing, infuriated men. The melee did not lastHfteen minutes, but seemed
an hour. The showmen were victorious and soon their opponents with-
drew from the grounds, taking their wounded with them. When quiet
once more reigned the performance was renewed and the programme fully
presented to an audience still large, though very considerably lessened.
A great man}^ persons were bruised, cut and otherwise injured in the
tight, but only one fatally. A peaceable laborer by the name of Sulli-
van, who was in no w^ise responsible for the melee that resulted in his
death, was struck with a beer bottle on the head, which proved to be a
mortal wound. Sullivan was a peaceable citizen, respected b}^ his fel-
low workmen and resident citizens, and his friends state that he was not
even at the show grounds, but hurried there as soon as he heard of the
trouble, to induce a son to go home, and persuade other friends to do
the same. He unfortunately reached the ground in time to be struck
by a deadl}^ missile, receiving a mortal hurt. Sullivan was a man of
family, and lived in the " Old Exchange," on Main street. He was
carried home and died a little after midnight. His death was a terrible
blow to his immediate family, who could not be comforted, and many
of the dead man's companions and fellow laborers threatened dire ven-
geance, and no doubt resolved upon swift retribution. They accom-
plished nothing that night, however, for the showmen had undisputed
possession of the streets. If a stray Irishman was found, he was set
upon and beaten fearfully. One poor fellow ran down Main street, pur-
sued by five or six showmen, and at almost every step would cr}- out,
" Let me die aisy ; let me die aisy." He was overtaken on South Co-
lumbus street, and dreadfull}' beaten, thongh not killed. As a party of
showmen were passing the house of the wounded Sullivan, not long be-
fore his death, they were fired upon from the second stor}- window^s of
the building, at close range. The showmen thereupon attacked the
house, but failed to gain' an entrance and soon retired.
This was a memorable and fearlul night in the history of Somerset.
There was no militar}^, the peace officers were powerless, and the pos-
session of the town was vascillating between two infuriated mobs. The
night was very dark, and citizens remained quietly at home and within
doors. There was not much sleeping done, and many persons stayed
up all night, patiently waiting for whatever might come.
5
34 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
Day at length dawned, and all felt relieved, but the end of the war was
not yet. At a very early hour warrants had been issued by a Justice of
the Peace for the arrest of Welch and his company, but they refused to
go with the constables to the court house, while a band of Irish rail-
roaders, now armed with guns, had possession of the streets. These
armed men had previously attacked and smashed the hippodrome band
wagon, which stood in front of the American House, kept by Samuel
Gordon, at which house most of the showmen were stopping. " Dis-
arm those rioters," said Welch, " or remove them to a distance, and we
will go alone before the magistrate." There w^ere about fifty State rifles
in the place, which had been used by a military' company- then dis-
banded, and these, by some unknown authority, had been issued to ex-
cited railroad laborers, who were to act as special constables or police
in assisting to arrest the showmen and taking them before a magistrate.
The issuing of the arms to these men, bv whatever authority, was ver}'
unwnse action. Welch and his men would have gone before the magis-
trate without any force, and that is the way they did go, so many of
them as were required. Qiiite a number of men connected with the
hippodrome were permitted to remain, for the time being, in the second
stor}^ of the hotel. While the preliminaries for the hearing were in pro-
gress before the magistrate at the court house, the armed Irishmen had
returned to the neighborhood of the hotel. A musician connected whh
the show stepped out upon the pavement, w^as fired upon and shot down.
Two or three men followed up and beat him with their guns, leaving
him for dead. Simultaneously with this proceeding a general attack
was made upon the hotel, and hundreds of shot wee fired into the hall
between the oftice and parlor. The side lights on either side of .the
hall door, and the doors, stairs and banisters were riddled with shot.
The showmen who were on the second floor, armed themselves with
bricks torn from the hearth and chimne}-, and also broke up bedsteads
for the purpose ot suppl3nng themselves with weapons, in what they
feared would be an unequal and terrible encounter. Two or three of
the most turbulent spirits outside broke into the hall door, and a hand
to hand fight ensued ; but the Irishmen were expelled, and one of them
very severely punished. In this engagement the showmen captured
one gun. The doors were now closed and barricaded. There was a
temporar}^ lull, and then another and more furious attempt was made to
storm the hotel, and b}' larger numbers. This was the most fearful
moment of the battle. The shooting was incessant, the noise deafen-
ing, and it looked as though the rioters would "storm the fort." The
treasurer of the hippodrome, who appeared at the head of the stairw^ay,
was struck in the side by a bullet and severely wounded. Several citi-
zens, among them Ma3'or Morris and Gen. Lidey, at this time made
strenuous eflbrts to quell the riot and restore order. Lidey commanded
the peace in the name of the State of Ohio, and forcibly disarmed one
rioter who was about to shoot into the building. Morris, who was ex-
postulating with the men who were trying to batter down the door, was
struck with a stray shot on the nose, which drew the blood freel}-. En-
raged at the conduct of the rioters, and smarting with his wound,
churchman and Methodist as he was, he roared out to the madmen,
that if they did not desist, " He would bring out the cannon and blow
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 35
them all to hell." The rioters were finally induced to cease their bom-
bardment of the hotel, but they occupied the streets during the remain-
der of the day, and refused to disband or give up the guns with which
they had been armed.
It was thought at the time that the musician was mortally wounded,
but after lying several weeks at the hotel, in front of which he was shot
and beaten, he was sent to his home in Pennsylvania, and eventually
recovered.
As a consequence of the preliminary hearing at the court house,
nine of the showmen were committed to jail to await a further trial.
The}' were finally released in some way, and they never had a trial in
the Court of Common Pleas.
On Thursday morning, J.J. Johnson, Esq., who was then sheriff of
the county, after trying in vain to restore order, communicated with the
rightful authorities for military aid to quell the riot, whereupon the
Zanesville City Guards, under command of Captain Graham and Lieut.
Hazlett, by order of the Governor of the State, responded to the call,
and arrived at Somerset, seventy-five or eighty in number, at six P. M.
of the same day. When the strains of martial music were heard ascend-
ing the hill at the east end of town, the rioters quickly disappeared,
and in five minutes the town was as- quiet and orderly as on Sunday.
The showmen soon after quietly and peaceably left the place.
The civil authorities decided to disarm the men w^ho had been en-
gaged in the riotous proceedings of the day, and the military was made
use of for this purpose. The fire-arms were nearly all found, not in
the hands of those who had used them, but secreted in beds, garrets,
cellars and all kinds of out of the wa^^ places. There was not the
slightest attempt at resistance to the military, but there was a general
denial of arms being about premises, and apparently no knowledge of
any riot. But they were well known and could not escape in this man-
ner. In the course of a few hours over one hundred men were arrested,
taken to the Court House and placed under a guard to await a hearing.
The investigation finally came ofl' in the Court House before George
Morris, Justice of the Peace. T. J. Gallagher, who was then Prosecu-
ting Attorney, assisted by James Sheward, appeared for the State, and
Hon. Wm. E. Fink and T. J. Maginnis for the defendants. All were
acquitted except two, and they were recognized to the Court of Com-
mon Pleas. None of the cases connected with the "Hippodrome War"
ever came to a final trial.
The Zanesville Guards remained in town until Saturday morning,
when peace having been fulh- restored, they returned home. They
were very welcome and highly honored guests during their stay and
received an ovation at the Court House just before they departed.
Many occurrences of a most ludicrous character took place during
the Hippodrome War. Straggling showmen who ventured on the
streets Thursday morning, were quickly and mercilessly pursued, and
sought refuge in all kinds of hiding places. Five or six showmen re-
treated to the garret of the Carroll House, where they remained nearh^
twent3'-four hours, their food in the meantime being passed up to them
through a trap door, in a clandestine manner. The driver of the Hip-
podrome band wagon, sought refuge in the house of a citizen on
36' HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
Goliimbus street, and after remaining several hours, borrowed a suit of
female apparel, and left as a "forlorn female" on foot. This gentleman
who was then quite young, afterward became a show proprietor of con-
siderable prominence, and yeap afterwards, visited Somerset with his
show. His fair benefactress was gone, but he visited the spot and en-
joyed a hearty laugh over the manner of his escape from the seat of
war. Another showman concealed himself in a cellar, where he re-
mained three or four davs until hunger drove him out, when he was
both surprised and gratitied to tind that peace and order reigned su-
preme. A well known citizen was wending his way home on- the first
ni^^-ht when he was mistaken h\ the showmen for an Irishman and only
saved himself bv taking refuge in a neighbor's house, where he lay
concealed until tin- next day. The transient guests of the ditierent
hotels became panic stricken and departed the town in haste. One
man is said to have walked twent}- miles before he considered it safe to
stop for something to eat. The regular boarders, mostly young men,
stood their ground prettv well until sent for to go to various parts of the
to\vn to remain over night in households where there were no adult
male persons. How much valor, or the contrary, these 30ung men
would have shown in case of emergency, the world will never know.
It is possible that some of these ludicrous stories may be slightly ex-
aggerated, but it would be a difficult matter to overdraw the actual
facts.
The foregoing is intended to be a fair and impartial statement of
all the principal difficulties and occurrences connected with the so called
"Hippodrome War." The account is collected from various published
resources, made at the time and since, and by personal interviews with
eye witnesses of the proceedings of that eventful time.
The TuNxNej^ Hill War. — This so-called "War," which looked
serious enough at the onset, terminated in comedy and tarce. In the
summer of 1854, the old Scioto and H<><--1^"\^' Valley Railroad Com-
pany broke up. At the time of the failure of the company, a Mr. Taylor,
who had the contract at Middletown Tunnel, was working two or three
hundred men. When work was suspended all along the line, the labor-
ers at the tunnel were discharged. The contractor, unable to get his
pay from the company, could not pay his men, and he was consider-
ably in arrears with them at the time'of the discharge. The men be-
came greatly incensed, refused to leave, clamored for their pay and
threatend serious violence against Taylor and his bosses. Some of
them would tire off guns, threaten to kill, burn buildings and do sundry
other deviltrv it nof paid what was due them. The contractor and
bosses became alarmed, and a formal requisition was made upon SheriH
Johnson to come with a suflicient posse to quell the disturbance and pre-
vent the threatened not. Sheriti' Johnson conscripted about fifty men into
the service. The "bovs" did not fancy the expedition, for they had seen
something of the temper of the "wild Irish railroaders." as they called
them, during the "Hippodrome War" of the pre\i«)us year, and did
not care to encounter then). The posse was not a very formidable
looking body, for the men comprising it were variously, and the most
of them indifferently, armed, They were hastily loaded in wagons,
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 37
expresses, etc,, and started for "the seat of war." Upon the arrival of
the Sheriff and posse at the tunnel, they were surrounded by quite a
large number of excited and exasperated men, but some of the labor-
ers, despairing of getting their pay, and wishing no trouble, had already
left. Those who remained hooted, howled, fired off guns, and acted
as though thev might eat the entire posse who had come to subdue
and disperse them. They would have their money, or revenge. The
Somerset boys were not scared, but some of them said they were a little
nervous in consequence of a light breakfast and a long ride over the
rough, stony hills. They remained over night, and a strong guard was
placed around '.he house in which the Sheriff and his chief counsellors
made their headquarters.
A reporter at the time, himself one of the posse, relates some oi
the adventures of the night, and tells how the war came to a peaceful
termination. Some pickets had been sent out on the Crossenville road,
as it was apprehended an attacking party might come from that direc-
tion. The night was dark and it was thought the enemy was heard in
fence corners. Some of the pickets went forward to make a recon-
noisance, when one of them, who w^as armed with an old musket and
bayonet attached, in feeling and punching around, stuck the ba3-onet
into the hind-quarters of an innocent calf, when such loud and plaintive
bawls broke out upon the stillness of the night as frightened the army
of Middletovvn out of their wits for the time being, and effectually sub-
dued the warlike spirit of all, so that when morning came both parties
were prepared for a truce. The Sheriff's posse wanted to leave as soon
as possible, as they believed the war was over. The desperately ex-
cited mob of only the day before came in, one by one, and said if the
contractor would buy their pigs and chickens the}' would make no
further demand, bnt go awa}^ peaceably, and seek work and wages in
some other part of the country. This was the Appomattox, and the
details of the capitulation were tbrmally agreed upon satisfactorily to
all parties. The Sheriff and posse, all safe and sound, left for Somerset,
and the poor Irish laborers, true to their promise, wath their women and
children, gathered up their scanty effects and quietly left the scene of
their misfortunes. Thus ended the famous "Tunnel Hill War." Only
the blood of an inoffensive calf was shed, and that proved to be as oil
poured on the troubled waters.
The Killing of James Fagan. — A most unfortunate difficulty oc-
curred in 1856, in Monroe township, between the families of O'Neill
and Fagan. The dispute arose as to who had the right to the posses-
sion of a certain held or tract of land. Both parties claimed the right of
possession, and both sides were no doubt honest in their belief as to
such right. The P'agans, however, took possession, and James Fagan
was plowing or about to plow the land in dispute. The O'Neills order-
ed him and the rest of the family from the premises^ but they refused to
go. The O'Neill's, then attempted to eject the Fagans by physical
force. Both parties became very determined, and eventually guns were
used. A shot, hred b}^ one of the O'Neills, struck James Fagan in the
region of the heart, and lie expiied almost instantly. This ended the
aflVa\-. One of tlie O'Neills, who it was supposed fired the fatal shot.
38 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
fled. Patrick O'Neill, the father, was arrested and indicted for the of-
fense, tried in the Court of Common Pleas, found guilty of manslaugh-
ter, and sentenced to the State Prison for two years. He died there be-
fore his time expired.
It is a remarkable fact that two fatal accidents also happened near
the spot where James Fagan was killed. A fatality appeared to be
connected with the place.
The Killing of George Dodds. — George Dodds was an English-
man by birth, a coal miner by occupation, had been in this country ten
years, and for a few years previous to his death, lived in New Straits-
ville, and boarded for some time with Mr. Raybold, who kept the
saloon where ha was killed. Sometimes, in the absence of Mr, Ray-
bold, he tended bar, but drank but little himself. September 2nd, 1876,
Dodds, Phillips and several other persons were in the saloon. Dodds
was not tending bar that day. Phillips and Dodds appeared sociable
and friendly. They drank together, though Dodds had to be strongly
urged. After awhile Phillips went into a back room or cellar connect-
ed with the saloon. Raybold made an excuse to go in and see what he
was doing there. He was sitting on the steps, and told Raybold to
"Tell George (meaning Dodds) to come in." Dodds started in, but
before he was scarcely inside the door, there was a repot of a pistol,
and Dodds fell, mortally wounded. Phillips declared the shooting was
an accident, and hurried out of a side door, but was arrested and lodged
in the calaboose. Dodds was shot in the abdomen on the left side, the
ball penetrating the liver. He died the next morning.
Phillips was a Welshman by birth, and a blacksmith by trade. He
had married an American wife, after coming to this country. He was
a man of genteel appearance, and good address, and had a good reputa-
tion, except that he was inclined to be a little quarrelsome when drink-
ing. Dodds was an unmarried man, about thirt3^-eight years of age ;
sober, industrious and highly respected by those who knew him. The
homicide created a great commotion at New Straitsville, and excited
interest everywhere in the count}'. Phillips acted strangely, in some
respects, both before and after the shooting of Dodds. He had been
drinking. He was at once arrested, and had a preliminary trial before
the Mayor of New Straitsville, and was soon sent, under guard, to the
county jail, at New Lexington. The trial, which came on at the Janu-
ary term, 1877, occupied more time, perhaps, than any other case ever
heard in the county. The indictment was for murder in the first degree.
The witnesses were numerous, and examined at great length. There
was much diversity of opinion as to what would be the result of the trial ;
some were of the opinion that the defendant would be acquitted,
others that the verdict would be for manslaughter, and still others
thought they could see the dark shadow of the gallows as the result.
But the verdict was murder in the second degree, and finally, to avoid
another trial, the sentence was five years for manslaughter, as stated in
the chapter on Courts. The Judge would have granted the prisoner
a new trial, and the Prosecuting Attorney and counsel for defense both
agreed that a plea of guilty to manslaughter might be entered, thus
saving costs and doing what was believed to be substantial justice.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 39
The Killing of Jack Davis. — The killing of Jack Davis, at Shaw-
nee, occurred January ist, 1879, under the following circumstances, as
disclosed at the trial: It appeared that David A. Davis, a Welshman
by birth, and coal miner by occupation, kept a disreputable house. He
was a married man, but his wife had, for some cause, gone off and left
him. All parties connected with the tragedy had been drinking freely,
as it was New Year's Day and nobody at work. After dark, probably
about nine o'clock, Jack Davis and other persons visited the house of
David A. Davis, and asked to be admitted. They were informed by the
inmates that their company was not wanted and told to go away. After
some parleying they tried to force the doors of the house, or hammered
loudly against them, when David A. Davis snatched up a gun, tired
through the window, shooting Jack Davis in the head and killing him
instantly. He was also a Welshman, having a wife and one child, and
stood comparativel}' well in the community among those who knew
him. His sudden death, under the circumstances, caused intense ex-
citement, and there was, at tirst, strong talk of lynching David A.
Davis, if he could be found ; but he had made his escape. He, how-
ever, subsequently came back and gave himself up. He had a prelimi-
nar}^ examination and was committed to jail. He was indicted by the
grand jury for murder in the first degree. The trial was a long and
tedious one, and of much interest. The Jur}^ rendered a verdict of
Manslaughter, and Judge Wright sentenced the prisoner to the Peni-
tentiary for a term of four years.
The Street Battle in Chapel Hill, — There was on a Sunday,
in the year 1879, ^ sanguinary street fight in Chapel Hill, resulting in
the death of Frank Weiner, a young man about twenty 3'ears of age,
the wounding of John Weiner, his father, and also ot several others,
Timothy Shaw was apprehended and tried for wounding John Weiner,
the jury rendered a verdict of manslaughter, and he was sentenced to
the State Prison for one vear. It was generally admitted, also, that
Shaw gave young Weiner the fatal stab, but there was never any
arrest or trial for this offense, and the word was given out, that young
Weiner said, after he knew that he was mortally hurt, that he was him-
self to blame, and did not want Shaw prosecuted for stabbing him. At
any rate he was never brought to trial on the more serious charge.
This fight caused considerable sensation at the time, and was, indeed,
an unexpected and most extraordinary occurrence. That the quiet of
the Sabbath day, and what, to all outward appearance, was at first a
friendly mingling of neighbors and acquaintances, could so suddenly be
turned into a scene of strife and blood, was a matter of astonishment to
all, and well calculated to produce reflections of the most serious char-
acter.
The Corning War. — This is the name by which the mining troub-
les at Corning and Rendville, in September 1880, are generally known
throughout the county and State. Their origin is briefly this : at the
time of the outbreak, and for sometime previous, the Ohio Central and
other Coal Companies in the Sunday Creek Valley, had adopted and
put into -operation what was known as the "sliding scale" system of
40
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
paying- for mining coal. The price for mining, according to this sys-
tem, was represented to be based on the selling price of coal, instead
of at a fixed rate per ton. This system of pa^-ment was, from the tirst,
looked upon with suspicion b}- the miners at Shawnee, New Straits-
ville and Nelsonville, and also by the ]:»rincipal portion of the white
miners in the Sunday Creek Valley, though some of them continued
working after the system was adopted. Finalh" they were induced to
quit, one by one, until v^ery few, except colored men. were at work. A
large nvunber of colored miners had been gathered up, and set to work,
and their numbers were constantly increasing. The colored men were
employed chietlv at shaft No. 3, situated near the head of the ravine,
at the upper end of Rendville. The white miners of the valley, and
also those at Shawnee, Straitsville and Nelsonville, were dissatisfied
with the course of affairs, and soon rumors came that the colored men
were to be taken out of the shaft b}' force, and sent out of the valley.
The Coal Companies employed armed guards to protect their property,
and those who were in their employ. The negroes were armed. Now
word came that large numbers of Shawnee, Straitsville and Nelsonville
miners were coming over, determined to destroy works and drive the
negroes out of the Sunday Creek Valley. The managers of the coal
companies were in constant telegraphic communication with the State
authorities and alarming reports of the situation were received by the
Governor and Adjutant General. The principal Military Officers re-
mained up and watchful all one night, and highly exaggerated reports
of the condition of things in the Sunda}^ Creek Valley, w^ere given to
newspapers and circulated throughout the State and country. Then all
was quiet for a few da^^s, both at Columbus and Corning. However,
on Saturday about six P. M., T. J. Smith, Captain of Ewing Guards,
at New Lexington, received an order from Governor Foster, to assem-
ble his company at once, properly armed and equipped, prepared to go
at a moment's warning, to the seat of war at Corning. The long roll
was beaten at Armory Hall, and the Orderly Sergeant, hurried here
and there, notifving all the members of the Guards to report at Armory
Hall forthwith. They were not long in donning the army blue and
reporting. About 10 P. M, an order came to move, and the compan}'
was marched down to the Ohio Central Depot. By the time they ar-
rived there, however, the order was countermanded, and the guards
marched back to the Hall. They were not to disperse, but hold them-
selves in readiness to move at any time. They bunked all night on
the floor at Armoiy Hail. About ten o'clock the next day, a special
train came quietly into town and stopped at Water street crossing, in-
stead of moving on to the depot. It was soon known that the train had
come for the Guards, for there was hurrying to and fro, and soon the
company, fifty in number, to the sound of martial music, was march-
ing down Water street. There was not much jollity, for all knew that
there might.be serious work before them.
When Captain Smith and his company arrived at Rendville, the
streets of this place and Corning were filled with ten or twelve hundred
excited men. The Ewang Guards were placed on duty at Shaft No. 3,
where the negroes were quartered. The company was divided into
three detachments. About twenty were stationed, under command of
HISTORY OF PERRY COUN'I^. 4 1
Capt. Smith, at the mouth of the ravine, and ahout fifteen men under
command ot' Lieutenant I lohnes were phiced up in the woods, nearl\- a
fourth of a mile to the south. The remainder of tlie company were on
duty about the shaft, or in the woods north of the ravine, to support a
number of armed employes of the Coal Company. Many dissatistied
miners came steadily up the valley road, and pressed around the works,
claiming that they came on a peaceful errand, and were there for the
purpose of adjusting the price of mining". A line was marked at a cer-
tain distance in Iront of the barricade and Captain Smith told the ad-
vancing crowd not to cross it, or he would order his men to tire upon
them. They came up to the line, several hundred strong, with a flag
in the hands of a leader. Just at this time, which was between sunset
and dark, three or tour hundred of the dissatistied miners were observ-
ed to move tVom the direction of Corning, through a field into the
woods wdiich was held by the detachment under Lieut. Holmes. They
hurried swiftly across the field, and were soon lost to sight in the woods.
A brief parley was held between Lieutenant Holmes and the man who
appeared to be leader of the advancing column, which now opened fire
and continued to come on. Lieut. Holmes now ordered his men to fire,
which they at once obe3''ed. His men were well armed, and continued
to fire in quick succession. The attacking column now turned and
fled precipitatel}^ At the sound of the firing up in the woods, those who
were pressing in front of the barricade, at the mouth of the ravine, also
fled in great haste, the leader even dropping the flag which he was
carrying. The contest was over. Two or three of the men in front of
Lieut. Holmes' detachment were wounded rather seriously, and proba-
bly fifteen or twent}- others slightly. It is understood that the leader
who headed the advancing column in the woods, asserts that the first
stray shots to which Holmes' command responded, weren ot only with-
out, but against, orders. There was a rumor for man}^ days, that one
man was killed outright, and his body taken away, secreted andburied.
This is not probable, however, for there seems to be no adequate rea-
son lor such a course of action.
The brief skirmish herein recited, practically closed the "Corning
War," though the Military were retained two or three weeks. Three
companies of the Fourteenth Ohio National Guards, from Columbus,
under command of Col. Freeman, had been ordered down and were on
the way to Corning, when the Ewing Guards had the skirmish, which
has been described. Col. Freeman's command was hurried on with
extra speed, but the battle was over when they reached their destina-
tion.
The Ewing Guards remained in camp one week, and were then re-
lieved, the Columbus troops remaining. These w^ere finally relieved bv
troops from other places, and then the military were altogether with-
drawn.
The military encampment, as seen at night, in the narrow valley,
with sentinels pacing to and fro, and the ba}'onets gleaming in the
moonlight, was a striking miniature representation of a nation at war,
and one that is not desirable to see.
The Ewing Guards were reluctant to be called into such service, so
near home, against neighbors and friends, and many of them, in some
^2 HISTOKY OF I'KKRV COUNTY.
dei^ree, at least, sympathized with the course of the dissatisfied miners ;
but they readily comprehended the fact that they were part of the State
and county police, and under obligation to obey orders, at whatev'er
hazard.
The result was that the Military and Civil authorities were sustained,
and the colored miners and their employes remained unmolested. It
is worthy of note, however, that the "Siiding Scale" system of prices,
which was the apparent cause of all the trouble, was not long after
abandoned.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
43
CHAPTER VII.
COURTS, COUNTY OFFICERS, PUBLIC BUILDINGS, ETC.
Courts. — The act creating the county of Perry became a law in
December, 1817, and the first Court of Common Pleas for the county
convened at the house of John Fink in Somerset, April 26, 18 18. This
court consisted of Hon. Wm. Wilson, President, and C. C. Hood,
David Beckwith and John McMullen, Associate Judges. The Judges,
Chief and Associate, were elected by the legislature until the adopdon
of the new constitudon in 185 1, and of course this bench had been
chosen in this manner. Judge Wilson resided at Newark, Licking
county. History and tradition represent him as no great lawyer, but a
man loving justice and dispensing it to the best of his abilitA'. Hood,
Beckwith and McMullen were well known citizens of the count}^ at that
time, but not members of the legal profession. The judges organized
by appointing John Beckwith Clerk. Thomas Slaughterof Lancaster,
was appointed Prosecudng Attorney. There was probably no resident
lawyer in the county at that time. On the first Monday of April, 1818,
an election for a number of county officers had been held, and Leonard
Ream was elected Sheriff. He appeared and opened court with the
" Hear 3'e ! Hear ye I " that has been handed down for many genera-
tions. This term of the court appears to have been held for the purpose
of hearing the report of the commissioners who had been appointed to
fix the place for the seat of justice for the new county of Perry. Said
commissioners made their report as follows : " We, the commissioners
appointed, etc., having been duly sworn, and having satisfactorily ex-
plored and examined said county, have selected the eastern public square
in the town of Somerset, as the most eligible place for the permanent
seat of justice, and we do accordingly report that the seat of justice shall
be fixed at that place."
The Court of Common Pleas convened again in Julv. 1818, the bench
the same as before, excepdng that George Trout appears in the place of
David Beckwith as one of the associate judges. Beckwith had died,
and the County Commissioners had probabh' filled the vacancy by the
appointment of Trout. The first business at this term, with" the
exception of receiving the report of the locating commissioners, was an
application by Jacob Dittoe for an order vacating the town of Hanover,
the first platted town within what is now the county limits. Hanover
was laid out in 1804, fourteen years before the creation of Perry county.
It was in Fairfield county and situated about four miles west of where
Somerset was afterward located. The petition of Mr. Dittoe was
granted, and an order made, vacating and making null and void the
plat of the town of Hanover. The second trial was for fighting. James
Bullion was indicted and tried for assaulting Samuel Swinehart. The
indictment among other allegations solemnh' avers that at the time of
said assault, "The body of Samuel Swinehart was in the peace of God
44 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
and the State ot" Ohio." Bullion was fined one dollar and costs, amount-
in<j^ to ten dollars and ninety-nine cents. The following is the grand
iur\- that indicted Bullion, and the first grand jurv of the county: Jo-
seph Beard, Joseph Shafier. Jacob Beard, William Fate, Jacob Jack-
son, Robert Colborn. William Keith, Thomas Carroll, Samuel Ream,
Jacob Mechling, Caleb North, Owen Elder. Philip Crist, James Collins,
Smith Goodwin, James Ritchey. The following is the first petit jury
of the count^•, and the one which tried Bullion, the first prisoner at the
bar before a Perry county court: Peter Cool, Amos Roberts, Jacob
Long, Wm. Dusenbury, Evan Kelsey, John Wilson, James Henthorn.
John Murra^', John Lidev, Tuba Tavlor, Joseph Ferguson, George
Richards. At this term of court it also appears that at the instance of
David J. Walters. Ilenrv Warner and Wm. P. Darst had been arrested
by the Sherifi' and held for a debt claimed by Walters to the amount of
$200. It does not appear tliat the defendants had been imprisoned, but
they were doubtless in the custody of the sheriff'. The case was tried,
and Walters obtained a judgment of $80 on debt, $3.34 damages, and
$3-33 costs of suit. The court records indicate that this trial was the
source of future trouble between the parties, and other litigation. The
first session closed with a slander suit. It appears that two women
had a quarrel, and as a consequence had related some disgraceful things
concerning each other, and one of the huvsbands brings suit for character.
The judgment in this case is, that the " Defendant receive of the plain-
tiff the sum of $21.81, costs of suit, and that the plaintiff in mercy, etc."
This is a curious verdict, and scarcely intelligible at the present dav.
The wickedness charged was alleged to have occurred in one of the
ancient towns of the count\', which afterward assumed a different name.
It is in the hearing of this slander case that attorneys first appear on the
record. Beecher and Ewing for the plaintiff, and Sherman and Orton
for the defendant. The early times seem to have been tolerably rough,
for much of the covnt proceedings are concerning fights and matters of
a kindred character.
William Wilson served as President Judge from 1818 until 1820, and
was succeeded by John A. McDonald. Little is now known of him,
though he held court in Perry for about three years. Alexander Har-
per, of Muskingum county, succeeded him in 1823. Judge Harper re-
sided in Zanesville, and was a well known, upright man and lawyer.
He served two or three terms in Congress. He presided in the courts
of Perry county about ten years. Judge Grim.ke succeeded him in
1834. Grimke resided in Chillicothe, but not much else appears to be
known of him. It has been stated, however, that he was one of the
most learned of all the judges. He was succeeded in 1836 by John H.
Keith, who served until 1840 or 1841. He was an able and popular
judge. After leaving the bench, he practiced laVv successfully at Chil-
licothe, more than twenty years. He died^ onh- a few years since.
Keith was succeeded by C. W. Searle of Zanesvi]U\ who ser\ed until
1847. Searle is highly spoken of as a judge and as a man. He died
several vears ag\). Judge Stillwell, alsoof ZanesxilK'. succi'eded Searle,
and serxed until 1851. StillweJI had his iieculiarilies. but he was an
able, conscientious and upright judge. He was succeeded by Henry
C. Whitman of Lancaster. Whitman was first elected b\- the legislature.
HISTORY OP' PERRY COUNTY. 45
as all former judges had been ; but upon the adoption of the new consti-
tution in 185 1, providing for the election of the judges by the people,
he became a candidate, and was elected in October of that year, for a
term of live years. lie was re-elected in 1856, and again in 1861 ; the
last time without opposition. He resigned shortly alter his last election,
and went to Cincinnati to practice law, where he still lives. 'Whitman
was remarkably quick in the dispatch of all public business, and was
popular with the people. He served ten years and was succeeded by
Philemon B. Ewing, 'also of Lancaster, who was appointed by Gov.
Tod to till the vacancy. Ewing served until the next general election,
when he was succeeded by Philadelph Van Trump, who had been elected
in October, 1862. Ewing gave ver}- general satisfaction as a judge.
Van Trump served for four years, and then resigned to run for Congress,
to which body he was elected in 1866, 1868 and 1870. Van Trump was
an able and painstaking lawyer and judge, and had the conhdence of
the people and of the bar. He died a few years since. Van Trump
was succeeded by James R. Groghan of Logan, who was appointed by
GoN'. Cox to till the vacancy. He held only one term of court in Perry
county. Groghan had abilities of a high order, both general and legal,
but his term of judge was too brief to fairly test or develop his capacit\-
on the bench. Groghan was succeeded by Silas H. Wright of Logan,
who had been duly elected in October, 1866. Judge Wright was re-
elected in 1 87 1, 1876 and 1881, and is still upon the bench, with nearly
live years yet to serve. His long service and repeated indorsements by
the people, are the testimonials to his uprightness as a Judge, and his
worth as a man. At the session of the legislature lor 1878-79, a law was
passed creating an additional judge for this judicial district, whereupon
at the October election in 1879, J- ^- Freisner of Logan, was duly elect-
ed to said office for the constitutional term of five years. Judge Freisner
is a young man (one of the youngest judges in the State), but he appears
to have the requisite qualifications, and up to the present time is fully
meeting the expectations of the people and the bar. The judicial work
of the district is nowdi\'ided, and sometimes Wright, and at other times
Freisner, holds the Common Pleas Courts of Perry county.
The most important trial ever held in the county, was that of the
State of Ohio vs. David Work, indicted for the murder of Christopher
Ilocker. The alleged crime was committed in Fairfield county, of
which Work was a citizen, and he was indicted b}' a Grand Jury, in the
Fairfield Court of Common Pleas. On motion of the defendant's
counsel, Stanbery, Reber and Orton, the court ordered a change of
\enue to Perry count3^ lor the alleged reason that the prisoner, under
the condition of public excitement, could not receive an impartial trial in
Fairfield. So the trial came on in Perry county, Judge Keith on the
bench. Tlie crime alleged was committed in April 1836, and the
trial came on at the September- term following. The jury impanelled to
try the case consisted of the following named persons: Michael Dittoe,
Peter Bugh, James Gorden. Samuel Parkinson, John Reed, Andrew
Walker, David Cap, Thomas Wright, James A. Clark, Joseph Good,
Moses Goodin. Peter Bowman. The trial occupied about two days,
and the jurN-, alter deliberation, brought in a \erdict of Murder in the
First Degree. On the i6tii of September, Judge Keith sentenced him
46 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
to be hanged on the 14th of October following, which sentence was
duly carried into execution by Daniel Kishler, who was then Sheriff' of
the county. The evidence against Work was wholly circumstantial,
but no one appeared to doubt his guilt, though he asserted his innocence
to the last, and carefully wrote a manifesto to that effect, onh' forty-
eight hours previous to his execution.
Another murder trial was that of the State of Ohio, vs. John Phil-
lips, charged with killing John Dodds, at New Straitsville. This trial
was heard at the January term, 1877, and occupied about one week.
Dodds was killed in the back room of a saloon, with none but the two
present. Phillips admitted the killing, but claimed that it was acciden-
tal. Many witnesses were examined, and long arguments were made
by counsel. The jury, after considerable deliberation, brought in a ver-
dict of Murder in the Second Degree. A new trial was about to be
granted, when it was agreed that the detendant should plead guilty to
Manslaughter, which he accordingly did, and was sen'enced to the
Penitentiary for five years.
Yet another murder trial, was that of the State of Ohio, vs. David
Davis, indicted for the murder of John A. Davis, at Shawnee, Jan. ist,
1879. The trial was heard at the May term of the same year, and oc-
cupied several days. The defendant admitted the killing, but claimed
justitication on the^ground that John A. Davis was, at the time of the
fatal shot, forcibly attempting to enter the house of the Defendant. The
jury returned a verdict of Manslaughter, and the prisoner was sentenced
to the state prison for four ^^ears.
The execution of David Work was the onl}^ one that ever took place
in the county, and he and his victim were both residents of Fairfield
county, and the crime was also committed there.
The litigation in Perry was ver}'- much the same from 1830 to 1870,
but soon after the latter date, the civil and criminal business both began
to increase to such a degree that an additional judge was soon thought
of, and eventually secured, as before stated.
The Associate Judges were elected by the Legislature, and the first
three — C. C. Hood, David Beckwith, and John McMullen — have
been named ; also, George Trout, successor of David Beckwith,
deceased. Their successors were in the order named : Ernest Rich-
man, Thomas Davis, Thomas King, Wm. McClure, James Wilson,
John Lidey, Charles Campbell, John McGinley, N. H. Ta3'lor, John
Heck, Patrick McDonald, Joseph G. Wiseman and George Kishler.
The three last named sat at the June term in 185 1, which was the last
appearance of the Associate Judges. Those Judges usually held what
was called Orphan Court, in the absence of the President Judge. The
new Constitution turned over all this business to the Probate Court.
The Probate Court was organized as soon as practicable after the
election in October, 185 1. Wm. M. Brown was, at said election, duly
elected Probate Judge for Perry county, when he became qualified, and
the papers and records pertaining to the administration of his office
were turned over to him by the clerk of the Court of Common Pleas.
Mr. Brown was Probate Judge three vears, and was then succeeded by
Robert F. Hickman, who was elected in October, 1854. ^^ 1857, Rob-
ert F. Hickman and Wm. M. Brown were candidates and their vote
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 4I7
was a tie. They cast lots, as the huv directed, Hickman won and was
sworn in for the second term. Brown contested on the gronnd of ille-
gal votes, and the Court of Common Pleas, Judge Whitman presiding,
declared Brown the legal!}- elected Probate Judge, and he accordingly
took possession of the office. There were a number of votes, on both
sides, which the Court of Common Pleas pronounced illegal, but a
majority of them were for Hickman, which, of course, under the cir-
cumstances, elected Brown. In i860, Robert F. Hickman was again
elected, and also in 1863. Hickman was succeeded by Robert E.
Huston, who was elected in 1866, and re-elected in 1869. Huston was
succeeded by James E. Finck, who was elected in 1872, and re-elected
in 1875. Finck was succeeded by John H. Kelley, who was elected in
1878. Judge Kelley died in the last year of his term, and his son,
Frank A. Kelley, was appointed b}- Governor Foster to till the vacancy.
In October, 1881, Frank A. Kelley was elected for a full term, and also
to till the unexpired portion of the vacancy.
County Officers. — Leonard Ream was the first Sheriff' of the
county. He was elected in April, 1818, and re-elected again in the fall
for the next two succeeding years. In 1820, Jonathan Babb was
elected on a popular vote over twent}^ other candidates. Babb's entire
vote was 251. In 1822, Babb was re-elected. In 1824 and 1826,
Henry Filler; in 1828 and 1830, Benjamin Ream ; in 1832 and 1834,
Daniel Kishler ; in 1836 and 1838, James Culbertson ; in 1840 and 1842,
David Foy ; in 1844 and 1846, Jesse Worle}- ; in 1848, James Hewitt;
in 1850 and 1852, Jacob J. Johnson; in 1854 ^"^ i^S^, Nathaniel
Skinner; in 1858 and i860, Jacob J. Johnson; in 1862 and 1864,
Henry B. McLaughlin; in 1866 and 1868, Thomas Breen : in 1870 and
1872, Noah Karr; in 1874 ^"^ 1876, James Porter; in 1878, Henr}-
Martin ; in 1880, Michael A. Crosbie.
John Beckwith was the first Clerk of the Court, appointed by the
Bench; his appointment dates July, 1818. He served until 1828, when
W. P. Darst was appointed. He served until 1832, when John Beck-
with was again appointed. John W. Davis was appointed in 1839,
serving until 1845, when he was succeeded by James Culbertson. In
May, 1848, Judge Stillwell found the records behind, discontinued
Culbertson, and appointed Wm. E. Finck. Finck served but a short
time and was succeeded by John Beckwith. Beckwith was subse-
quentl}- elected in October, 185 1, in accordance with the provisions of
the new Constitution, which made the office of Clerk elective, and
re-elected in 1854. Ovid Spencer was elected in 1857, ^"^^ re-elected
in i860 and 1863. Spencer died a few months before his term expired,
and Wesley C. Hickman was appointed to fill the vacancy. Peter
Duffy was elected in 1866, and re-elected in 1869 and 1872. John H.
Marlow was elected in 1875, and was re-elected in 1878. John A.
'McGonagle was elected in 1881.
For the first few years the Clerk of the Commissioners was County
Auditor, and was appointed by the Commissioners. Roswell Mills was
appointed as such Clerk at the first meeting of the Commissioners in
May, 1818, and served in that position until January, 182 1. From this
time until March 4th, 1822, the record of the Commissioners is not
48 HISTORY OF PERKY COUNTY.
signed or attested by any Clerk, and appears to be in the hand writino"
of various persons, one of vvliom was John Murra\'. Edward Achinis
was elected Auditor in October, 182 1, and presented his bond and was
qualihed at the March term of 1822. Adams died after a few months,
and in November, 1822, the Commissioners appointed John Lidev to
till the vacancy. John Lidey was elected Auditor in 1823, and also in
1824. Lidey resigned in October, 1826, and Jonathan Babb was ap-
pointed to fill the vacancy. Babb appears to have served by appoint-
ment and election until January', 1829, when John Lidey presented his
certificate of election and was again qualified as Auditor. Jonathan
Babb was again elected in ' 1830 and re-elected in 1832. Stephen
Barnes was elected in 1834, and re-elected in 1836 and 1838. William
Ross w^as elected in 1840 and re-elected in 1842, 1844 and 1846. Rob-
ert M. Brown was elected in 1848 and re-elected in 1850. William
Meloy was elected in 1852 and re-elected in 1854. John Weimer was
elected in 1856 and re-elected in 1858. xArchibald M. Huston was
elected in i860. Theodore Oa'le was elected in 1862, and re-elected in
1864. George W. Binkley was elected in 1866 and re-elected in 1868,
and the term was extended by legislative enactment until 187 1. Ed-
ward T. Rissler was elected in 187 1 and re-elected in 1873. A. F.
Stinchcomb was elected in 1875 '^^^ died in August 1878. E. T. Riss-
ler was appointed to fill the vacancy. Orrin Thacker* was elected in
1878 and re-elected in 1881 and is the present incumbent.
The early Treasurers are difficult to trace, complete records not
being available. James Patterson a merchant, was appointed Treas-
urer soon after the county was organized, and was re-appointed every
ye'4r until June, 1827, when he was succeeded by Jacob Catterlin, also
by appointment. Henry Filler was elected to the office in 1829, 1831
and 1833, «i^d w^as succeeded by Thomas Ritche}" in 1835, ^^'^^^ was
also rcrclected in 1837 ^"<^ 1839. Joseph Ramsey was elected in 1841
but died in office, and Th6mas Ritchey was appointed to fill the unex-
pired term. In 1843, Wm. M. Brown was elected and served three
terms. James Culbertson was elected in 1849 '^^^ served one term.
George Redmond was elected in 185 1, but resigned before the expira-
tion of his term, and Michael D. Forquer was appointed to fill the
vacancy. George Williams was elected in 1853 and re-elected in 1855.
M. D. Forquer was elected in 1857 and re-elected in 1859. Forquer
resigned before the close of this term, and the vacancy was filled by
the appointment of Wm. Meloy. C. T. Brush was elected in 1861.
George Pherson was elected in 1863. C. T. Brush was again elected
in 1865 and re-elected in 1867. Jacob J. Johnson was elected in 1869
and re-elected in 1871. John B. Overm3-er was elected in 1873, and
re-elected in 1875. Noah Karr was elected in 1877. Wm. L Shriver
was elected in 1879, "^^^^ re-elected in 1881, and is tlie present occupant
of the office.
The Prosecuting Attorneys were at first appointed by the Court.
An attorne}^ b}' the name of Slaughter, residing at Lancaster, was ap-
pointed Prosecutor at the June session, 1818. Various attorneys were
appointed from time to time to conduct the criminal prosecutions, until
the office was made elective by legislative enactment. Jeremiah Lovell
was elected Prosecuting Attorney in 1833, and re-elected in 1835, 1837,
HISTORY OF PERRY COUN'l'V.
49
and 1839. Thomas J. Maginnis was elected in 1841 and re-elected in
1843 ; L. M. Closs, in 1845 ; William Spencer, in 1847 ; John M.
O'Neill, 1849; Thomas j. Gallagher, 1851 : Jacob (Jostigan, 1853; L.
F. Muzzy, 1855; Reuben Butler, 1857; L. J. Jackson, 1859; Jacob
Costigan, in 1861 and 1863 ; Reuben Butler, 1865 ; Henr}' Sheeran, in
1867, 1869, and 1871 ; Joseph G. Huffman, in 1873, 1875, ^""^ 1877;
James F. Conl\ , in 1879 ^^^ 1881, and he is the present incumbent.
From 18 18 until 1827 there was a Lister appointed or elected for
each township, and these officers were the forerunners of the present
Township Assessors. The Legislature of 1826-27 provided for the
election of County Assessors, and in the fall of 1827 George Kishler
was elected Assessor for Perry, and re-elected in 1829 ; William Demp-
sey was elected in 183 1 ; Jacob Petty, Iti 1833 : Moses Riley, in 1835 ?
Henry Sherlock, in 1837; Robert Green, in 1839; Henry Sherlock, in
1842, who continued to hold the office until it was abolished by legis-
lative enactment in 1845.
The tirst Surveyors were by appointment of the County Com-
missioners, and for temporary purposes. Roswell Mills appears to
have been the principal Surveyor of the early days. James Brown was
elected Count}- Surveyor in 1832 and re-elected in 1835 '' ^- '^^- Davis was
elected in 1838 ; Miles Green was elected in 1841 and re-elected in
1844; Janies Brown was elected in 1847 and re-elected in 1850; Peter
McMullen was elected in 1853 ; Samuel Curran. in 1855 ; Thomas D.
Spare, in 1858, 1861, 1S64, 1867, and 1870 : P. H. Binckley, in 1871 ;
and Samuel McCourtney, in 1874 and 1877 ; Frank J. Aid, in 1880, and
he is the present incumbent.
The County Coroners are as follows: 1819-20, John Trout; 1821,
Henry Darst ; 1822, Nicholas Dennis; 1823, Felix Cull; 1825, Samuel
Swinehart ; 1826, John Goodin ; 1828, Andy Arndt ; 1830-32-34, John
Heck; 1836-38, Eli Montgomery; 1842, Jacob Thomas; 1844, J. R.
Vanhorn ; 1846-48-50, Jacob Thomas ; 1852, Thomas Breen ; 1854-56,
Henry Zartman ; 1858, Henry Wilson ; i860, Colwell Rinehart ; 1862,
Henry Wilson ; 1864, Colwell Rinehart; 1S66-68. Daniel Emerick ;
1870-72, George Kockensparger ; 1874-76-78, James Price ; 1880, John
Sullivan.
The County Commissioners, the most important body in the or-
ganization of the county, date back, of course, to the very beginning.
The tirst election was held for Commissioners in April, 18 18, and Joel
Strawn, Peter Bugh, and Thomas Wilson, were chosen. The board
met on the second cUw of Ma}' following and held one session at the
house of John Wilson. They met again, June ist, at the house of John
Finck, which continued to be their place of meeting until the erection
of a public building. In October of the same year ( 1818) another elec-
tion for Commissioners was held, resulting in the election of Thomas
Wilson, Peter Bugh. and Joel Strawn. In 1819 Adam Binkley and
Thomas Nesbit were elected. Adam Binkley was elected in 1820.
There appears to have been no election in 1821. Subsequent elections
were as follows :
1822, George Brunner ; 1823, Smith Goodin ; 1824, Thomas Wilson ;
1825, John Hammond and George Bowman; 1826, Thomas Nesbit;
1827, Thomas Nesbit, three years ; Robert McClung, two vears ; John
^O HISTORY OF I'ERliV COUNTY.
Vanatta, one year ; 1828, John Vanatta ; 1829, Robert McClung ; 1830,
Thomas Wilson ; 1831, James Ritche}' ; 1832, John Neal ; 1833, John
Middagh ; 1834, William H. Herron ; 1835, John Neal ; 1836, Thomas
Wrigiit; 1837, William ^^- Herron; 1838, John Neal; 1839, Thomas
Wright; 1840, Henry Hazelton ; 1841, Lewis Batson ; 1842, Lavvson
Teal; 1843, Henry Hazleton ; 1844, Peter Bowman; 1845, Lawson
Teal; 1846, William Davis; 1847, Peter Bowman; 1848, Isaac Yost;
1849, Robert Regester ; 1850, James Moore; 1851, Isaac Yost; 1852,
Robert Regester; 1853, Henson Marlow ; 1854, Isaac Yost; 1855,
Thomas Iliff; 1856, Henry Greer; 1857, Henson Marlow; 1858, J. B.
Belong ; 1859, James ^- Black ; i860, David Ream ; 1861, J. B. Delong ;
1862, J. P. Black; 1863, Martin Berkev ; 1864, Benjamin Carroll;
1865. Peter Swinehart ; 1866, Benjamin Bope ; 1867, R. P. Nuzum ;
1868, Peter Swinehart; 1869, Benjamin Bope; 1870, J. B. Delong;
1871, Daniel Baker; 1872, Benjamin Bope; 1873, J. B. Delong; 1874,
Daniel Baker ; 1875, John Dillon; 1876, James Coyle ; 1877, Nathan
Plank ; 1878, John Dillon ; 1879, J^'^mes Coyle, 1880, Nathan Plank ;
r88i, Samuel Snider.
Directors of the Poor, appointed by the County Commissioners, pre-
ceded the Infirmar}^ Directors. The first election for Infirmary Direc-
tors was in 1842, when James J. Wilson, John Colborn and John Wright
were elected ; In 1843, Bernard Grimes ; in 1844, John Colborn ; 1845,
John Wright; 1846, Patrick McCristal ; 1847, John Grimes; 1848,
John Wright; 1849, P'^trick McCristal; 1850, John Grimes; 1851,-
John Wright; 1852, Moses Riley; 1853, Patrick McCristal; 1854,
Samual Forsythe ; 1855, Joseph D. James ; 1856, Jonah Skinner : 1857,
T. D. James; 1858, John Barker; 1859, George Kishler and Philip
Wolf; i860. John Garey ; 1861, John Barker; 1862, P. J. Kelley :
1863, John Garey; 1864, John Randolph; 1865, Philip Wolf; 1866,
John Flannagan ; 1867, John Dillon; 1868, Philip Wolf; 1869, John
Flannagan ; 1870, John Dillon; 187 1, Samuel Brown; 1872, William
Adams; 1873, Robert Bennett ; 1874, Samuel Brow^n ; 1875, William
Adams; 1876, Robert Bennett; 1877, Samuel Brown; 1878, L. A.
Dean ; 1879, Joseph Fry mute ; 1880, John Amrine : 1881, Kelita Rodgers.
Poter Dittoe was the first Countv Recorder, serving by appointment
from 1818 to 1832 ; John Lidey served a few months in 1832. William
F. Moeller was elected in 1832, and re-elected in 1835 5 Daniel Kelley
was elected in 1838 ; Jacob Costigan was elected in 1841, and re-elected
in 1844 and 1847 ; Henry Sherlock was elected in 1850 ; Joseph Bow-
man was elected in 1853 ; P. J. Ankne}' w^as elected in 1856 ; George
Henricks was elected in 1859; William G. Bucknor was elected in
1862, and re-elected in 1865-68-71 ; George W. Moore was elected in
1874, ^^^ re-elected in 1877 ; Charles H. Tinker was elected in 1880,
and is the present incumbent.
Legislative. — Jacob Catterlin of Peny, was elected to the Senate
in 1822, for the Senatorial district composed of Muskingum and Perry
counties, and was re-elected in 1823. Jacob Catterlin was also re-elect-
ed in 1824, for the district composed of Morgan and Perry. Roswell
Mills w^as elected for the same district in 1825, and re-elected in 1826,
but dying soon after, John Beckwith was elected to fill the vacancy.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 5 1
John Beckwith was re-elected for the same district in 1827, and also in
1828 : John B. Orton was elected for the same district in 1831 and 1832 ;
John Lidey was elected for the same district in 1835, ^^^ re-elected for
the district of Morgan, Perry and Washington in 1836. John Ritchey
was elected for the same district in 1841, and re-elected in 1842. Aaron
Johnson was elected tor the same district in 1843, and re-elected in 1844.
William E. Finck was elected for the district composed of Muskingum
and Perry in 185 i. Eli A. Spencer was elected for the same district in
1855, ^"^ Ezekiel Vannatta in 1857. William E. Finck was elected for
the same disti^ict in 1861. Thomas J. Maginnis was elected for the
same district in 1863, but had removed from Perry to Muskingum a few
months before his election. William H. Holden was elected in 1869,
and re-elected in 1871. Lymon J. Jackson was elected for the same
district in 1877, '^"^ re-elected in 1879. T^^Q foregoing are the Sena-
tors elected from Perr}^ Those elected from other counties in the dis-
trict are not given. There is no citizen of Perry at present serving in
the Senate. Mr. Jackson was the last one to serve in that position.
The Representatives from the county are as follows : Sometimes
they represented Perry in connection with another county or counties,
but usually they stood for Perry alone. Thomas King was the first
Representative for Perry count}', and was elected in October, 1819, and
re-elected in 1820. Roswell Mills was elected in 182 1, and re-elected
in 1822 and 1823 ; Thomas King was again elected in 1824. John B.
Orton was elected in 1825, and re-elected in 1826 : James Patterson was
elected in 1827 ; Benjamin Eaton was elected in 1828, and re-elected in
1829; Peter Odlin in 1830; John Vanatta in 1831, and re-elected in
1832 ; John Lidey was elected in 1833 ' Robert McClungin 1834 5 Joshua
Brown and William Trevitt in 1836 ; and William Trevitt was re-elect-
ed in 1837 and 1838 ; James J. Wilson was elected in 1839, '^"^ re-elect-
ed in 1840: Daniel Kelley was elected in 1841, and re-elected in 1842.
Perry had no direct Representative in 1843. but Morgan, Washington
and Perry were represented by William Glines and John C. Clark,
neither of whom were citizens of Perrv. James Brown was elected in
1844, and re-elected in 1845 ; Isaac Larimer was elected in 1846 ; John
Lidey in 1847 ; Isaac Larimer in 1848 : Napoleon B. Colborn was elect-
ed in 1849, ''^^^^ re-elected in 1850 ; John H. O'Neill was elected in 185 1,
and re-elected in 1853, but his seat was contested and Solomon Nunne-
maker was seated in March, 1854 ' Franklin L. Flowers was elected m
1855 ; Thomas B. Cox in 1857 ; Joseph Thompson in 1859 ' William
H. Holden in 1861 ; William H. Free in 1863 ; George Henricks in
1865 and 1867; Lewis Green in 1869 and 1871 ; E. R. P. Baker in
1873 and 1875 ; Curtis Trovinger in 1877 : Henr}^ C. Greiner in 1879
and 188 1. Greiner is the present Representative of the county.
The first record of the County Commissioners bears date May 2d,
1818, and is as follows : "At a meeting of the Commissioners of Perry
count}', in the State of Ohio, held at the house of Mr. John Wilson, in
the town of Somerset, on Saturday the 2d day of May, 1818. Present,
Joel Strawn, Thomas Wilson and Peter Bugh, Sen., Commississioners
duly elected, who were sworn to the faithful discharge of their duties by
Roswell Mills, an acting Justice of the Peace in said county. The
Commissioners appointed Roswell Mills their Clerk, who was duly
b-^
HISTORY OV PERRY COUNTY.
sworn by Peter Hugh, Sr., one of the Justices of said county. They
also appointed James Patterson Treasurer of said county of Perry.
They also agreed and ordered thai the rates of tavern license should be
as follows : For a stand in Somerset, or witiiin a fourth of a mile there-
of, ten dollars per annum : for any other stands on the main Wheeling
and Lancaster road, eight dollars per annum ; and lor any other stand,
or a stand in anv other part of said count}^ six dollars per annum.
And the Commissioners adjourned to meet on the ist Monday of
June next, imless sooner ordered."
This record is in the handwriting of Roswell Mills, as well as sub-
sequent records tor three or four 3'ears. The penmanship is good, and
the orthograph\'. capitalization and punctuation equal, if not superior,
to anv that has succeeded it. It is very evident that Mills was a scholar,
as well as a man of information and intelligence.
The Commissioners again met at the house of John Fink, Monday,
June ist, 1818, and re-appointed Roswell Mills Clerk, and James Pat-
terson Treasurer. x\t this session it is recorded that ''The Commis-
sioners having made a new township of the 13th township in the 14th
range, by the name of Bearfield, and attached thereto the 12th town-
ship in the same range, it is ordered that the election be held on the 13th
day of Jul}^ next, at the house of Lloyd Teal."
At this session " The Board also ordered that the rates of county
taxes should be as follows, for the present year: For each stud horse
the rate for which he stands for the season ; on all other (ither horses,
mares, mules and asses, three years old and upward, thirty cents per
head; on each head of neat cattle, three years old and upward, ten
cents; and on town property one-half per cent of its appraised yalue.
No taxes shall be laid on houses not in towns."
Leonard Ream presented his bond for Sheriff, with John Fink and
John Trout security ; and John Trout, Coroner, presented his bond with
Leonard Ream and George Trout security.
The Board ordered that the rates of tavern license should remain as
heretofore fixed, and that a Merchants" or Peddlers' license should be
fifteen dollars.
The following are the accounts in full, audited at the June term,
1818:
John Lidey, Lister, Keading township $10 00
James Patterson, Appraiser
Lewis Wilson, Lister, Hopewell township
Samnel Clayton, Lister, Pike township
David Carroll, Appraiser
David Rnsk, Lister, Clayton township
Charles Frizzel, Appraiser
VVm Keith, leister. Thorn township
.John Heiitliorn, Appraiser
Plenry D.isenbury, Lister, Madison Township
•John Ehy, Ap[)raiser
James Forsyihe, Lister, .Tackson township
Joshua IJrown, Appraiser
$()8 50
l.'oswill Mills for lilank Hooks, Stationery fof Commissioners'
(HKce, etc • S^ 87^
Total $77 37i
4
00
9
00
50
00
11
00
00
CO
00
00
00
G
00
1
00
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 53
Several things are made to appear by this list of accounts audited
at the June session, 1818. It is evident that Harrison is yet a part
Clayton; and Bearfield. Monroe, Saltlick, and Monda}^ Creek,
have no official existence. Clayton was at this time the largest town-
ship in the countv, and contained one row of sections more than Read-
ing.
At the December session, 1818, Joel Strawn, Thomas Wilson and
Peter Bugh. who had been elected on the second Tuesday of October
previously, decided by lot that the term of Peter Bugh should expire in the
year 1819, that of Joel Strawn, in 1820, and that of Thomas Wilson, in
1821. The Commissioners met December i6th, and sold lots belonging
to the county, in accordance with advertisement, as follows: Lot No.
166 to Lawrence Curran, for $72,75 ; 168 to John Fisher, for $57.12 :
159 to John Fisher, for $49.50 ; 176 to John Kishler, for $62.00 ; 172 to
John Humberger, $56.00 : 160 to John Basore, for $58.00. At the March
session, 1819, "The Commissioners proceeded to appropriate the
monev lying in the Treasury of Fairfield county, for roads and high-
ways in this countv, as follows ; Cooper Road, in Thorn township,
$39.80; Cooper Road, in Hopewell township, $30.20, and Joel Strawn
was appointed to expend the same ; on Witmer's Bridge, so called, $18.-
60 ; and John Wolf was appointed to expend the same ; on the road
from Somerset to the south end of D. Parkinson's lane, $10.00; from
the same lane on the Newark road. $16.00 ; on the Lebanon road from
same lane, $10.00; on the Lexington road, $20.00; on the Rehoboth
road, $10.00; and Smith Goodin was appointed to expend the same:
on the State Road, through Reading township, $70.00; and William
Darst was appointed to expend the same.''
At the June session 1820, "The Commissioners proceeded to appro-
priate the nine hundred dollars of the three per cent fund, appropriated
for roads in this countv, by an act of last General Assembly, and to ap-
point Commissioners to expend the same. On the Great State Road
through the countv. $347.00, and Charles C. Hood is appointed to dis-
tribute the same ; on the Cooper Road, $77.00, and Thomas Nesbit is
appointed thereon ; on the road from Somerset to Thornville, $37.00,
and Bernard Poorman is appointed thereon ; on the road from Somerset
to Lexington, $67.00, and Smith Goodin is appointed thereon; on the
road from Somerset, by Miller's Mill, to the west line of the county,
$47.00 and Adam Binkley is appointed thereon; on the road from the
White Bear Tavern, to John Skinners, $47.00. and Samuel Goodin is
appointed thereon : on the road from Somerset b}' Hood's Mill, to the
nortli line of the county, $47.00, and George Trout, Sr.,is appointed
thereon ; on the road from Lexington road, near Brants, to Robert
Pherson's, $31.00 and Jehu B. Jones is appointed thereon ; on the road
from Rehoboth to the east line ot the county, $60.00, and Amos Roberts
is appointed thereon ; on the road from Turke}- Run to Andrew Cusacks,
Esq., $17.00, and Joseph Cookson is appointed thereon; on the road
from Somerset to Witmer's Bridge, to the south line of the count3^
$93.00: of wiiich $48.00 shall be expended this side of the bridge, and
$45.00 beyond, and Michael Bugh is appointed thereon ; on the road
from Somerset, by Wood's Mill, to the north line of the county, $30.00
and C. C. Hood is appointed thereon." The Commissioners adjourned
54 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
sine die, after determining that their Clerk shall receive $72.50, for the
ensuing year."
The journal of the Countv Commissioners shows that four fifths of
all their business, during the early years of the county, was in relation
to the establishment or alteration of roads. The names of a large
majority of the early land owners of the county appear on the records,
in some way or other connected with roads. It can be readily observed
that the value of roads was duly appreciated, and to the earl}^ and
persistent efforts of the fathers, who have passed away, are the people
of to-da}' indebted for the large number of roads that traverse the
county in almost ever}^ direction. No county, perhaps, has more of
them, in proportion to territor}-. It was sometimes difficult to establish
a road, but it w^as far more more difficult to vacate one, after it had been
located and traveled. Several of the leading roads, of course, were
located and opened before the formation of the county of Peny.
Public Buildings. — The first session of the Commissioners was
held at the house of John Wilson, but the next and subsequent sessions
for about two years, w^ere held at the house of John Fink, and the
Commissioners ordered that the Courts be held at the same place, and
they were held therefor more than a 3'ear. and until the "Jail,"' gen-
erally so called, was built, which had a room in the second stor}^ for the
use of the Court.
"The house of John Fink" was a tavern, of good dimensions, sit-
luited where the school house now stands, at the corner of Main and
High streets, in Somerset. There may be a few persons still living,
who were present and saw the Court of Common Pleas in session at
Fink's Tavern, but none are absolutely known. The Court w-as prob-
ably held in the large corner room dt the house, and there the " Hear
Ye ! Hear Ye I The Honorable Court of Common Pleas, of Perry
county, is now in session," was cried out b}- Leonard Ream, the first
Sheriff" of the county.
These facts entitle "John Fink's House," or so much of it as was
used for Court purposes, to be considered a "Public Building," for the
time being. This was convenient for the Judges and Attorneys, tor
when Court was over, they did not have far to travel to their meals and
beds.
The first record in relation to the erection of a Jail or other Public
Building, was on June 3rd, 1818, when this appears: "The Commis-
sioners having digested a plan for a Jail, and having called for an in-
stallment of the subscription for erecting Count}' Buildings, to be paid
on or before the ist of July next, they adjourned to the ist of July
next."
The following is from the proceedings of the Commissioners oi
Wednesday, July ist, 1818 : After auditing various accounts, and ex-
amining the situation of the County Revenue, and the prospects of pay-
ing for a Jail, they adjourned until to-morrow morning, at 8 o'clock
A. M."
It does not appear whether the sale was made by public outcry or
otherwise, but in the recorded proceedings of the Commissioners of
June 3d, 1 8 18, is found : "The Commissioners having sold the building
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 55
of the jail to John Bugh, John Murray and George Jackson for $2,335.
and entered into obHgations with them for their performance, with
Daniel Lidey, George Richards and John Jonas as security for con-
tractors, and having called for another installment of the subscription
mone}^ to be paid on or before the 3d of September next," &c., &c.
On Monday, September the 14th, 1818, the Commissioners gave the
jail contractors an order for five hundred dollars in part pay on their
contract.
August 20th, 1819, Messrs. Thomas Anderson and Richard Grubb,
of Fairfield county, to whom the contractors and Commissioners had
agreed to submit the workmanship of the jail, reported that it was
properly done, according to contract, and thereupon the Commissioners
received the jail and gave it into the care and keeping of the Sheriff.
The Jail, so-called in most places, was built of stone and brick, the
first story being stone and the second brick. It was a jail more than
anything else, and the Commissioners and other people did not like to
call it a court house. Yet a court-room was provided in the second
story, as well as room for some of the County Officers. It also was
provided with Jury rooms. Court was held in this room for about ten
years, or until the Court House was built on the public square.
At a special session held June 20tii, 1825, it is recorded that ''The
Commissioners purchased lot No. 11, in Somerset of George Trout,
for the use of the county." At the December session, 1825, "The Com-
missioners authorized the Auditor to have all repairs made to the Court
House and Jail until the next session." Here the old stone and brick
building on South Columbus street is spoken of as both a Court House
and Jail.
At the regular March session of 1826, "The Commissioners agreed
to erect public buildings for offices for the county, and order the Audi-
tor to give notice in the Perr^ Record that the said Commissioners will
sell the erection of said buildings to the lowest bidder, and and at their
option, on the 19th day of April, between the hours of ten o'clock a.
m., and four o'clock p. m., on said da}^" This proposition w^as to
erect buildings for public offices. At this time most of the County
offices, probably, were in rented rooms, on Main street or near the pub-
lic square. " The Commissioners met April 19th, 1826, and proceeded
to the special business for to receive proposals for the erection of Pub-
lic Offices for said count}', in accordance of a notice given by their
order. They were offered and bid off at $897.25. The Commissioners
refused to accept said offer."
At the regular June session of 1826, " The Commissioners agreed to
meet on the ist day of July next to receive plans for a Court House,
&c., for Perry Countv and some day thereafter agree to sell out the
building of the same." Nothing was accomplished at this meeting of
July ist, but at a special meeting held August 8th, 1826, "The Commis-
sioners received a plan for a Court House, drawn by James Hampson,
Esq., and accepted said plan for a Court House for said Count}', and
have ordered the Auditor to give notice for the sale of the build /ng of
said Court House on the 29th day of August next, to be published in
the Peny Record, in Somerset ; the MiisJcingum Messenger and Demo-
cratic Republican, in Zanesville ; and Lancaster Gazette, \n Lancaster.
56 HISTORY OK PERRY COUNTY.
August 29th, 1826, the Commissioners "Proceeded to business and
sold the building of the Court House for Perry County to Wm. P.
Darst, and George Jackson tor the sum of three thousand four hun-
dred and tifty dollars, they (the contractors) are to attend on Saturday,
the 2d day of September, 1826, and give bond and security in the sum
of six thousand six hundred dollars."
At a meeting in September, 1826, the "Commissioners proceeded
to business, which was to receive bonds and securit}' for the building oC
the Court House, lor said County, to be tinished by the ist day of Sep-
tember, 1828. Wm. P. Darst and George Jackson, contractors for the
building of the Court House for said County, gave bond with Joel
Beckvvith, Charles C. Hood, Peter Overmyer and Benjamin Eaton as
securities for tiie faithful performance of said contract."
At a special session in January-, 1829, the Commissioners found the
Court House not yet finished, but being desirous that the next session
of Court should be held therein, they agreed to accept the building so
far as completed, and the next session of the Court of Commc.m Pleas
was held in it.
The Commissioners met in special session May 15th, 1829, and
made an order as follows: "The Commissioners do hereby receive the
Court House, final and forever, from the contractors, Jackson and
Darst, the same being completed according to contract, to the full satis-
faction of the Commissioners," and the Auditor was ordered to issue
an order to the contractors for the amount remaining unpaid, and the
transaction became, indeed "tinal and forever."
The Court House of 1829 was a sqiuire, two story, brick building,
ver}^ similar to man}^ others erected in ditierent parts of the State at an
earh^ period. The lirst floor was for the Court Room, and the second
was for jury rooms and public offices, though it was never altogether
sufficient for the latter purpose. The old jail on South Columbus street
continued to be used as a prison, and the Sheriff' sometimes had his
residence and oflice in the upper stor\', where the courts were held from
1819 until 1829. Some ot the public offices were situated in the second
story of the new Court House as stated, and others were located in
rooms built for the purpose, in the neighborhood of the public square.
The old jail became very insecure, and was hnallv burned down, and
a new jail became imperative.
What has been usuallj^ termed the new jail was erected in 1846 and
1847, north of the Court House, on Columbus street. Joseph Bell was
the contractor and he received six thousand one hundred and ninety-
five dollars, and ninety-two cents. This is a large stone structure,
with a large court or open space next to the outer walls, and cells in the
central part of the building. The offices of the Auditor, Treasurer,
Recorder and Sherift' were located in the second story, and were
reached by a stairway trom the outside. The Sheriff' did not use his
room very much, as he found it more convenient to office with the Clerk
at the Court House. This building was not accepted b}' the Commis-
sioners until February 9th, 1848, at which time Joseph Bell, the con-
tractor, was paid in full. The Court House and new jail were used,
in the manner described, until the removal of the County seat to New
Lexington in 1857. The old jail on South Columbus street was torn
HISTORY OF PERRV COUNTV,
57
down and not a vesti_i:^e of it remains. The lot on which it stood was
sold to private parties. A number of associated persons bought the
Court House of 1829, and the new jail on North Columbus street, and
a large and commodious town hall has been made in the upper story of
the tw^o buildings combined. Other parts of the old public buildings
are used as offices, business houses and for other purposes.
The Court-house in New Lexington was, undl accepted b}' the
County Commissioners, a private enterprise. Subscriptions were se-
cured and the mone}' collected by a committee appointed b\- the
'' Friends of Removal," and said committee entered into contract with
Samuel Feigley, of New Lexington, for the erection of a suitable
Court-house and Jail. The edifice was planned chieflv after a court-
house at Circleville. Pickaway (Jounty. The building is principally of
brick, but the part designed tor the Jail, on the first tfoor in the rear, is
of stone. On the first floor there is a hall extending from the iront,
through the center, as far back as the Jail. The offices for the Probate
Judge, Auditor, Treasurer, and Recorder, are located to the right and
left of the hall. The Jail has cells and an outer hall, which com-
municates with the rnain hall, before described, by means of a double
iron door. The principal portion of the second floor is occupied b}^ the
court-room, though there are grand and petit jury rooms in the rear,
and a Clerk's and Sheriff's office in front, at the head of the stairwa3^
The building is roofed with slate. It stands at the corner of Main and
Brown streets. A section of the removal law of 185 1 provided that the
" Friends of Removal" must erect,vfree of cost to the county, a suitable
Court-house and Jail, which were to be accepted by the County Com-
missioners before an actual removal could take place. The building
committee formally presented the Court-house and Jail in 1857, and thev
were duly accepted by the. County Commissioners and soon thereafter
occupied. With sundry modifications and improvements, they have
continued to be used until the present time. The ground on which
they stand was donated to the town of New Lexmgton by James
Comly, who laid out the village, and by the town was turned over to. the
county.
When the county records were removed from Somerset to New^ Lex-
ington Henry C. Whitman w^as Judge of the Court of Common Pleas;
Robert F. Hickman, Probate Judge ; John Beckwnth. Clerk: Nathaniel
Skinner, Sheriff'; William Melo}'. Auditor : George Williams, Treasurer :
Perry J. Ankney, Recorder; Leonard F. Muzzy, Prosecuting Attor-
ney ; and Isaac Yost, Thomas Iliff", and Henry Greer, County Com-
missioners.
The Directors of the Poor purchased a quarter section of land of
William Brown in 1836, said farm being situated one mile northwest of
New Lexington. The Infirmary Directors decided to erect an infirmarv
building, and in 1839 entered into contract wath Peter A. Vansickle and
Patrick McDonald for the erection of such building. The house was
erected in 1839 ^^^ 1840, and was built adjoining the farm-house already
there, which old part was for a long time used and occupied by the
Superintendent. A very large addition was made to the original build-
ings a few years ago, in consequence of pressing demands for more
room and better accommodations for the friendless and infirm.
9
58
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY,
The County Commissioners have purchased of T. E. Morehead forty
acres of land one-half mile west of New Lexington for a Children s
Home It is an elevated, handsome location, and before this book is
delivered to subscribers, in all probability, a suitable and commodious
building will be erected, and the orphaned and inendless children ot
Perry provided with a home.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUIsTY. 59
CHAPTER VIII.
THE SEAT OF JUSTICE.
The bill providing for the organization of the county of Perry, which
became a law in December, 1817, contained a provision for the appoint-
ment of three Commissioners, whose duty it w^as to proceed to the new-
ly organized county, make the requisite examination and investigation,
and locate the seat of justice. The Commissioners named for the duty
were, Daniel Converse, James Wilson, and David Shelby.
As soon as practicable after the passage of the New County Bill,
said Commissioners entered upon the discharge of the dut}- imposed
upon them by the act referred to. When the Commissioners arrived,
they found Overmyertown, Somerset, Rehoboth, New Lexington, Bris-
tol, and it ma}^ be other places, candidates for the location of the county
seat. Overmyertown was the oldest town claiming the honor ; but Som-
erset was much the largest village, and contained several hundred in-
habitants. Overmyertown, Bristol, Rehoboth and New Lexington,
were indeed insignificant villages. New Lexington had very recently
been laid out. The locating Commissioners in their travels, visited all
these places, and probably a few other suggested points. Five-sixths
of the southern part of the county was then a wilderness, and bears,
panthers, wolves and deer roamed over the hills and through the dense
thickets ; and it was a favorite hunting ground for many of the older
settlers of the northern part of the territory composing the new county,
and also for many of the pioneer hunters of Muskmgum, Licking and
Fairfield counties. The Commissioners traveled on foot, and the writer
hereof has often heard a pioneer describe their appearance as they jour-
neyed along a newly cut out road, which led from New Lexington to
Rehoboth. The Commissioners and pioneer sat down upon a "rail-
cut " and entered into a long and interesting chat. They told him
they had been to Bristol and New Lexington, and were on their way to
Rehoboth. After inspecting the different places and points, the Com-
missioners located the seat of justice at Somerset, and made an official
report to that effect to the Court of Common Pleas. The location was
acquiesced in by all parties, though there was much dissatisfaction ex-
pressed by the zealous adherents of defeated places ; and in particular
by those of Rehoboth and New Lexington. The people of these towns
scarcely ever ceased to talk of the question as the years rolled on.
These were rival villages, only two miles distant from each other. Re-
hoboth was the oldest town, had the start and kept the lead until about
1840, when it came to a standstill and New Lexington continued to ad-
vance. They were rivals also in county seat aspirations. The efforts
for compromise and united action were unwearied and unceasing, but
for a long time, unavailing. In the winter of 1843-44, there was a large
county seat removal meeting held in the old Presbyterian churchin
6o HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTV.
New Lexington, whicli was addressed b}' John Manly Palmer of Som-
erset, George Redmond of Reading township, Dr. F. L. Flowers of
Rehoboth. and by a number of citizens of New Lexington. This meet-
ing was very large and enthusiastic ; but the most it did or could unite
upon, was the adoption of a resolution that the count}" seat of Perry
should be remoxed "• nearer its center. " It looked at first as though
an aggressi\e county seat campaign had been inaugurated ; but the in-
detinite phrase. '* nearer the center," was the hole through which the
enterprise was dissipated, and the movement had no immediate success.
But the friends of New Lexington never wholly ceased to press the
matter until in 1S51, after years of great expense and unremitting effort,
a remox'ai bill bi'came a law.
Robert McClung of Pike township, a man of considerable intelli-
gence and torce ot chaiiicler. was the fn'st Representative elected, who
was expected to accomj)lish something in favor of a change of the seat
of justice ; but he encountered greater difficulties than had been antici-
pated, and the most he succeeded in effecting, was the passage of an
act for the establishment of a " graded road " trom Lancaster to Mc-
Connelsville, passing through the town of New Lexington. James J.
Wilson, also of Pike township, a well informed man, of character and
influence, was the next Representative from whom something was hoped
by the friends of removal. But at this period. New Lexington and
Rehoboth were in the bitterest of their rivalry, the leading men of the
two places were at loggerheads, and could agree upon no practicable
plan to reconcile their differences or decide between the places. Mr.
Wilson's two terms rolled around and nothing was accomplished or
even commenced. A later effort, earlv in 1844, has alreadv been de-
scribed. As the years rolled by. between 1840 and 1850, Rehoboth
continued to decline, and most of its leading citizens and business men
"pulled up stakes " and removed to New Lexington, and this place
increased in business and population rapidly. The Rehoboth people,
after their change of residence, became fully identitied with New Lex-
ington interests, and were eager to join their former rivals in a united
and prolonged struggle for the seat of justice. The flrst objective point
was the nomination of a democratic candidate for Representative,
known to be in favor of submitting the question of the removal of the
seat of justice to the qualified voters of the county, at an early day.
Perrry was entitled to a "floating" Representative, to be elected b}'
the counties of Perry, Fairfield and Hocking, in the vear 1849. The
popular vote s\'stem for nomination prevailed that year with the Demo-
crats of Perry, and the choice for district Representative was thus sub-
mitted to the democratic voters. There were but two candidates for
the nomination. Napoleon B. Colborn of Pike township was centered
upon by those in favor of a vote upon the remov;il question ; and James
Sheward of Reading, was supported by those o]:)posed to such vote. A
few votes doubtless were swayed bv personal considerations, but the
Removal question was the generally governing one. Colborn received
a decided majorit\' of the popular vote in his ov\ n county, and went into
the district convention held at Lancaster, with all the prestige of this
indorsement. Shew ard and his friends denied that the vote in Perry
was a fair expression of the popular democratic voice ; claimed that the
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 6l
majority against him was fraudulent or unfair, and the names of both
Colborn and Sheward were submitted to the district convention. The
body patienth' b.eard botli sides, through leading spokesmen, and then
confirmed the vote of Perry by t'ormally making Mr. Colborn the nom-
inee cf the convention. He was duly elected in October following,
securing the usual majority in all the counties of the district. Petitions
for removal were circulated and signed, but nothing material was done
until the following vear, and after Mr. Colborn had been re-nominated
and re-elected.
Early in the session of 1850-51, Mr. Colborn, the Representative from
Perry, introduced the removal bill, which was referred to the Commit-
tee on New Counties. Sometime in January, 185 1, the committee re-
ported back the bill and recommended its passage. After its third read-
ing, the bill passed without a dissenting vote. It was sent to the Senate,
and there referred to the Committee on New Counties. Here the bill
slept for weeks. It was finally in April reported back without recom-
mendation. When the bill was read a third time, and put upon its pass-
age, it was defeated by a close vote. But a reconsideration w^as moved
and laid upon the table. When the bill was again taken up, it received
a small m.ajority, and then became a law. Remonstrances were circu-
lated and signed, and the most strenuous efl'orts made b}' the Somerset
interest to defeat the passage of the bill ; but all in vain. The struggle
in the Senate, for a time, was indeed a close and doubtful one ; but the
final result was as has been stated.
After the passage of the removal bill and the adjournment of the
Legislature, came several weeks of absolutely painful quiet, for they
onl}- presaged the coming storm. The friends of New Lexington
bought one of the county newspapers early in June, and soon thereafter
tTie county seat campaign began in earnest. Meetings were held in all
parts of the county, and especialh^ on the debatable ground in Jackson,
Clayton, Reading and Monda}' Creek townships. Speakers, brass
bands, drum corps, glee clubs and conveyances, were in great demand,
and the count}- papers were filled with literature on the count}' seat sub-
ject. Excitement at times ran high, and threatened serious collision ;
but, fortunately, nothing of the kind occurred. At length the eventful
day came, the votes were polled, and the result showed that " For Re-
m()\aL' had a majoritv of 292. Thus ended the first county seat cam-
The next move of the Somerset interest was the institution of a suit
in court, alleging that the county seat bill was not legally passed, and
il legally passed, that, for alleged reasons, it was unconstitutional and
void. The case came on to be heard in the district court in the fall of
1852, in the District Court sitting at Somerset. Hon. Allen G. Thur-
ma.n, then a Judge of the Supreme Court, and a member of the District
Court, delivered tlie opinion and pronounced the decision, which was
against the petitioners, and a refusal to grant their prayers. Thus was
the law in controversy held to be constitutional and valid.
The friends of Somerset next resorted to the legislative branch of
the State government for relief, and to regain the ground thcA' had lost.
Wm. E. Finck had been elected to the Senate in October, 1851, and
John H. O'Neill to the House of Representatives : and, according to the
62 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
State Constitution adopted in June preceding, held office for two years.
When the suit in court was decided against them in the fall of 1852, the
Somerset interest circulated petitions praying for the passage of a bill
providing for the removal of the seat of justice from New Lexington to
Somerset. The former had not yet become the county seat, in fact, for
the county records had not yet been removed, but awaited the erection
of a new county building. Early in 1853 the second removal bill was
passed. The New Lexington interest made continual and persevering
efforts to prevent the passage of this second bill, but were beaten.
The County Seat campaign of 1853 was more warmly contested,
and excitement ran higher than in that of 1851. Two democratic tick-
ets were nominated on sectional lines ; the whig part}' was ignored, and
every body and everything rallied to the support of one or the other of
the "local democratic tickets. The democratic county committee di-
vided, a new democratic paper was brought to the County to espouse
the cause of one of the factions ; and nothing, apparently, was left un-
done, that would contribute to widen the breach, or fan the flames of
sectional warfare. The drums were beaten, the brass bands rallied
again, the glee clubs were called out, the "Ciceros" put in training,
and the campaign of 185 1 repeated, with many interesting, amusing,
and exciting variations.
The Cincinnati and Zanesville Railroad (then called the Cincinnati
Wilmington and Zanesville,) and the Old Scioto and Hocking Valley
Railroad, were, at this time, in course of construction ; the former pass-
ing through New Lexington, and the latter through Somerset. The
presence of man}' strangers, and numerous railroad laborers, many of
the latter — and especially of those on the Scioto and Hocking Valley —
of a violent, quarrelsome, and apparently uncontrollable nature, con-
tributed much to the general fever of excitement and unrest, and inten-
sifying the already angry feeling on the local issue. The election day
finally came, the long agony was over and "for removal'' back to Som-
erset carried the day ; but by such a vote and majority as all conceded
to be, in a great measure, irregular and illegal. This spurious vote the
operators in the Somerset interest justified, or excused, on the ground
that New^ Lexington was doing the same tiling, and that it became neces-
sary to fight tire with fire. The friends of New Lexington denied this
allegation of fraud, as against them, and claimed their vote as legal.
The friends of Somerset, although not disputing a large fraudulent
vote, claimed that such existed on both sides, and that a majority of
the legal votes cast was in favor of Somerset, and the seat of justice
again re-established at that place. The friends of New Lexington
claimed that they had a majoritv of the legal votes and that the elec-
tion of 1853, when rightly considered, was but a confirmation of the
vote of 185 1. But, of course, Somerset was credited with a majority,
and as there was no statute by which a county sear vote could be con-
tested, the disputed question remained unsolved and undecided ; and
Somerset was left in possession of the seat of justice, the county
records having not vet been removed to New Lexington, in pursuance
of the vote of 1851".
There was a contest of the office of Representative, which was vii
tually the same vote as that of the county seat question. John H.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 63
O'Neill had been re-elected Representative over Solomon Nunnemaker,
by a majority substantiall}^ the same as the majority "for removal" back
to Somerset. Nunnemaker inspired and aided by the New Lexington
interest, contested and ousted O'Neill, and obtained the seat for him-
self, as the legally elected Representative of the county. It is justice
to state that O'Neill and friends, though admitting frauds were clearl}'
shown, alleged that there was no such sifting' and canvassing of the
votes as would satisfactorily show that Nunnemaker had received a
majority of the legal votes cast.
The leaders in the New Lexington interest, failing to discover any
authorit}' for a contest of the county- seat vote of 1853, or fearing that
it would lead to no practicable result, began to carefully and critically
examine the removal act of 1853, with reference to its constitutionality,
and determined to attack it in that wa}^, if found vulnerable, and there
existed reasonable chances of a favorable result. They proceeded to
raise money, and employed able lawvers, who gave it as their opinion
that the law of 1853 was unconstitutional, and that the Supreme Court
would so decide, when the question was properly brought before that
tribunal. Suit was accordingly instituted, and the case fully argued
before the Supreme Court of the State. An early decision, one way or
the other, was anticipated ; but the case was postponed from time to
time, and delayed for over two 3'ears. At last, in December 1856, like
a clap of thunder from a clear sky, the decision came, imheralded and
unexpected ; and was to the effect that the law of 1853 was, in several
respects, unconstitutional ; and, of course all proceedings under it null
and void.
The effect of the Supreme Court decision was to leave the removal
act of 185 1, and all proceedings under it, in full force and effect. The
friends of removal had, in accordance with the provisions of the act of
185 1, erected suitable countv buildings, and these had for a year or two,
been read}^ for occupancy. When the final decision was promulgated,
steps were immediately taken for the removal of the public records
from Somerset to New Lexington. The County Commissioners met,
made an examination of the new public buildings erected at New Lex-
ington, and accepted them on behalf of the county, as good and suf-
ficient, in compliance with the requirements of the removal law of 185 1 .
Everything was now ready for actual removal, by a transfer of the pub-
lic records from Somerset to New Lexington ; but the people of the
former place plead and labored for delay, and some of the citizens
went so far as to notify the count}' otHcers that any attempt to remove
the records or other public property would be violently resisted. This
was doubtless for the purpose of gaining time, in the hope that an in-
junction might be obtained, to stop proceedings. In the meantime, the
people of the New Lexington interest clamored for immediate removal,
fearing an injunction or other legal process. The order for a transfer
of records to the new Court House at New Lexington had been made
by the County Commissioners ; but there was division of sentiment,
and no concert of action among other county officers, and matters re-
mained at a stand-still for quite a number of days. But, after a time,
those acting for the Somerset interest failing to obtain any satisfactory
legal redress, the people began to quiet down, and the county officers,
64 HISTORY OK PERKY COUNTY.
fearing that the}- might subject themselves to penalties, or dismissal
from office, if they longer delayed, or disregarded the law of 185 1,
and the order of the County Commissioners, finally decided upon an
immediate transfer of their several offices, and all pertaining to them,
to the new quarters at New Lexington ; and such transfer was made in
the month of January, 1857. Some of the county officers, who were
favorable to the interests of the new count}- town, had, b}- strateg)',
made a partial removal, a few days previous to the general break up of
the public offices at Somerset. There was then no railroad connecting
the two towns, and all the records, and other movable public property,
were conveyed in wagons, a distance of nine miles over roads in no
sense good, at that season of the year. And thus it was, that, atlter
years of almost continuous agitation and commotion, the Capital of
Perr}' was removed tVom Somerset to New Lexington.
When actual removal had taken place, under the provisions of the
law of 185 1, in consequence of the act of 1853 being pronounced un-
constitutional, and, therefore null and void, by the Supreme Court of
the State ; and under which law the county seat had been voted back
to Somerset in October, 1853 ; the friends of the Somerset interest
claimed, and urgently demanded another vote, under a constitutional
law, and immediately began to take steps to secure it. The legislature
was in session, with Eli A. Spencer of Somerset, a member of the
Senate, and Dr. F. L. Flowers of New Lexington, a member of the
House oi Representatives. A new removal law was passed in the Sen-
ate, but failed in the House, after a protracted struggle, both on the
floor, and before committees, b}'^ the lobby.
The Somerset people, by this defeat, did not however abandon the
idea of another vote, as the)' expressed it, under a valid and constitu-
tional law ; inasmuch as all their efforts of 1853 had been thrown away,
in consequence of a worthless enabling act. Tliey were awake to the
apparent necessity of having a member upon the floor of the House,
and the county being Democratic, they adopted the tactics of the Lex-
ingtonians 3^ears before, and made a point of naming the Democratic
candidate for Representative. They succeeded in a delegate conven-
tion in nominating T. B. Cox of Somerset, by a very small majority.
Mr. Cox was elected, after an exciting canvass, b_y a vote that was
nearly sectional, though not entirely so. His opponent was Horace C.
Granger of New Lexington, who was the Republican candidate tor
the same office.
Petitions for a new Removal Law, and remonstrances against such
an act, were again circulated and presented in the House of Represen-
tatives. Nothing material was done at the regular session ; but, at the
adjourned session of 1859, pi'incipally b}- the influence and untiring ef-
forts of Mr. Cox, a new Enabling act was passed, providing for a vote
in 1859. So the question of the Seat ot Justice was once more to be
submitted to the qualified voters of Perry.
There was a split in the Democratic part}^ this year, very much like
that of 1853. T. B. Cox was nominated by the northern wing of the
Democratic party, and Joseph Thompson, of Clayton township, by the
southern wing. There were two full Democratic county tickets, both
nominated and run on sectional or county seat lines. Active prepara-
HISTORY OF PERRV COUNTV. 65
tions were made by both sides, for the prosecution ot" the local cam-
paign ; but, likely with less hope on the part of the Somerset people,
and more confidence on the side of the New Lexington interest, than in
the former campaigns, involving the same issue. The '"Demostheneses"
and ''Ciecros'" were again put in training, and brought out ; brass bands,
glee clubs, etc., once more came to the front, and the old battle-grounds
of 185 1 and 1853, were once more fought over, and the debatable town-
ships and districts treated to free harangues and music abundantly ;
and everywhere echoed and re-echoed the din of conflict and the clash
of arms. This must be taken as metaphoric, for, though there were
some noisy and altogether lively meetings, on disputed grounds ; there
was nowhere any serious collision, and all the sound and fur}^ did not
seriously hurt. The local papers were again crammed with the peculiar
County Seat literature ; an article that could not possibly be mistaken
for anything else ; and if preserved for the benefit of futvire generations,
cannot fail to be highly valuable as a curiositv. But the long, weari-
some contest came to an end, as all things earthly must. Election dav
was comparatively quiet, and when the returns were made and counted
it was found that there was a majority of 300 against removal. Thus
ended the third and last County Seat election.
Some of the incidents connected with the much vexed question are
deserving of special mention. In the month of May, 1853, a number of
caucuses had been held in the Eli Smith building, at the north corner
of the Public Square, New Lexington, having as an object the forming
of a compan}' to purchase a newspaper press and other printing ma-
terials with which to print a newspaper advocating the New Lexington
interest, and to be published at that place. Diflerence of opinion arose,
and formidable difficulties presented themselves. Some were in favor
of a neutral paper, to be printed in New Lexington ; others were in
favor of a Democratic paper, to be published in the same place ; while
still others wanted to purchase the Democratic paper at Somerset, and
remove it to New Lexington. S'till others thought it would be best to
buy out the Democratic paper, but continue its publication at Somerset,
at any rate, until after the election. Time and again the caucus met,
counseled, clamored, and disputed, alwa3's failing to agree or effect
anything tangible. At length came , discouragement, almost dismay,
for precious time w^as flitting by, and the highly important, yea, abso-
lutely essential newspaper enterprise, appeared to be absolutely broken
down. But a week or two later, a portion of the men who had partici-
pated in the caucuses previously held, with others who had not before
been engaged, but chanced to be present, or within call at the time,
met again in caucus, organized at once, and had a brief agreement of
partnership drawm up. The necessary amount of stock was subscribed
in a very short time, quite a number of persons taking part, from whom
nothing had been expected. Considering the former dismal failures,
the speedy accomplishment, at last, of the desired object, was a great
surprise to all. It was at once decided to buy the Democratic paper at
Somerset, if possible, then published by E. J. Ellis. A committee was
at once sent to confer with him, who were intormed that he had just sold
the office to some parties in Somerset. The New Lexington men then
determined to purchase a new outfit in Cincinnati ; but, the next day
0
66 ms'ioRV ov perky county.
Mr. Ellis came to New Lexington, stating- that the sale to Somerset par-
ties had proven a failure. In a very few moments, however, and before
anything further was done, a young man came posthaste from Somer-
set, with a note for Ellis, informing him that the Somerset parties would
concede to all his terms. He had nothing further to sa^' to the New
Lexington parties. He evidently was desirous of selling, but much pre-
ferred selling to the men at Somerset. But, after all, the negotiations
between Mr. Ellis and the Somerset parties were broken off, and Ellis,
evidently much chagrined, wrote to the New Lexington Company, that
they might have his office, and for one hundred dollars less than the sum
formerly agreed upon. A committee was at once sent to effect the pur-
chase. Tlie bargain was soon closed, cash and notes passed over, and
the office passed into the hands of Vanatta, Forquer & Co., of New
Lexington.
This newspaper venture, and. the deal with Mr. Ellis, was in some of
its aspects, in lights, shadows and comicalities, as interesting and excit-
ing as a novel, and fully as ludicrous as the broadest farce.
Some time in the fall of 1853, during the exciting campaign of that
year, Wiliiam McKenna, of Jackson Township, who was a candidate
on the Southern Democratic ticket, visited Somerset, as he said, to see
the people and talk to them a little as a candidate. He tried to make
himself agreeable, but quite a number of persons concluded to treat him
as a "spy" from the Southern camp. Marshaled by a man of some
military celebrity, they surrounded McKenna. led him to his horse, which
had been brought from the hotel stable, and told him to get on about as
speedily as he could. As soon as he was in the saddle they led his
horse southward on the New Lexington road, over the Academy Hill.
Mr. McKenna had a ver}^ considerable escort on this particular journey.
He was a very good humored man, and his face was wreathed in smiles
during most of the performance ; but, no doubt, smoldering somewhere
underneath there was a respectable volcano of madness. Yet, he
cracked jokes with the crowd, and appeared to be having a good share
of the sport himself. When they left him they told him to ride on
southward into his own countr}^ which he concluded to do.
It was some time during the same campaign that a Mr. B., now a
well-known business man of Zanesville, drove up into the little town of
Saltillo, Perry County, with a one-horse wagon, following his legitimate
occupation of peddling tinware. He was ^n unknown, smooth faced
stranger, and on suspicion of being a " spy" of some kind, was per-
emptorily arrested, his horse and wagon taken charge of, and himself
somewhat rudely handled. He was duly catechised and thoroughly
investigated, when, after considerable detention, he was suffered to
proceed on his way into the inner precincts of Perry County territory.
Mr. B. was then quite a young man, but will doubtless remember to
his dying da}^, his rude, warm, and strange reception, more than a
quarter of a centur}^ since, in the quiet little town of Saltillo.
At the October election, in 1853, John H. Kelley, of New Lexing-
ton, since Colonel of the 114 O. V. I., and Probate Judge of the county,
who had been brought up in Madison township, concluded to visit the
polls of that township. Although he was well acquainted there, and
as he supposed, on the best of terms with "the boys ;" it was not long
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 67
until he came to the conclusion that he had no further business at the
Madison polls, and set his face resolutely in the direction of the south.
Colonel John Ritchey, of Reading township, and one of the most
trusted and popular leaders in that interest, was likewise a zealous
Methodist, and made it a rule to attend Qiiarterly Meeting in New
Lexington, and was in attendance at one before the excitement of 1853
had full}' subsided. He put up at a hotel, attended the night meeting,
was invited to spend the night at the house of a brother Methodist, and
accepted the invitation. B}' the time church was over, a numebr of
men had Mr. R's horse bridled and saddled, and awaited the appear-
ance of the owner, at the hotel, intending to escort him out of town, as
Mr. McKenna had been escorted out of Somerset. Ritche\- did not
appear when church was out, and diligent search was being made for
him. A well known citizen of New Lexington, and an active southern
man, but a personal friend of Mr. R's, learning the condition of things,
soon ascertained the private house at which the visiting brother had
stopped, hurried to the place, and, as he approached, heard the well
known voice of his Somerset friend, engaged in prayer with the fam-
ily, previous to retiring for the night. Circumstances would not admit
of much ceremon}^ ; a loud rap at the door cut short the prayer, and
Mr. R. was hastily apprised of the situation, and told to go
to a certain point on the Somerset road, where his horse, after
a while, would be sent to him. The parties having the horse in
charge, and intending the escort business, failing in the search for the
owner, replaced the horse in the stable, from whence it was afterward
taken to the designated place on the Somerset road, and delivered to
the owner, who was near by in waiting. The parties who had origina- '
ted the intended escort and indignity, were not a little chagrined at the
miscarriage of their undertaking ; and when they found out how they
had been circumvented, were not ver}' well pleased with the person who
prevented the performance of the original programme.
Thomas O'Hallaran, a citizen of Pike township, and a zealous New
Lexington man, just before the election of 1853, was sent, or concluded
to visit the railroad shanties, at or near Somerset, to see what he could
see, and hear what he could hear. He affected strategy, talked on the
sly, and all that ; but, on the second or third da}^ of his visit, he was
apprehended as a "spv," taken charge of as such, and subjected to
numerous indignities, though unattended with any great degree of vio-
lence. But his treatment was rough enough. He was walked, run,
rolled and tumbled out of town, and started on his way toward New
Lexington. Mr. O. was very much frightened, as well he might be.
A narrative of his adventures, as related on the witness stand, in the
O'Neill-Nunnemaker contest case, is ver^^ amusing, and sometimes
highly ludicrous.
An extreme southern township, at one of the elections, had a soli-
tary Somerset voter, who publicl}^ announced his intention to vote in
that interest. When he appeared at the polls, he was so emphatically
made aware of his unpopularit}' aud proposed wrong-doing, that he left
the polls and went home without depositing his ballot. The pressure
for a "solid south," and a "solid north," in some places was verv strong,
even in those ante-bellum days.
Colonel Wm. Spencer, a highly respected citizen of Somerset, a
68 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
man well and favorably known throughout the county, once attempted
to make a county-seat speech at Straitsville, in an extreme southern
township. He was greeted with a large meeting, but was told that
tiiey wanted to hear no speech on the local question, from him. He was
well acquainted with nearly all the men, but vainly assayed to proceed
on the theme he was announced to talk about. The meeting would
have none of it. Then Mr. S. told them he would talk to them con-
cerning their great coal banks. That would be all right, his auditors
said. So he made a long speech on coal banks, and matters of kindred
character. But lie pleased them so well with his big coal talk, that he
got to saN- about all he intended, on the county seat question. But
Saltlick remained practically solid for the South.
Enough has been said, perhaps, to convey a clear idea of the man}-
and various struggles, lor the location and possession of the Seat ol
Justice of Perry county. Many of those who took a conspicuous part in
the numerous contests, have passed tVom earth, and most of the living
have removed from the county, and cast their fortunes elsewhere. Of
all the active participants who remain, the old bitterness has died out,
and the former sectional conflicts are sometimes talked over with interest,
and in the best possibl*^ humor.
It took the people of New Lexington a great many years to find out
that they had not gained all they anticipated, in securing the Seat of
Justice ; it took the people of Somerset fully as long to learn, that they
had not lost as much as they had supposed, when the county offices and
courts went to New Lexington. A county seat, of course, is of some
benefit to a place, and a county town has its advantages, which it is not
the intention here to consider. Depending too much upon the advan-
tages of a Seat of Justice, is a most effectual way of finishing and
killing what, with the necessary enterprise and exertion, might become
a thriving and populous town. Many instances outside of Perr^^ county
might be cited in verification of this proposition. But discussion of this
branch of the subject is not intended here.
It is undoubtedly true that the long and varied contests, relative to
the Seat of Justice, in the Legislature, before the people and in the
Courts, and other questions closelv identified with it, contributed much
to the general education of the people, in a number of ways, and notably
in various matters pertaining to public affairs ; but it was a dear
school, after all, to the great majority of all contestants. If a union of
means, eflTorts and talents, which were expended upon the local ques-
tion, had been directed to the development of the great coal andiron
region, results might have been obtained, for all parties, which would
have dwarfed into insignificance, the mere county town advantages
of half a dozen county towns. This is no extravagant statement, but a
now self evident and universally accepted fact. Public buildings,
courts and county officers are, to be sure, some advantage to a town ;
but churches, schools, newspapers, manufactures, and varied industrial
interests, are of much greater value. And it may as well be admitted
that remunerative employment for the people, of some kind or other, is
the basis of all success worth mentioning, for either towns, communi-
ties or States. These propositions, the correctness of which none will
seriously question, are here presented, as a not inappropriate conclusion
of this chapter on the Seat of ustice.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 69
CHAPTER IX.
AGRICULTUK?: AND COUNTY FAIRS.
The first thing tlie pioneers did. after building the log cabin, was
to clear and fence a few acres of ground and plant corn, potatoes, and
a few garden vegetables, that could be grown on new land. After the
tirst crop of corn was grown, the ground would, the same year, be
sown in wheat, so as to be read}- tor harvest the ensuing July. But
corn was, for the tirst few years, the staple product of the farm.'
Without corn, hogs and pork, this new and heavil}' timbered coun-
try would have settled slowly. Wheat, cattle and beef, are great and
popular staples now, and it is even asserted that beef eating people are
subduing and taking possession of all the best countries and places of
the world. But corn and hogs had precedence, if not preference,
among the pioneers of Ohio, and all heavily timbered countries. Hog
and Hominy, to use a homely expression, generated the nerve power
and formed the muscles by which the wilderness was in time subdued.
Over fastidious persons of to-day, may object to the homely fare alluded
to, but it is very certain that without the corn and pork ot early days,
hundreds of thousands of these daint}' persons would have had no be-
ing or name upon the earth.
When the hrst cornfield was sown in wheat, the pioneer farmer would
aim, before the ensuing May, to clear out another field to be planted in
corn, etc., and thus the work of opening out a farm went on. Oats,
buckwheat and flax also soon received their share of attention. Grasses
and hay received attention later, for there was good pasture and plentv
of it, on the "range" or "Congress land." The work horses and
milch cows were, for a tew years, almost the only stock ; but this
changed after a while. Almost every pioneer tarmer had a few sheep,
of course, for the famih' had to be suitably clad for the winter. The
first sheep were of the common or long-wooled varietv ; but this also
changed, and the Merino was gradually introduced.
Most of the first settlers brought apple seeds or seedling sprouts
from the old home in the East. The first apple orchard would be prob-
ably fort}- or fifty trees. comj:)rising. perhaps, nearly- as many varieties.
Some of them would be quite good, others only tolerable, and others
almost worthless. But the enterprising pioneer would saw off the limbs
of the worthless trees, and graft better fruit upon them. About this
time he would also plant new trees, budded at the root. Peach, cherry,
plum and pear trees would also be planted. And in this way, in the
course of time, the earh orchards became a thing of beautv and \'alue.
As the years rolled on. and the culti\'ated portions of the farm grew
larger, wheat was produced in large quantities for market; but some-
70 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
times the price ruled very low. Zanesville was, for many years, the
principal wheat market for Perry county, though a portion was disposed
of at Newark, Lancaster, Logan and McConnelsville. Horses, cattle,
sheep and hogs also began to be raised for sale and export, as the coun-
try became cleared up ; but prices were low, and the markets unsteady
and uncertain.
From 182510 1845, a very considerable portion of the county was
quite extensively engaged in the culture of tobacco. In many portions
tobacco houses were more numerous than barns or dwellings, particu-
larly^ in the southern and central parts of the county. These houses were
mostl}^ of round logs, and built square and high. They were without a
floor, of course, ior in most cases fires were built under the tobacco ;
but sometimes it was air-dried. Rushville, Fairfield county, was the
first tobacco market for the product in Perry ; but later, Rehoboth be-
came a great tobacco market ; and there it was also packed in hogs-
heads, then wagoned to Zanesville and shipped to Baltimore, Md, Jack-
son, Pike, Clayton, Harrison, Bearfield, Monroe, Pleasant, Saltlick and
Monday Creek were all tobacco townships; and ^ with many persons
living on small farms, it was for 3^ears the staple product. But most
farmers raised wheat, corn, oats, buckwheat and potatoes, as well as
tobacco, and were kept very busy the year round, for raising and pre-
paring tobacco for market was a slavish work, especially when added
to the other manifold duties of the farmer. While Rehoboth was the
great tobacco market for the county, it was not an uncommon thing to
see a hundred or more wagons, loaded with the weed, drive into town
in one day ; and sometimes the road from New Lexington to Rehoboth,
two miles in length, was lined with teams, ranging from six horses
down to one. There was not much money paid for tobacco, but the
farmer managed to exchange it for large quantities of groceries, dry
goods and hardware. After the local tobacco merchants broke up,
some of the farmers continued to produce tobacco, and packed and
shipped to Baltimore on their own account. But this gradually de-
clined, and, after 1850, the industr}- almost entirely ceased.
The year 1850 was, in many ways, a turning point in the agricul-
ture of Perry county. Until that time, as a general thing, it had been
the polic}^ of farmers to get all the}' could out of their land without re-
turning an3'thing to the soil. Nearly all of them hauled and returned
to the soil the barn-yard and stable manvu'e ; but no systematic effort
was made to save the producing qualities of the soil, or to add to them.
This line of action had to be changed, and was changed. In some
cases it had been done at an earlier date than 1850.
About this time it was determined to have a county fair. A county
agricultviral society was accordingly organized and fairs held for three
or four years. The first fair was held at the residence and upon the
farm of Wm. M. Brown, one mile west of Somerset. There were no
fair grounds proper, and the society labored under many disadvantages.
Yet there was a respectable show of stock, farm and household pro-
ducts. The fair was held in the same place in 1852, with about the
same results as in the preceding 3'ear. In 1853, the fair was held at the
court house in town, and at the larm of E. A. Spencer in the suburbs,
the stock being left at the latter place. This was the last of a Perry
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 7 1
county lair fur quite a number of rears. Several causes contributed to
and brought about this result.
These fairs, imperfect and unsatisfactory as they were, were produc-
tive of good ; and no doubt their influence, direct and indirect, contrib-
uted a good share towards turning over a new leaf in the agricul-
ture of the count}", which took place about this time. Better plowing
was done, more clover sown, new and better breeds of stock were intro-
duced ; tine blooded sheep were brought in and the industr}- of wool-
growing greatly extended, v.hile plowing and planting poor land began
to be abandoned as unprofitable and wasteful. The county was in a fair
wa}^ to agricultural prosperity, when it was struck by the destroying
C3xlone of the great civil war. This was a severe blow to agriculture,
and to man}^ other industries in the county. Three thousand men
served a term of some length in the army, many came back disabled,
and hundreds returned to their flocks and fields no more.
It took several years to show that the count}^ and the country were
even beginning to recover from the effects of the terible strife and waste
of the war. Just as this recovery- began, to be fairly perceptible, steps
were taken to reorganize the Perrj^ County Agricultural Society. This
was accomplished in the summer oi 1869, and a fair held in that year,
on suitable grounds leased from the infirmary farm, and adjacent to the
town of New Lexington on the west. The fair was held after the mid-
dle of October, and both fall and winter came unusually early that year.
The first night of the fair it snowed to the depth of three or four inches,
and everything presented an unpromising and dreary appearance. But
the second day opened bright and cheery, the snow soon melted away,
and the first of the second series of county fairs proved to be a success.
The count}' fairs have continued yearly, upon the same grounds, until
the present time, and they are in a profitable and satisfactory condition.
Nearly all of them have been very creditable exhibitions, aad financi-
ally a success. Some of them have been wonderful in the extent, variety
and quality of articles exhibited, and have been very favorably noticed
by journals published in neighboring or distant counties.
The Perry County Agricultural, Life Stock and Mechanical Art
Union Society was organized and a fair held at Somerset in 1870, and
every year since, with one or two exceptions. These fairs have, in the
main, been very creditable and successful, and have done their lull
share toward improving and dev'eloping the various industries of the
county. The managers of these yearly exhibitions have evinced great
skill, energy and perseverance, and without county aid of any kind,
have kept the enterprise afloat, rendering satisfaction to exhibitors and
spectators. Grounds have been secured and duly fitted up, and it ap-
pears to be the design of the management to keep up the fairs for an in-
definite period, if they continue to meet the approbation of the public.
As previously stated, the productive powers of the soil had seriously
declined just previous to 1850, and wheat was no longer the certain and
remunerative crop that it had been in former years, and the yield of
corn had greatly fallen off. From 1850 to i860, there were about as
many failures as successes in crops, and the outlook for the farming
community was not encouraging, i860 w'as a fruitful year, but the war
came on, and from that and other causes, wheat and corn fell short, and
72 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
the millers of the county found it necessary to purchase thousands of
bushels of wheat and other grain in Cincinnati, Toledo and Chicago, to
make flour to sell to the resident people of the county, farmers included.
The hrst wheat crop after the war, (^the sewing of 1865 '^^^^ '-'"^^ harvest
of 1866,) was the most complete failure since the first settlement of the
county, and farmers were under the necessity of purchasing wheat
abroad, at three dollars per bushel, for seed as well as family use, and
the price of flour run up to $17.50 per barrel. Wheat was necessarily
sown sparingly for a year or two, with seed at such high prices ; and it
was not until 1869 that a wheat crop of fair proportions was again har-
vested. From that time on there was a gradual increase ot acreage
and wh€at production until in 1880, there was probably the greatest crop
ever produced. The 3aeld of 1^881 was not quite so large, but the berr}'
was very good as a general thing. The millers of late years are not
buying in distant markets ; at least not much in comparison with some
former years.
The culture of wheat, corn and other crops, too, has very much
changed within the last few ^'■ears. Wheat is now nearly all planted
with the drill, and the land top-dressed with barn manure, or commer-
cial fertilizer sown upon it. The farmers have also turned over a new
leaf with regard to corn. Instead of cultivating many acres of poor
land, to little or no purpose, as man)' of them once did, corn is now
usually planted upon good, productive soil, that will not wash, and is
cultivated with great care. The ground is well pulverized, and com-
mercial fertilizer or barn-3'ard manure is often used in the hill. There
is a less acreage, but a larger yield, and, consequently, more profitable
and satisfactory results. As much as one hundred and thirty bushels
have been produced from an acre receiving special attention. This
shows what it is possible to do. It is noteworthy that corn produced in
this way is superior to the best that is shipped in from the black lands
of Muskingum, Fairfield or Pickaway counties.
Butter, eggs and poultry have, for many years, been a very consider-
able item of trade. The country, lor the most part, is well adapted to
these, and their production will necessarilj- increase, as the demand
increases from mining and manufacturing towns.
The cultivation of Irish and sweet potatoes, turnips, melons and
garden vegetables, has also much increased, within the last few 3'ears,
stimulated by the great demand from new and growing towns, which
are scarcel}^ ever full}' supplied.
There has of late years been a marked improvement in all kinds of
stock. New and improved breeds have been introduced, and stock of
all kinds has been better fed and cared for. Sheep husbandr}^ has not
only increased, but the finest and best blood has been imported, and
wool-growing brought to a high state of perfection. Man}' of the wool
growers find no difficulty in securing the highest price for their clips.
The greater part of the county is highly adapted to sheep raising and
wool growing, and enterprising men are disposed to make the most of
the advantages offered.
Apples, peaches, grapes, plums, pears, quinces, and cherries have
been a fairly remunerative crop throughout all the years, peaches and
pears possibly excepted. Grapes have done well where planted in
\
HISTORY OF PI^UkV COtJN'l'V. ^^
limited quantities about dwellings and gardens ; large vineyards have
not, in many cases, been p]-olitable. Peaches have been pretty much
abandoned, except upon the high lands and these are plentiful enough,
surely, to produce a large supply. - Apples of certain leading varieties
have been successful enough to encourage a much larger planting.
Most ot the county is well adapted to the growing of apples. Damson
plums do as well here as anywhere. The small fruits, such as currants,
strawberries, raspberries, etc., have all had a lair trial and have done
well. The blackberry and raspberr}' have no better home than much
of this count}'.
The original forests contained many maple and ''sugar" trees, so
called, and sugar camps were among the belongings of the pioneers,
and even the settlers of a later day. But the original trees have mostly
passed awav. and sugar and molasses are no longer made in the little
lone shanty in the woods. Some land owners are beginning to have
sugar and maple groves of the second growth, and it is probable that
they will largely increase in the future.
The original forests in many parts of the county, contained chest-
nut and walnut trees. Man}- of the farmers have left here and there a
tree of these varieties growing in the fields or along their lanes, and
they are beautiful and appear picturesque as well as furnishing shade
for stock in summer, and nuts for the children of small and large
growth in the long winter evenings.
10
74 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY
CHAPTER X.
THE NEWSPAPER PRESS.
Tradition and authorities are a little conflicting as to the first news-
paper published in the county. John M. Laird, yet living, at an ad-
vanced age, and still engaged in the newspaper business, was one of
the early printers and publishers of Perry county; In a letter published
in the New Lexington Iribiuie, of May 14th, 1874, ^"'^ speaks of the
"■Scorfion' and ''' Rattlesnake'''' as early newspapers published in Somer-
set previous to his advent there in the spring of 1822. But, at the most
these papers must have but fitful and irregular publications, issued b}-
contending factions and cliques, as electioneering or defamator}^ docu-
ments, and hardly entitled to the name of newspapers.
It appears pretty well settled, by tradition and otherwise, that the
first regular newspaper ever published in Perry county was established
by John Lidey and E. P. Alford, at Somerset, the first isstie thereof
being made March 28th, 1821, and was called '■'■T/ie Western World
and Political Tic/cler.'' Evidently the pioneer journal did not lack for
a name. The '•'Ticlder' was published about a 3^ear, and was a most
violent and scurrilous journal, and the virulent and petty contests that
had begun in the '■'■Scorpion'" and '''■Rattlesnake'" were transferred to
the ever ready columns of the '•'-Tickler,'''' and served to keep the whole
reading community in a state of constant uproar. Such were the tem-
per and spirit of the times.
In the spring ot' 1822, the "'■Tickler'''' was discontinued, and was suc-
ceeded b}^ the Perry Record, printed and published by John M. Laird,
though the names of John Lide}' and James Patterson were, at one
time or another, used in connection with the proprietorship of the paper
and it is probable that they furnished most of the printing materials,
which, it is scarcely necessar}' to state, were neither extensive nor
costly .
The Perry Record was continued about three years, when Mr.
Laird, who was the practical printer, returned to the east. The Record
was succeeded b}- the Peoples Advocate, published by John Miller,
probabl}.^ with the names of Henry Filler and Henr^- Crumrine as pro-
prietors. The Advocate was purchased in May, 1831, by William F.,
and Louis J. Moeller who changed the name to Western Post and
Perry Advertiser. They published the paper jointly a few months
when Wm. F. Moeller assumed entire control and took oft' the ^^And
Perry Advertiser,''' from the name, leaving it simply '•'■The Western
Posty In January, 1835, Louis J. Moeller purchased the entire office,
and changed the title to Western Post and Perry Democratic Advertiser.
In April, 1837, Mr. Moeller sold the office to Samuel McAfee and
Jonathan W. Ream, both young men who had served their apprentice-
J
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 75
ship in the office. The partnership of McAfee & Ream was discon-
tinued in September, 1839. '^"" ^^^^ paper went in the name of S. H.
McAfee, though John H. Shearer had a half interest in the estabhsh-
ment. In August, 1840, Wm. F. Moeller bought the interest of Mc-
Afee for a younger brother, Alexander Moeller, who, not liking the
profession, gave it up in a few weeks, and his interest was purchased
by A. T. M. Filler. In September, 1840, the firm name was changed
to J. H. Shearer & Co., and afterward to Shearer & Filler. This
partnership continued until the first of February, 1845, when Mr.
Shearer purchased the interest of Filler and became sole proprietor.
The paper from 1835 ^^ ^^45' ^"^'^^^ published under the name of IV^sl-
e?'u Post and Perry Deuwcratic Advertiser \ but, on the ist of Novem-
ber, 1845, Mr. Shearer having purchased a new outfit, changed the
title to Western Post. The Post from the time of its first establishment
until 1840, was a neutial paper, after which time it espoused the cause
of the Whig party. In February', 1847, Mr. Shearer leased the news-
paper and office to James W. Shirle}' and John W. Bugh, lor the
period of two years. JVIr. Bugh retired in November, 1848, whereupon
Mr. Shirley filled out the unexpired term of the lease, which closed in
February, 1849, '^^ ^^^ expiration of which time, J. H. Shearer again
assumed control of the office and conlined the paper until 1855, when
he sold the establishment to E. S. Colborn, who merged the paper in
the Perry County American, under the title of the Pctyy County Ameri-
can and Somerset Post,
This was the last of the Post as a distinctive newspaper, though it
had lived for more than a quarter of a centur\' — a long existence for a
country newspaper, in a small interior county, in those days.
In August, 1836, E. J., Ellis, who had been publishing a small sheet
at New Baltimore, Fairfield County, Ohio, moved his printing office to
Somerset and began the publication of the Perry Democrat. This was
' the first Democratic paper published in the county, and the first time
that a second paper of any kind had been ventured. In 1837, when
Samuel Medary bought the Western. Hemisphere office, in Columbus,
and began his noted career with the Ohio Statesman, he sold to E. J. Ellis
a Peter Smith press and some other materials, and the consequence was
an enlargement of Ellis' paper and a partial change in name. It now
became the Ohio Courier and Perry Democrat. In 1838 Mr. Ellis sold
his printing office to John W. Davis and his brother, Henry M. Davis ;
John W. had just been elected Clerk of the county, but Henry was the
principal editor. Neither of them had any practical knowledge of the
printing business. They had not been publishing the Democrat many
months when along came a practical printer, Isaac Pepper, who first
went into the office as foreman, and in less time than a year the whole
concern passed into his control. In 1839 ^^*'- Pepper modified the title
of the paper, and it became the Somerset (Ohio) Advocate and Perry
Democrat. Thus the Courier was dropped finally and forever. About
the first of April, 1841, Henry M. Davis became sole proprietor of the
Democrat and Advertiser (as named by Pepper) until September, 1842,
when Robert F. Hickman, of Mount Vernon, Ohio, bought the oflice
and changed the name ol" the paper to the Flag of Seventy-Six. This
paper was published by Mr. Hickman about two vears, when he sold
76 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
Ihe office to Daniel Kelley. Mr. Kelle}^ had control of the paper about
a year, when it passed into the hands of Hiram Shaw, who run it a year
or so, when lie disposed of the concern to James Sheward, who had
charge of the paper for two or three years, vviien, in 1849, he sold the
establishment to K. J. Ellis, wlio ten years before had been editor and
proprietor, and, as belbre stated, the founder of the first Democratic
paper in the coantx'. Ellis now bought new t\ pe and some other ma-
terials, enlarged the papei- slightly, and gave it a ver}- good appear-
ance. He also changed the title to Perry Coiinly Denwcrat. Mr.
Ellis was a good practical printer and successful business man, but he
was not mucli of an editor, and made no pretentions to being a writer.
But, at this time. Walter C. Hood, a talented and marvelously well in-
formed 3'oung man, was much about the office, ostensibly as a com-
positor or foreman, but also in the capacity of editor and writer. Hood
had abundant resources just where Ellis lacked, and the latter was
shrewd enough to to avail himself of the splendid talents of the former.
Ellis was printing a good and fine looking paper, and making money,
too, just as the mutterings of the county seat removal thunder developed
into a fearful storm and threatened political parties and newspapers, and
seriously disturbed for a time manv of the industries and enterprises of
the county.
Early in June, 185 1, E. J. Ellis sold the Perry County Democrat
office to Vanatta, Forquer & Co., of New Lexington, with E. S. Col-
born as editor and business manager. The first issue was made by the
new firm June 12th, 185 1. The paper was continued by" Vanatta,
Forquer & Co. for something over a year, when the office was sold to
E. S. Colborn and W. C. Hickman : the latter continued only a few
months, and then E. S. Colborn became sole proprietor. Mr. Colborn
continued the publication of the Democrat until November, 1853, when
the paper was discontinued.
During all these \'ears, since the establishment of the paper in 1836,
it and its legitimate successors, down to the last issue of the De?nocrat
in 1853, were the Democratic organs (so called) of the county, except
for a few months in 1853, when the Per?y Comity True Democrat dis-
puted the claims of the De/mocrat to be so considered. In fact, the
founding of the True Democrat, and party divisions and disaffections
from various causes, were the principal reasons for the discontinuance
of the Democrat.
In the foregoing, a history is given of the original Neutral, then the
old Whig, and of the old Democratic paper of the county. Atten-
tion will now be given to newspapers of a less extended character, con-
fining what is said, for the sake of convenience, and classification, to
Journals published in Somerset. Those published in New Lexington,
will be considered in a body by themselves, as they are principally of a
later date, and will naturallv come in after the account of those in Som-
erset is completed. Later 3'et those of other towns will receive atten-
tion.
in December, 1854, the old Perry County Dcinocrat office, was set
up by E. S. Colborn, in u new building, in the town of' Somerset, and
the first issue of the Perry County American was made January 3rd,
1855, and the paper was published by Colliorn f'or precisely two years
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 77
when, the ist of January, 1857, the American was discontinued, and
the office materials removed to New Lexington. E. S. Colborn, who
had been a Democrat, united, in 1854, with tlie new Republican party,
and the Perry Coiinly American newspaper, was consequently Repub-
lican in politics, and supported Salmon P. Chase for Governor, in
1855, and John C. Fremont for President, in 1856.
The Perry County True Democrat was established Ma}-, 1853, print-
ed on a new press, and with new type. A. McElwee & Co.,- appeared
as proprietors, and John II. O'Neill and Walter C. Hood as editors.
The True Democrat was bought and started in the Somerset interest,
was intenselv Democratic and claimed to be the true organ the of party
in the county. It flourished for one campaign ; but as soon as the elec-
tion was over, there was a great reaction, and the paper sickened and
dwindled. It was, for a few months run b}' Dr. Martin Adams, but,
early in 1854, ^^^^ Perry County True Democrat died, quickly toUowing
its old antagonist. The Perry County Democrat, to the grave of news-
papers.
In 1855, the materials of the old True Democrat office came into the
Dosession of James Sheward, and he commenced publishing a paper
under the title of Democratic Union. A few months afterwards, he
became associated with Dr. Martin Kagay, in the publication of the
same paper, which partnership continued until the close of the Presi-
dential campaign of 1856. The Democratic Union was continued with
slight intermissions, during the years 1857 aud 1858. Soon after the
October elections of 1858, George M. Dittoe purchased the office. Mr.
Dittoe published the Democratic Union regularl}', until the spring of
1864, when he sold it to Charles E. Magruder. Mr. Magruder run
the paper about a vear, and then sold it to Charles D. Elder, who con-
tinued its publication in Somerset, until May, 1866, when he removed
the office and paper to New Lexington.
About the ist of January, 1857, John II. Shearer repurchased from
E. S. Colborn, the materials of the Somerset Post office, with the ex-
ception of the news tvpe. Mr. Shearer purchased new news type for
his office, and began the publication of the Somerset Review., a neutral
paper. In 1858, Shearer sold the Revietu office, to W. C. Hickman,
who run the paper a few months, and then discontinued it.
TXiQ Semi-Weekly Piag\ a War Democratic paper, so termed, was
published in Somerset, for a few months, during the summer of 1861,
by Martin Kagay.
The Somerset Advocate, a neutral paper, was established in the fall
of 1866, and was published about two years, by Martin Kagay. The
Advocate was specially devoted to the development of rnineral and
railroad interests.
The Somerset Triltune was founded by J. F. McMahon, in the fall
of 1871. It was the first nine column paper in thecount3^ ^^ continued
to be published in Somerset, until March, 1873, when it was removed to
New Lexington, and became a Republican paper.
T\\*i Somerset Press, purchased by an incorporated company, with M.
J. Mains as editor aud publisher, was established in the spring of the
year 1873. In the spring of 1879, ^^^^ ownership passed into the hands
of W. P. Magruder, as editor and proprietor, under which arrange-
78 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
merit the Press is still running. For the last few years, the Press has
advocated the principles of the Greenback National party.
In 1848, James Taylor bought an office in New Lexington, and
commenced the publication of the j.Vc2V Lexington Visitor. The press
was an old Ramage, and the materials much worn. The Visitor was
published a year, and then discontinued. The later numbers were
printed at the office of the Somerset Post. The l^isitor was an inde-
pendent Journal.
The Deinoeratie Organ was established in New Lexington, Decem-
ber, 1853, by M. A. Boling. It was democratic in politics, as indicated
by its name. The Organ was published about one year, and then dis-
continued.
The New Lexington Loeoniotive, with P. Bastian, prop^rietor, and
James Taylor, editor, succeeded the Democratic Organ. The Locomo-
tive was independent, with an imdisguised preference for the Republi-
can side. The paper had an existence of about two years.
The Democratic Sentinel hegan its existence in Ma}^ 1859, 'ind was
published, with some slight interruptions, about eighteen months. P.
J. Anken}', John R. Meloy, Robert G. Mossgrove, at different times
proprietors. The Sentinel was a Democratic paper.
The N'ew Lexington Amhrotyfe. bv^ E. S. Colborn, began publica-
tion, early in 185/. It was continued two years, when the office passed
into the hands of P. J. Ankeny, who started the Democratic Sentinel.
In October, 1859, -^- ^- Colborn came into possession of the o\^ Ambro-
type office, and, having purchased a new outfit of news type, started the
Perry County Weekly. This paper was published by E. S. Colborn,
under the above name, about ten years. It had one or two short sus-
pensions, and, for a few months in the summer of 1868, was leased to
and run by Dr. Jerome Oatley. In the spring of 1870, the name of the
paper was changed to Mineral Region Neivs. E. S. Colborn continued
to publish the paper under this name until August, 1872, when he sold
the office to the New Lexington Publishing Company, The Perry
County Weekly, Mineral Pegion JVezas, and Ambrotype, were Republi-
can in politics. The Mineral Region ]\ews, for a few months previous
to its sale, advocated the election of Horace Greel}^ founder of the N.
P. Tribune., to the Presidency.
The company who purchased the office, at once began the publi-
cation of the Perry County Republican, with Robert F. Hickman as
editor and business manager. The Perry County Republican was
printed seven months and then discontinued, or merged in the New
Lexington Tribune.
The Democratic Union was brought from Somerset to New Lexing-
ton, by Charles D. Elder, in May, 1866, and continued b}^ him until
December, 1867, when he sold the office to Butler, Dufiy & Meloy,
who changed the name to Democratic Herald. Butler sold his interest
in a few weeks, to Lewis Green, and the paper was published by Duffy,
Green and Meloy, until the spring of 1870, when the establishment
was sold to George Henricks. After a few months, Henricks sold
to the old firm, Duffy, Green & Meloy. The Herald was continued
by this firm until in 1872, Duff}- purchased Green's interest. The
paper was then published bv Dufiy tS: Meloy, until December ist,
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 79
1876, when Lewis Green and J. R. Meloy bought out DufF3^ Since
that time the Herald has been pubhshed b}' Green & Meloy. The
Herald \^ Democratic in politics, and, with the exception of a year or
two has been the only Democratic paper in the county.
The Xezv Lexington Tribune, by J. F. McMahon, commenced in
March, 1873, having at that time united with the Perry County Refuh-
lican, and become the Republican organ of the county. It has been
continued from that time until the present, without change of name or
proprietor.
Th.Q Perry County Democrat was commenced on September i ith,
1879, ^y Jo^'i" H. Marlow & Co. It was published by this company ten
weeks, and then sold to E. S. Colborn & Co., being E. S. ColboVn &
Sons. E. S. Colborn had been the editor from the commencement.
The Democrat was published b}^ E. S. Colborn & Co., and E. S. Col-
iborn. until March, 1881, when it was discontinued.
A number of campaign and otherwise transient sheets, were pub-
lished at different periods. The Plain Dealer, in Somerset, by John
Donavan, about the time of the war with Mexico; the Perry 'County
Republican, by Taylor, McMahan & Co., in New Lexington, in 1857 ;
and the Democratic Union, \>y Martin Kagay, in New Lexington, in
the winter of 1857, are among the most notable of these, and were, for
the time being, influential Journals.
The Morning Call, by Otto Colborn, at New Lexington, was a
sprigiidy little daily, pubhshed during the Perry County Teachers' In-
stitute, in August, "^1877. Also the Daily Tribune, by J. F. McMahon,
during week of county fair, in 1878.
The Perry County Vidette was commenced in Junction Cit}^ in 1880,
by James Haynes, published about one year, then discontinued.
The Shawnee yournal wiis commenced in 1878, by Cook & Davy,
was published about one year, and then discontinued.
The Shawnee Banner was commenced early in 1880, and is still
published.
The Thornville iV^zf.s' was commenced in 1881, by George Kalb,
and is still published.
The Somerset F/5//or was commenced in 1881, W William Mains,
published about six months, and then discontinued.
The Independent was commenced in New Lexington in 1881, by
Duzenberry & Moore. After a few months Moore sold out to Duzen-
berry, who still publishes the paper.
The Corning Times has been published about one year by Sopher &
Weaver.
A weekly newspaper, printed in another place, has been for a short
time published in Junction City.
A Mr. Cullinan, of Zanesville, bought Lewis Green's interest in the
New Lexington Herald in 1881, and the paper has since that time been
published by Cullinan & Meloy.
It is believed the foregoing includes all the Journals which may be
fairly classed as newspapers.
The Collegian, a monthly periodical, was, for a year or two, about
1854, ^"d '55» published at St. Joseph's College. The Collegian vidiS not
8o HtSTORY OF PERKY COUNTY.
devoted to politics or news, but discvissed, chieily. educationa] and re-
ligious topics.
Perry county was not a very promising field tbr newspapers, and
but little money was made in the business, until within the last few years.
In the first place, the county was small, and only the northern and
central portions partially settled. Yet later, for various causes, the
newspaper business was not prosperous. But within the last ten vears,
some of the papers have been very well sustained.
Ever}^ person who is conversant with all the facts will readily admit
that no county is more indebted to newspapers for improvement and
advancement than is the county of Perrj^. The newspapers, as a class,
have labored for her interests, in season and out of season, with an
assiduity and faithfulness well deserving mention, and not without a
hi oil degree of success.
The early papers were small, contained little or nothing of local
news, and had no mail facilities to amount to anything. They were de-
livered by carriers, commonly called " post-boys," who rode through
the country on horseback and blew loud blasts from a bugle to announce
their coming. Foreign news was considered a greater feature than
local news, and they were usually much devoted to political literature.
The first page matter did not differ much from the first page of the
county paper of to-day. There was the inevitable story and poem, and
short miscellaneous articles ; the fair sex and small boys had to be
placated, and there was a suspicion among old-time editors that even
men sometimes read those things behind the door or in a corner. The
" New Year's Carrier's Address" was a feature of the early newpapers.
The office "" Devil" negotiated with the " home poet" to furnish the
material, and the address was printed and sold for the benefit of his
Satanic Majesty aforesaid, who was ever an accommodating little chap,
and would cheerfully sell for either a dime or a dollar.
The first newspaper ( The Western World and Political Tickler)
was very much of a curiosity. It was a dingy sheet, bitterly personal,
and a part of the reading matter was set in large poster t3^pe. After a
year or two there was a new outfit, in part, and the paper presented a
more artistic appearance, and the overwhelming, pretentious title was
dispensed wdth.
One of the most remarkable things connected with the newspapers
of Perry is the fact that John M. Laird, one of the early printers, who
published a paper in Somerset in 1822, is still living (or was a short
time since), and is editor and proprietor of the Greensburg Argies, at
Greensbui-g, Pa. Alford, the original printer of 1821, was in Somerset
a few years ago and searched diligently for a few old friends that he
knew and loved so long ago.
The history of the newspaper press of a county is in many ways a
fair index to tiie connty itself. The newspaper history' of Perry is an
eventful one, as any person will concede who gives it anything like a
careful perusal. The newspaper world ma}- be likened to a stage, and
the various journals have their entrances and their exits, like the char-
acters in a play ; and all — good, bad, or indifferent — strut their brief
hour, and sooner or later bow and retire. Very few of all the news-
papers named are in the play or battle of life to-day ; and what is a
MI.STOKV OF I'EKRV OOUNTV; 81
more serious thought, many of those wlio wielded the poil or scissors
have passed on to the unseen hmd, and know newspaper w^ars no more.
The newspapers which hold the stage to-da\' are, indeed, few in
number compared with the many which have been, but are not, and
only appear as spectres or shadows behind the scenes, while the real
play or tight of new^spapers goes on. The tingle will come of course,
however remote, when the journals so active on the stage now will
make their several exits, and, " gathering their drapery about them, lie
down to pleasant dreams," or join the spectral column of worthies mar-
shaled b}' the senior — Wcsfcni Jfhr/d a)id Political Tickler — and, un-
known and unseen, flit through the halls and corridors of the active
newspaper stage, gazing in silence upon the wa3'S and works of editors
and newspapers to the present era unnamed and unborn.
11
82 HlS'l'Om' OF PERRY COUNTY.
CHAPTER XL
RAILROADS.
Cincinnati, Wilmington and Zanesville Railroad. — The Gen-
eral Assembly ot 1850-51, enacted a law chartering the Cincinnati,
Wiltning-ton and Zanesville Railroad Co., which proposed to construct a
road from Morrow, in Warren county, on the Little Miami Railroad,
through the counties of Clinton, Fayette, Pickaway, Fairfield, Perry
and Muskingum to Zanesville. The counties through which the road
was to be made, were authorized to take a certain amount of stock in
the enterprise, provided a majority of the people favored the measure
and would so vote at a specified general election. All of them except
Perry did, in fact, vote and subscribe stock : and it would doubtless
have done likewise, had there been anything like agreement as to the
route through the county. There was great diversity of opinion, and a
majority of the people voted in opposition to the measure of subscribing
stock as a count}^ A large minority voted in favor of stock, leaving
the directors to select the route afterward : but a majority could not be
obtained under these circumstances. The friends of the two principal
routes, which were the New Lexington or Rush Creek Valley, and the
Somerset route, each raised about one hundred thousand dollars, con-
ditioned that the road be made on a specified line. The Board of Di-
rectors had various meetings to consider the matter, but they appeared
to hesitate, or were reluctant to decide ; and it was not until September,
1852, that they, at a regular meeting at Zanesville, Ohio, formally de-
cided to locate on the New Lexington or Rush Creek Valley route.
Thus was at last settled a question upon which no little time, labor and
mone}' had been expended by a large number of persons in Perry
county.
Work was commenced on the road in the spring of 1853, and was
prosecuted throughout that season with considerable vigor and energy,
after the manner of railroad building in those days ; but it was not un-
til the summer of 1854, ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^'^^'^ ^^"^^ reached New Lexington from
the west. There was for several months a transfer of passengers and
mail at this place, from car to stages, which run temporarily between
here and Zanesville. But it was not long until the tunnel, three miles
east of New Lexington, was done and the east end of the road com-
pleted, since which time the cars have run regularly between Zanesville
and Morrow, the entire length of the line.
The road passed out of the hands of the original stockholders long
ago, and has been under various management ; but it w^as never so well
equipped, as well managed, nor did so much business as since it became
a part of the Pan Handle system.
i
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
83
The completion and opening- of a railroad was quite an event in
those days, and thousands of persons, men, women and children, gath-
ered to see the first train come in. Excursions for several years along
the line were very frequent ; the people ot the flat counties along the
western part of the line, would come up into the rolling hills of Perry,
and the people of Perry and eastern Muskingum would go down to the
plains of Pickaway and Fayette. The novelty of this in time passed
away, and the people learned to look upon the railroad and all its ad-
vantages, as one of the common, every-day things of life.
A MUSKINGUISr VALI.EY DEPOT.
Scioto and Hocking Valley Railroad. — The old Scioto and
Hocking Valley was chartered by an enactment which became a law
in the winter of 1849, Newark and Portsmouth being given as the ter-
minal points, and certain counties named, through which the road was
to pass. Perry county was not named, or included in this original
charter ; but at the legislative session of 1850-51, the law was so amend-
ed as to authorize the location of the road through Perry, Hocking and
certain other counties named, provided the directors of the company
thought it best to do so.
In December, 1852, a certificate was filed with the Auditor of State,
increasing the capital stock of the company alread}^ organized, one mil-
lion dollars, making the capital three millions. The final location of
the road was determined by a meeting of the directors held at Poi^ts-
mouth in the' winter or spring of 1853, and the route through Perr}', in-
stead of Fairfield or Pickaway, was adoj-jted. The Fairfield county in-
terests were very strongh- pressed ; but the Perry county men, backed
84 HISTORY OF PEKRY COUNTY.
by the great coal deposits, carried the day and went home triumphant.
Eli A. Spencer, then a citizen of Somerset, being present at Portsmouth,
telegraphed the news ol' the location to Somerset in this characteristic
and pithv manner:
*' T. n.'Co.y, Jr.:
"Scioto and Hocking Valley Railroad located on the Perry county
route, (jod and Liberty. E. A. Spencer."
The peojile of Somerset and \icinity were much elated at securing
the location of the Scioto and Hocking Valley. There .was an im-
promptu but great celebration in honor of the event, which lasted nearly
all night. Immense bonhres were made, tar barrels burned, speeches
deli\ered, songs sung, and every demonstration of jov was made.
The result was scarcely expected, and v^'hen assured was almost over-
wdielming.
The people of the northeim and western parts of the county went to
work, without dehu', to obtain stock subscriptions : and there was sub-
scribed along the line in Perry county, the sum of about one hundred
and eight^-tive thousand dollars ; of this sum about one hundred and
seventy-two thousand was expended upon the road before the w^ork
ceased. That part of the line between Portsmouth and Jackson C. H.,
was completed in 1852, or early in 1853, and the part of the line be-
tween Jackson C. H. and Newark, the northern terminus of the road,
a distance of ninety miles, and which had been surve^'ed and located
by J. W. Webb, chief engineer, was now let. to Seymour, Moore &
Company. This firm consisted of Thomas Seymour, late Chief Engi-
neer of the State of New York, a practical railroader, engineer and
builder ; James Moore of Pennsylvania, who was also an experienced
railroad man, and George A. French of Dunkirk, New York. This
firm sublet the entire line. Ward and Taylor of New York State, took
the tunnel contract near Middletown, and began work upon the same
about the first of April, 1853 ; Fink and Dittoe of Somerset, took three
miles of the line to build, including the deep cut at Somerset. This
firm consisted of Adam Fink and Henry Dittoe. They broke ground on
their contract in Februar\', 1853, and worked a large force of men and
horses for six or eight months, when the\' were compelled to cease by
reason of financial embarrassments. Fink and Dittoe sublet their north-
ern section to John Sheridan, father of Gen. P. H. Sheridan. This
section was finished by Mr. Sheridan. The next eight miles north were
taken by W. S. French & Co. This firm consisted of Walter S.
French of Dunkirk, New York, and T. Spencer Stillman of Wethers-
field, Conn. They commenced work in April, 1853, and employed on
an average about one hundred and sixty men and horses, and completed
and turned over their part of the line in May. 1854. ^- ^^- Mills of the
State of New York, and Samuel Aiken of Penns3lyania. had about
three sections of this light work in the county, which they completed.
James McArdle, late of New Lexington, had a section or two in the
neighborhood of Thornville. The names of a few other sub-contract-
ors are not remembered.
In the tall of 1853, and before the work on the cut at Somerset and
the tunnel at Middletown was anything like completed, Seymour,
Moore &. Co. became greatly embarrassed. They were unable to
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 85
sell their bonds, and failed to pay their sub-contractors on their esti-
mates of work. Some of the sub-contractors suspended work in 1853,
others having m.ore faith worked on until 1854 ; but one b}^ one they
succumbed, until W. S. French & Co., who had taken a" new con-
tract in Vinton county, were the only ones at work along the line, and
they were dependent upon local subscriptions, where they were at
work.
Seymour, Moore & Co. did ever^^thing in their power to retrieve
their fortunes and pa}' their sub-.contractors : the}- negotiated a purchase
of iron sufficient to lay the track of twelve miles between Jackson C. H.
and Ilamden, the latter being on the Cincinnati and Marietta railroad.
It was confidently hoped, that by building this extension of twelve
miles, and forming a junction with the Cincinnati and Marietta rail-
road, that new credit would be secured, and that the bonds of the com-
pany Vv'ould sell at a fair price ; but these hopes were not realized.
With the failure of Seymour, Moore & Co., the Scioto and
Hocking Vallev Company broke down and were unable to pa}^ the in-
terest on bonds, outstanding, and other liabilities. In 1857 the mort-
gagees filed a petition in the Court of Common Pleas of Perry county,
praying for a foreclosure, which was finally accomplished in 1864, J.
W. Webb being special Master Commissioner in the sale of the road,
and the trustees of Arcade Bank at Providence, Rhode Island, became
the purchasers at the sum of four hundred and eleven thousand dollars.
The purchasers at this judicial sale, subsequentl}' sold all of the line
between Portsmouth and the track of the Cincinnati and Zanesville
road in Perr}' county, to the Cincinnati and Marietta Railroad Company.
It is believed that the Arcade Bank would have sold the whole line to
the Cincinnati and Marietta Company, had it not been for the special
efforts and influence of J. W. Webb, who hoped to secure some future
benefit to the original stock subscribers on the northern end of the line.
That part of the line reserved by the trustees of the Arcade Bank, was
held b}' them until December, 1869, when it was sold to the Newark,
Somerset and Straitsville Railroad Compan}^ It must not be supposed
that the Scioto and Hocking Valley Railroad Compan}' did not, be-
tween the 3'ears 1854 '^^^^ 1861, make strenuous efforts to revive their
credit and push on the road to completion. They made mau}^ efforts,
both in this country and Europe, and were on the very point of succeed-
ing through London, England, capitalists, when the country became in-
volved in the great civil war, which suddenly closed all negotiations.
An agent of London capitalists had been sent over here to investigate
the road piopertv and general conditions, and he made a highly favor-
able report ; but it all went for nought when Fort Sumter was fired
upon, large contending armies raised, and Great Britain acknowledged
the Confederate States as a belligerent power.
Nkwakk. Somerset and Straitsville Railroad. — This com-
pau}- was incorporated in 1869, and having purchased so much of the
road-bed of the old Scioto and Hocking Valley as lay between Newark
and the line of the Cincinnati and Muskingum Valley Railroad, pro-
ceeded to business in a short time for the construction of the new road.
Work was begun in a small way, upon the northern end of the line in
86 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
1870, but it was not until the spring of 1871 that work was commenced
on the deep cut in Somerset, the most difiicuk part along the route.
Meanwhile the road liad been leased to the Baltimore and Ohio for a
period of twenty Aears, and the task of its completion was henceforth
pushed with all the energy that capital and skill could command.
Work upon the deep cut at Somerset and the tunnel near Bristol went
on uninterruptedly during the fall of 187 1, and the winter of 1871-72,
and in the latter year the whole line was completed to the town of
Shawnee, the southern terminus of the road.
In making the new road, the old road-bed of the Scioto and Hock-
ing Valley was used from Newark to a point a mile or two north of the
Cincinnati and Muskingum Valley Railroad, whence the new road
turned abruptl}' to the east, running almost parallel with the Cincinnati
and Muskingum Valley track, crossing the same at Wolf Station, (now
the town of Junction City,) then running up a water-course to the tun-
nel, near Bristol, and through it over on to the head-waters of Monday
Creek, and up Shawnee Run to Shawnee, where the road terminates.
The building of this road was instrumental, either wholly or in
great part in the making of the new towns of Glenford, Junction City,
Dicksonton, McCuneville and Shawnee. The road has had a large
coal canying trade ever since its construction, and its passenger busi-
ness has not been inconsiderable.
The sequel proved that J. W. Webb, Esq., was right in his prognos-
tications. Though the stock subscriptions paid to the old Scioto and
Hocking Valle}' Companj' were irrevocably lost, the road-bed resulted
in serving as a basis for the Newark, Somerset and Straitsville, and
brought a railroad to the people of Thorn, Hopewell and Reading
townships, which they might not otherwise have secured, and certainly
not on such t'avorrble terms.
Straitsville Branch of the Hocking Valley. — This is a rail-
way about twelve miles in length, reaching from Old Straitsville and
New Straitsville in Perry count}^ to Logan in Hocking county, where it
intersects the main line of the Hocking Valley. This branch road was
the r-esult of large investments in mineral lands, by several companies,
in the neighborhood of Old Straitsville — New Straitsville not being in
existense at that time. The Railroad Company was incorporated in
1869, and the road constructed and cars running in 1870. It is one of
the most important twelve miles of coal road in the whole country.
The output of coal from New Straitsville has been the largest from any
one point tributary to the Hocking Vallev Railroad, and the passenger
and other freight traffic of the road has been very considerable. One
etfect of this road has been to build up the new and large town of New
Straitsville, and to more than quadruple the population of Old Straits-
ville.
Atlantic and Lake Erie. — When capitalists began to invest their
money in the coal regions of Straitsville and Shawnee, a number of en-
terprising and })ablic spirited citizens of New Lexington, who knew
something oi the geology of the coal measures', and also enlightened by
several openings in the "great vein" on the waters of Sunday Creek,
HISTORY' OF I'EKKV COUNTY. • 87
came to the conclusion that the great seam reached its greatest maxi-
mum in the Sunda^' Creek Valley, and lav in a solid block under the
valleys as well as the hills, and must, therefore, be equal to, if not
superior, to any other coal section of the coimtr\'. These wonderful
coal deposits could be of no great use or value without a railroad to
reach them, and how to accomplish this indispensable object was the
next question. Both a northern and southern outlet was highly desira-
ble, if not absolutel}^ essential. Hence a railroad map of the State was
examined, and it was discovered that there was a section of country
from Toledo to Pomeroy, not already supplied with railroads, to any
great extent, through which a through line might be built, taking in
New Lexington and the great Sunday Creek Valley coal region on its
way. Hence the origin of the Atlantic and Lake Erie Company.
The company was duly organized and incorporated in 1869, and the
towns and country all along the Hue of the proposed road thoroughly
stirred up upon the subject. Stock books were opened everywhere,
and two or three corps of surveyors set to work to explore and locate
the line. Stock was subscribed liberalh', almost all along the line.
The installments necessary to complete the surveys and for other pre-
liminary purposes, were collected and disbursed, and ever3^thing ap-
peared to go on swimmingly.
The first line surveyed from New Lexington north, was through the
townships of Clayton and Madison, of Perr^' county, and by way ot
Brownsville, Licking count} % to Newark ; but there were some heavy
grades on this route, stock subscriptions did not come in very satisfac-
torily, and the city of Newark, especiall}' appeared very lukewarm as
to the success of the great enterprise. Consequently, the surveyors
were put upon the line by the wa}^ of Bremen, Rushville, Pleasantville,
Millersport and Hebron, which left Newark off the line of the road. It
has been stated, and probably with a good foundation, that this demon-
stration was at lirst intended as a feint ; but the people of the eastern
part of Fairfield county received the explorers and surveyors so cor-
dially, and went to work so promptly and raised such liberal amounts of
stock that, together with a favorable report of the surveyors as to this
route, converted the feint into a reality, and secured the great thorough-
fare on this line. Had the road been located and made on the first
route surveyed, it would have accommodated a greater portion of the
people of Perry county, and the change of line, which circumstances
seemed to render imperative, was regretted at the time by the projectors
of the road and nearly all of its friends in this county ; but the directory
builded wnser than they knew, for the new line made a good outlet for
coal to Columbus, which the first proposed line did not, and it w^as the
easy and desirable Columbus outlet that first resurrected the road alter
its unfortunate collapse in 1877-78. Had the road-bed of the Atlantic
and Lake Erie been made on the first surveyed route from New Lex-
ington north, it is possible that the subsequent history and condition of
the road might have been very different from what it novs^ is.
The line was more costly through Perry county than an}' where else,
and the private subscriptions were altogether inadequate to the expense
that must necessarily be incurred. To meet this difficulty a number of
Coal or Mining companies, so called, had been organized and their
88 . IlISTO'i^Y O]'- PJiKK^Y COUNTY.
stock placi'cl upon tlie market. Among them were "The Great Vein
Comjiany/' "The Sunday Creek Valley Company," "The llurd Com-
pany/' and various other ones. These companies suhscribed heavily
to the stock ot the Railroad Company, and as fast as stock was sold, a
large proportion of the mone}^ thus obtained \vas paid to the Railroad
Company, and expended upon the tunnels that had to be made in order
to reach the great vein region.
Ground was "broke'' upon the Atlantic and Lake Erie line at New
Lexington, June 2 2d, 1870. The day was one of great pomp and mag-
niticence. A large meeting was held in Kellev's Grove, at a point now
within the corporate limits. Speeches were made by Charles Follett, of
Newark, Ohio ; D. B. Swigart, of Bucyrus ; Darius Taimadge, of
Lancaster, and by various other gentlemen. Thomas Ewing, Sr., who
had intended to be present and speak, but was unable to attend, sent a
caretully written address, which Was read at the meeting. The meet-
ing was extraordinarih' large, and its proceedings were telegraphed to
leading newspapers in all parts of the country. The ceremou}^ of
"breaking ground" took place precisely where the track is now laid, a
few rods north of Water street. A few weeks later, work was com-
menced upon the tunnel, one and a half miles southeast of New Lex-
ington ; and a little later upon the one at Carter's Summit, near Oak-
lield ; but money was not very abundant,, and the work proceeded
slowly.
Work progressed all along the line from Perry county to Toledo,
during the years of 1871-72 and 1873, and when the great tinancial
panic struck the country, the road-bed was nearl}^ completed trom the
tunnel near New Lexington to the northern terminus of the road. Had
not the financial revulsion come just when it did, the bonds of the
road could doubtless have been sold at a fair price, and it could have
been finished and equipped by its original owners. As it was, strong
efforts were made, and iron bought and laid on a portion of the road,
but all of no avail. The name of the road had meanwhile been
changed to The Ohio Central, but neither this nor the new management
to which the stockholders entrusted its fortunes, rrjade any perceptible
change for the better. The company had one old wheezy engine and
one car, wdiich plied between New Lexington and Moxahala — to which
latter place the road had been hnished in 1874 — irregularly in the years
1875-76 and 77, but at last gave it up altogether, and the old engine
was thrown off the track near the tunnel, where it la}' for a long time, a
monument of the former impecuniosity and bad fortunes of the now
famous and rich thoroughfare, which will soon reach from the Ohio
river to the Lakes, passing nearly through the center of this great State.
The track had been laid by the old Ohio Central Compau}-, tVom
the crossing of the Baltimore and Ohio, west of Newark, to Moxahala,
but only that part between the latter place and New Lexington, had
been put to use, and that, with very insufficient equipments, as stated
above.
The company could not go on with the work, could not dispose of
its bonds, could not meet its outstanding liabilities, and, in March,
1878, the entire property, franchises and privileges of the road, from
Toledo to Pomeroy, were sold at Judicial sale, and thus passed out of
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 89
the hands of the original stockholders forever, property upon which
over tvs^o millions of dollars had been expended. Parties iVom the
East became the purchasers, who sold so much of the road as lies be-
tween Granville, Licking county, and Chauncey, in Athens county, to
a syndicate, who organized a company for the construction of a road
from Columbus to the Sunday Creek Valley, intersecting the Ohio
Central Line, at Bush's Station, Fairfield count3^
Columbus and Sunday Creek Valley. — This company, in the
course of a few months, put the line under contract, and, in the latter
part of 1878, or January '79, the contractors got to work. The princi-
pal job was the tunnel, at Carter's Summit, near Oakfield. This tun-
nel is almost sixteen hundred feet long. Early in 1880, the tunnel and
whole line was finished, and the cars running from Columbus to Corn-
ing. The companj' or syndicate, about this time decided to complete
the entire line Irom liush's station north to Toledo, and changed the
name of the road and cars to The Ohio Central.
Ohio Central. — It is understood that the organization of this new
company included new' men, and heavy capitalists of the East, in ad-
dition to those who had been interested in the Columbus and Sunday
Creek Valley. Work was pushed vigorously along the northern end
of the line, and early in 1881 the cars were running between Corning
and Toledo, as well as between Corning and Columbus, intersecting at
Bush's Station, now Hadley Junction, in Fairfield county.
In the fall of 1880, an extension of the Ohio Central, from Corning,
in Perry, to near Oxford, in Athens county, was begun, and also a
switch, diverging from the main line, six or eight miles in length, up
the west branch of Sunday Creek, to Buckingham and Hemlock, which
extension and switch are both finished, and the cars are running over
them.
The compan}^ has also commenced work upon the southern end of the
road, between Oxford, in Athens county, and Pomeroy, in Meigs count}-,
on the Ohio River, and this extension will be finished during the year
1882, and the cars running regularly between Toledo and Pomeroy,
The Ohio Central Railroad and its predecessors, have made the
towns of Corning, Moxahala, Rendville, Hemlock and Buckingham,
and developed an immense coal trade, in the "Great Vein" Region.
The road now ships about three hundred cars dail}^ and it expects to
ship six hundred or more per day, when more shafts are sunk, and
more mines opened, and a greater number of coal cars, and the requi-
site additional rolling stock added. The passenger traffic is good now,
and will be greatly augmented, wdien the road is completed through to
the Ohio River, and connection made with the southern system of roads,
to the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, which will surely be done.
The Atlantic and Lake Erie, the forerunner of the Ohio Central, was
organized and set on foot b}^ men residing at New Lexington, Peny
county, Ohio. They, of course, sought the counsel and aid of men all
along the line of the proposed road, and in the organization and man-
agement of the several mining companies, w^ithout the aid of which the
road could have made no progress, they solicited and secured the co-
12
go
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
operation of men residing in various parts of the country. Whatevei'
mav be the future success and gigantic operations of tliis great raih^oad,
it is but simple justice to state in tliis vohime, and let the fact pass down
to future generations, that the road had its origin in the minds of New
Lexington men, and was pushed b}^ them with unusual energy,
in the direction of final and complete success, until crushed by the '
great financial revulsion of 1873, which ruined so many enterprises,
and crushed so many people.
The Ohio Central now proposes an extension ot" a branch line from
Rendville or Corning, through Bearfield township, to McConnellsville,
Morgan county. There is also a projected line of railroad from Bre-
men, Fairfield county, by the way of Maxville, Perry County, to
Chauncey, Athens county, to be called the Monday Creek Valley.
The Cleveland, Connotton Valley and Straitsville Railway Company,
also proposes a line from McLuney, or Crooksville, Perry county,
on the Cincinnati and Muskingum Valley, by way of Moxahala,
crossing the Ohio Central here, to Straitsville, or elsewhere in the
"Great Vein" region. A road is also talked of to come by way of
Uniontown, Muskingum county, and Saltillo Rehoboth and New
Lexington, in Perry County, to intersect the "Great Vein" Coal region,
at some point between the Ohio Central and the Newark, Somerset and
Shawnee roads.
It is also thought that a road will be made from Thornport or Glen-
ford in Perry county, by way of Mount Perry and Uniontown, to inter-
sect the Cincinnati and Muskingum Valley, at or near Roseville. There
is also the proposed Bellaire, Shawnee and Cincinnati Railway, which
is designed to pass through the "Great Vein" coal section of Perry
county. New Straitsville, Shawnee and Corning, are all sure to be in
some way united by rail, and other roads, now unthought and undreamed
of, will doubtless make their appearance sometime in the swiftly coming
years. The very desirable and highly valuable coal deposits in Clayton
township, are sure to eventually bring a new road, and the limestone of
Hopewell, Madison, Reading and Clayton, will be in good demand in
the not distant future. Short lines and switches too numerous to be
conjectured, must inevitably be made, as they are gradually demanded,
to reach after the iron ores and coal, situated more or less remote from
the main lines. This state of things wall ultimately make the counry,
and especially the principal mineral sections thereof, a network of rail-
roads, the like of which exists in but few parts of the world.
Since the foregoing was written, the Columbus and Eastern Rail-
way Company, has surveyed a line and placed fifty miles under con-
tract. The surveyed line is by the way of Millersport, Thornport,
Glenford, Chalfant, Mount Perry, Uniontown and Saltillo, to Selby's
Pass, a short distance east of New Lexington. Further than that the
road has not yet been located.
It is also announced on what appears to be good authority, that the
Hurd Iron and Coal Company have decided to build, in the next
eight months, a railroad from McLuney to Buckingham, passing through
the possessions of the Hurd Company.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 9I
I
CHAPTER XII.
POLITICAL MATTERS.
At the time the county of Perry was organized, James Monroe was
serving his hrst term as President, and not long after was re-elected,
practically without opposition. He was, as president, probably the
most universally popular of any man that ever held the office, and dur-
ing his term of service, the old federal party, which had been vigorous
and influential in the earlier days of the Republic, ceased to exist as
an organization, and its light went out. Many of the talented sons of
old Federalists, had united with the Democratic or Republican party of
that day (it was called by both of these names) and when the Presiden-
tial campaign of 1824 came on, all the candidates. Clay, Jackson,
Adams and Crawford, were of this party, held the same political faith,
and the struggle which ensued, though memorable in the history of the
country, was a war of factions, and not between two great political par-
ties, advocating different doctrines upon great public questions. Jack-
son was very popular in this county, and when Adams was elected by
the House of Representatives, though Jackson had the highest electoral
vote, his (Jackson's) popularity and strength increased, and he carried
the county in 1828 and 1832, by good round majorities, and the modern
Democratic party, modern as compared with the parties previous to
1820, became strong and dominant in Perry county.
It should be remembered, however, that the Whig party, by which
name the opposition to Jackson eventually became known, was strong
and powerful in the country, and there was from the beginning to the
dissolution of that organization, a strong and vigilant minority of that
party in this county. Clayton, Madison and Harrison were Whig
townships, and sometimes Reading and Monroe, by small majorities.
Thorn, Jackson, Pike and Saltlick were the heavy Democratic town-
ships, and the others gave small Democratic majorities. This was the
status of political parties in the county from 1828 to 1853, a period of
twenty-five years, and includes the time in which the Whig party lived,
moved and had a being. The Democratic majorit}^ through all these
years was from six to eight hundred.
The year 1854 "^^^ ^^^^ ^^ political changes in Perry county. The
old Whig party was expiring, the Democratic party was, in a measure,
disintegrating, 'the new Republican party was forming, and all this was
complicated by the so-called Know Nothing movement. The result
was, the Democratic and Republican vote was pretty evenl}^ balanced
in the county. In the succeeding year, 1855, Salmon P. Chase, the
Republican nominee for Governor, received a majority of three hun-
dred over his antogonist, Hon. Wm. Medill, who was Governor and a
candidate for re-election. In 1856, James Buchanan, the Democratic
92 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
candidate for President, had a majority of about four hundred over
John C. Fremont, the Republican candidate, while about four hundred
votes were cast for Millard Fillmore, the so-called American candidate.
In 1857, Henry B. Payne, the Democratic nominee for Governor, re-
ceived a majorit\' of about three hundred over Salmon P. Chase, the
Republican noiuinee. From 1859 ^^ ^8^3, the Democrats continued to
carry the county b}' majorities ranging from two to seven hundred. In
1863, when there was a strong soldier vote in the army, John Brough,
the Republican nominee for Governor, received a majorit}^ of one hun-
dred over Clement L. Vallandigham, the Democratic nominee. In
1864 the Republicans carried the county by a small majority at the Oc-
tober election, but in November, George B. McClellan, the Democratic
Candida e for President, received a majorit}' of twenty-live over Abraham
Lincoln, the Republican candidate. In 1865, the Democrats had a ma-
jority of about one hundred on the head of the ticket. The Democratic
majority was gradually increased, and from 1869 to 1881, the Demo-
crats carried the county on general issues by majorities varying from
two hundred to eight hundred. Of late years, the Greenback or Na-
tional party has cast a considerable vote, sometimes aggregating five or
six hundred. The Prohibitionist part}^ has also kept up a small vote,
probably never exceeding one hundred in the county.
Though the Democrats had a majority in the count^^ the Whig lead-
ers who were shrewd and popular men, succeeded in being elected to
many of the local county offices, until county conventions were invent-
ed, or rather imported from the East. This was about 1835. From
this time forward, the Whigs were out maneuvered and overpowered,
and with few exceptions, were obliged to take back seats, and the con-
vention ticket was put through. Thomas J. Maginnis was the first to
make a successful break. He had received the Democratic nomination
and been elected to the office of Prosecuting Attorney in 1841, and was
before the convention for re-nomination in 1843. J. Manly Palmer, a
shrewd Yankee from the East, was also before the Convention, and the
contest was a warm one. Palmer received the nomination b}^ a major-
ity of one or two votes only. This created a tremendous row. Magin-
nis and his friends complained of the improper filling ol vacancies from
Monroe and Saltlick townships, whereb}- Palmer men were seated in
place of Maginnis men. After the convention was over, Palmer and
Maginnis both made speeches outside to large and excited crowds.
Maginnis proclaimed that he was still a candidate, and would go before
the people for endorsement. Thus began one of the most furious polit-
ical contests ever waged in Perry county. The county was canvassed
over and over again b}' both contestants, who were good speakers, and
Palmer was noted as a political wire-puller. Maginnis, in opposition to
the party paper and central committee, made a canvass that surprised
his friends and almost astounded his enemies. He was a splendid political
orator for the times, and would speak for three hours at a stretch. Pal-
mer also did his best, but from the first appeared to be depressed and
apprehensive of failure. Election da}' came, and Maginnis was success-
(ul by a majority of two or three hundred. The Whigs had a candi-
date, Henry Lovell, who received several hundred votes, but the major-
ity of the Whigs voted for Maginnis. It was indeed a memorable local
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 93
canvass. This was onh' an episode, however, and for years the con-
vention ticket was elected. Once, Wm. Spencer, a Whig, was elected
over L. M. Closs for Prosecuting Attorney.
The county seat question finally came in to disturb the political ele-
ments, and convention candidates of dominant parties were not always
elected. The Republicans elected their entire county ticket in 1855,
and again in 1863 ; and these were the only years in which they did so.
In several other years, and as late as 1881, they succeeded in electing
a part of their ticket. The Republicans elected Representatives in
1855 and in 1863, when they also had a majority on the general ticket;
and they elected the Representative in 1879, ^"^ re-elected him in 1881,
when the county was heavily Democratic on the general ticket. No
candidate of a Whig convention was ever elected to that office after
the days of party conventions.
There were speeches by candidates for Congress and others, of
course, previously ; but political campaigns on a large scale came in
with the memorable one of 1840, when General Harrison was the Whig
nominee for President in opposition to Martin Van Biu^en. The Whigs
held a large meeting at Somerset, then the county seat, and the old
hero of Tippecanoe was present and made a speech. Other dis-
tinguished speakers were also there. There was a free dinner, and the
meeting was very large. The dinner was spread, and the speeches
made, in a grove a little south of town, near the place now occupied by
the Sheridan family residence. Some of the Democrats evidently
feared the influence of the presence of the old hero, and induced an
old German soldier of the war of 1812, who probably did not com-
prehend what he was doing, to go before a magistrate and make oath
that he pulled General Harrison out of a hollow log at the battle of
Tippecanoe. This is a specimen of the electioneering done in those
times. The Harrison campaign made some inroads upon the Demo-
cratic party in Perry Countv, and some of those who voted for General
Harrison never returned to their old party, though most of them did.
The Democrats got up a mass meeting at Somerset during this cam-
paign, which was addressed by Allen G. Thurman and John Brough,
two verv able and popular speakers, but. the Court-house held all w4io
came. The Democratic speeches were probably superior to those made
at the great Whig demonstration, but the Democrats were manifestly
pulling against a strong current, which made campaigning hard work.
It is impossible, in words, to give a correct idea of the extraordinary
campaign of 1840. It began before harvest and waged unremitting]}'
imtil the ballots were in the box and the polls closed.
The Presidential campaign of 1844 was also a memorable one in
Perry count}'. The Whigs held their principal meeting of that year at
Rehoboth, then a thriving village, and the chief Whig town of the
county. There was a free dinner, with a roasted ox, etc., in Thrall's
woods, a little south of towm. But for the inclemenc}' of the weather
the demonstration would have reached or surpassed the one at Somerset
four years pre\'ious. The incessant rain, however, dampened the ardor
of the most enthusiastic. It poured down nearlv all day, ceasing for
only a few minutes at a time. Thomas Corwin, Henry Stanberv, and
Philadelph Van Trump, were the orators of the da}-. In consequence
94
HISTORY OF I'ERRY COUNTY.
of the rain the meeting was held in the hirge tobacco warehouse belong-
ing to John Ijams, but it would not hold half the people. Large delega-
tions were present from Somerset, Uniontown, and other places, a
twenty-four horse team being one of the attractions. The meeting
inside the warehouse was orderly enough, but outside all was uproar.
The Whig rowdies had possession of the grog shops during the greater
part of the day, but toward evening the Democrat roughs outnumbered
their antagonists and took possession. One man became raving wild
by intoxication, and attempted to kick and knock to pieces the siding
of an old house in which he was placed for safekeeping, and had finally
to be tied down with a rope. The extreme inclemency of the day, no
doubt, was the cause of much of the drinking and consequent riotous
conduct. Had the weather been favorable the political demonstration
would have been a grand one.
The Democrats held the principal meeting of the presidential cam-
paign of 1844 at New Lexington, which was addressed by Hon. William
Allen, David Tod, and Hon. Isaac Parish. Allen was United States
Senator, Tod was the Democratic nominee for Governor, and Parish
for Congress.
This meeting was held in Skinner's Grove, adjacent to town, on the
south side. The day was fair, and there was a large assemblage.
Allen and Tod made long and characteristic speeches. They rode in
an open carriage along the crowded streets, and Tod continually smiled
and bowed to the people on either side. Allen sat bolt upright, and
looked neither to the right nor to the left. The whole demonstration
was a quiet one, compared with the Whig display at Rehoboth.
The Presidential campaigns v( 1848 and of 1852, were quiet affairs
in comparison with those of 1840 and 1844. In 1852, the Whigs let the
count}' go almost by default. Hon. William Dennison, candidate for
Whig State Elector, was announced to speak at Somerset, but he did
not come, and the meeting was addressed by Hon. Wm. E. Finck and
Charles Borland. The court house was not one-third full, and the
meeting was very dull. The Democrats did a little better, both at
Somerset and New Lexington. The}^ raised a pole at the former place,
and Hon. S. S. Cox made a speech. An eloquent Irish orator from
Baltimore, Md.. spoke at New Lexington, and also at Somerset. The
canvass however was a tame one.
The Presidential Canvass of 1856 was a more lively one. especially
on the part of the new Republican party. A large mass meeting was
held at New Lexington, and also at Somerset. There was disappoint-
ment at both places, on account of speakers, but the people were pres-
ent.
At the New Lexington lueeting there was a band of young
ladies dressed in white, one for each State. The one who represented
Kansas was dressed in deep mourning, and carried a small white flag,
with a deep black border ; the others carried white flags with the name
of the State which they represented inscribed thereon. Later in the
campaign, there was a great Republican rally at Somerset. Large del-
egations attended it from New Lexington and other places. The dele-
gation h'om New Lexington was headed by a procession of ladies on
horseback. The several delegations united at a point south of town,
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY
95
and preceded by a band of music, marched through the principal streets,
making quite a display-
The Democrats of the county also made a great effort, and with a
better success : of the speakers, Ex-Governor Medill, Judge Whitman
and others spoke at New Lexington, and later in the canvass, Allen
G. Thurman, David Tod and H. J. Jewett all spoke from the same
stand at the east end of the old court house, at Somerset. This was a
strong array of speaking talent, but the meeting was not an unusuall}'
large one. Thurman also spoke at night, and remained over the next
day (Sunday) with his sister, the wife of Rev. Cornelius Remensny-
der, then pastor of the Lutheran church, at Somerset.
The campaign of i860 was conducted with considerable energ}- by
both parties, and large meedngs were held at New Lexington, Somer-
set and other places. Hon. John Sherman and Hon. Valentine B.
Horton spoke at the New Lexington meeting. Judge D. K. Cartter,
and Horton spoke at the Somerset meeting. The "Wide Awakes," or
"Sons of Abraham," as they were called in this county, were out in
great force in both places.
Henry B. Payne and other speakers addressed a Democratic Mass
Meeting at New Lexington, and meetings were also held at Somerset,
Thornville and elsewhere. The Republicans made the most noise and
greatest display. The Breckenridge and Lane, and Bell and Everett
forces were weak, and made no demonstration.
The campaign of 1864, ^'^^ conducted with considerable vigor by
both parties, but the people were tired out by the war, which was then
raging with great fury, and the so-called mass meetings were not very
largel}^ attended, though many were held at New Lexington, Straits-
ville, Somerset and other places.
In the campaign of 1868, the county was thoroughly canvassed by
both parties, and many small meetings held. The so-called mass
meetings, held at the principal towns, were failures, as compared with
those of more exciting years.
The Presidential campaign of 1872 was one of very considerable
activity. Large meetings were held in the principal towns, and a very
spirited canvass was made by both the leading parties. Each party had
at New Lexington a large company of uniformed and well trained men.
with oil and lamps for night parade, and the}^ paraded the streets on
various occasions. Large meetings, processions and parades, were the
order of the time. Day and night meetings were held in nearly everv
township in the county.
The canvass of 1876 was not so noisy as that of 1872, but both par-
ties worked with their accustomed energy, and man^- speeches were
made in various parts of the county. It was not a campaign, however,
for great central mass meetings.
That of 1880 was a comparatively tame affair, compared with al-
most any of its predecessors. Both parties found it difficult to organize
clubs, or keep up meetings, and, in some places, wdiere clubs had been
organized, they were abandoned, even before the October election.
As a political campaign among the people, it was insipid and spiritless.
The shouts for either Garfield or Hancock, were few and far between,
though a tolerable full vote was polled.
g6 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
There were some gubernatorial and congressional canvasses of such
exceptional interest as to be worth}' of record. The first gubernatorial
campaign of the Republican party, in 1855, is one of them. Wm.
Medill was Governor, and had been nominated by the Democrats for
re-election. Salmon P. Chase was put in nomination by the newly
organized and only half disciplined Republican party. Medill was a
good, strong man, against whom nothing personal could be urged.
Chase was a giant, but his strength was not generally known. His
nomination had been opposed in the State Convention by delegates
from Perry county, and his candidacy was not over well received. He
made a very thorough canvass of the State, but did not visit this
(Perry) county. William H. Gibson, however, addressed two large
meetings here, and, on both occasions, made powerful efforts in behalf
of the new Republican party. Samuel Medary and Governor Medill
came to the county and spoke for the Democrats, but neither of them
in oratory and eloquence, could cope with Gibson. The county
wheeled into the Republican column and gave Chase three hundred
majority. Two years later, in 1857, Mr. Chase personally visited the
county and spoke to a large meeting at Somerset, and also at New
Lexington, remaining over night at the latter place. PI. B. Payne, the
Democratic candidate, however, received a majority in the county of
three hundred and thirty, making a change of over six hundred in two
years.
The congressional campaign of 1862 was a most remarkable one,
so far as relates to Perry county. Carey A. Trimble was the Republi-
can, and William E. Finck the Democratic candidate. Trimble person-
ally visited and spoke in every township in the county, and had good
meetings almost everywhere. At some points they were very large. It
was the county of Mr. Finck's residence, and he canvassed it well, but
not so thoroughly as Mr. Trimble did. Trimble labored as long and as
earnestly, as though he had a prospect of being elected, which he had
not. The county gave an increased Democratic majority, but it would
have been still further increased, had it not been for the earnest and
persistent efforts of Mr. Trimble.
The gubernatorial canvass of 1863, in the midst of the war, wherein
John Brough was the Republican candidate and Clement L. Vallan-
digham the Democratic candidate, is distinguished as being the most
exciting one that ever occurred in the county. Before either party had
made nominations, Mr. Vallandigham had been invited to speak at
Somerset. He came and addressed what many regard as the largest
political assemblage ever convened in the county. It was, indisputably,
a great demonstration, and was one of the events that indicated the
rising popularity of Vallandigham with his part}-, and his probable
nomination for Governor.
Previous to the assembling of the Republican State Convention,
Governor Tod had received and accepted an invitation to attend a
Fourth of July celebration at Somerset. Between the time of the ac-
ceptance of his invitation and the anniversary, the Republican State
Convention had been held and John Brough substituted for Tod at the
head of the ticket. Governor Tod was a little chagrined, as well he
might be, under the circumstances, for most of the Perry county dele-
HISTORY OF I'ERRV COUN'i'V. g7
gates had voted tor Brough ; Ijut true to his promise. Tod came on ac-
cording to appointment. A committee of arrangements, with the de-
sign of meeting the Governor some distance from town with an escort,
wrote to ascertain at what time he would arrive, and on which road he
would come. He promptly replied, snubbing the committee, and ex-
pressing his ability to get into town without so much trouble. He came
to Tiiornville the evening of the 3d of July, remained there over night,
and the result was that when he reached Somerset in a private conve}'-
ance, nobody knew who he was, and he had visited a barber shop, and
was in town some considerable time before his presence was known.
The meeting was held in Parkinson's grove, and was a very large
atTair. Gov. Tod and T. J. Maginnis spoke at length in the forenoon,
then the meeting was dismissed to partake of the basket dinner. A
most remarkable thing followed. The da}- had been extremely warm,
the sky clear, and the sun had been shining brightly. The people had
scattered through the grove, and most of them had finished their din-
ner, when, with the sun shining through the tree tops, and no sign of a
cloud anywhere, a few large drops of rain began to fall. The gentle
falling of these drops continued for several minutes, and was enjoyed
by all, for the heat had been oppressive. But after a little while the
rain increased, and at last came harder and faster, until it seemed to
pour down in torrents ; and in less than ten minutes there could not
have been a dry stitch in the large assemblage. The people were com-
pletely drenched. For half an hour the rain continued, and when the
shower was over, the people, men, women and children, were a sight
to behold. Many of the ladies were dressed in white, and all looked
as though they had just emerged from a bath at Saratoga or Cape May.
The afternoon speeches were never heard. There was another remark-
able thing connected with this meeting. While Maginnis was speak-
ing, before noon, or just about noon, he announced that some one had
just told him "Grant had taken Vicksburg," and "• Meade had whipped
Lee like the devil at Gett3^sburg." This news had come by the " grape
vine line," so often heard of during the war ; for Somerset was not then
a railroad town, and had no telegraph.
In the latter part of August, of the same 3'ear, Judge Backus of
Cleveland spoke to a large crowd in the coin-t house ^-ard at New Lex-
ington. On the tenth of September, John Brough, John Sherman and
T. J. Maginnis, addressed an immense mass meeting in " Fowler's
Grove," near New Lexington. The people came in long processions,
with banners flying and drums beating. A large procession of ladies
on horseback met and escorted most of the delegations into town. The
meeting itself was highly enthusiastic. The Democrats had also an
overwhelming meeting in this grove in September, addressed by Hon.
Daniel Voorhees and other distinguished speakers. The delegations
made their preparations wath great labor and not a little expense. A
number of huge conveyances on wheels, constructed for the occasion,
and other novelties were features of the great procession which moved
through the principal streets of the town and out to the grove. A large
number of ladies on horseback headed the procession.
Early in October of the same year, Benjamin F. Wade spoke for
three hours to a large concourse of people at Somerset, in the edge of
C^8 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
an old orchard on the site of John Fink's tavern of long ago. Wade
came through in a private conveyance, and was in his best mood. It
had rained in the morning, but the afternoon was unusually nice and
pleasant. No reporters were present, but persons who were somewhat
familiar with the old Senator, said that it was one of the greatest efforts
of his life. Political friends and enemies alike stood for three hours
and heard him through.
Col. McGroarty also spoke at various places in the county during the
canvass, and meetings were held in all the townships by both parties.
The visit to a little county like Perry, in a single political campaign,
of Senator Wade, Senator Sherman, Gov. Tod, John Brough, C. L.
Vallandigham, Dan. Voorhees and Col. McGroarty, to say nothing of
other speakers more or less distinguished, is certainly very remarkable.
Considered altogether, it will not be seriously questioned that the gub-
ernatorial campaign of 1863 was the most noted one that the county of
Perr}^ ever knew% and has seldom if ever been surpassed by any in
other counties of the State.
The gubernatorial canvass of 1867 was also one of great interest.
The Republicans had taken an advanced position favoring negro suff-
rage, and they felt that they must work hard to maintain their ground.
Ex-Governor Dennison and Gen. Moses B. Walker spoke in August at
New Lexington, in the little park at the public square. Robert C.
Schenck and William H. Gibson spoke later in the public square at
Somerset. Schenck and Gibson were men very unlike, but together
made a strong team. Later still, and early in October, Gibson, and A.
S. McClure of Wooster, spoke at New Lexington, in a little grove near
the depot, to a very large crowd.
The Democrats had a large rall}^ at the little public park, in New
Lexington, where speeches were delivered by Allen G. Thurman, the
Democratic candidate for Governor, Hon. H. J. Jewettand Hon.Wm. E.
Finck. Numerous other meetings were held throughout the county. It
was a spirited campaign on the part of the Democrats, and they succeeded
in making a very considerable gain over the vote of the preceding year.
In the Congressional canvass of 1864, William E. Finck was the
Democratic candidate, and Job. E. Stevenson, the Republican candi-
date. Finck resided in Perry, and Stevenson in Ross. Stevenson was
one of the most eloquent speakers in the State, and spoke to large au-
diences in New Lexington, Straits ville, Somerset and various other
places. Mr. Finck, also a trained and popular orator, did not, of course,
neglect his own county. It it is not often that two better speakers are
pitted against each other, in a Congressional race. The result of the
election was a little curious. Stevenson received a small majority in
Perry, his opponent's own county, and it was the only one that he carried.
Perr}^ has had only four terms in Congress, since the organization
of the county. Two, in the person of Gen. Thomas Ritchey, of Mad-
ison township, and two by Wm. E. Finck, of Reading. Ritchey was
first elected in the old Perry, Morgan and Washington district, and af-
terwards in the district composed of Perry, Fairfield, Athens, Hocking,
Vinton and Meigs. Finck was twice elected in the district composed
of Perry, Fairfield, Pickaway, Ross, Hocking and Pike. The county has
never had an elective State officer, nor a Court of Common Pleas Judge.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 99
CHAPTER XIII.
THE MILITARY IN TIME OF PEACE.
The war with the Indians in Ohio and Indiana, subsequent to the
close of the revolution, and the bloody part that the red man took in
the war of 1812, was inducement enough to cause the emigrants in
what is now Perr}'^ county, Ohio, as well as elsewhere, to keep and
guard well their trusty rifles, and learn to use them in squads and com-
panies, in case emergencies might arise. Hence, with or without
statute requirements, many of the pioneers organized into military com-
panies, and had their place and times of regular drill. The uniform of these
early military companies, was the ordinary hunting shirt of the times,
and a fur cap. The men were armed with a rifle gun, usually of large
bore and long range. These hunting suits were gotten up with consid-
erable care, and made quite a nobby dress. As a military uniform,
they corresponded with the times and surroundings, and were both pic-
turesque and handsome. There was one or two of these companies
about Rehoboth, and New Lexington ; the same number about Somer-
set and Overmyertown, (New Reading). The hunting shirt, when new
and bright, was worn to church, and man}^ of the elder sons of the
first settlers, wore this comfortable garment, trimmed with variegated
homespun fringe, when they called upon their sweethearts on Sunday
evenings, and afterwards were married in the same suit.
These hunting shirt companies, as they were called, lasted some ten
or twelve years, when the times required a change. A law had also been
enacted authorizing the organization of Light Infantry companies, which
were armed with heavy flint lock muskets, with bayonets attached, at
the expense of the State. Some of the old rifle companies re-organized
under the new^law, and were furnished with the State arms ; other new
companies were organized and equipped in accordance with the provis-
ions of the new military law.
The Perry Guards declined to organize under the new order, and
stuck to their old arms, the common domestic rifle. The members of this
company lived mostly in Clayton and Harrison townships. The Perry
Guards became known and spoken of as the "Old Rifle Company."
It mustered for ten or twelve years along with the Light Infantr}' and
Militia. The company laid aside the hunting shirt uniform however,
and adopted a suit of mingled white and red, that was very showy and
quite comfortable in the summer season, but would not do so well in cool
weather.
Under the new State law, authorizing the Light Infantry and furnishing
arms, there were organized and equipped, the Somerset Guards, Reading
Guards, Thornville Guards, National Guards, New Lexington Guards,
Rehoboth Guards, Jackson Guards, and possibly others. Each com-
lOO HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
paiu' had a ditrerent imilbrm. They had their regular da3's lor drill,
and, once a year, were required to meet and muster as a battalion or
regiment, though there was probably never a sufficient number of com-
panies for a full authorized regiment. Somerset, New Lexington and
Rehoboth, were the usual places for battalion or regimental muster.
These companies were never thoroughly drilled, but, nevertheless,
with their varied unilorms, drums beating, flags waving, and bayonets
glistening in the sunshine, they made a tine display on battalion or reg-
imental parade.
A militar}' company called the Keokuks was organized at Somerset,
about 1842 or 43, which adopted a nice black uniform, with black caps,
trimmed with ostrich plumes. The company, under command of Capt.
Fletcher Noles, became very proficient in drill, and was the nucleus of
several companies, of like uniforms, that were organized in the county,
or reorganized trom old ones, tbrming a battalion, which lasted several
years. According to the amended military laws, these companies were
required to hold a two days camp muster, which they did, one year at
least, in Ma3^'s woods, one mile south of Somerset. There was a gen-
eral collapse of the Military in 1849. "Tl^e Corn Stalk Militia had col-
lapsed several years previous.
In accordance with a statute enacted at an early date, all male mem-
bers between the ages of eighteen and fortv-flve, who were not mem-
bers ot volunteer companies, were required to be enrolled, organized
into companies, and drill two days each year ; for company muster, on
the flrst Friday of September, and for regimental muster, on Wednes-
day after the second Monday of the same month.
The militia of Perry were organized into two regiments. The men
of militar}^ ^.ge, of Reading, Thorn, Hopewell and Madison townships,
constituted one regiment, and those of Pike, Clayton, Harrison, Bear-
field, Monroe, Saltlick, Monday Creek and Jackson, made up another.
The regimental muster of the former, was held yearly at Somerset,
the latter at New Lexington. The company musters were held in the
several townships. When the militia was first organized, every man
that could, obtained and carried a domestic rifle on drill days, but the
number of rifles in the ranks yearly grew less, and the corn stalks more,
until the time came when there was scarcely riflemen enough for guard
duty.
The regimental muster days of the militia weic-, nevertheless, red
letter days for many, and in addition to eight hundred or a thousand
militia men, there was a' large assemblage of spectators. Early in the
morning of muster days, the clans would begin to gather. Guns or no
guns, there was always martial music, and plenty of it. The man who
could beat the long roll the best, w^as the admired of the hour. At ten
o'clock sharp, the Captains w^ould form their companies upon the village
green. Regimental and staft' officers, sitting on restive steeds, with
plumes waving, drawn swords and scabbards rattling, proceed to form
the regimental line. The several companies receive their orders,
file out on to a principal street, and take their appointed place in the
line. The columns close up, the men being rather ilensely formed in sec-
tions of four, six or eight. At last all is readv. 'l^lie music is ordered
to strike up, and the colonel gets in his heaviest work ot the day. Ris-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. lOI
ing straight up in the stirrups, he opens his mouth, and in clarion
tones, calls out "Attention the Regiment! Forward March!" and the
grand column moves along. As the regiment countermarches,
the corn stalk militiamen get in their jokes as they pass and
repass each other. The regiment is marched out of town, to a
convenient held, where the militia spend the day in ranks, except
an hour of recess for dinner. About four P. M., the regiment is march-
ed back to town, where it is dismissed by companies, somewhere again
on the village green. The officers of the militia, as w^ell as those of the
^'olunteer companies, were required to meet once a year for camp mus-
ter, which ^^'as usually' held at Somerset. This was designed as a sort
of Military school. The laws requiring militia muster, were repealed
about 1842 or 1843, and the business collapsed.
There were tw^o companies of Cavalry in the county, at an early da}^
and for a great manj-^^ears. One of these belonged to the north, and
the other to the south end of the county. The members of these com-
panies were unitbrmed, and carried immense swords and pistols. These
accoutrements would, be great curiosities, if preserved until this day.
Some of the old swords and pistols are, like enough, in existence at
this time.
There was a universal collapse of all military companies in the
county, about 1849 or 1850, so that in 1853, when the "Hippodrome
War" broke out, military companies from other counties had to be call-
ed upon to quell the disturbance.
There was a companj- organized at New Lexington, in 1857 or 1858,
but it did not last long.
There was one organized at Straitsville, in i860, but nearly all of its
members went into the war in 1861, and the home company was dis-
banded.
A company was organized at New Lexington in 1862, which in 1863
reorganized as one of the National Guard.
The orij^anization of the National Guard was authorized bv enact-
ment of Legislature in 1861-62, and in a few^ months, seven or eight
companies thereof were organized and e'quipped in Perr}^ county ; one
at Somerset, one at New Reading, one at New Lexington, one
at Oaktield, one at Straitsville, one at Maxville and one in
Clayton and Madison townships. They all wore the army blue
and were equipped by the State. They w^ere required to drill
at stated times, in time of peace. They were all called into active
service in 1864, an account of which is given in another chapter.
Soon after the close of the war, the militar}^ laws were again chang-
ed, and the National Guard Companies disbanded, and for ten years
there was no organized military company in the county. It was, of
course, full of citizen soldiers, who had proved their valor, b}^ long, ac-
tive and faithful service, where hardships and dangers were the common
lot. But, as previousl}- stated, there was no organized bod}- of military
in the covmty.
The Ewing Guards were organized early in 1876, and made their
hrst public appearance, uniformed, armed and well drilled, on the fourth
of Jul}', 1876, to participate in a Centennial Celebration. The Captain,
T. J. Smith, had been a boy soldier in the w^ar of the Rebellion, and
I02 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
had seen and taken part in many of its deadliest battles, including Get-
tysburg. The First Lieutenant, J. M. Holmes, had been in the war,
and an inmate of Southern prisons. Several of the non-commissioned
officers and privates, had also seen the hardest of military service ; but
many of the members of the company were boys, or quite young men,
who could remember but dimly, if at all, the stirring and alarming
scenes of 1861.
The Ewing Guards have been very faithful in drill, and prompt to
appear on all public occasions. They are reqviired by the law to spend
a week in camp muster every year. They camped at Thornport in
1877, Zanesville, in 1878-79, Newark in 1880, Lakeside, on Lake Erie,
in 1881, and last at Coshocton, in August, 1882. The Company was
called into active service in the "Corning War," an account of which
is given in another place. The name has latel}^ been changed, and the
company is now called the New Lexington Guards.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. I03
CHAPTER XIV.
THE WAR OF l8l2 AND MEXICAN WAR.
The War of 1812. — At the time of this war, Perry had no existence,
and the townships afterwards incorporated into Perry, were but thinly
settled, several of them being entirely unsettled. The principal settle-
ments were in Thorn, Reading, Hopewell and Madison. Very few
persons were living in Jackson, Clayton, and Bearfield townships, and,
at the breaking out of the war, Pike, the township in which New Lex-
ington is situated, had but one settler, a bachelor, John Fowler. But
what is now the county, furnished its quota of troops. They were most-
1}^ assigned to companies organized in Fairfield or Muskingum counties,
several of them serving under Captain Sanderson, of Lancaster. They
were sent to the northern part of the State, and served with the army
operating along the Canadian frontier. Some of them were at Hull's
ignominious surrender. Others served under Generals Scott and Cass.
But most of them were assigned to General Harrison, and sent to Fort
Meigs, which withstood two memorable sieges ; and where the British and
Indians combined, failed to dislodge the brave men who defended it.
The besieged soldiers lost seriously, in killed and wounded, and endur-
ed almost incredible hardships and privations, but the fort was held.
John Fowler, the solitary inhabitant of Pike township, when the war
broke out. went to the army, serving two terms as a substitute for draft-
ed men, and paid the government for his land with money earned in the
militar}^ service. Mr. Fowler afterward married and raised five sons,
all of whom served in the Union Arm}^ during the Rebellion. The old
original settler of the township lived to be quite aged, and died only a
few years since. His gun and fishing rod were the companions of his
old age ; and only a short time previous to his death, it was a common
occurence to see him in the dusk of the evening wending his way home-
ward with a bunch of squirrels or a string of fish.
John Lidey, a soldier of the war of 18 12, became a prominent man
in the county, was frequently elected to office, and was a member of
the Constitutional Convention of 1851. He had also been State Sena-
tor and Representative.
The soldiers of the war of 18 12, of this county, as far as known, are
now all dead. The last one, Henry Hazletcn, of Saltlick township, died
only about three years ago.
The war checked emigration to the county for several 3'ears, and in
fact seriously afiected the whole country. After peace was declared,
what is now Perry county began to fill very rapidly, and the question
of a new county was pressed upon the people and legislature, and the
act finally passed in December, 1817.
I04 HISTORY OF PEKRY COUN'J^V.
The War with Mexico. — When Congress formall}' declared that
" War existed by the act ot Mexico," and Ohio was called on for its
quota of troops, early steps were taken in Perry count}' for the raising
of volunteers. Fletcher Noles of Somerset, who had been captain of
an independent military company, known as the Keokuks, in time of
peace, was very active and zealous in recruiting ; and being considered
a good and efficient military man, was, when the company was raised,
duly elected and commissioned Captain. Isaac De Long, a lawyer,
also of Somerset, assisted in recruiting the company, and became Lieu-
tenant. Men were enlisted from all parts of the count}^, but principally
from the neighborhood of Somerset, then tlie county seat. The two
militia regiments of Perry county were to assemble and parade at Som-
erset, and also all the volunteer companies of the county, for the pur-
pose of being harangued on the war question, with a view of getting
volunteers tor active service in the army. The militia were massed in
a solid square in Dittoe's woods, west of town, and John Lidev, the
Major General, seated on a spirited charger, made a fervent and char-
acteristic speech, urging the militia-men to volunteer and tight for their
countr}^. A creditable number of volunteers was obtained that day.
After the dismissal of the militia, Daniel Humphreys of Newark, John
H. O'Neill of Somerset, and others, harangued the masses in the court-
house square. It was late in the evening before the people dispersed to
their homes. Volunteering continued, and Captain Noles completing
his enlistments, marched the men to Zanesville, where they went into
camp on Putnam Hill. Here a number of recruits were obtained and
the company fully organized. After several days' drill, the company
left camp, went aboard a boat, and sailed down the Muskingum and
Ohio to Cincinnati, where it was assigned and organized as Company
" H " of the Third O. V. I., under the command of Colonel Curtis of
Mount Vernon, Ohio. After remaining in Cincinnati a short time, the
troops descended the Ohio and Mississipi rivers to New Orleans, where,
alter a few da3's, they embarked for the mouth of the Rio Grande.
They landed at Poin Isabel, and went into camp. After a short time
the regiment was ordered up the river to Matamoras, where it went in-
to camp, and did garrison duty for several months. Then it was or-
dered to Camargo, where it remained awhile, and then was ordered to
Monterey, and afterward to Buena Vista. The regiment was not in the
battles of Monterey or Buena Vista. These battles occurred while the
Third regiment was yet stationed at Matamoras. After remaining for
some time at Buena Vista and neighborhood, the regiment was ordered
to march to Matamoras. Its term of service having expired, it was
soon sent home. It took boats at Matamoras lor New Orleans, which
place was reached safely in due time. There the men were mustered
out, paid and discharged. The men had been in no pitched battle, but
they had seen guerillas enough and endured many hardships. There
was much sickness and several deaths in Captain Noles' company. A
number died after reaching home, from disease contracted while in the
service.
The war continued, and the government was calling tor more volun-
teers. Warren Filler and Thomas Ross, w4io had been with Captain
Noles' company in the first year of the war, went to work and enlisted
historV of perky county. 105
a company for another year's service. A few of the members of the
company were from Hocking and other counties. Warren Filler be-
came Captain and Thomas Ross a Lieutenant. The company rendez-
voused at Somerset, and then marched to Lancaster, where they went
aboard a canal boat, which took them to Portsmouth. At Cincinnati
they joined the reorganized Third Regiment O. V. I., and went down
the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans. From this city the
regiment embarked for Vera Cruz, on the coast of Mexico. They were
with the column under General Scott, but the regiment with others was
detailed to guard posts and keep open the line of communication. Con-
sequently, Captain Filler's company did not participate in any of the
pitched battles, but had numerous encounters with guerilla troops. Af-
ter the fall of the Mexican capital, the regiment to which the Perry
companjr belonged, was ordered up and stationed awhile at the capital
and in the neighborhood, doing camp and guard duty, and looking after
guerrillas. But peace came, and the regiment was ordered home. It
marched back to Vera Cruz and took a vessel for New Orleans, where
the troops were paid and. discharged. The Perry county company left
behind them a number of dead comrades, whose dust reposes beneath
the sod of the now friendly Republic. Others came home sick and dis-
eased, some of whom died in consequence, in a short time, and others
never fully recovered.
At the time of the war, Mexico seemed a great way ofT, and going-
there ''to soldier," appeared like going out of the world. The mili-
tary service there was no play. Fighting the Mexicans on their own
soil, was in many cases a serious undertaking. The sanguinary battles
of Monterey, Buena Vista, Cerro Gordo, and the struggles around the
Capital, showed that the Mexican soldiers were no cowards, though
they could not compete with the United States troops.
Many soldiers from Perry served in other companies than those
named, but they were also in other regiments, and their services can-
not be traced except to record the fact that they participated in several
of the important battles of the war, which not only secured Texas to
us, but gave other large accessions of territory.
14
I06 HISTORY OF PERKY COUNTY
CHAPTER XV.
THE WAR OF THE REBELLION.
All through the winter of 1860-61, the country here as elsewhere,
was in a feverish state of excitement, consequent upon the dissatisfac-
tion existing in many of the Southern Stares, and their avowed inten-
tion of secession. Such action, when carried to its logical conclusion,
could only end in civil war ; consequently, the minds of the people were
in some degree prepared for the intelligence that Fort Sumter had been
fired upon, and that war had actually begun.
Sunday, April, 1861, was a dark day, as the wires told of the bom-
bardment of Sumter by the rebel forces under Beauregard, and the
final surrender of Major Anderson and the brave men under his* com-
mand. The attack startled and alarmed the people like the ringing of
fire-bells in the night. Monday morning brought the news of Presi-
dent Lincoln's Proclamation for volunteers ; and soon after came word
of the firing on the Sixth Massachusetts, as it was marching through
Baltimore, on its way to defend the beleaguered National Capital, and
the death of two or three of its men. " Handle the bodies tenderly,"
telegraphed Governor Andrew ; " Give them every needful care and at-
tention, and all expenses will be paid by the Commonwealth of Massa-
chusetts." These words were read out at New Lexington as well as in
almost every other telegraph office in the land, and at once introduced
to the people everywhere, the great and popular war Governor of the
East.
Lyman J. Jackson, Prosecuting Attorne}^ of Perry county, who had
not been a supporter of President Lincoln in the contest of the preced-
ing 3^ear, asked and obtained leave of Governor Dennison to enlist a
company, in compliance with the proclamation of the President. A
muster roll was made out and a meeting held at the Court House at
night. Speeches were made by Mr. Jackson and W. H. Free, after
which they signed their names to the muster roll. Other speeches were
made, and other names secured to the roll. The next morning enlist-
ing still went on. Volunteers began to flock in from Somerset, Straits-
ville, and other parts of the county. Meetings were held at the Court
House almost every day and night. Judge Whitman, of Lancaster,
came over and made a memorable two hours speech at the Court House,
urging the right and necessity of maintaining the integrity of the Union
at every hazard and to the last extremity.
In a few days, the roll of the military company was full, and the
enlisted men assembled at New Lexington and elected Lyman J. Jack-
son, Captain; Wm. H. Free, First Lieutenant, and Benjamin S. Shir-
ley, Second Lieutenant. The company after organization, remained
at New Lexington several days ; the men were constantly drilled by the
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. IO7
Captain and Lieutenants, and other persons. A large quantity of red
flannel was purchased, and a shirt made for each man of the compan}-.
The ladies met at the Court House, and with shears, needles, thimbles,
and sewing machines, soon had all the garments completed. These,
when donned by the boys, and worn without coats or vests, made quite
a striking uniform. The weather was warm, and the company was
drilled, dressed in this style, and, when oft' duty, the boys walked
about the streets, or stood in groups, clad in the same novel and pic-
turesque costume. The sound of the fife and drum was almost inces-
sant, and the very air appeared to be full of the pomp, grandeur and
circumstance, if not the woes and horrors of war. The town was full
of people from the country, mostly the friends and relatives of the
volunteers. One Sunday was spent in New Lexington after organiza-
tion. It was passed in drill and warlike preparations, very much the
same as other days, with the exception that on the green, in front of
the M. E. Church, at the regular hour of service. Rev. L. F. Drake
preached to the soldiers and people from the text : "In the name of the
Lord we will raise up our banners." A copy of the New Testament
was here presented to each member of the military company. Take it
all in all, this was the strangest and most memorable Sabbath ever
spent in the town.
Captain Jackson's company was ordered to report at Camp Ander-
son. Lancaster, Ohio, at which place it was mustered into the service
for three months, as Company E of the Seventeenth O. V. I. A very
large crowd was present at the depot when the boys left for Lancaster,
and the scene was truly a memorable one. The boys gave a long, con-
tinued cheer, as the cars moved away. The regiment was soon after
ordered to join the forces under General McClellan, then operating in
Western Virginia." The members of Company E first stepped upon
the "sacred soil" at Benwood, opposite Bellaire, and were successively
stationed at Clarksburg, Grafton, Buckhannon, and other neighboring
towns ; and barelv escaped being in the battle of Rich Mountain. Just
before this battle. General McClellan called for the Seventeenth Ohio,
but the regiment had been divided and separated, and when that fact
was reported to him, he ordered the Nineteenth Ohio in its place,
which regiment was engaged in the battle. Company E participated
in a number reconnoissances, and a memorable expedition to Ravens-
wood. The compan}^, in connection with others of the Seventeenth,
was engaged in breaking up rebel camps and recruiting stations, and
driving recruiting officers out of that part of Virginia. In this way it
did good service. They were in a number of skirmishes, and on one
occasion encountered a force under O.Jennings Wise, son of Governor
Wise, and worsted it. Young Wise was glad to get awa}'. On one of
these scouting expeditions. Lieutenant Free and a detachmant captured
a number of influential and active rebels who were taken to Camp
Chase under Free's charge, and consigned to the military prison there.
In a number of ways, these three months men did effective service.
At the expiration of about four months, instead of three, as enlisted
for, the Seventeenth regiment was withdrawn from the field, and mus-
tered out at Camp Goddard, Muskingum county. These raw troops
returned to their homes bronzed, fatigued, and almost worn out by the
I08 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
service ; but no deathvS or casualties occurred in the company from
Perry county. A majority of the company soon after enhsted in three
year regiments, and served in all parts of the country, where the war
waged. The men of the old original Company E are dead or widely
sundered now. Of the hundred men or over, who marched down the
hill to the depot on that April day in 1861, probably less than a dozen
could now be mustered together in Perry county. The living are
widely scattered, but man}- are dead, and their graves are about as
widely separated as the abodes of the living.
The following is a correct copy of the muster roll of the Company :
Officers — Lyman J. Jackson, Captain ; William H. Free, First
Lieutenant; Benjamin S. Shirley, Second Lieutenant.
Ser^jfeants — Oliver Eckles, William S. Briijht, William G. Williams,
Thomas F. Hammond.
Corporals — Henry L. Harbaugh, Levi Bowman, Levi Burgoon,
William R. Hays.
Privates — Adams, Calvin : Adams, John, Jr. ; Alexander, Aaron ;
Berkey, George W. ; Beck, John ; Bradshaw, James ; Baisore, John D. ;
Butler, Alexander; Buchanan, James ; Connor, Fernando; Colborn,
James P. ; Cooksey, Obed S. ; Colborn, John H. ; Carroll, James R. ;
Conlon, Thomas ; Colborn, Sylvester C. ; Curran, Patrick F. ; Cavinee,
John ; Drury, Henry B. ; Dumolt, Martin : Denny, Robert H. ; Delong,
Joseph ; Dolan, James T. ; Doughty, John W. ; Dupler, Solomon ;
Edwards, William ; Frantz, Hiram ; Freeman, John W. ; Gruber, John
W. ; Gu3/ton, Benjamin ; Guyton, David ; Goodin, Moses ; Hickman,
Thomas N. ; Hickman, R. Fletcher ; Haggandorn, Stephen; Hartsel,
Smith; Harbaugh, Daniel; Henderson, James ; Jackson, William S. ;
Ketchum, Newton ; Keeley, Terrence ; Little, William ; Lovebury,
Jonathan : Lidey, J. Warren ; Lucas, Peter P. ; Liddy, Andrew ; Lari-
mer, James ; Larimer, Samuel B. ; Moriart, John ;' Martin, John ; Mus-
selman, Henry ; McMullen, Daniel ; Mulharon, John ; Mason, Horatio
N, ; Morgan, Reuben H. ; McGonagle, Hugh; Nichols, George;
Oatley, Jerome; O'Halloran, Thomas, Petit, Levi L. ; Palmer, Ira;
P.iindable, Thomas ; Rambo, Austin : Ricktor, Oliver ; Rugg, Samuel ;
Stanbus, James ; Sousley, George ; Sousley, John ; Studer, William
A. ; Saladee, John W. ; Spencer, Henry W. ; Smith, Thomas ; Spencer,
Osborn ; Sanders, John ; Saffell, Richard C. ; Sheldon, William ;
Tharp, Jackson ; Tharp, Asa ; Thomas, Simeon ; Tharp, Alfred ;
Wright, Francis M. ; Witmer, Daniel ; Whitmer, Franklin ; Williams,
Columbus L. ; Whipps, Andrew J.
TuiKTY-FiKST O. V. ]. — When President Lincoln issued his first
call for volunteers for three years or during the war, John W. Free of
New Lexington was doing business at Straitsville, and had been elect-
ed Captain of an independent military company, organized at that
place under the laws of Ohio. He promptly asked and obtained leave
to raise a company for the three years' ser\'ice, went at once to work,
and in a few da3s had his muster roll full and running over. A major-
ity ot the members ol the home military company' enlisted, embracing
nearly half of the three years' company as enrolled for the war. The
celerity with which this body of brave men was enlisted for the service.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. I09
is almost incredible. Not many persons knew the fact that Mr. Free -
was authorized to raise a company, until it was announced that it was
full The men were enlisted principally in Salthck, but Monroe, Fike
and Monday Creek townships also contributed. It should be remem-
bered too that the company was raised just after the Bull Run disaster,
when 'the whole country was depressed and it was known that enlisting
for the war meant business, and that of the most serious nature Cap-
tain Free came up home on Saturday evening, announced that the ranks
were full, the enlistment roll completed, and that his men would be m
New Lexington the ensuing Tuesday morning to take the cars lor Camp
Chase Columbus, for active service. That a full company, for so long
a term' of service could be raised in so short a time, it was almost im-
impossibleto believe: and many, no doubt, were impressed with the
idea that matters were exaggerated. But the sequel proved t^iat every-
thing reported was solid fact. Many of the people ol New Lexington
knew nothing of the enhstment of the company, and those who did
know something of it, were wholly unprepared to witness such a de-
monstration as followed. . r ^ .
About ten o^clock in the forenoon, a great cloud of dust was seen _
to rise in McClellan's lane, about a mile south of town. It was^pro-
duced by the members of Captain Free's company and their Irienas, m
bucrrries: expresscs, carriages, wagons, on horseback and atoot, pre-
ceded bv a good martial band, altogether making a procession ot nearly
two miles in length. In many cases, not only fathers and brothers, but
mothers, sistersi cousins and "sweethearts accompanied the boys to this
place. As the imposing and altogether unprecedented procession
moved into town, windows, doors, balconies and sidewalks were hlled
with spectators, handkerchiefs and flags were waved and cheer upon
cheer was criven for the Union and the starry banner that symbolized it.
lust such a demonstration the town never saw before or since, and prob-
ably never will again. When the volunteers got aboard the cars, there
were many tearful words and sad farewells, as well as many a jovial
lauo-h and cheerful, kind goodby. As the tram slowly moved away
from platlorms and car windows came a half tremulous yet loud and
exultant cheer, that will Hnger long in the memory of those who heard
it Many of those brave boys never saw home or friends again ; and
of those who did, on furlough of some kind, many died afterward m
hospitals, on the march, in their tents, or amid the awful carnage and
• surroundings of the battle held. Many of them repose m unknown
graves. Captain J. W. Free's company reported promptly at Camp
Chase, and was at once assigned as Company A ol the Thirty-First
^^Tfew days later, and early in September, 1861, W. H- Free, who
had iust been mustered out of the three months' service, obtained au-
thority to enlist a company of three years' men, and m a week or two
he reported at Camp Chase, with his command full, and his company^
was assigned as Company D of the Thirty-t irst. Oliver Eckles ot
New Lexington, was commissioned as First Lieiitenant.
This company was recruited principally in Pike, Saklick, Monroe
and Clayton townships, in Perry county. A few of the men were Irom
over the border in Athens and Hocking counties.
no HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
Before the three months' troops had been mustered out, Henry Har-
per of Somerset had enlisted part of a company for the three years' ser.
vice ; but when Captain Jackson, of the three months' company, reached
home, Harper gave way to Jackson, who, assisted by Lieutenant Henry
C. Greiner and James W. Martin, tilled up the company, which came
to New Lexington and took the cars for Camp Chase, where it was as-
signed as Company G of the Thirty-first.
On the 2 1 St of September, the regiment was ordered to the field.
Companies A and B had been previously detailed for duty at Gallipolis,
Ohio, but they were also ordered to join the main body of the regiment
at Cincinnati, from which place it soon after went to Camp Dick Rob-
inson, in Kentucky, where it remained several months, preparing by
drill and discipline for more active and dangerous service. The regi-
ment was ordered to Mill Springs, to assist Gen. Thomas ; but the
roads were very bad, the rivers were swollen, and it failed to reach
Thomas in season to participate in the battle fovight at that place. After
this the Thirty-First went down the Ohio and up the Cumberland river
to Nashville, Tennessee, where it was among the first Union troops to
march into that city. It then moved southward with Buell's army, and
the boys trod the bloody field of Shiloh ; but the fight was over and the
rebel troops in full retreat.
The Thirtv-First was engaged in various service in Tennessee and
Alabama, until the race between Buell and Bragg for the North opened,
when the regiment marched through Murfreesboro northward to the
Ohio river at Louisville, From this point the regiment again turned its
steps southward. At the battle of Perry ville, the division to which it
belonged was partially under fire, and could plainly see the bursting
shells and hear the awful roar of battle, and stood anxiously waiting
the order to advance into the fight. But the order never came. This
was perhaps one of the most trying hours the boys of t;)ie regiment ever
experienced.
The Thirty-First was actively engaged at Stone River, but the en-
em)' on this part of the field gave wa}^ before a bayonet charge, and
there were no severe losses. The regiment was next engaged at Hoov-
ers Gap, where it behaved splendidly and assisted in driving the rebels
from a strong position. Chickamauga Cclme not long after, and the
Thirty-First was sharply engaged on both days, and suffered severely,
especially on the first day of the fight. Company A was fearfully de-
pleted. The other companies from Perry suffered almost as much. A
battery that had been captured by the rebels, was recaptured by a de-
tachment of the Thirty-First Qhio, led by Captain W. H. Free. On
the second day of Chickamauga, after the disastrous rout and disorgan-
ization ofmostof the Federal army, many of the Perr}- and Fairfield boys,
members of the Seventeenth and Thirty-First, kept together, as well as
they could, and when orders were given by General Thomas, command-
er of the army of the Cumberland, to which they belonged, to form a
second line of battle, and throw up temporary breast-works, they joined
heartily in the movement. Captain J. W. Stinchcomb, born and
brought up in Thorn township. Perry county, but in command of a Fair-
field county company, was very active and conspicuous in the formation
of this famous second line of battle. So much so. in fact, that he is men-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. Ill
tioned by General Thomas in the official report of the battle. His loud
hoarse voice was heard above the din, rallying the scattered soldiers,
and his stalwart form almost tottered beneath an incredible load of rails.
A private soldier of the Thirty-First facetiously remarked that he "nev-
er had the most distant idea how many rails were a load for a man, un-
til he saw 'Jim' Stinchcomb in the business at Chickamauga." Colo-
nel Moses B. Walker, of the Thirty-First, was under arrest that day,
and without a sword, in consequence of some red tape disobedience ;
but when the army was disorganized he appeared to have as much
command as anybod}^, and worked bravely and effectively for the estab-
lishment of the second line of battle. The successful forming and hold-
ing of this second line was what saved the remnant of Rosecrans' army
Chattanooga and all south of the Ohio. Had that line been given up,
and Thomas' army defeated, the seat of war would have been transfer-
red from the South to the States north of the Ohio. Thousands of
soldiers, of course, formed on this famous second line, but the author
only attempts to sketch the part taken by a group of Perry soldiers and
those acting directly with them. Longstreet's men who, only a little
over two months before, had fought so bravely in a vain endeavor to
storm the heights at Gettysburg, made charge after charge upon the
line here, and several times appeared to be on the verge of driving the
"Boys in Blue" back ; but at short range they received such a deadly
fire as no troops on earth could withstand. The side of the hill was
strewn thick with the dead, wounded and dying. General Longstreet
has lately said that when this assault failed, the Confederate cause was
about the same as lost. No Union soldier who witnessed or encountered
the charge of Longstreet's men on this memorable Sabbath afternoon,
ever had or expressed any doubts of their heroism. The Federal sold-
iers after the rout, and retreat of several miles, had become desperately
cool, and the deadly volleys they fired into the approaching columns of
the foe, were among the most fearfully destructive of the whole war.
As night drew on, and Longstreet's commarid failed to take the ridge,
the dream of invadincj the North forever vanished from the minds of
the Southern Generals.
Two young neighbor boys, members of Company A, not fully com-
prehending the reason for rapidly retreating to a better position, and
vexed and crying at the condition of affairs, declared that the}^ did not
go to war to run this wa3^ and that they would not run from those men
any longer. In spite of all remonstrances they lingered behind, loading
and firing at the advancing foe, until they were shot down, at the same
time. Their two graves, with head-boards giving their names, name
of Company and number of regiment, to which they belonged, situated
some distance from any other graves, have been seen by more than one
traveler and newspaper correspondent. Their remains were afterward
disinterred and transferred to a national cemetery.
Soon after Chickamauga came Mission Ridge. The Thirty-First
Ohio was one of the first regiments to ascend this eminence, in advance
of order by the Commanding General. The firing w^as heavy and con-
tinuous, but the boys pushed up the hill ; the rebels first overshot and
then became panic stricken, and the loss was not severe. It is well to
remember that the successful battle of Mission Ridge was fought and
112 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
gained without orders, and the credit or discredit of it belongs properly
to the enlisted soldiers and line officers.
Soon after Mission Ridge the Thirty-First re-enlisted and came home
on veteran furlongh. Tiie reception of the Perry county Companies
will not soon be forgotten. A telegram from Columbus gave the time
they would arrive. ' Colonel M. B. Walker, of Findlay, Ohio, wishing,
as he said, to visit the county that furnished more men for his regiment
than any other, accompanied by some other officers of the regiment,
came home to New Legington with the boys. The National and Reg-
imental colors were in the hands of soldiers from Perry, and the flags
also came along. Hundreds of people assembled at the depot, short as
the notice had been. The veterans at once formed, and preceded by a
band of martial music, and the color-bearers holding aloft the torn and
tattered flags, marched up the hill and into the Court House, where a
reception speech was made by Judge R. F. Hickman. Colonel Walker
responded on behalf of the veterans in a thrilling and eloquent speech.
The Court House was full to overflowing, and altogether it was a very
memorable occasion. The soldiers then broke ranks for a bountiful
supper that had been prepared for them by the ladies of New Lexington.
For thirty days the veterans had a good time at home, where the regi-
ment received about as many recruits as it had veteran members.
When the regiment returned to the held, with ranks well fllled up,
it almost immediately entered upon service in the Atlanta campaign
under the general direction of General Sherman. In a few days after
reaching the front it was in the assault upon Resaca and encountered
serious losses. The regiment subsequently took part in all the im-
portant battles of the Atlanta campaign, with the single exception of
Jonesboro.
When Atlanta was gained the regiment marched into Alabama in
pursuit of Hood, but the chase was given up and the National troops
returned to Atlanta.
On the i6th of November, 1864, the Thirt3^-flrst left Adanta and
started with Sherman on his "March to the Sea." It participated in
the many vicissitudes of this grand march and the campaign up through
the Ccirolinas. After the surrender of Lee and Johnson it marched
with the main army to Richmond and then to Washington City, where
it took part in the general review. After this it was transferred to Louis-
ville, Kentucky, where it was mustered out, July 20th, 1865. The
The regiment was at once sent to Camp Chase, Ohio, and the men paid
and discharged.
The Perry soldiers of the Thirty-flrst O. V. I. have a militar}^ record
of which they, their friends, and the county may be justly proud. The
names of Stone River, Hoover's Gap, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge,
Resaca, Atlanta, Kenesaw, and numerous other battles, tell the story
of the conflicts through which they passed.
As previously stated, the regiment received many recruits while at
home on furlough, and the Perry companies obtained more than their
full quota. Company A, especially, had been fearfully decimated in
the service, and came home on veteran furlough with thin ranks. This
Company received man}^ recruits, but they were mostly boys, many of
whom were not over thirteen or fourteen years of age, and several of
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. tl^
them younger brothers or sons of men who had died in the service.
Company A received about thirty young recruits. When on their way
to Newark to enlist the group of young striplings looked very unlike
soldiers, but when they returned in the evening, dressed in soldier
clothes, they did not look like the same squad of boys. They were
mostly small, as well as ^^oung, and became known as the "Babies of
the Thirty-first." Members of other companies were in the habit of
twitting those of Company A about the time and trouble they must have
to wash and dress their " babies." But these "babies" learned to fight
bravely, and several of them were killed in battle or died in hospital,
and their bones repose in Southern soil, which the sacrifice of their
young lives contributed in restoring to the dominion of the old flag.
An incident which occurred in the earh- part of the war, at Camp
Dick Robinson, is worthy of preservation. The Thirty-first Regiment,
at that time had a splendid band, and Captain Bill Free and others
thought they would get up a serenade for General Sherman, Accord-
ingly, twenty or thirty soldiers, under the direction of Captain Free,
repaired to Headquarters and blew a melodious blast of music upon the
stillness of the night air. General Sherman was more prompt than the
serenaders anticipated, and appeared before the sweet and captivating
strains of music had ceased. "What do you want?" he demanded.
Some one timidly answered, " A speech." "A speech, a speech!"
yelled the General. " Do you think I am John Sherman, and want
to make a speech ? Who are you, anyway?" " Soldiers of the Thirty-
first Ohio," Captain Free responded. And then, as the Captain used
to say, some idiot added, "Principally from Perry County." " Go to
3^our own quarters immediately," roared Sherman, "and quit stealing
Dick Robinson's rails, or Fll have you all put in the guard-house."
The serenaders unceremoniously left quite crest-fallen.
Just about that time General Sherman was reported crazy, and the
detachment at first thought there must be some truth in the report, what-
ever their opinions may have been later. Sherman himself saw new
light on the " rail " and kindred questions before the close of the war.
He also learned to make a creditable speech, as the world knows.
The Thirtieth O, V, I.. — When the late Rebellion commenced
John W. Fowler was Captain of an independent military company
at New Lexington, but at the time absent from home, and consequently
took no part in the organization of the three months' volunteers. How-
ever, when President Lincoln issued the proclamation for volunteers for
three years or during the war. Captain Fowler, who in the meantime
had returned, applied for and obtained permission to raise a company ;
and assisted by James Taylor and William Massie, who were commis-
sioned Lieutenants, went heartily to work, and in a few weeks the com-
pany was raised, and promptly reported at Camp Chase near Columbus,
and was mustered into the service as company D of the Thirtieth O. V.
L Two days alter the regiment was ordered to the field. On the sec-
ond of September, 1861, the regiment reached Clarksburg, Virginia.
It then marched from Charleston to Weston, and there received its first
camp equipage. September 6th, the regiment joined the command of
General Rosecrans, at Sutton Heights. Company D, Captain Fowler's,
15
114 ttlSTORV OF PERRY COUNTY.
and two othei' companies, were ordered to remain there and the rest of
the regiment and command marched off on other expeditions. The de-
tachment at Sutton was not idle. The men were kept constantly on the
alert, and were frequently engaged in sharp conflicts with the bush-
whackers. The skirmishes were almost continual, and the force was
none too strong to hold the position. Two or three of the detachment
were killed and several wounded, while at Sutton.
On the 23d of December, the companies that had been stationed at
Sutton, joined the regiment at Fayette ville, and went into winter quar.
ters. In April, 1862, it broke up winter quarters and went to Raleigh.
After this the Thirtieth, with the first brigade of General Cox's divi-
sion, fell back to Princeton, and then went into camp on Flat Top Moun-
tain. About the middle of August, the regiment with Cox's division
was ordered to join the army in Eastern Virginia. The troops were
conveyed in transports to Parkersbvu^g, there boarded the cars, passed
through the National capital and joined the army under command of
General Pope. The regiment was under fire at the second battle of
Bull Run, though not very actively engaged. After this disaster to the
National cause, and the subsequent crossing of the Potomac by the
rebel army, the regiment marched through the city of Washington by
the way of the city of Frederick, and on toward South Mountain. At
the battle of South Mountain, which quickly followed, the division to
which the Thirtieth belonged, was among the first to be engaged. Com-
pany D was in the hottest of the fight and suffered severely. Five or
six of the compan}^ were killed outright, and twice as many wounded,
several of whom died in a few days in consequence of their wounds.
The company was subsequently in the hottest of the fight at Antietam,
but did not meet with such severe losses as at South Mountain. Cap-
tain Fowler was wounded in the battle, and one private instantly killed,
being shot in the head.
After remaining a few days near the Antietam battlefield, the Thir-
tieth, with the division of which it was a part, was ordered back to West
Virginia. Here it remained until about the first of December, when
the command to which it belonged, was ordered to join the great army
under General Grant, operating with a view to the capture of Vicksburg.
It moved down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, and joined the Western
Army at Young's Point, where it went into camp. This was an un-
healthy locality, and there was much sickness in consequence, from
which the Perry bo3^s did not escape. Captain Fowler was seriously
sick for several weeks. When the time for action had come, the Thir-
tieth moved down the western banks of the Mississippi, and crossed
with the army at Grand Gulf. During the investment of Vicksburg,
the Thirtieth participated in the preliminarv battles and in several assaults
on the enemy's works, and suffered considerable losses. It was there
at the surrender of the place. Soon after this the regiment was trans-
ferred to the army at Chattanooga, and bore an honorable part in the
successful and decisive battle of Mission Ridge.
In March, 1864, ^^"'^ regiment re-enlisted, and, like other regiments,
was sent home on veteran furlough, to have a good time and fill up its
thinned ranks with recruits. Captain Fowler's company was warmly
welcomed upon its arrival at New Lexington. There was a 'reception
HISTORY OF PERRY GOUNTY. II5
and addresses at the court house, and a supper afterwards. After the
memorable thirty days at home, and ranks greatly strengthened by re-
cruits, the Thirtieth boys bade friends good-by and returned again to
the front. They were in the long and arduous Atlanta campaign, and
joined in the pursuit of Hood's forces into Alabama. In the battle of
jonesboro, the Thirtieth lost heavily. It was one of Sherman's regi-
ments in the famous march through the heart of the confederacy to the
sea, and was of the attacking force that stormed Fort McAlister. The
regiment marched up through the Carolinas and took part in the battle
of Bentonville, one of the last engagements ot the civil war. Lieuten-
ant Benjamin Fowler and others were wounded in the battle. The
Thirtieth marched on with Sherman, up through Virginia, including
the late rebel capital, and on to Washington, D. C, vvhere it partici-
pated in the great review. Soon after the regiment was ordered to
Louisville, Ky., and afterwards to Little Rock, Arkansas. On the thir-
teenth of August it was ordered to Columbus, Ohio, where the men
were paid and discharged on the 22d of the same month. The regi-
■ment was in the service about four years, and it is estimated that, during
its term of service, it traveled a distance of thirteen thousand miles.
Lieutenant W. S. Hatcher of Company D in this regiment, had some
remarkable episodes in his military life. He was captured in the neigh-
borhood of Vicksburg, early in 1863, and with others forwarded to Rich-
mond, and placed in the celebrated Libby prison. He had not been
there long until, as he states, a fellow prisoner came rushing down stairs
and inquired : " "Where is the man from New Lexington, Perry coun-
ty, Ohio ? " Hatcher said he was the man, and the interrogator an-
nounced that his name was Henry Spencer, and he was born and
brought up in Somerset, Perry count}'. Of course they shook hands
heartily, and had much to talk over. The}' had never seen each other
before, but their fathers were acquainted ; they came from the same
county, and could talk over familiar things. This Spencer was Captain
in a Wisconsin regiment. He was a son of E. A. Spencer, formerly of
Somerset, and State Senator in 1855-56. Hatcher and Spencer both
remained in Libby for several months in the year 1863. They were
both singers, and when the inmates of Libby learned by the colored
grapevine line, that Vicksburg had~fallen and Gettysburg was won, they
were of those who crowded around the prison windows, and roared out
in song, under the lead of Chaplain McCabe of Delaware, Ohio, Mrs.
Howe's glorious Battle Hymn of the Republic. Hatcher and Spencer
afterward, with other officers, were sent to Charleston, South Carolina,
and placed under the fire of the bombarding fleet, in retaliation for some-
thing done on the Federal side, alleged to be in controvention of the
laws of war. When this confinement and exposure was over, they were
put on the cars to be removed to Salisbury or Andersonville, as they
supposed. Hatcher, Spencer and three other officers, determined to
make an effort to escape. They were being transported in box cars,
and were not running at a very high rate of speed, and it was after dark.
At an agreed signal. Hatcher and comrades pushed aside the guards
and jumped out. The shots of the guards hurt no one, and the whole
five escap>ed, with only slight bruises, while the train passed on. The
five escaped men moved ofl:' at a rapid pace. They had to flank a dwell-
Il6 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
ing, some time in the night, and Hatcher and two comrades went to
the right of it, and- the two others to the left; they were to come to-
gether after the house was safely passed. The two parties failed to
meet as expected, and they did not dare to make any outcry. After
waitincjf and searching around for some considerable time, with no suc-
cess. Hatcher and painty resumed their journey.
They had a weary, painful tramp of about forty days. They walked
at night and secreted themselves in daytime. They lived on corn from
the tields, or walked into the negro cabins in the night session and got
corn bread and bacon. They hesitated, at first, but hunger drove them
and they walked boldly and trustingly into negro quarters, and were
never betrayed. On one occasion they were delayed in finding a good
hiding place, and were seen by a white man, a little after daybreak.
They hurried on and concealed themselves the best they could. It was
not long until they heard a commotion, and saw armed men riding
about in search of them. Some of the men and dogs came uncomforta-
bly near, but the boys were not discovered. When Hatcher and com-
rades reached the Tennessee river, they knew not what to do, and were
almost in despair. There were no boats available, and their negro aids
were also disheartened at the prospects. Finally, a negro came who
thought he could procure a boat some distance away. The fellow run
a great risk. He had to take it clandestinely, and return it before day-
break. The boat was secured, and, in company with four or five blacks,
the three wear}^, half-starved men crossed to the northern side. Stand-
ing on the northern bank of the river, the boys began to feel that they
would once more reach the Union lines and see "God's country." They
shook hands with their black deliverers and bade them good by. They
told them that they had no money or anything else to give them ; even
the brass buttons from their coats had been presented, one by one, to
other negroes, until all were gone. The colored men said they did
not expect or want anything, and were glad to be able to help the sold-
iers on their way North. But the boys had now reached a part of the
country much infested by rebel guerillas, and where numerous Union
prisoners, almost "Out of the jaws of death and the gates of Hell,"
had been recaptured and taken back to prison. The weary, discouraged
boys once more had recourse to the blacks. Seeing an intelligent
looking negro, one of the party accosted him and asked how he thought
they might reach the Union lines. "Yes, massa, I can take yous to
whare there is a Company of cavalry." "That is just what we do not
want to find," was the quick reply. "But dey is Union cavalry," per-
sisted the darkey — "white Southern men." Now came the most anx-
ious consultation of the long trip. At last it was decided to trust the ne-
gro and go with him to the camp of the "Union Cavalry." They found
the cavalry just as reported. They were citizens of Northern Georgia,
who adhered to the Union. The Commander, with a number of his
men, escorted Hatcher and companions to the Union lines.
Their two comrades, from whom they became separated the first night
of the long tramp, came in the next day, about thirty miles farther
down tlie line. The two parties had only been from twent}' to thirty
miles apart all the way through, but heard and knew nothing of each
other, until they reached the Union lines.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. II7
Sixty-Second O. V. I. — The Sixty-Second Regiment recruited
more men from Perry than any other one in the service, unless possibly
the Thirty-First. There were three distinct companies trom this county
and two other companies ol the regiment were composed of men about
half of whom were from this county. Captain A. M. Poundstone re-
signed his position as Superintendent of the New Lexington schools,
- and, in connection with Lieutenants Harry S. Harbaugh, of Saltlick,
and Samuel B. Larimer, of Mondavcreek township, recruited Company
C of the regiment. The enlisted men of the company came chiefly
from Pike. Saltlick, Mondaycreek and Clayton townships.
Company D was recruited principally in Reading township, by Cap-
tain B.A. Thomas, assisted by the Lieutenants. Company H was raised
by Captain N. D. Huftbrd and Lieutenants, the most of the men prob-
abh' coming from Saltlick, but several other townships also contributed
men. A few of the men were enlisted over the border, in Hocking
coimty. Company A was recruited by Captain Edwards, of Roseville,
Muskingum county, and the Perry county portion of its men came
principally from Harrison, Clayton and Bearfield townships. The Lieu-
tenants were probably from Perry. The Perry men in Compan}' K
were recruited mosth' in Pike, Clayton, Jackson and Monda3'creek
townships, by Lieutenant James Palmer.
The Sixty-Second rendezvoused at Camp Goddard, near Zanesville,
and was there organized and mustered into service in November, 1861.
The regiment remained in camp drilling and waiting until January,
1862, at which time it was ordered to report to General Rosecrans,
commanding a body of troops in Western Virginia. It was not long in
responding to the order, and was soon in actual service at the front.
The regiment supported a battery in the first battle of Winchester, in
which engagement Stonewall Jackson's men were worsted. After-
wards for months the Sixty-Second marched and counter-marched
through Western and Northern Virginia. It was near at hand at the
battle of Port Republic, but not actively engaged.
The last of June, 1862, the Sixty-Second was ordered to join Gener-
al McClellan's defeated army, at Harrison's Landing, which it did, go-
ing by wav of Fortress Monroe. In August, it was in the retreat down
the peninsula to Yorktown. In Januar}^, 1863, the regiment was sent
first to Beaufort, and then to Newberne, North Carolina. Afterward to
Port Ro3'al, South Carolina, where it lay in camp at Helena Island.
Folly Island and then at Morris Island.
July i8th, 1863, came the ill-advised, desperate and bloody assault
upon Fort Wagner. In the unavailing and disastrous charge, the regi-
ment lost one hundred and fift}' men, in killed, wounded and prisoners.
A few facts in connection with the death of an enlisted soldier, kill-
ed in this charge, is worthy of relation here. Henr}- Sands, of New
Lexington, was an educated and accomplished young man from the
north of Ireland, who marrying here, left a wife and one child to risk
his life for his adopted country. His letters, published in the Perry
County Weeklv at the time, and giving an interesting and graphic pic-
ture of the doings of the regiment up to the date of his death, were read
by many who will read this sketch of the Sixty-Second. The pictures,
keepsakes, memorandas and other writings, found in his pockets, touch-
Il8 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
ed the hearts of the rebel soldiers, and under a flag of truce, these things
were given into the keeping of the comrades of the dead soldier, to be
sent to his bereaved family. But the dead body of the young patriot
was buried in a trench with many others, on the spot where they met
their heroic death.
In January, 1864, the Sixt3^-Second, having re-enlisted, came home
on veteran furlough. The writer witnessed the arrival of the regiment
at Zanesville amid the welcome plaudits of assembled thousands.
With the steady, systematic tread of veterans, the regiment marched
up Market and down Main streets to a point opposite the court house,
where reception speeches and responses were made. After these cere-
monies were over, a public dinner was given the returned veterans.
The Perry county companies were to reach New Lexington about 4
p. m., where reception ceremonies were to take place at the court house
and afterward a public supper. But the moving of the train was for
some cause delayed, and it was nearly midnight when the cars reached
New Lexington. At four o'clock, and for hours thereafter, the neigh-
hood of the depot was crowded with an expectant throng of people ; but as
the train did not come, and there was no news irom it, the large assem-
blage dwindled awav, and not a great many were present to receive the
returning braves. But the court house was quickl}^ lighted up, the bell
rang, the drums beat, and before the veterans had marched up the hill
from the depot, the court house was nearly filled with people. Dr. F.
L. Flowers made the reception speech and Qiiartermaster Craven W.
Clowe responded in behalf of the soldiers. After this came the supper.
When the veteran furlough expired the regiment was ordered to
Washington City, and next to the front, near Petersburg, Virginia.
During the summer of 1864 ^^^^ regiment was almost constantly under
fire, participated in frequent engagements and general battles, and
nearly always suffered severel}".
Deep Bottom was a conflict that does not stand out very conspicu-
ously in the Nation's annals, but it was a place of serious import to the
Sixty-second Ohio and to friends at home. Man}^ of the brave sons of
Perry were there laid low. The action was at first a successful ad-
vance, then it was not supported as intended, and the Union soldiers
were compelled to fall back under a murderous fire. How much of it
was bad generalship, and how much the unavoidable fortune of war,
will probably never be known. A soldier just from the burial of his
dead comrades at Deep Bottom, surrounded by the wives, mothers, and
children of those so lately killed in battle, was one of the most distress-
ing scenes in Perry county during the war. After the sorrowing friends
had withdrawn some one ventured to inquire of the soldier if he thought
" they could take Richmond." " Take it ; I guess we will ! Its a hard
road to travel ; but we'll go there." This remark illustrated the spirit
of the soldiery and the times.
In the spring of 1865 the Sixty-second participated in the unsuc-
cessful assault upon Petersburg. It was, also, in the charge upon Fort
Gregg, where the regiment suffered severel3\ It was, also, a partic-
ipant in the engagement at Appomattox Court-house, the last conflict
between the veteran troops of Lee and the National forces.
About the last of August, 1865, the Sixty-second was consolidated
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 119
with the Sixty-seventh, and the consoHdated regiment was mustered
out of service in December, i<S65. the Perry veterans being in the service
a little more than four ^^ears.
The Sixty-second can bear upon its banners Winchester, Morris
Island, Fort Wagner, Deep Bottom, Petersburg, Fort Gregg, Appo-
mattox Court-house, and numerous other engagements, named and un-
named, along the lines in front of the rebel capital during the last year
of the war.
Ninetieth O. V. I. — The organization of this regiment was
completed at Circleville, Ohio, in July, 1862, under the auspices of the
military committees of Perry, Fairtield, Hocking, Vinton, Pickaway,
and Fayette counties. Company H of this regiment came from Perry
county. It was enlisted by Captain N. F. Hitchcock and Lieutenants
Feeman and Selby. The men of which it was composed came, nearly
all, from the townships of Monday Creek, Pike, Reading, Hopewell,
Thorn and Madison. The regiment was completed and mustered into
service August 28th, 1862. The next da}' it was on its way to the seat
of war, and reported without delay to the commanding officer at Lex-
ington, Kentuck3^ Soon after the regiment joined Buell's army and
entered upon a forced march through heat and dust, and almost with-
out water fit to drink, which was very hard upon new recruits. The
regiment had a little rest at Louisville, and then followed after Bragg
southward through Kentucky. It was near the battle of Perryville, but
through some mistake the division to which it belonged was not ordered
into action.
After the battle of Perryville the Ninetieth did much marching and
counter-marching through Kentucky and Tennessee, often skirmishing
with the enemy, and at one time taking over two hundred prisoners.
In November, 1862, the regiment went into camp near Nashville,
Tennessee. In the latter part of December it moved with the main
army in the direction of Murfreesboro. On the morning of the 31st of
December, the first day of the Stone River fight, the Ninetieth became
hotly engaged and behaved very gallantly, but the Federal forces were
overpowered and obliged to fall back. The Ninetieth in this, its first
engagement, suffered a loss of one hundred and thirty men in killed,
wounded and missing. The regiment was also in the second day's
fight, but fortunately the loss was not heav3^ On the same day it oc-
cupied the hill on which was massed the forty pieces of artillery which
drove the last considerable body of the rebel forces over Stone River.
The Ninetieth lay in camp near Murfreesboro until about the last of
June. When General Rosecrans again moved in the direction of the
enemy, the regiment did its full share of hard marching that resulted in
flanking the rebel army out of Tennessee. It was engaged both da3's
at the sanguinary battle of Chickamauga, and lost about ninety men in
killed, wounded and missing. The regiment was engaged in various
scouting duties, building fortifications, guarding rebel prisoners, etc.,
until the commencement of the Atlanta campaign. For over one hun-
dred days, and throughout this harrassing and eventful campaign, the
Nineiieth was constantly on duty and participated in nearl}^ all the im-
portant battles which eventually resulted in the fall of Atlanta. This
i20 HISTORY OF FERRY COUNTY.
regiment, unlike most of the others made up in part of Perry county
men, instead of going with Sherman on the march to the sea, was left
with the National forces which were to look after General Hood, and
the safety of Nashville and the North. The regiment returned almost
over the very ground gone over during the advance toward Atlanta.
It was engaged in the battle of Franklin, one of the Mercest and most
desperate struggles of the war. The Ninetieth was also in the san-
guinary and decisive battle of Nashville, where General Thomas and
the brave men who composed his command, gave Hood and his forces
the fearful staggering blow that not onl}- badly defeated, but almost
annihilated his army, thus saving Ohio and Indiana from imminent
peril, and making Sherman's march to the sea a brilliant success, which
otherwise might have been of no advantage, if not a general disaster
to the Union cause. After the defeat of Hood the Ninetieth followed
in pursuit as far as the Tennessee River. After this the regiment was
successively encamped at Huntsville, Alabama, and Nashville, Ten-
nessee, until the collapse of the Southern Confederacy in the surrender
of Lee and Johnson, and the close of the terrible civil war. The regi-
ment was ordered to Ohio and mustered out at Camp Chase.
One Hundred and Fourteenth O. V. I. — This regiment was or-
ganized at Camp Circleville, in August, 1862, and came from the coun-
ties of Perry, Fairfield, Pickaway, Fayette, Hocking and Vinton.
Companies G and I were enlisted in Perry county. Company G was
raised by Captain Ephraim Brown and Lieutenants Hiram Thomas and
others. The men composing this company were chieflv from Pike,
Monday Creek and Jackson townships. Company I was raised b}^ Cap-
tain L. F. Muzzy and Lieutenants J. D. Coulson and W. H. Goodin,
the men coming principally from Pike, Reading, Clayton, Hopewell
and Madison townships.
The regiment was mustered into service September nth, 1862, and
remained at Camp Circleville until about the 20th of September follow-
ing, when it marched across the countr}^ to Chillicothe, and there took
the cars for Marietta, at which latter place it was stationed until the first
of December, 1862, in the mean while occupied in drilling and taking
other lessons in the science of war.
In the latter part of December, the regiment started on transports
down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to Memphis, Tenn. Soon after it
joined Sherman's army in the first expidition against V^icksburg. The
regiment landed at Chickasaw Bluns, and was soon hotly engaged in
the battle that ensued at this point, losing several men in killed and
wounded. The assault was unsuccessful : the Federal troops were re-
pulsed and ordered aboard the boats. Returning from Chickasaw Bluffs,
and no longer menacing Vicksburg, the army moved up the river and
on up to Arkansas Post. A landing was there effected, the Post at-
tacked, and after a brief but sharp engagement, it surrendered. After
the reduction of Arkansas Post, the regiment was ordered to Young's
Point, Louisiana, and went into camp at that place. This camp was
very unhealthy, and while lying there, the regiment lost about one hun-
dred men from malarial diseases. In March, 1862, a removal was made
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 121
to Milliken's Bend, and the regiment remained in camp there until Gen-
eral Grant ordered the movement against Vicksburg.
The One Hundred and Fourteenth was in all this campaign, and
participated in the batdes of Thompson's Hill, Champion Hill, Black
River Bridge, and the long, painful siege of the beleagured city. The
regiment lost a number of men at Thompson's Hill, Black River Bridge,
and in the charge at Vicksburg, on the 22dof May. During the siege,
Colonel Cradlebaugh, the regimental commander, was very severely
wounded.
After the fall of Vicksburg, Jul}- 4th, 1863, the One Hundred and
Fourteenth marched and countermarched, or moved by rail on a num-
ber of minor expeditions into the State of Louisiana. In November,
1863, the regiment embarked at New Orleans and sailed across the
Gulf to Texas. This proved to be a somewhat stormy voyage, and
most of the men soon became very sea-sick. Captain Ephraim Brown
of New Lexington, felt so well on the water for a while, that he was
disposed to make a little sport of his comrades for collapsing so easily ;
he declared the sensation was just '• splendid," and strikingly remind-
ed him of riding over a corntield at home on a load of hay. It is
enough to sav that the Captain's " riding on a load of hay," failed to
hold out according to promise, and he could not have comprehended a
joke, if that article had floated around, as plentiful as blackberries on
'" Brier Ridge."
The regiment and accompanying troops w^ere the first National
forces that occupied the State of Texas during the war. It remained
at different points in Texas until April, 1864, when it re-crossed the
Gulf, and formed a junction with General Banks at Alexandria, to
which point his command had fallen back, alter its disastrous expedition
up the Red River country. The One Hundred and Fourteenth joined
the National forces in the general retreat from Alexandria toMorganza,
Louisiana, on the Mississippi. This was one of the severest and most
trying marches of the war, as the retreating forces were constantly har-
assed by the enemy on flank and rear.
In Januar^^ 1865, the regiment was ordered to Barrancas, Florida,
from which point it participated in the investment and capture of Mo-
bile, the last battle of the war, for the place was captured on the day
that Lee surrendered.
John H. Kell}^, of New Lexington, who was Major of the regiment,
was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, and then to Colonel of the regi-
ment. When acting as Lieutenant Colonel, he was frequently in com-
mand of the regiment, as Colonel Cradlebaugh had been severely
wounded at Vicksburg, and eventually resigned. Captain V, M. Ogle,
of New Lexington, served for a while as Qiiartermaster, but resigned
before the close of the war. Rev. Theodore Stowe, also of New Lex-
ington, served as Chaplain, and was mustered out with the regiment.
Rev. Stowe was perhaps the most abstemious and exacting Chaplain
in the whole army. Colonel Kelly once invited his brother officers,
including the Chaplain, to a good, sociable dinner in his tent. Colonel
Kell}^ being a strictly temperate m.an, used no stimulating liquors, but
did not taboo tobacco, and consequently the tent soon after dinner, be-
gan to get pretty well filled with tobacco smoke. Chaplain Stowe be-
10
122 .tttSTORY OF PERRY COUNTY,
gan to remonstrate, whereupon the Colonel took him to one side and
gently told him that the tent was his house, the officers there were his
invited guests, and he did not want him to make remarks that might be
considered offensive. The mild looking Chaplain, raising his hand and
pointing his long, bony hnger in the direetion of the tent, slowly re-
plied : " Colonel, I know that rag is yours, but no man has a proprie-
torship in God's pure air, and it is both ungentlemanly and wicked to
pollute it." This closed the debate, and the Chaplain retired from par-
ticipating in the after dinner festivities.
As previously stated, the Perry companies of the regiment suffered
greatly from malarious diseases while encamped in the neighborhood of
Vicksburg ; and at the time the movement upon that place was ordered,
the sick men were directed to besent home. About twenty men of the
Perry companies reached New Lexington by special train one Sabbath
morning, without any previous announcement whatever. They were
all weak and emaciated, and had to be placed on beds and hauled up
into town, and to their several homes. Some of them were too weak
to hold up their heads. They remained at home several weeks, and
some of them months; but they nearly all finally recovered, and re-
joined their companies. The arrival of these very sick men, in such a
weak and debilitated condition, was a distressing and pitiful sight. But
even these sick men were more fortunate than others ; for many a stout,
hardy son of Perry died and was buried on the banks of the Missis-
sippi.
One Hundred and Twenty-Sixth O. V. I. — Company K of this
regiment was enlisted in Peny county, from the townships of Thorn,
Hopewell and Madison, and chiefly from the first named township.
Captain Reuben Lampton of Thornville. was authorized to raise the
compan\% and enlisted the men, though D.J. Callen, a native of the
county, and afterward a somewhat noted polititian of Mercer county,
assisted him very much. The compan}' came to New Lexington to
take the cars, accompanied by quite a procession, headed by the ven-
erable Rezin Franks, and marching to the lively strains of martial
music. The company first went to Circleville, Ohio, to be organized
as a part of the Ninetieth, but was afterward transferred to Steuben-
ville, and became a part of the One Hundred and Twenty-Sixth. The
regiment was mustered into service about the first of September, 1862.
It was stationed for a few weeks at Parkersburg, and afterward, for
about the same length of time, at Cumberland, Maryland. In the
spring and summer of 1863, the regiment served in West Virginia, and
suffered much from sickness. In June of this year, the One Hundred
and Twenty-Sixth was in the aftair at Martinsburg, a surprise to the
Union forces, which resulted in the capture of the place, and a victory
for the enemy. Soon after this the regiment was ordered to join the
Army of the Potomac. It was subsequently detached therefrom to go
to New York to assist in enforcing the draft. After the draft troubles
were over the regiment rejoined the Army of the Potomac. Before the
opening of Grant's campaign against Richmond, in the spring of 1864,
the One Hundred and Twenty-Sixth was taken from the Third and
placed in the Sixth Corps, took part in every important battle from the
i
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 1 23
crossing of the Rapidan, early in May, unil the crossing of the James,
in the latter part oi June, including The Wilderness, Spotsylvania
and Cold Harbor. At Spotsylvania, Captain Reuben Lampton was in-
stantly killed, and thus perished a brave and generous soldier. The
One Hundred and Twenty-Sixth lost heavil}' in those great encounters
with the Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Lee. In
July, 1864, the regiment was detached from the Army of the Potomac
and sent into Maryland, where it fought in the battle Monocacy, and
subsequently took part in the pursuit of General Jubal Early's Army.
In September, 1864, the One Hundi^ed and Twenty Sixth, with the
Sixth Corps, having been ordered to join General Sheridan's command
in the Shenandoah Valley, moved against the rebels and participated
in the battle of Winchester, losing heavily in officers and privates,
killed and wounded. Captain Williams of Madison township, was sev-
erely wounded in this battle. The regiment was also in the battle of
Fisher's Hill. It was also engaged at Cedar Creek, and was with the
advance, when General Sheridan, a Perry county boy, came on the
ground, and turned what seemed to be a serious disaster, into one of
the most glorious and decisive victories of the whole war.
In December, the One Hundred and Twenty-sixth, with the whole
Sixth Corps, were again transferred to the Army of the Potomac. In
April, 1865, the regiment went in wdth the old Sixth Corps in the charge
upon the Rebel fortifications. This was an awful struggle, but at last
the enemy was driven from his entrenchments, and the fall of Rich-
mond became certain. The regiment was engaged in the pursuit of
Lee's army. After the surrender, the One Hundred and Twenty-Sixth and
Corps were ordered to push through to Danville, to assist in the capture
of General Johnson's army. But when they reached Danville, Johnson
had already surrendered to General Sherman. Soon after the surrender
of the rebel armies, the One Hundred and Twenty-Sixth marched
through Richmond to Washington city, and was mustered out in the
latter part of June.
Few regiments saw more hai'd service and did more lighting than
the One Hundred and Twenty-Sixth. Martinsburg, Bristow Station,
The Wilderness, Spotsylvania," Cold Harbor, Monocacy, Winchester,
Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek, Petersburg — these tell their own story, in
terms more eloquent than the tongue of orator or pen of historian.
While the memory of the terrible civil war remains, the struggles, suf-
ferings and heroic fighting for the flag by the Perry boys of ihe One
Hundred and Twenty-Sixth can never be forgotten.
Seventeenth O. V. I. The line officers from Perry county, and
their friends, who had been in the Seventeenth in the three months ser-
vice, for some reason, did not take kindly to the reorganization of the
regiment for three j^ears, but preferred other regiments, that were also
in course of formation. Yet the Seventeenth contained about one com-
pany, in the agregate, of Perry county men, enlisted by Captains
Stinchcomb and Rickets, and Lieutenants Benjamin Showers and
Owen Brown, the men coming chiefly from the townships of Thorn,
Monday-creek, Pike and Saltlick. Lieutenant Showers, who was a
citizen of New Lexington, had been a private of compang A of the
124 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
First, O. V. I. in the three months service. ^As Captain Stafford's com-
pany from Lancaster came through New Lexington, he joined it and
went to Columbus, and was with it until mustered out, including a par-^
ticipation in the Bull Run battle. He was the first soldier to leave
Perry count}^ for the war. Captain Showers and Lieutenant Brown
were citizens of Perry, and Captain Stinchcomb, was, also, formerly a
• citizen of the count}'. Captain Ricketts was a citizen of Hocking, but
recruited a number of men in the neighborhood of Maxville, Perry
county.
The seventeenth was organized in September, 1861, and reported at
Camp Dick Robinson, early in October. It was soon after engaged in
the battle of Wild Cat. It also participated at Mill Springs. It was on
its way to Shiloh, but arrived o^n that historic ground after the battle
was over. It afterward, with BuelFs command, pursued General Bragg
through Kentucky, and was close at hand, but not engaged at Perry-
ville. It participated, actively, in the battle of Stone River. It was in
the thickest of the fight at Chickamauga, both days, and lost heavily,
in killed and wounded. It was also in the storming force at Mission
Ridge. In the latter action, when Major Butterfield fell, mortally
wounded. Captain Showers of New Lexington, next in rank, took
command of the regiment and successfully completed the charge that
Butterfield had so bravely begun.
In the latter part of January, 1864, the Seventeenth re-enlisted and
came home to enjoy veteran furlough, and recruit depleted ranks.
Upon the expiration of veteran furlough the regiment, with ranks well
filled, returned to its place at the front. It was engaged at Resaca,
Kenesaw, Peach Tree Creek, and Jonesboro, the last battle of the
Atlanta campaign. Colonel Ward having resigned, Captain Showers
(now Lieutenant Colonel) assumed command of the regiment, and led
it under Sherman on the great promenade to the Atlantic, at Savanah.
The regiment was in the campaign of the Carolinas, and took part in
the battle of Bentonville, one ot the latest of the war. It then marched
through Richmond and on to Washington taking a part in the grand
review of veteran troops at that place. The regiment was mustered
out at Louisville, Kentucky, in July, 1865.
Rev. James H. Gardner, who was chaplain of the Seventeenth
Ohio, more than two years, was born and brought up in the town of
Rehoboth, Perr}^ county, and has many relatives in the county. When
the war broke out, he was in the south, at the head of an educational
institution, of some kind. The war broke up the college, and Rev.
Gardner joined a conference and was' appointed to a circuit, a part
of which was inside of the union lines. He took the appointment with
a view of finding a way out of the Southern Confederacy. As soon as
he got inside the Union lines, he abandoned his horse and saddle-bags,
reported in the proper way, and was soon among Iriends and relatives
in the tents of the Perry county boys of the Thirty First Ohio. He
soon came North, spent a few weeks and returned to the front as Chap-
lain of the Seventeenth Ohio, in which position he remained until the
muster out of the regiment.
Lieutenant Colonel Showers was captured in the Atlanta campaign,
but succeeded after many hardships in making his escape from a rebel
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 1 25
prison, and reached the Union lines in time to lead his regiment in the
great "March to the Sea."
The distinguished bravery of Captain J. W. Stinchcomb, of this reg-
iment, and the leading part he took in rallying on the second line at
Chickamauga, are more fullv stated in the sketch of the Thirty-First
Ohio. It is enough to sa}^ here that he was not unnoticed by brave old
General Thomas, being handsomely mentioned in his official report of
the battle.
Sixty-First O. V. I. — The principal part of Company G, of this
regiment, was enlisted in Perry county, the men coming mostly from
Pike, Jackson, Reading and Monroe townships. The Companv was
mainly recruited by Lieutenant Young, though Colonel S. F. McGro-
arty visited the county, made a number of rallying speeches, and gave
his personal efforts and influence to the raising of the men. A brother
of Colonel McGroarty became Captain of the Company, when organ-
ized.
The Sixt3^-First w^as organized at Camp Chase in April, 1862, and in
May left the camp for Western Virginia, soon after joining General Fre-
mont's army, who in a short time was succeeded by General Pope.
The regiment was on hand at Cedar Mountain, but w^as not actively
engaged in the fight. It was engaged at Second Bull Run, and was
with the forces that covered the retreat, along the Centerville pike, in
the direction of Washington. It was also sharply engaged at Chantilly.
It was ordered to join General Burnside, in his operations against Fred-
ericksburg, but before its arrival the battle had been fought and lost.
The regiment was warmly engaged at Chancellorville, losing five
men killed and a large number wounded. The Sixty-First was of the
troops that opened the fight at Gettysburg, being thrown out as skirm-
ishers, met in force, and compelled to fall back in great haste and con-
fusion to Cemetery Plill. The regiment lost heavily in killed, wounded
and prisoners. Thomas J. Smith, of New* Lexington, Captain of the
Ewing Guards, and Commander of the troops in the "Corning War,"
was taken prisoner at Gettysburg. He was then only about sixteen
years old.
In September. 1863, the Sixty-First, along with the Eleventh Corps
was transferred to the Western army, under General Grant. It left
Brandy Station, West Virginia, September 26th, and arrived at Bridge-
port, Alabama, October ist. Soon after the regiment got into a fearful
fight at Wauhatchie Valley, in which action Captain McGroarty, the
Commander of the Perry County Company, was killed. It also was in
the battle of Mission Ridge, after w^hich it was sent to the relief of the
National forces at Knoxville, Tennessee, but soon after again rejoined
the main army.
In March, 1864, the regiment re-enlisted and came home on veteran
furlough, of thirty days : after its expiration, much strengthened b}^ new
recruits, it returned to the front and joined the army at Rocky Face
Ridge, May 7th, and immediately entered upon the Atlanta campaign..
The regiment was engaged at Resaca, Dallas, Kenesaw, Peach Tree
Creek, and in a number of minor affairs, some of which were serious
enough to the Sixty-First, at least. After the fall of Atlanta, the regi-
ment promenaded with Sherman to the sea. It was on the campaign
126 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
through the Carolinas, and engaged at the battle of Bentonville.
At Goldsboro, North CaroHna, the Sixty-First was consolidated
with the Eighty-Second Ohio, the consolidated regiment taking
the name of the latter. The Perry county boys, with the consolidated
regiment, joined in the march through to Richmond, and the grand re-
view at Washington.
September, 1865, the regiment was mustered out, paid oft' and dis-
charged at Columbus, Ohio.
The ^^erry soldiers of the Sixty-First, though not so numerous as
those of some other regiments, have a military record unsurpassed by
any. Cedar Mountain, Second Bull Run, Chancellorville, Gettys-
burg, Mission Ridge, Resaca, Dallas, Kenesaw, Peach Tree Creek,
Sherman's March to the Sea, the Campaign of the Carolinas, Benton-
ville and other minor engagements tell in part the story of the trials,
perils and sacrifices of the regiment, a full history of which can never
be written.
One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth O. V. I. — Company K, of the
One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth — a six months regiment — was enlisted
in Perry county, by Captain A. D. S. McArthur and Lieutenant James
Taylor, the men coming principally from the townships of Pike, Pleas-
ant, Madison, Monroe and Saltlick. The regiment was organized at
Camp Tavlor, Cleveland, in August, 1863, and was promptly ordered
to active duty, and assigned to the Ninth Army Corps. The regiment
left Camp Nelson for Cumberland Gap, joining the forces already oon-
gregated at that point, under the command of General Burnside. Cum-
berland Gap was a strongly fortified position, but when a demand was
made for its surrender by the commander of the National forces, the
demand was readily complied with, and the whole garrison fell into their
hands. The Perry soldier boys were of the opinion that the blood-
less victory was due to the strategy of General De Courcy, who paraded
his men and batteries in a circle, so as to mislead the rebel' Commander
to believe that there was a very large force investing his position. Af-
ter the surrender of Cumberland Gap, the regiment remained in the
vicinity until about the first of December, when it left and had repeated
skirmishes with the enemy. The regiment operated in East Tennessee
all winter, suffering greatly from lack of clothing, provisions and other
necessary supplies. But the Perry soldiers endured the hardships and
privations better-than many of their companions.
From East Tennessee the regiment went to Camp Nelson, Kentucky,
and from there to Cleveland, Ohio, where it was mustered out of the
service in March, 1864. Like all the other short time regiments, it will be
observed that the time for which this regiment enlisted was considerably
extended. Many of the Perry boys after reaching home, in a few days,
or weeks, enlisted in other regiments and again entered tht service.
One Hundred and Sixtieth O. N. G. — The Legislature of Ohio,
at the session of 1863-64, passed a military act providing for a home or-
ganization of the Ohio National Guard, for the purpose of protecting
the State from actual or threatened invasion. Companies were organized
under this law with great rapidity, in nearly all the counties of the
HISTORY OF PERRV COUNTV. 127
State. In May, 1864, Governor Brough issued a proclamation calling
this large body of men into active service. At the time of the call to
the field, there were six full companies of men organized under this
statute in Perry county. The Perry county companies were ordered into
camp at Zanesville, Ohio. They all reported promptly, on a wretched-
ly inclement day, at New Lexington, and immediately took the cars for
the place of rendezvous. These companies, with a number of others
from neighboring counties, were organized into the One Hundred and
Sixtieth regiment. The Lieutenant Colonel, D.W. D. Marsh, the Ma-
jor,Henry L. Harbaugh, the Adjutant, Robert F. Hickman, jr., and the
Chaplain, Rev. James White, were elected from the Perry county com-
panies. Samuel Lyons, Andrew J. Tharp, David C. Fowler. Wm. H.
Spencer, Henr}^ C. Greiner and George Ritchey were the Captains ;
James T. McCormick, John T. Ball, Levi Bowman, Francis M. Wright,
James F. McMahon, John H, Huston, Simeon Hansley, Thomas J.
Post, Andrew J. Whipps, Abner M. White, William Stalter, and Aus-
tin J. Watts were Lieutenants. These were the line officers from Perry.
The companies were all strong in numbers, and, previous to being call-
ed out, had been duly equipped, as well as fully uniformed in the Na-
tional blue.
The regiment remained in camp at Zanesville but a few days, when
duly mustered into the service, it was soon on its way to Harper's Ferry,
the place to which it had been ordered. It was not suffered to remain
idle, but was at once sent to work guarding supply trains along the
Shenandoah Valley. These supply trains were frequently attacked by
Mosby's men and other guerrillas, and skirmishes were at times, of
almost daily occurence. In one engagement with Mosby's command,
several men in the One Hundred and Sixtieth were wounded, but for-
tunately none were killed. Thomas Jackson of Somerset was one of
the severely wounded. The men of the One Hundred and Sixtieth
behaved very gallantly. Fourteen rebels were killed in the action.
Mosby learned by dear experience, that it was no fun to capture supply
trains in charge of the One Hundred and Sixtieth O. N. G.
The regiment was required to march and countermarch, up and
down the Shenandoah Valley, most of the time exposed to the fire of
skulking bushwhackers, and in continual apprehension of attack by
guerrillas in force. Ohio in the War says : "That of all the Ohio National
Guards, the One Hundred and Sixtieth, probably, can show the most
continued service in the field."
Andrew J. Wright, of New Lexington, died in his tent at Mar^-land
Heights. Nathan S. Kelley, also of the same place, took sick and died
at Maryland Heights. He was the Republican nominee for County
Auditor at the time, and had he lived, would doubtless have been
elected. Wright and Kelley were both highly esteemed citizens, and
the news of their death dispelled the illusion that the "Hundred Day's
Service" was mere play. Private Marlow, of Captain Fowler's com-
pany, was captured, and never heard from, and probably died in a
rebel prison.
On one of the trips down the Shenandoah Valley, the One Hundred
and Sixtieth brought along a number of young girls out into "God's
Country," as the soldiers were wont to call the North. These girls did
128 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
not have a very elegant conveyance, but they got "Out of the Wilder-
ness" safely, nevertheless. One of these girls afterward married a
well-known citizen of New Lexington, and yet resides in that town.
The One Hundred and Sixtieth was mustered out and paid off at
Zanesville, September 7th, 1864, having been in the service four months
lacking three days.
The conscription of these Hundred Days men worked great hard-
ships in many communities. The men belonged principally to the same
localities, that had already contributed heavily in volunteers to the
three years service, and, in many cases, there was no one left to plow
the corn or save the harvest; but women — wives, sisters and mothers of
the absent soldiers — took the farm wojk in hand, and pushed it with
an energy and success, that was one of the many wonderful things ot
the war period.
When the men reached home, after the muster out at Zanesville, it
was eas}^ to see that the "Hundred Years War," as sometimes called,
had been no holiday, Many of the men were sick and disabled, and
those who were not, looked fatigued and haggard, resulting no doubt
from irregular and insufficient sleep, as well as almost continual harass-
ments, and apprehensions of attack, while guardingsupply trains through
an enemy's country, where guerrillas and bushwhackers were almost as
thick as blackberries.
The One Hundred Da3'S men were not volunteers in the strictest
sense ; but they turned out cheerfully and promptly at a gloomy period
of the war, served their country faithfully and well, and are justly en-
titled to consideration in any important history of those eventful and
perilous times.
Miscellaneous — A historical outline has been given of the com-
panies from Perr}^ county which served in the war of the Rebellion.
But, in the very nature of things, the full details of this war, as of other
wars, must forever remain unwritten. And it should be further kept in
mind, that numerous other soldiers from Perr}'- served in the war of
1861, who were not members of any of the companies the history of
which has been herein sketched. There were detachments of men
from Perry in the Sixteenth, Eighteenth, Thirt3^-Second, Forty-Sixth,
Seventy-Fifth, Sixt3^-Eighth, One Hundred and Twenty-Second, and
perhaps other infantry regiments. There were also individual soldiers
from Perry in man^^ other infantry regiments. There were detach-
ments of men from Perry in several of the cavalry regiments, notably
in the Ninth and Tenth, and individual soldiers in others who enlisted
from this county. The county was also represented in the Sharp
Shooters, Heav}'^ Artillery, and quite a strong detachment from New
Lexington and neighborhood served in the Signal Corps. It is not pos-
sible, even were it desirable, to follow these men apd their commands
through the long, wear}^ and tortuous civil war.
Perry count}' furnished its share of Generals, Colonels, Lieutenant
Colonels, Majors, Adjutants, Qiiartermasters, Chaplains, Surgeons,
Captains, Lieutenants, and about three thousand men in the ranks, who
fought, and bled, and suffered, on almost every battlefield and hard
march of the great war. They fought in the early battles of the war at
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTV. 1 29
Bull Run, at Rich Mountain, at Wild Cat, and at Mill Springs. Perry
boys were also with the noble General Lyon at Wilson's Creek, and
afterward made that long wearisome retreat under General Sigel to
Rolla, Missouri. Perry soldiers marched with the Regulars in McClel-
lan's advance up the Peninsula, and participated in the series of disastrous
but bravely contested battles that surged around the rebel capital in the
summer of 1862. They fought at Fredricksburg, at Chancellorsville,
at Second Bull Run, at South Mountain, at Antietam, and at Gettys-
burg. They were engaged at Shiloh, at Perryville, at Stone River, at
Chickamauga, at Mission Ridge, at Chickasaw Blufts, at Arkansas
Post, at Thompson's Hill, at Champion Hill, at Black River Bridge,
-and in the long, wearisome siege of Vicksburg. They fouglit at Rocky
Face Ridge, at Dallas, at Resaca, at Kenesaw, at Peach Tree Creek,
and Jonesboro. They charged at Fort Wagner, at the Wilderness, at
Spotsylvania, at Cold Harbor, at Deep Bottom, at Hatcher's Run, at
Five Forks, at Fort Gregg, and at Petersburg. They trod the blood v
fields of Monocacy, of Winchester, of Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek.
They Were at Franklin, at Nashville, at Bentonville, at Appomattox,
and at the capture of Mobile, the closing battle of the war. As mem-
bers of cavalry regiments, they rode and raided with Sheridan, Stone-
man, Wilson, Pleastanton and Kilpatrick.
They suffered and died, or endured incredible hardships at Libby,
Belle Isle, Andersonville, Salisbury, Lawton and other rebel prisons.
They — some of them — made their escape from those prisons, and hiding
by day, and walking by night, fed and otherwise assisted by the faith-
ful negroes, after toilsome days and nights of peril, once more reached
in safety the Union lines and the starry flag. They died in battle, in
camp, in hospitals, on the march, in rebel prisons, every where, and
many of them occupy nameless and unknown graves, far distant from
home and friends, and all that they loved so well. The}" cheerfull}'
sacrificed their lives that there might be but one country from the Lakes
to the Gulf, and from Ocean to Ocean, and that the Republic established
by their fathers might live.
The Morgan Raid. — The celebrated John Morgan and his troopers,
in the famous raid through Indiana and Ohio, took in Perry county on
his way. He only raided through two townships, however, coming in
on the Sunday Creek road into Monroe township, and going out in
Bearfield township, near Porterville. This was in July, 1863. It was
in consequence of Morgan's invasion of the North, that Governor Tod
oi-dered out the Militia of Southern Ohio. Morgan, in his northward
journey through Athens county, appeared to be heading for New Lex-
ington, and, in fact, he gave out the word that he intended to visit and
plunder the town. A citizen of Vinton count}- , who had for a while re-
sided at New Lexington, followed up the raiders, mingled and talked
with some of them, and believing that they really intended to sack the
town of New Lexington, made a detour around Morgan's command,
and being splendidly mounted, urged his steed along the ridges and
valleys, and over the hills, determined to give his friends warning of the
threatened danger. The weather was warm, the Vinton county friend
had left his home in a hurry, not dreaming of taking so long a ride, and
17
130 HistorV of perky county.
was minus coat, hat and shoes. Barefooted and bareheaded, with his
flowing locks streaming in the breeze, he pHed the whip, and his mag-
nificent charger, in a foam of sweat, and with nostrils distended, dashed
furiousl}^ on. The chivalrous rider's trousers, by the swift motion of
the galloping horse, had worked up to the knees, and leaning forward,
horse and rider might almost be mistaken for one being. They dashed
into town at the south end of Main street, and the entire length of the
street was speedily traversed, while every few rods, in a stentorian
voice, came the terrifying words, "John Morgan is coming! John
Morgan is coming! !" The people of the place, by the daily journals,
and private telegrams, were apprised of the movements of Morgan,
and knowing that he was not far off, were prepared to believe that he
might be coming this way, and they feared that the cry of the friendly
horseman might be realized. The men of the town were nearly all in
the army. The few^that remained held a brief consultation, and two
leading citizens were sent out on the road on which Morgan was to
come, instructed to surrender the town, with the view of thereby saving
a useless destruction of life and property ; as, under the circumstances,
it was agreed on all sides that no successful resistance could be made.
Money and other valuables were hastily" secreted, horses were hurried
off to supposed places of safety, and numerous persons left town and
took refuge in the countr3^ There was anxiety, of course, but no gen-
eral panic occurred, and most persons calmly and quietly awaited
events. But nine o'clock — ten — eleven — twelve — came, and no Morgan
and men put in an appearance, and it began to be evident that the great
raider had given New Lexington the go-by. But many people remain-
ed up all night, and others procured horses and sallied out to learn, if
possible, what direction Morgan had taken. It was ascertained, the
next da}^, that when Morgan reached the neighborhood of Sunday Creek
cross-roads, he filed square to the right, gave Millertown a visit, and
then passed on to Chapel Hill. From this place he went to Porterville,
and near this point passed out of Perry into Morgan county. Morgan
and his command camped all night on Island Run, near Porterville.
From Sunday Creek cross-roads to New Lexington, is about the same
distance as to Island Run, where Morgan encamped, and had he not
changed his course, and possibly his original intention. New Lexington
or neighborhood might have had the doubtful honor of entertaining him
and his band over night.
The general character of Morgan's raid is well known, and only some
of the incidents that occurred in Perry county will be related here. The
stores in Millertown and Chapel Hill were sacked, all the whisky that
could be found was confiscated, and the farce of buying and paying for
a few articles went on, while wholesale robbery and destruction occurred
without rebuke or interruption.
A plucky lady ot Monroe township, who was riding along the road,
gave the raiders a piece of her mind. They did not retaliate in words,
but gently lifted the lady fi'om the saddle and appropriated her horse.
Dr. W. H. Holden, of Millertown, then on a tour of visits to his patients,
was promptly relieved of his horse, but was kindly permitted to retain
his saddle-bags, which he carried the remainder of the way on his arm,
as he trudged homeward on foot. A farmer was hauling a load of hay
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. I3I
along the road. His team was halted, the harness stripped from the
horses in a twinkling, and there the farmer sat upon his load of ha}^ a
much astonished and bewildered individual. There was a wool-picking
part}^ at the house of a farmer ; quite a number of ladies was there and
supper was just announced. Morgan's men came in uninvited, appro-
priated all the seats, and remarked that it was very impolite to take pre-
cedence of the ladies, but they were in a great hurry and could not
aftbrd to wait. What the}^ left in the way of eatables was hardly worth
mentioning. Good fresh horses were ever3^where picked up, and the
jaded animals turned loose. The raiders also sent out scouting parties
right and lett, to gather up a fresh supph^ of horse-flesh.
On the night that Morgan was expected in New Lexington, D. W.
D. Marsh, Sill Colborn and James R. Carroll, rode out for the purpose
of discovering the whereabouts of the rebel force. They struck the
trail, followed it up, and just at daybreak, without being aware of- the
near proximit}^ of the enemy, rode in to the camp at Island Run, near
Porterville. They were ordered to halt by some of the band who were
on the alert. Marsh laid whip to his horse and dashed oft' through the
woods. Colborn and Carroll thought it would be safer to stay. They
parleyed with the raiders, who told them they were prisoners and must
go along. Colborn and Carroll were taken some forty miles, and turn-
ed loose in Guernsey county. Their horses were, of course, taken b}'
the raiders. They were with the raiders in the skirmish at the crossing
of the Muskingum, near Eaglesport, where one citizenuvas killed, and
several of the raiders wounded, one severely. Colborn and Carroll
reached home in due time, reporting that ^hey had been treated to a
very invigorating ride, though they acknowledge it to have been a
rough one.
One of the Morgan men got sleepy and fell behind, within the limits
of Peny county, and was "gobbled" up as a prisoner. He was brought
to New Lexington, and, under all the circumstances, was something of
a curiosity. The populace crowded around him, and some remarks
not complimentary were made. He did not like the looks of things, and
said that all he asked was to be treated as a prisoner of war. He was
sent to the military prison at Camp Chase. The raider who was so se-
verely wounded at Eagles'port, on the Muskingum, lay for some weeks
at a hotel in Zanesville, but finally convalesced and was sent to a mili-
tary prison.
Hobson's Cavalry were on the trail of Morgan, and only two or three
hours behind. Several of the soldiers gave out, came to New Lexing-
ton, and slept a day or two in the court house yard. The most the}'
needed was rest and something to eat, which they got, and soon went
on their way. Hobson's Cavalry seized fresh horses, but Morgan, com-
ing along first, had the pick. But the pursuers gained on the raiders,
nevertheless.
This was the last of John Morgan in Perry count3% but not the last
of the John Morgan scare. Some days after this, and while he and his
band of men were 3'et in Ohio and uncaptured, late one evening, a '' sol-
itary horseman " came into New Lexington, announcing that Morgan
had been driven back across the Muskingum, and that he was making
his way in this direction, this time burning houses, barns and other
132 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
propert}'. The horseman referred to had heard of the approach of the
Morgan band, seen the fire of the burning buildings, and had indispu-
table information that it was the Morgan raiders who were doing the
dreadful incendiary work.
When the astounding news reached New Lexington, Colonel Lynch
of Circleville, and a battalion of Pickaway county Morgan pursuers,
were at the depot conferring with Governor Tod as to discharge from
further service. The command had been around in the wake of Mor-
gan, but being infantr}^ could do nothing effective in the work, and
Colonel Lynch very sensibly asked that they might be discharged.
When the messenger brought the report that Morgan was surely
approaching, Colonel Lynch hooted at the idea, and said it was impos-
sible. The order discharging the Pickaway battallion was received,
but Colonel Lynch, without announcing it, decided to remain overnight,
organized his command and marched it up the hill. He established a
sort of military head quarters in Butler & Marsh's law office, and sent
out pickets on all the principal roads leading to town. These faithful
sentinels remained out all night, and the people of New Lexington, for
the most part, slept in quiet and security. But no raiders made their
appearance. The whole thing was a "bugaboo," of the hugest kind.
There was no intentional deception, and how the false news of the sec-
ond coming of Morgan originated, was never satisfactoril}' 'ascertained.
The Pickaway county volunteers, after their night's vigils, were
breakfasted by the ladies, and entertained in the most hearty and hos-
pitable manner, and they were as much honored and respected as though
the enemy had been really in the vicinity, and the town in the most im-
minent danger. The Pickaway boys did, indeed, deport themselves
handsomely, and were well treated in return. The next morning they
took the train for home.
Some little time after this last fright, Morgan and his men were cap-
tured in the eastern part of the State. The leaders were not treated as
ordinary prisoners of war, but, for a time, found a home in the Ohio
State Prison. Morgan and some of his officers escaped therefrom and
succeeded in reaching the South. But the great raider did not survive
the war. He was shot and killed when on one of his characteristic ex-
peditions, while trying to make his escape from a house where he had'
remained over night, which was surrounded by Union soldiers, for the
purpose of capturing him. He tried to make his exit and was shot
dead.
The Marietta Campaign. — In July, 1863, David Tod, Governor
of Ohio, called upon the independent military companies and militia of
some fifteen or twenty counties of South-Eastern Ohio, to rendezvous
at Marietta, to protect the southern border of the State. The State
Militia had recenth' beeii enrolled and organized under a statute sup-
posed to meet the emergencies of actual war. This was a wholesale
conscription, and the entii'e militia force of a majority of the townships
of Perr\- promptly reported at New Lexington to take the cars for
Marietta.
The militia were neither armed nor equipped, but they were deter-
mined to obey orders. New Lexington had an independent military
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. I33
compan3^ commanded by Captain D. W. D. Marsh, and of course it
was included in the call, and responded. The conscripts poured in and
fairly overwhelmed the town of New Lexington. The " troops" trav-
eled by rail to Zanesville, and then by boat down the beautiful Mus-
kingum, some of the "boys" pathetically singing "The Girl I Left
Behind Me." There was much discomfort aboard the boats, but all
safely arrived at Marietta, the objective point. The like of the militia
camp at Marietta was probably no where else seen during the war.
There were no Mre-arms and few equipments or conveniences of any
kind. But the men lay in camp there two weeks and did the duty re-
quired of them. There were several good-sized scares during the short
campaign, but no rebel gunboats came up the dark ravines, as some-
times announced, and John Morgan and his troopers did not put in an
appearance, though anxiously expected. At length the militia were
mustered out, and embarked on boats up the Muskingum, and then
traveled by rail to New Lexington. The whole campaign was without
casualty, but abounded in fun, if the stories of participants are to be
fully credited. The whole demonstration was no doubt designed as a
scare, and it probabl}^ was not without effect on the notorious John Mor-
gan and other raiders. At any rate, as the events of the war grow
dim, many a man will remember that he, at least, was in the Marietta
campain, and a soldier in the service of his country. And it is possible,
in the distant future, that men may draw pensions from the United
States government, in consideration of their "fourteen days' " service
during the great war of the rebellion.
The Barn Burning Scare. — In July, 1863, a barn was burned
in Madison township, and at the same time one was burned in Hope-
well township. These barns were full of grain and the loss was heavy.
In the first case there was writing on the walls of the house, threaten-
ing to burn it, also, and do sundry other dreadful things. It was al-
leged that the barn was burned by persons w^ho were disguised and
wore masks, and after frightening the lad}^ of the house nearly out of
her senses, until she ran across the fields to a neighbor's, the masked
men retreated to the woods and became lost to sight. It was just in the
twilight of evening that the affair took place, and nothing was done
that night, but the next morning the whole country was aroused, and
when it was learned that another good barn had been burned, a few
miles distant, the alarm was great among farmers, and they all rallied
and joined in the effort for the apprehension of the incendiaries. The
people of the townships of Madison, Hopewell and Reading, turned
out in great force, and large numbers of men were also present from
the southern part of Licking county, and the western part of Muskin-
gum. There were miles of men in line, stationed along roads, and
many of them armed with such weapons as the country afforded. The
fields, woods, ravines and all good hiding places were searched, but no
suspicious characters were found. It is possible, of course, that the
guilty pei'sons ma}' have mingled in the throng, and even joined in the
search. For many nights farmers watched their houses and barns, and
scouting parties were constantly on the alert ; but as no more burning
was done, the interest and dread gradually died away. At this distant
134 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
day, and after the lapse of so many years, it is impossible to conceive
of the general and widespread excitement that prevailed at that time.
The incendiaries were never discovered, and the question of who did
set fire to the buildings, is yet shrouded in mystery. But, in some way
or other, the burning is believed to have been directly or indirectly con-
nected with the war, and therefore a part of its bitter fruits.
HISTORY OF PERRY COtJNTY. I35
CHAPTER XVI.
REUNION OF VETERAN SOLDIERS.
For a year or two after the close of the war, Reunions of veteran
soldiers were ver}^ common in Perry county. These, however, were
usually originated and managed by ladies, and were mostl}^ held in
the country or in the vicinity of small villages. There was, on these oc-
casions, always a good dinner, and in some cases the lay out of eata-
bles was most extraordinar}^ All the labor and expense was cheerfully
incurred by the ladies, in order that the returned veterans might have
a good time, and as a manitestation of their good will toward them. After
a year or two, however, this style of Reunion gradually ceased, and ex-
cept for the pinching times that came, as a consequence of the war and
an undue inflation of currency, it seemed almost forgotten that a great
war had occurred, and that in almost every household, were carefully
filed away scores of tender missives from brave boys in blue, whose
hands would never write again.
As the years rolled away and the ranks of the returned veterans began
to thin out by death, military reunions revived, in all parts of the coun-
try, and in this county. A few years since there was a Reunion of the
ex-soldiers of Perry county, on the County Fair Ground, near New
Lexington, during one of the days of the annual County Fair. There
was a large attendance of veterans, who formed in front of the court
house, under command of Colonel L. J. Jackson, from which place they
marched to the Fair Ground, where the entire bodv was admitted free
to the exhibition then in progress. There was not much opportunity
for ceremony, speeches, or business, and little was had, but the Reunion
was large and successful.
The Thirty-First Ohio Regimental Reunion is the only one of this
kind ever held in the county ; but it was highly successful, and held in
September, 1882. The following account of the Reunion is from the
New Lexington Tribune^ of October 4th, 1882:
Reunion of the Thirty-First Ohio Volunteer Infantry. —
The Annual Reunion ot the Thirty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantrv w'as
celebrated in this place on Wednesday, September 26th. Many busi-
ness houses and quite a number of private dwellings were handsomely
decorated, as was also the court room, where the Reunion exercises
were held. Several pictures of army scenes were hung behind the
Judge's stand, including one representing the charge made by the bri-
gade of w^iich the Thirty-first Ohio w'as a part, at Stone River.
The Veterans formed at the C. & M. V. depot, about 11 a. m., and
under the escort of the New Lexington Guards and a fine band of
martial music, marched up Water and Main streets to the Court House,
where Colonel Moses B. Walker, of Findlay, promptly called the meet-
136 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
ing to order, after which an appropriate and eloquent speech of wel-
come was delivered by his Honor, Mayor J. E. Johnston. Colonel L.
J. Jackson responded in behalf of the veterans in appropriate terms.
Then a recess was taken for dinner.
Upon reassembling, in the afternoon, the roll of the living members
of the veterans of the regiment was called by companies. Ever}' com-
pany was represented, though some of them, from the more distant
parts, b}' only a few members. Three of the companies, A D and G,
went out from Perr}' county, commanded respectively by J. W. Free,
William H. Free and L. J. Jackson. Licking and Hocking each had
a company. The others were from more distant parts of the State.
There was one company from Union, one from Clark, and one from
Auglaize. Delaware also furnished a company, or part of one.
After the roll call, Colonel Walker delivered the Oration, according
to programme. It was an able and eloquent effort, and brought out
much applause. Walker is a brainy man and eloquent of speech, but
he is growing old, as are many of the veterans, and he did not make such
a finished and classical speech as he did from the same platform, eigh-
teen years ago, when the Thirty-first was home on veteran furlough,
lor thirty days.
After the regular oration, letters were read from absent members,
iind then speeches were made by Captain H. C. Greiner, Colonel L. J.
Jackson, Major J. W. Free and, Comrade J. P. Frances, of Newark,
Ohio. Frances said that Colonel Walker and other speakers had been
entirely too modest. He then eulogized Colonel Walker in the highest
terms, and asserted that there were in the Thirt3'-first Ohio, and troni
this very town of New Lexington and neighborhood, as brave men as
ever trod a battle-field in either ancient or modern times.
Most of the speakers had amusing or pathetic anecdotes of the war
to relate. Two of them are brief, and are here given : Captain Greiner
said that on one occasion a cannon ball had gone through a mule, and
quick as thought Garrett Hayden, a member of Company A, from Salt-
lick township, said, " there was a d — d good place for a window !" At
Jonesboro the Colonel of the Thirty-eighth Ohio was shot dead in the
battle. Just after the fight, when the body of the Colonel was being
taken from the field, and all about was still as death, John Anderson, a
private in the Thirty-eighth, half crying, said to a squad of Thirt}--
first soldiers, " That is two young Colonels the Thirty-eighth has had
killed, and you have your d — d old Colonel yet."
Major J. W. Free was fixed up for a good speech, and was about to
begin speaking of the one hundred and one men of his original com-
pany who left this count}^ in August, i86i,when he broke completely
down, and could not say another word.
The night session was devoted to business aftairs principally, but
more good short speeches were made and other good arm}' anecdotes
related. The committee appointed to report upon a place of meeting
for the ensuing year divided, the majority report being for Logan and
the minority report in tavor of Mt. Gilead. After some discussion, the
minorit}' report was adopted, and Mt. Gilead agreed upon as the place
for a Reunion, to be held on the second Wednesda}' of August, 1883.
The Reunion was a success in every way. The battle flags of the
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. I37
regiment had been sent down from Columbus, and were carefully un-
covered and placed around the speaker's stand. They were mute but
eloquent historians* of the awful conflicts through which the regiment
passed.
The name of Payton Shields, a private of Captain Bill Free's com-
pany, was received with great enthusiasm. Mr. Shields was one of
General Thomas' most efficient and reliable scouts, and put his neck in
jeopardy hundreds of times. He w^as at one time during the war blown
up on a steamboat on the Mississippi, was two hours and a half in the
water, floated seven miles, and narrowly escaped drowning. Ever
since that dreadful night he has been to a greater or less degree afflicted,
and at times has nervous fits, in which he involuntarih' strikes with his
hands and feet like a drowming man, as he did that dark night in the
cheerless water of the Mississippi. Mr. Shields was present, one of
the most modest, retiring men in the assembly. It was with difficulty
that he could be persuaded to stand up a moment that the audience
might see him.
Several of the veterans came hundreds of miles to attend the Re-
union ; one traveled over a thousand miles to get here. The far away
States of Kansas and Iowa had their representatives. It was good to
see the old veterans meet, shake hands and talk over the old times. It
was also painful to see some of them fail to recognize each other, in
consequence of the changes of so many years.
The Thirty-first left Camp Chase, ten hundred and forty strong,
September 26, 1861. It received three or four hundred recruits during
the war, and yet was mustered out in 1865 with only two hundred and
ten men. It probably did as hard fighting and marching as an}^ i"egi-
ment in the service.
General Walker said he could only speak generally of the dead, yet he
must name the intrepid Colonel W. H. Free, who was loved by every
man in the regiment, and was as brave as any that ever shouldered a
musket or drew a sword.
Most of the veterans remained over night and attended the night
session. Many ladies graced the Reunion with their presence.
The following is the list of comrades present :
Officers — President, M. B. Walker: First Vice President, Major J.
W. Free ; Second Vice President, James P. Frances ; Secretary, James
C. Walker; Colonel Lyman J. Jackson, C. C. March.
Company A— G. Hayden, G. W. Gordon, D. Mariart, S.W.White,
Captain H. C. Greiner, M. Barnes, A. D. Hemry, A. J. Gordon, J. A.
Grant, Captain W. F. Bennet, J. Powell, H.J. Strait, Asa Harbaugh,
J. Shrieves, E. G. Spurrier. Alf Wilson, Samuel Longstreth, Eli Strait,
Samuel Stainbrook, P. P. Stotler.
Company B— R. C. Kitsmiller, W. H. Martin, Ben Bond, J. L.
Rouse, T. D. Wood, D. B. Whitcraft, J. W. Campbell.
Company C — Captain W. S. Carlisle, D. C. Henrv.
Company D— J. F. Whipps, G. W. Watts, W. M: Sanders, L. L.
Norris, T. W. Tracy, Payton Shields, A. Brown, J. B. Selby, W. E.
Norris.
Company E — J. Culver, A. H. Cutter, Joseph Hennis, Captain L. M.
Cunard, A. H. Cunard, J. A. Closson.
18
138 HISTORY OF I'ERRV COUNTY.
Company F — H. N. Simmons, Joseph Rice, B. Brown, Dr. Jerome
Oatley.
Company G — Horatio Sowers, Jacob Carnicour, Charles Hatenfels,
David Brown, Captain C. L. Williams, Dick Brown, W. H. Russell,
J, Ridenour, H. W. Lasure, George Essington, F, T. Smith, George
Nichols, James O'Neal, Isaac Souslin, J. M. Dodd, J. H. Boling.
Company H— Theo. Warthen, W. M. Parkinson, D. H. Barrick,
William Spence, H. Allspaugh, John Jones, G. B. Woodcock, C. E.
DarHngton, W. Vanasdal, D. G. Mills, H. C. Burch.
Company I— W. W. McDonald, R. Stringfellow.
Company K — Captain A. S. Scott.
Regimental Band — D. Oblinger, T. H. Battan.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 1 39
CHAPTER XVII.
THE CENTENNIAL.
The one hundredth Anniversary of the birth of the American Re-
pubHc was everywhere celebrated with great eclat, and no where with
more enthusiasm and parade than in Perry county, Ohio. Early in the
spring the subject began to be discussed and preliminary steps taken.
The people of the old town of Somerset were the first to move in the
matter, but New Lexington soon followed suit and other places took up
the strain.
There was some talk of the entire county uniting in an obser-
vance of the great day at old Overmyertown, (New Reading,) as the
first permanently settled village in the*county ;butthe idea was not verv
favorably received, for the reason that there could be no adequate ac-
commodations at that place for the very large number of people who
were sure to be present. Finally, Somerset and New Lexington de-
cided upon having separate celebrations, and then Shawnee and New
Straitsville came to the same conclusion. The Odd Fellows of New
Lexington had previously announced a celebration for July 4th, 1876,
and the veteran soldiers had likewise determined on that day to dedi-
cate the soldiers' monument, and these facts were considerations that
prevented the people of New Lexington from uniting with those of
Somerset in a Centennial Celebration.
The following accounts which are from the New Lexington Herald
of July 6th, 1876, give a fair and correct idea of the great Centennial in
Perry County :
The Centennial at Somerset — 1776-1876- — The celebration of the
Fourth, in Somerset, on last Tuesda}^, was the occasion of bringing to-
gether the largest crowd of people witnessed in the county "since Work
w.ashung." Every township in the county was represented, besides a
delegation from Rushville nearly a thousand strong, and parties from
Licking and Muskingum counties. In numbers and in point of display
the celebration was a grand success — "the biggest crowd and biggest
day" ever known in our history.
The coming of the Fovuth was indicated in the earh* evening b}^ the
Small Boy, with his hand cannon, his torpedo and his universal fire
cracker. Main street from the school house to Pig Foot Square w^as
occupied by the boys, pickets on the advance line, and a rattling fire
was kept up along the entire street, checked occasionally only by the
explosion of a whole pack by some more adventurous cuss, when each
little chap would pocket for the moment his own single cracker and
rush to the spot where the fascinating explosion was taking place. This
rattle and clatter and din kept up till about eleven o'clock, when the
boys, tired and sleepy, went to bed.
140 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
At midnight the sleeping town and coiintr}' were awakened to the
Centennial by the booming of cannon, the tiring ot" musketry, the ring-
ing ot bells and every instrument and device of noise that could be call-
ed into requisition. A steam whistle, the very incarnation of discordant
voice, was turned loose from a planing mill, and this infernal thing got
down on its hind legs, as though at the doors of Pandemonium, and
howled and screamed and 3^elled until men swore, babies cried and wo-
men fainted. The Small B03' again came to the front with his fire
cracker, adding to the sublimity of the noise. Occasionally the steam
whistle, which without change of note, modulation or inflection, over-
powered all other noises, would stop for a few moments to catch breath
or gather steam, and in the lull" could be heard the melod}' of the town
bells, the music of organ, piano and bands, and occasionally the deep
and mellow tones of St. Joseph's big bell borne on the waves of the mid-
night winds. The advent of the Centennial was aggravating at first,
but inspiriting, and from midnight until day the town slept but little, and
the commotion and bus}^ preparation in house and on the street kept
nearly every body awake and expectant.
With morning came on a heavy rain storm, which, however, cleared
off about eight o'clock and the streets began to fill up with people from
the country. Delegations began to arrive from the townships at about
ten o'clock, and were formed into procession by Captain Greiner, Chief
Marshal, and his assistants.
Mr. W. S. (Bee) Ream personated George Washington, and was
dressed in a suit of the old Colonial time, his breeches being more than
Centennial in age, coming into possession of his family from Mrs. Ream.
Mrs. Tom Stillman represented Martha Washington, and did it finely.
Accompanied by a military band, Mr. Ream called upon Mrs. Stillman at
her residence, and escorted her to the place assigned them in the column.
The procession formed at the public square, passing up Main street
and returning by North Columbus street, thence down Main street and
along the pike to Dittoe's grove, about a mile distant from town.
The following is the order of the procession :
Somerset Brass Band.
Officers and orators of the day.
Band of martial music.
Cannon and gun squad in uniform.
George and Martha Washington in costume.
Elderly ladies in costume representing the thirteen Colonies.
Thirty-eight young ladies representing the thirty-eight States.
Goddess of Liberty in costume.
Township delegations in carriages.
Delegations on horseback.
Citizens from town and countr}' on foot.
The procession was the finest display ever made in the county. The
wagons containing the ladies in costume were large and commodious,
festooned with vine and foliage and flowers, patriotic emblems and de-
vices. Flags and pennants nodded from horses heads and waved from
tile liands of the thousands, as they sped to the grove amid the thunder
of cannon, the thrilling music of the bands, and the cheers of the densely
peopled sidewalks.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. I4I
A group of ladies represented the colonies and states. Each was a
beautiful and fitting representative of the sovereignty — the highest,
greatest, purest lype of nationality, and in her virtues the absolute as
well as ideal guardian and protector.
Mrs. George Brown in tasteful costume and adorned with appropri-
ate emblems, personated the Goddess of Liberty. As the cortege con-
taining this group of magnificent beaut}' in the gayest trappings of
modern taste and culture passed along the streets, cheered and applauded
bv the thousands of enthusiastic Perry countians, we thought no inci-
dent was more expressive, no feature more appropriate in contrasting
to-day and its living scenes with the historic memory of the century that
has passed.
Nearly a hundred 3-ears ago Ebenezer Zane and Jonathan Zane
passed almost identically over the line taken by the procession, in mak-
ing the "Zane trail" from Wheeling to Maysville. Then there was not
a house in the county — not a white man — all a wilderness — all in savage
nature, unbroken except by the discordant tones of wild animals, or the
yells of Indians as wild. Neither refinement nor comfort, neither pro-
tection from the storms nor safet}^ from the savage ; and a descendant of
one of those pioneers represented the Goddess of Liberty, surrounded
bv all that refines and ennobles, and emblematic not onlv of a free and
enlightened county and community, but of the change of a century
made by the force of free opinion in a free government, and it was only
the more strong in contrast by the circumstance that with magnificent
beauty, clothed and crowned as a Goddess, surrounded by a bevy that
might have awakened the jealous}^ of Juno and Jove.
The delegation from Jackson township, led by the Junction City
band, was universally conceded to be the largest from any township and
the flag was awarded them. The procession numbered five hundred
and fift3'-eight carriages passing the American House, and it is esti-
mated that an equal number came in from north and south on Columbus
'street, which are not included in the count.
As the procession was leaving town the delegation from Rushvile
arrived. This delegation made a very fine appearance, and was wel-
comed b}^ the Somerset people in the most heart3^and enthusiastic style.
Immediately on arrival at the grove the exercises were opened by
Rev. M. White b}^ prayer. Next followed the reading of the Declara-
tion. The stand was occupied by the officers, S'George and Martha
Washington," and a number of aged citizens. The oration, by Hon.
W. E. Finck, followed the reading of the Declaration, and was in this
gentleman's best style.
Just as Mr. Finck was closing, the clouds which for an hour had
been gathering burst upon the crowd, and every thing in a moment was
complete demoralization, and the occasional showers following at half
hour intervals culminated in a terrific storm at about four o'clock in the
afternoon, disarranged the programme agreed upon, and all the exerci-
ses following were conducted under the most dispiriting circumstances.
A bountifurfree dinner was spread, and although the dry bread
got a little too wet, the wants of all who were hungry were amply
supplied, and every one seemed satisfied.
1^2 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
Immediately after dinner Mr. E. S. Colborn was introduced to the
crowd and delivered a valuable and interesting Historical Address.
Following the Historical Address were a number of toasts read by
Dr. Willard.
Mr. W. E. Finck, Jr., responded in very happy style to "Washing-
ton,"' combining historic facts and pathetic sentiments in a masterly
manner, showing a thorough knowledge of the history of our country
and a true conception of the lessons to be learned from it.
The "Soldiers of the War of the Rebellion," was the subject of the
next toast. Colonel L. J. Jackson being called upon made the follow-
ing response :
"It would require more time and, in view of the coming storm, a
more auspicious occasion to do justice to the toast given. No man can
imagine, without actual participation, the dread and gloom that over-
hung this country at the inception of the late war. It was like the storm
that we hear now in the distance. We hear the distant thunder, we
know it is freighted with wondrous force and livid lightning ; we know
it has the elements of danger and destruction, and we wonder in fearful
suspense where its lightnings may strike and where its waters may fall.
"So was the dread and danger then — we knew the storm was in the
air and that if it came upon us there would be mourning and desolation
in the land ; that some, at least, of us and ours would be called to die
in the shock of battle, and be laid in the last sleep under a strange sky
by stranger hands, without woman's gentle hands to soothe the parting
struggle or lead to the life eternal.
" Well I recollect standing by the telegraph operator at New Lexing-
ton, on April 14, 1861, waiting in fearful suspense, as the whole world
was waiting, to hear the news from Carleston. And while so waiting
there came that historic and portentous dispatch : " Fort Sumter is on
fire and enveloped in smoke, but the Federal flag is still waving over
it." As if the emergency and sublimity of the moment had evoked the
spirit of prophecy, it announced to the world that with lurid flames be-
low it, and war's terrors surrounding it, and death's most potent instru-
ments assailing it, the God given emblem of Freedom still floated and
was safe in the hands of Him who made our country free. And that
sublime incident, under God — the soldiers and sailors of the late war.
His instruments — foretold the vicissitudes and results of the war. The ter-
rible defeat at Manassas came, but the Federal flag did not go down.
The blood-stained fields of Shiloh, and Donelson, and Chickamauga,
and Stone River, and Atlanta, and Gettysburg, and Antietam, and
Fredericksburg, and a hundred others came, and the Federal flag still
waved ; three hundred thousand true and gallant soldiers died around
it, but its stars still shone and its stripes still gleamed in the sky. It was
still between us and Heaven in the battles of the Wilderness, on the
ocean and our rivers, in the swamps of Louisiana and Mississippi and
Carolina— the mountains of Virginia and Tennessee. No matter how
lurid the flame nor how deadl}- the moment, the boys in blue still car-
ried it until it waved in triumph over the capital of every State, the
grave of every dead hero, and threw its cheering gleam through the
bars of every prison, until Libby and Andersonville threw ofT their gloom
and ended their horrors.
HISTORY OK PERRY COUNTY. I43
"And to-day beyond danger, triumphant over all enemies, it waves
above us in peace, and tliose that fought for it as well as those who
fought against it, together celebrate the Centennial year of the exist-
ence of the Nation it represents. And that commemoration is not as of
enemies having opposing interests and hostile purposes, but as friends in
a common countr}^ under a common flag, having a common interest
and common purpose for all coming time. Yes, all are brethren now ;
those that fought for it and those' that fought against it. No ill-starred
traitor can ever divide ns again ; and for the future we share together
the fortunes of a common country. Not admiring their cause, but con-
scious of the fact that braver men never lived — not remembering in ven-
geance the errors of the past, but looking only to the future ; we the vic-
tors take the hand of the vanquished and from our hearts say, we are
rivals now only as one people looking to the good of one country."
Altogether, it was a "big day," and many a man tottering in his
old age, as well as the youthful and vigorous in his prime, will treasure
its recollections as one of the eventful incidents of our local history ; the
little boy, big-eyed in wonder, and perfectly overcome with what he
saw and felt, will make this day and this celebration the starting point
i*n the misty memories of future life, and measure his recollections from
this milestone.
Jackson township claims a delegation of sixteen hundred. Other
townships had large delegations ; none however equal to Jackson. The
crowd was estimated at from eight to ten thousand.
The day closed in Somerset by a brilliant displa}^ of fire works, and
the ascension of thirty-eight balloons, representing the several States —
with the firing of cannon, the explosion of rockets, the bursting of fire
crackers, with din and clang, and clatter and confusion. ' And so it
should. The pageant to-day was no idle show ; the explosion of can-
non and crackers not an empty noise ; the flaming rockets spangling
the heavens with stars and streams of light, not an empty, transient
glory. It is the voice, the spirit, the inspiration of '76, running down
through the ages. And when the Fourth of July again comes, let re-
curring celebrations be made with the same spirit as has crowded the
demonstration of to-day with such sacred recollections, and crowned
it with such magnificent success.
Celebration at New Lexington. — On the evening of the 3d of
July, the "universal small boy," whose normal and original home ap-
pears to be New Lexington, with several townships to hear from, seemed
determined to begin the celebration early, and with whoops and yells,
and something less than a million fire crackers, it was plain that the
coming events of the morrow were casting their shadows before. At
midnight pandemonium, duly modified for the occasion, of course, broke
forth in uncontrollable fury. All the bells in the city were rung, the
cannon blazed and pealed away, jarring the houses, windows and nerves
of people, nobody could sleep, and the pavements and streets were alive
with people. The universal small bo}^ aforesaid, unsuppressed and
irrepressible, was in all his glory, and gravely impressed with the idea
that the future destiny of this country was resting, or soon would rest,
144 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
on his shoulders, was indifferent as to whether his suspenders were off
or on.
When the noise ol" the shrieks, and shouts, and yells would subside,
as they occasionally did, the concert of the city bells was very fine, in-
inspiring, and quite endurable, not to say musical and harmonious.
The morning of the Fourth came bright, clear and joyous. The
city was gaily decorated, and banners and flags waved and flapped in
every breeze. Early in the morning, people began to flow into the cit\'
from all directions, on foot, on horseback, in wagons, in carriages, bug-
gies, and, a little later in the day, by the railroads. By ten o'clock the
town w^as overflowing with people.
A little before ten the procession was organized at the public square,
under the direction of General J. H. Kelly, Chief Marshal of the day.
The procession was termed in the Ibllowing order : First, Ewing
Guards ; second, soldiers of the war with Mexico, and of the war of
1861 ; third, the New Lexington Lodge of the L O. O. F ; fourth, citi-
zens on foot, on horseback, and in carriages and other vehicles. The
procession, preceded by the Roseville Cornet Band and the New Lex-
ington Military Band, moved southward as far as the intersection of
Main by Mill street. Here it countermarched and proceeded north-
w^ardly on Main street. The pavements on either side, and the court
house yard, were lined with people, and from windows, balconies, and
the front yards on the line of march, women and children looked and
gazed upon the inspiring scene. The Catholic Church was very hand-
somely and appropriately decorated, and the morning services of High
Mass had just concluded ; and, as the head of the procession passed
the church building, the choir appeared in the front 3'ard, singing in a
highly creditable manner, the song of "The Star Spangled Banner,"
and continuing to sing as the procession moved bv. It moved on north-
ward, crossed the iron bridge, and halted at Monument Space, near
Broadwa}^ wdiere the inaugurating ceremonies took place.
The battle-scarred and riddled flags, which had been borne in the
procession by veterans, were deposited on the terrace of the monument,
and saluted by the militarj^ A brief and appropriate address was then
made by Wm. A. Hale of Lancaster, after which the following letter
was read by General J. H. Kelly, from General Hugh Ewing, the flrst
commander of the Thirtieth Ohio :
"Lancaster, O., July 2, 1876.
"Colonel James Taylor. — I sincerely regret to say that an at-
tack of inflammatory rheumatism, under which I am suffering, will
render it impossible for me to accept the invitation of your committee.
" I beg you to present them my acknowledgments for the honor of
the invitation, and through them to present to our old comrades, who
assemble to do honor to our immortal dead, my profound and heartfelt
sympathy. Truly your friend,
Hugh Ewing."
L.J. Burgess, of New Lexington, then made some brief and appro-
priate remarks.
Major John W. Free, of New Lexington, who had been selected to
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. I45
give a history of the flags that adorned the terrace of the monument,
spoke as follows :
"Soldiers and Fellow Citizens — I have a duty to perform in present-
ing to you these tatterted flags, with a short history of each, which I al-
most feel incompetent to do, for the past is so full of recollections that it
crowds m}'^ memory, and almost chokes my utterance. This is an oc-
casion of the inauguration of this Monument to the memory of the dead
of the Thirtieth Ohio. We have thought it appropriate to bring togeth-
er the flags of the different Regiments that have at one time or another,
done duty in the same Division, Corps, or Department of the army,
during the war for the Union. General Hugh Ewing, who wrote the
letter just read in your hearing, was the first Colonel of the Thirtieth'to
which this tattered flag belonged. For want of time I shall not attempt
to name the battles through which this flag has gone, for it is his-
tory well known to you all. Several color-bearers fell dead carrying it
to victory. At Antietam these colors were badly torn with bullets.
Two color-bearers fell here — Sergeant White fell never to rise again,
and immediately Sergeant Carter grasped the flag stafl' so firmly in his
death agony that it could with difficulty be taken from his hands. To
men as equally as brave as these this monument is erected to their mem-
ory. This regiment did duty in the army of the Potomac and in the
Western army ; joined in the march to the sea, came through Richmond,
was at the grand review at Washington, and what was left of these
brave men returned to their homes. Some maimed, some diseased,
and others robust and ready to do or die for the old flag.
"Next in order is the flag of the Thirty-First. Under this old flag
I had the honor to serve. Eleven bullets struck this stafl", many through
its folds. Five color-bearers were killed and several severely wounded.
This regiment did service in the Western army, joined in the march to
the sea, was at the grand review at Washington, and soon thereafter
discharged.
"Next is the Sixty-First. This regiment, like the Thirtieth Ohio,
did duty in both the Eastern and Western armies ; joined in the march
to the sea, and soon thereafter was discharged. The brave Colonel of
this regiment, Stephen J. McGroarty, had twenty-seven wounds upon
his body received in battle, and died some two years ago on account of
the same. This flag has been in some twenty battles ; the regiment
fought three days at Gettysburg and five days in the Wilderness, and
it is a befitting emblem to be present at the inauguration of this beauti-
ful monument.
"Next is the Sixty-Second. The gallant Colonel of this regiment,
F. B. Pond, who came home like many of his men, all covered with
wounds, was the right man to lead the brave boys who carried this flag
to victory. This regiment, unlike the others spoken of, did duty in the
Eastern army only. Its tattered flag and spliced staff' speaks louder
than words of the awful carnage it has passed through. Several color-
bearers fell carrying it on to victory. This old flag was in the assault
on Fori Wagner, July i8th, 1863, and many gallant boys went down
and now sleep in unknown graves.
"Next is the Hundred and Twenty-Sixth. This flag has been in
many engagements ; its history is written, and you all can read. It is
19
146^ HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
enough when I tell you that during the term of service of the
Hundred and Twenty-Sixth it lost nineteen officers and 490 men killed
and wounded. The flags of the Ninetieth and Hundred and Fourteenth
Ohio were expected here to-day, but had been engaged for other places
which we all regretted.
In sending our invitations to the soldiers of the different wars for
our union, no invitation was given to the soldiers of the Revolution, for
we knew they had all passed away ; but we invited the soldiers of the
war of 1812 and of the Mexican war ; and I know of but two soldiers of
the war of 181 2 3^et living in our county — Henry Hazleton, sen., of Salt-
lick, and John J. Jackson, of Reading, father of Lyman J. Jackson, of
New Lexington — and they are too aged and feeble to leave their homes.
And I see here to-day but three soldiers of the Mexican war, Captain
Ralph Spencer, Hugh McGonagle and Frederick Hoffman, and they
also are fast passing from among us."
After the history of the flags. Colonel Wm. H. Free, of New Lex-
ington, came forward and made an appropriate and eloquent little
speech, as follows :
"Comrades and Fellow Citizens — When I first looked on these tat-
tered, torn and riddled banners, this morning, I could not refrain from
tears ; for many who followed them from the Ohio and the Potomac to
the Gulf and the Atlantic, through smoke and fire and blood, now sleep
in honored, but unmarked graves, on the fields where they fell, and in
the fence corners, on the hills, and in the Valleys of Virginia, Kentucky
Tennessee, Mississippi and the Corolinas, as well as on the shores of the
Gulf and the ocean ; but still, thank God, under the old flag, and within
the sacred domain of our free and united Republic. And here, to-day,
I thank God that this nation, aye, and this county, had so many brave
and true men who were willing to die ; so many, whose deaths were not
merely the spilling of so much blood ; but whose memories are esteemed
worthy of this memorial shatt ; (combining the holy emblems of Relig-
ion and Liberty,) whose names will be remembered everywhere, in
hamlet, village and city, so long as memory shall perform her office —
so long as this polished marble shall last, or time endure."
Upon the conclusion of the ceremonies at the Monument, the pro-
cession re-formed and moved up Broadway, to near Arnold's Miff ;then
crossed the bridge over Rushcreek, and marched into the beautiful
grove belonging to Robert E. Huston.
Arriving at the stand in the grove, the first thing was the reading of
the Declaration of Independence, which was admirably done, by Prof.
H. F. Acker, of New Lexington.
After the reading of the Declaration, came the regular Oration of the
day, by Wm. A. Hale, of Lancaster. This was a masterly effort, of
over an hour in length. Mr. H. is onl}^ twenty-nine vears of age, but
is one of the finest and most accomplished orators in the State. He
traced the histor}' of the country throughout, and commented forcibly,
eloquently and grandly, upon the most important events of our national
history. Mr. Hale was also a soldier, a member of the Eightith O. V. I.
Now came the recess and general picnic dinner. Families, ac-
quaintances and groups organized throughout the grove, and did ample
justice to the many good things prepared bv the ladies at home.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
147
After recess and dinner, the first thing in order was the Historical
Address, by James Taylor, of New Lexington. Mr. Taylor had not
proceeded far until the rain began to fall, and he asked to be excused
from the further reading of his speech, as it was quite lengthy, and
would appear in lull in the newspapers.
The assemblage was widely scattered by the heavy shower of rain,
but when it was over, undaunted, the hundreds and thousands reassem-
bled in the neighborhood of the stand, and again were called to order,
and the reading of the responses to toasts was the order of the day.
Of all this order of business, by some mishap or other, we are furnished
only the following :
Toast — "Thirteen Colonies (response by E. H. Heagler) — Virginia,
Massachusetts, Rode Island, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia,
Delaware, Connecticut.
"Muster Roll of an infant Republic ; waked by the reveille of Lib-
erty in the gre}^ light of the morning of the first century."
"Patriot battalion, stepping to pulsations of hearts quickened by Him
whose presence giveth liberty."
"A constellation in the Zodiac of God's works, lingering till the
Prince of Peace loves the nations into one. He reigns over all blessed."
Other toasts were read and responses given, but they were prboably
lost or demoralized in the heavy shower of rain that followed. At an^^
rate, they have not been furnished us, and we of course can not give
them. While the toast and response business was in full progress,
there came up the heaviest shower of the day ; the assemblage reluc-
tantly broke up, the vehicles began to move hurriedly and in long lines
out of the woods, and the vast assembly poured over and in upon the
city, filling private houses, stores, shops, offices and public buildings.
But all were jolly, and kept in the best humor and plight possible, and
gradually, quietly and orderly, after the rain was over, the people from
the country set out- for their respective homes. The night of the Fourth
was beautiful and serene, but warm and sultr}^. Soon after dark, there
was a fine exhibition of fire works at the public square, and rockets and
balloons were sent up. The streets and pavements were alive with
people ; and there was great danger of accident, but happily none oc-
curred.
One great attraction of the Centennial Fourth at New Lexington,
was the bullet-scared staffs, and the tattered flags of the 30th, 31st,
6ist, 626. and 126th O. V. L The veterans and men and women did
not design to weep, but as they gazed upon the emblems of country and
death, the tears came unbidden, and the emotion, with many, was un-
controllable. These mute messengers awakened or revived many a sad
thought, and retouched the wounded and stricken hearts of hundreds
upon hundreds of people. Orphans, little children when made so, now
young men and women ; and fathers and mothers who had laid their
darling sons upon the altar of their country, crowded around, and with
tear dimmed eyes, intently gazed upon the historical banners, which the
loved and lost had bravely followed to victory or death.
The number present has been variously estimated at from five to ten
thousand, and we cannot, of course, decide even if we wished to, as to
148 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
the number of people present. It was a grand and memorable time,
and so let it be recorded, and so let it pass down, to be read and pon-
dered by the generations which are to come after us.
Celebration at Shawnee. — The Odd Fellows of Shawnee and
citizens of the place celebrated their Fourth by a pic nic in a grove one-
half mile north west of that village. Prayer was offered by Robert
Weedy, the Declaration of Independence was read by William Davy,
Mayor of Shawnee, and an address was delivered by Dr. R. B. Wood-
ward, of Somerset, which was listened to very attentively.
National airs were sung by the Welsh choir ; and also music by an
excellent string band. The occasion passed off" very pleasantly, agree-
ably and orderly, till about 2 o'clock, when a very violent rain and
storm drove the crowd from the grove.
Celebration at New Straitsville. — The celebration at Straits-
ville on the Fourth was a grand success. The Hibernians and Odd
Fellows, in uniform, with full regalia, formed in procession, and made a
splendid display. The day passed oflf pleasantly, and everybody had a
good time.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. I49
CHAPTER XVIII.
CYCLONES AND FLOODS.
Cyclones, or Wind Storms. — Different parts of the county have,
at one time or another, been visited with wind storms of greater or less
severity ; but two were of such exceptional character and violence as to
merit special mention. They are known as the storms of 1832 and
1845. It is a common saying that lightning does not strike twice in the
same place, and hurricanes or cyclones scarcely ever do ; but those of
1832 and 1845 did, and the centers of these storms, where the destruc-
tion was greatest and the violence of the contending elements the most
fearful, were only about two miles distant from each other. The cy-
clone of 1845 seemed to reach its greatest violence at a point about one
mile east of Rehoboth, and the storm of 1832 at a point some two and
a half miles southeast of the same village. There are differences of
opinion about the direction from which the cyclone of 1832 came ; some
claiming that it came from the south, and others that it came from the
west or northwest. Such storms usually come from north of west ; but
the one of 1832 may have been an exception. This hurricane unroofed
buildings, blew fences where they were never found, and converted
heavily wooded forests into labyrinths of broken, twisted, and slivered
timber and brush. This "fallen timber" district, along the head waters
of Bear Run, subsequently became the home and hiding place of large
numbers of rabbits, and though most, if not all, of the tangled timber
has been cleared away, Bear Run is noted as a rabbit hunting ground
until the present day. At the time the cyclone came up, a circus show
was exhibiting at Rehoboth. The wind broke the center pole and
blew over the canvas, creating a panic among showmen and spectators.
No houses were blown down, though many were unroofed, and many
families living in the line of the storm took refuge in their cellars or
other supposed places of safety. This storm, in its greatest severity,
was confined to small portions of Pike, Clayton, Bearfield and Harri-
son townships.
The storm of 1845 indisputably came from the northwest. Persons
standing a little out of its line describe it as having a grand, majestic.
and yet frightful appearance. Dark, murky clouds were rolled, whirled,
tossed ind driven in every direction, whilst the body of the great mass
moved swiftly and and steadily forward. The cyclone had its origin
only three or four miles west of Rehoboth ; and it spent its force three
or four miles east of that village. Several houses were unroofed in Re-
hoboth, and many others to the eastward. The dwelling, a large log
house, of Benjamin Banks, situated one-half mile north of Rehoboth,
was blown so that scarcely one log was left upon another ; the house-
hold goods scattered in every direction, and some of the articles were
never found. Strange to say, the inmates of the house all escaped with
150 HISTO: Y OF PERRY COUNTY.
very slight bruises. At a number of places in the vicinity of Rehoboth,
all kinds of trees were blown down, and not one left standing. Many
of the trees were blown up by their roots ; but most of them were broken
off a few feet above the ground. It was the work of days to clear open
the public highways, through some of this fallen timber. Saddles, bri-
dles, harness and" other articles, were carried off, and many of them
never recovered. No lives w^ere lost in either of the storms of 183-2 or
1845, though many marvelous escapes were made.
Three Great Floods. — About 1834 ^^ ^^35 — ^^^ oldest inhabi-
tants differ as to the exact year — there was a tremendous flood at New
Lexington and vicinit}'. It was in July, and the farmers were cradling
oats. The wonderful deluge was not preceded by any warning : many
people were caught in it, and some of them were in danger of drown-
ing, though no such calamit^^ occurred. It had been a clear, calm day,
and between four and five in the afternoon, a light cloud began to ob-
scure the sky, and, unexpectedly to all observers, the rain was soon de-
scending in torrents, though apparently not a breath of air was stirring.
The rain lasted nearly an hour, and then ceased as suddenly as it be-
gan. The streams became marvelously swollen ; horses and men were
swimming where an hour before had been dry land. Rush Creek was
booming, and spread over all the bottom, from the New Lexington hill
to the hills half a mile and more northward. Great damage was done to
crops and fences, but no buildings were washed away.
Another notable flood of somewhat similar characteristics, occurred
Saturday, August 5th, 1882.
The New Lexington Tribune, of August loth, after speaking of the
flood at Corning and Rendville the previous Thursday, thus describes
the flood at New Lexington and vicinity :
The wonderful rain-fall and flood of Saturday night, we will more
particularl}' describe. From a New Lexington point of observation,
the cloud was light, and approached slowly and gently from a westerly
direction, and gradually the whole heavens became overcast, and the
big rain drops began to fall. It rained hard and steadily for about an
hour, but not harder than it had frequently done before, in former years.
As soon as the long shower was over, it was discovered that Oxawoosie
or Fowler's Run was raising very fast, and, at the west end of town
was soon out of banks and overflowing the low lands adjacent. Soon
after, Yerger's Run, which empties into Rush Creek. a few rods beloW
the mouth of the Oxawoosie, was observed to be still higher than its
neighbor on the other side, and the great flow of water from these tw6
tributaries, began to back water up Rilsh Creek, and the novel features
of logs, boards and other drift, flowing up stream, was for sortie time
exhibited. The back water extended for more than a fourth of a riiil6
from the Junction of the two streams named with Rush Creek. A nurn-
ber of citizens were looking upon this novel back water scene, when a
tremendous roar was heard up the creek, which is also up the track of
the C. & M. V. R. R. One person suggested that it was an ap-
proaching train. Another said no, it is the roaring of water. True
enough, and in a very few minutes the floods came, which meeting
and uniting with the back water from Yerger's Run and Oxawoosie,
JilSTORY OF PERRY COUNTY, 1,5 1-
rose three feet higher than was ever before known, and caused the
water to flow into some fort}- or fifty dwelHngs ; and in some of them it
was three or four feet deep. The night was tolerabl}' dark, and the
sudden influx of water upon dweninijs was verv alarmincj. The de-
gree of danger could not at once be known, and the screaming of
women and children was frightful enough for a while. All, however,
safely waded or were carried to higher grounds, and not a life was lost.
The flow of water was so sudden and bewildering, that carpets and
many other articles of household goods were seriously damaged. The
waters were booming for hours, and did not recede much until after
midnight.
The Ohio Central Railroad bridge across Rush Creek was carried
awa}', and some of the adjacent track washed out. The passenger
train was standing near the Ohio Central depot, and a good part of the
railroad bed was washed from under it. The iron bridge that spanned
Rush Creek at the north end of Main street, was carried away. It
floated oft' beautifully at first, with the street lamp attached to it, light-
ing up the scene ; but fifteen or twenty rods down the stream the floating
bridge was dashed against something, and the lighted lamp disappeared
beneath the waves. The principal bridge, leading from up town to the
C. & M. V. depot, escaped. The bridge north of town, near Arnold's
Mill, was for a time under water, but safely weathered the storm. The
railroad bridge of the C. & M. V., across Rush Creek, about three-
fourths of a mile north ol lown, was carried oft', and the track for about
a quarter of a mile washed out. The water and drift had evidently
gathered and dammed up at this point, on the north side of the railroad
track, and when the break was made, everything went with a rush.
The Ohio Central depot, though in an exposed situation, and thorough-
ly bumped and punched with drift wood, stood the racket well, and did
not receive any serious injury.
The great rain and flood at this place have been sufficiently described,
but some of the accessories to the flood are deserving of mention. The
gathering of waters and drift three-fourths of a mile above town ah-eady
referred to, did much to swell the flood at New Lexington — just how
much it is impossible to determine. When the new channel for the
creek was cut out, along the north side of the railroad, it was probably
sufficient to carry all the water ; but a thicket of willows and other
young timber has gradually accumulated along the banks, and reaching
out over and into the creek bed, until the channel is far from what it
should be. Here the water and drift dammed up, and when the bridge
and track broke, everything went at once, and this damming up of the
water of Rush Creek was the cause, in part, of the unusual back
water from Fowler's and Yerger's Run, as well as the extraordinary
rise of Rush Creek at New Lexington. There is another reason for
the unprecedented back water, at this place. The channel of Rush
Creek, just below town, is very crooked, and is, at this time, much ob-
structed by logs and other dritt, so that the great surplus of water had
no sufficient outlet.
There was a marvelous flood at Rendville and Corning on Thurs-
day, August 3d, 1882. A correspondent of the New Lexington Tribune,
who was a witness of the whole affair, as nearly as one person could
IC? HISTORY OF PERRV COUNTY.
be, gave the following description of the unprecedented flood and the
consequences resulting from it :
On Thursday afternoon we were visited by the most destructive flood
that ever occurred on Sunday Creek. In about half an hour's time the
water had risen fifteen feet, and was destroying everything in its course.
Every bridge, county and railroad, was washed out between Moxahala
tnnnel and two miles south of Corning, with the exception of the depot
bridge at Corning, and it was saved by the torrent of water breaking
over the track above the depot and running down the east side.
At Mine No. 2 the entire side track and about five hundred feet of
main track was carried some distance down the stream. Six coal cars
that were on the side track were scattered along the creek for some
distance, two of them lodging against a tree about one-quarter of a
mile below. At Middletown the water was up to the second floor of
the houses nearest the creek. One house was moved from its founda-
tion. Both bridges at this place were swept away. At No. 3 bridges
and the side track from the hill to the main track were swept out. The
main track for some distance below the depot was washed from the
road bed. The water was from one to three feet deep in nearly all the
houses in Rendville. The majority of the stores are losers to some ex-
tent— some of them quite heavy. The damage to the Sunday Creek
Company's store is not less than $1,000. Shepperd & Co. lose about
$800. Cliflbrd's saloon was the first building to go from Rendville. It
went to pieces on the railroad bridge, carrying the bridge with it. Two
houses belonging to Cliftbrd were in great danger, with their occupants,
who had not time to get out of the water as it rose so rapidly. A house
was washed from the foot of Main street and lodged on the railroad
track. Two houses belonging to William McBride were washed away ;
one of them, which was occupied by a family by the name of McMahon,
having eight persons in it, fortunately lodged long enough against No.
9. bridge tor them to be rescued before the house and bridge both went
to pieces. Two house belonging to George Venning were washed from
their foundations and lodged against the hill. Mrs. Burns was in one
of the houses, sick, and was rescued while the house was in motion.
The Sunday Creek Mine side-track was partially washed out and a
number of loaded cars drifted some distance into the meadow. Between
that point and Corning nearlv all the main track is carried from the
road-bed. Frank Rogers had his entire stock of lumber floated off;
also, the Jones Brothers, at Corning. About two miles of track below
Corning is swept away. A number of small houses from the lower end
of Corning were carried off. Two large houses were floated right
across the end of Valley street. The Corning depot was flooded, and
the boys abandoned it in a hurry, all striking for high grounds, except
Agent McKay, who made for the platform of the old depot, and as the
waters rose he mounted on a pile of beer cases and was thus enabled
to defy the flood. Jim Cody, for the time, lost all interest in telegraphy,
and took a sudden notion that he had business up town. Our Rend-
ville agent, H. C. Bowles, although he thinks Rendville is no such a
place as his old home in Virginia, did not want to leave on a floating
depot, and made a rush for the passenger train wnich was caught here
by the flood. Mr. J. H. Harsh started from the store to his home near
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. I53
the mine when he saw the flood coming, and succeeded in getting to
his house just before the water began to rush around it. He thinks he
could have outrun the Champion Valley. Rend & Co. and No. 11
shaft were partly filled with water. Si Nelson, from Porterville, was at
the mill with two horses and an express wagon, which were swept away.
Considerable stock was drowned.
It is impossible to give anything near a correct estimate of the
damages of the flood in this valley, but it will not fall much short of
$150,000, It will be several weeks before the mines are in full opera-
tion again. It will be several days before trains can get here.
20
1^4 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
CHAPTER XIX.
OLD settlers' association.
A Pioneer Association has been one of the things long talked of in
Perry county, but, for various reasons, never inaugurated until quite a
recent date' A few weeks previous to the annual County Fair of
1882, a notice was published in the county papers, requesting the
Old Settlers of the county to assemble at the fair ground, on the
second day of the fair, for the purpose of organizing an Old
Settlers' Association. A fair degree of interest was at once manifested
in relation to the matter, and the simple announcement referred to
brought together at the appointed place and time a respectable number
of persons, men and women, from various sections of the county. It is
presumable that meetings will be held annually or oftener hereafter.
The annexed account of the Old Settlers' meeting, and the organization
of the society, is from the New Lexington- Tribime:
Agreeable to a call through the press, quite a number of the old set-
tlers met at the Perry County Fair, at two o'clock p. m., Thursday,
September 28th, 1882, and organized an "Old Settlers' Association," by
appointing D. C. Fowler as temporary Chairman, and E. Teal, Esq.,
temporary Secretary.
On motion, a committee of five was appointed to draft apian of or-
ganization, consisting of the following gentlemen : R. E. Huston, E.
S. Colborn, Wm. Story, Robert Bennett and J. K. Milligan.
After due deliberation the committee reported the following, and
recommeded its adoption :
Articles of Agreement. — This Association shall be known as the
Old Settlers' Association of Perry county, Ohio. Its object to be for
mutual enjoyment, socialities, and the collection and preservation of
historical incidents, etc. It shall hold its meetings at least once a year,
or as often as the society shall direct.
Any person, male or female, having resided in the county fifty years
or more, may become a member of this society by subscribing their
names hereunto.
The officers of this society shall consist of a President, and one
Vice President from each township within the county, and one Secre-
tary, together with what assistance he may choose. Also an Executive
Committee of five. The officers shall be elected viva voce, annually,
at a regular meeting of the society.
The duties of the President shall be the usual duties ot Presidents of
deliberative bodies. The oldest Vice President present at a meeting,
in the absence of the President, shall preside. The duties of the Secre-
tary shall be to keep a record of the names, date, and place of birth and
death, together with such incidents in the lives of the members as he
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. I55
may be directed by the President and Executive Committee from time
to time.
The Executive Committee, together with the President and Vice
Presidents, and Secretary, shall constitute a Board, with power to make
all needful rules and regulations for the government of the Association,
subject to the approval of the society.
On motion the report of the committee was unanimously adopted.
On motion a committee was appointed to report permanent officers
for the Association for the ensuing 3^ear. The committee reported as
follows :
President, Peter Overmyer. Vice Presidents — Pike, R. E. Huston ;
Clayton, Eph. Teal ; Reading, Martin Scott ; Thorn, John Good ;
Hopewell, Bernard Mechling ; Madison, Alex Melick ; Harrison, Har-
vey Allen ; Bearfield, John K. Milligan ; Pleasant, James Fowler;.
Monroe, Benjamin Sanders ; Monda}^ Creek, Alex McLean ; Coal,
Harrison Hazelton ; Salt Lick, Henr}^ Hazelton ; Jackson, Daniel
O'Harra. Secretar}-, J. J. Johnson.
Executive Committee — Robert Bennett, Ephraim Teal, D. C. Fow-
ler, Jehu Jones, Brice J. Welch. On motion the report was adopted.
The temporary Chairman then introduced the Permanent President,
who, after thanking the organization for the honor conferred, gave a
clear, straightforward, historical statement oi the early history of the
county, connecting therewith a short synopsis of the war of 1812, at the
conclusion of which the societ}^ extended a vote of thanks for his very
satisfactory inaugural address.
By general consent, the subscription for membership was presented,
and the following membership obtained :
Peter Overmyer, born in Northumberland county. Pa., August 24.
1799 ; came to Perry county in 1802.
Robert E. Huston, born in Somerset, Perry county, O., March i6,
1815. Wesley Biff, Jos. Snider, Mrs. N. B. Colborn, Andrew Moore,
James Fowler, Henry Wilson, Susana King, Mary Ann Wilson, David
Brookhart, Mary A. Brookhart, Rual Sayres, John McBroom, Thomas
Selby, James Martin, Solomon Longstreth, James Longstreth, Israel
Watt, Jos. Stoneburner. Thomas S. Mains, Peter Cochran, Jane Van-
sickle, Daniel O'Harra, William Rose, William Story, William J. King.
Robert Bennett, Benjamin Sanders, S. H. Milligan, George W. Moore,
Lucinda Aid, Lydia Feigley, Isaac Brown, John Jonas, Matthew Clay-
ton, E. S. Colborn, James Clark, James Taylor, Charles Vanatta, Jos-
iah Grimes, Ephraim Teal, J. K. Milligan, Alexander McLean, D. C.
Fowler, William Bennett.
The Association then adjourned, to meet at the call of the President
and Executive Committee.
1^6 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
CHAPTER XX.
MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS.
The Zanesville and Maysville Turnpike. — This public im-
provement was made in 1839-40, and, though the road passed only-
through the townships of Reading, Madison and Hopewell, merely
touching the latter, the improvement was regarded as one of consider-
able note at the time, and the splendid line of coaches, which rolled
over it, from Zanesville to Lancaster, and vice versa, was the pride of
the county in those days, prior to the advent of the railroad. Though
the pike passed only through one end of the county, it was, in some de-
gree, a benefit to all ; for the grain-haulers from the southern end of the
county, were accustomed to strike the pike at either Uniontown or
Rushville on their way either to Zanesville or Lancaster. The great-
est drawback for a long time was six miles of unfinished road west of
Somerset, but, in course of time, this was completed, making a contin-
uous line of pike through the county, and from Zanesville to Lancaster
and beyond.
Churches and Sabbath Schools. — Religious worship came in
with the first pioneers, or quite soon after them ; and no matter of what
denomination, the circumstances and surroundings were very much the
same. First, there would be preaching at private houses, in double log
cabins and in barns ; then the old style log church went up, where the
people, on stated occasions, were accustomed to assemble. At a later
day came the frame and brick church edifice, with tower and steeple
reaching and pointing heavenwards, and with bell to call the people to
the house of God.
Sabbath-schools came later, and they are as compared with the
churches, of modern origin. Somerset and Rehoboth were the pioneer
Sabbath schools of the county. There is not much difference, in point
of time, between their establishment in the two places. Other villages
and communities organized their schools in course of time. A wonder-
ful change and improvement have been made in Sabbath-schools, since
their first introduction in the county, and almost every church has such
a school connected with it.
The Methodist Episcopal denomination has the most churches, and
probably the greatest membership. This denomination has churches
in every township in the county. The Catholics probably rank next in
point of numbers. They have strong churches in Reading, Jackson,
Fike, Harrison, Pleasant, Monroe, Saltlick and Coal. The Lutherans
probably come next in order of numbers, and have churches in Thorn,
Hopewell, Reading, Jackson, Monday Creek and Pike. The Baptist,
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. I57
Presbyterian, Reform and United Brethren denominations, are some-
thing nearly equal in churches and numerical strength. The Baptists
have churches in Thorn, Pike, Hopewell, Pleasant, Monday Creek,
SaltHck and Coal; the Presbyterians in Clayton, Pike, Harrison, Pleas-
ant, Bearfield, Madison and Saklick ; the Reform in Reading, Thorn
and Hopewell, and the United Brethren in Reading, Jackson, Pike,
Monday Creek, Harrison and Monroe. The Methodist Protestants,
Disciples of Christ, Bible Christians and Dunkards, (German Baptists,)
also have one or more churches. There are two colored churches,
one Baptist, the other Methodist. Both are at Rendville. A more de-
tailed account of churches is given in the historv of townships.
Schools and Teachers' Institutes. — The pioneer schools are
all very much of the same character. A roving ''Master" of the old
style would come along, go around and obtain a few pupils for a short
term of school, and on a given day begin work. The school would
probably be held in an old abandoned cabin, with the roughest kind of
a puncheon floor. Then came the Md log school houses with immense
fire-places, and long windows filled with greased white paper. Then,
still later, came a coal or wood stove and glass panes for the windows.
This made the school room now almost a paradise, compared with the
old way. Then, in course of time, came the fram.e and brick school
houses, and abetter kind of school-room furniture. Teachers also grad-
ually improved in knowledge and methods of teaching. As time rolled
on it ceased to be regarded as masculine, or out of her sphere for a girl
to be seen with a slate and pencil. This prejudice, however, wore
away slowly. After many more years came the uniform school books,
and graded schools for the larger towns and villages ; and the general
public school system, as it exists at present. The old log school houses
have disappeared, and brick or frame edifices have taken their places,
most of them with something like fair sun-oundings. Applicants for
certificates are required to pass a tolerabl}' rigid examination in all the
common branches, and United States History, and also in the theory
and practice of teaching.
Teachers' Institutes are of comparatively modern origin. They
were organized in Perry county about 1868-69, t>nt did not make any
great progress, or become generally attended by teachers and students,
until 1874-75. Since this date the Institutes have been numerously
attended and generally regarded as successful, though not always com-
ing up to the full expectation of teachers and spectators. Nevertheless,
it is unquestionable that the Institutes, of late years, have been highly
useful and instructive.
Patrons of Husbandry. — This order, a few years since, had
Granges established in most of the townships of the county, and in some
of them two or three. They flourished for a season, and interesting
public meetings and parades of the order were had at New Lexington,
Somerset, Thornville and other places, but the Granges have not been
kept up, except in a few instances, and the order has consequenth'
died out. While in active operation, the Grange meetings were report-
ed to be of much interest, and the source of considerable information to
158 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
the farming community. Farmers' Clubs, not connected with the Pa-
trons of Husbandry, have been organized at several points, and flourish-
ed for a season, but none of them proved to be very long-lived. Farm-
ers' Institutes are now agitated, and are looked upon with considerable
favor by tlie farming communinty.
Lyceums and LiTEkARV Societies. — These organizations have
received more than ordinary attention in this county. New Lexington,
Somerset, Rehoboth, Oakheld, Maxville, and most of the villages and
country school districts, have had their societies of this kind. New Lex-
ington had a verv large and flourishing one, especially from 1842 until
the beginning of the war, in 1861. The "graduates" of this institution
were very numerous, and the}" are scattered far and wide over the earth.
Several of the participants in the village and country L3'ceums, have
since held high positions in church and State. Many Lyceums are now
existing, but they are mostly confined to the country school districts and
smaller villages. They do not appear to prosper in the atmosphere of the
larger towns.
The Great Snow Storm. — The memorable snow fall of 1833
was altogether unprecedented in this section of country. .It came un-
heralded and unexpected, in the night season, and fell to the depth of
three feet. There was no wind, and the snow did not drift, but lay as
level as a floor, and was almost as smooth as a pane of glass. The in-
habitants necessarily kept within doors the next day, and it was several
days before the roads were much broken. Men went out on horseback
breaking the roads so they could be traveled. The snow^ was soft and
wet, and the big boys of 1833 tunneled along under it like a ground
mole, though not breaking or disturbing the surface of the snow. It is
difficult to see where the fim consisted, nevertheless many snow tunnels
were made in the manner herein described. This was the deepest snow
ever experienced in Perry county since its first permanent settlement
by the white people.
The Names of Streams. — Rush Creek is generally believed to
have been named from the numerous bulrush swamps that existed along
its banks at the time the county was first. settled. It was probably first
named below the junction at Bremen, and, accordingly, above that
place the two forks took the names respectively of East Rush Creek
and West Rush Creek. Several men bv the name of Rush were pio-
neer settlers in the neighborhood of this stream, but it is said that the
creek was known by the name of Rush Creek when these men came to
the country.
Sunday Creek and Monday Creek are said to have received their
names in this wise : An expedition, sent out by the authority of the
Virginia Colony to treat with the Indians on the Pickaway Plains, en-
camped one Sunday evening on the banks of a large creek, which the
commander of the expedition wrote down in his journal as Sunday
Creek. The woods were dense, the members of the expedition did not
travel fast, and the next night tents were pitched upon the banks of an-
other large stream, and it was in like manner named Monday Creek.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. I59
The expedition referred to, doubtless, passed through south of the pres-
ent border of Perry, but the circumstances alluded to gave the names
to the creeks, both of which have their sources in Perry county. Sun-
day Creek, in the southern part of the county, has several branches
nearly equal in size, and they are all called Sunday Creek, This con-
dition of things has led to some confusion. Monday Creek has con-
ditions somewhat similar, but the two principal branches of it are known
as Big Monday and Little Monday.
Buckeye Creek was named from the buckeye trees that grew along
its banks. McLune}' Creek is said to have derived its name from a
roving explorer or hunter, who at a very early day made it his abiding
place. Nothing else appears to be known of him, except that he gave
his name to the stream, where he hunted, tished and had his temporary
abode. Bear Run was named from the fact that it was once the well
known habitation of this animal. The early settlers often tracked or
chased bears into the dark and lonely region of Bear Run. Bear Wal-
low, a tributary of Rush Creek, was also named from the fact that it
was a bear haunt. Turkey Run was so named because in early times
it was famous tor the wild turkeys that clucked, gobbled and roosted in
the neighborhood of its banks. Honey Creek, a tributary of the Res-
ervoir, was so named for the reason that it was long a disputed question
whether the bee-trees adjacent to it were the property of the bears or
the pioneer settler. Oxawoosie, a tributary of Rush Creek, and run-
ning through the town of New Lexington, was so named by some per-
son, but is often called Fowler's or Skinner's Run, from early settlers
who lived near it. A great many of the smaller streams are named
after early settlers.
Moxahala was named by the Indians. The name signilies, in In-
dian language, " Elk's Horn." The aborigines had followed it from
the Muskingum river to its forks, and up both of them to their source,
no doubt, and thus learned that the creek and branches resembled an
elk's horn. The creek, especially the northern branch, has also re-
ceived the name of Jonathan's Creek, and this name is accounted for
in this way. The late Rev. Cornelius Springer of Muskingum county,
relates that in his young days he conversed with men who related that
the}" were on a hunting expedition in what is now Licking and Mus-
kingum counties, about the year 1792. The name of one of the hun-
ters was Jonathan Evans. The hunters separated during the day, and
returned to their camp at night. One evening Evans was missing, and
could nowhere be found when night set in. The search for him was
continued the following day, and he was at last discovered encamped
on a high hill near the north bank of the Moxahala, not far from where
it flows into the Muskingum. Rev. Springer sa3"s, that from this cir-
cumstance the stream became known as Jonathan's (Evans) Creek.
There is also another story as to the origin of the name, w^hich tra-
dition or legend, has been duly celebrated by the poet, Charles Edgar
Spencer of Somerset, Ohio, in his "Legend of the Moxahala," pub-
Hshed by the house of J. B. Lippencott & Co., Philadelphia. Spencer's
story, in brief, is this: A man, whose Christian name was Jonathan,
was born and bread in the East. He wooed and won a beautiful and win-
some maiden, whom he made his wife. Jonathan was brought up a
l6o HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
Christian, and was a farmer, hunter, fisherman and much of a lover.
He built a cottage near the shore of Otsego Lake, to which he took his
wife; there they lived, and loved, and there their children were born.
One night Jonathan was attacked by an overwhelming Indian force, his
wife and children were butchered, his cottage burned, himself badly
wounded and left for dead, but the sharp blade of the tomahawk had
not penetrated deep enough to accomplish its deadly mission. After
Jonathan had regained his health and strength, which required a long
while, with an awful vow he turned his face to the West, made a long
journey, stopping at last on the northern branch of the Moxahala, in
what is now Madison township, Perr}^ county, Ohio. There he sought
out the rockiest, wildest place he could find, and built a rude hut near
a cavern of rocks. Here, with only his gun and faithful dog, he made
his permanent abode His mission was to slay all the Indians he could, for
this was the wretched man's strange vow. He wreaked his vengeance,
and scores of Indians fell beneath his rifle's unerring aim. But Jonathan
could not forever conceal himself, and at last his red enemies hunted and
tracked him to his labyrinthian abode. Let the poet, in his own words,
relate the story of
"THE LAST CONFLICT."
The sun had set; the crescent moon
With halo wan had followed soon;
And Moxahala shadowed o'er
By buckeye, beach, and sycamore,
Flow'd gurgling 'neath the gloom of night ;
And, 'tween the leaves that rippled light,
Look'd, trembling, here and there a gleam
Of starlight on the dimpling stream.
With piercing glance and noiseless tread,
Quick from his hut the hunter fled,
(While Don, as stealthful, keeping nigh
Glared fiercely round with savage eye),
For, having cross'd the woody vale,
He came upon an Indian trail,
And all his deadly peril felt :
Well did he know the place he dwelt
Was sought by Indians far and near —
To wreak revenge — for many a year.
The Shawnee Chief had tracked the bear,
At last, e'en to his hidden lair.
And, stealing from the bosky glen
With half a hundred ruthless men.
Before 'twas his the foe to take,
He mentally burned him at the stake
For many a murder'd warrior's sake.
The red men, feeling sure the prey
W^as in his fastness brought to bay,
Closed round the hut on every side;
And some the firey brand applied,
While others, yelling, turn'd to bind
The dreadful foe they thought to find,^
And rush'd within with tiger-bound —
But, lol no captive there they found.
Hark ! ringing on the midnight breeze
Afar 'neath labyrinthian trees,
A rifle shrieks with sulphurous breath
Sending its message dire of death —
21
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. l6l
Tlie Sliawnep Chief with dying wiioop
Falls, quivering, midst the uiotiy group.
Ha! now amazement dumb appalls —
A sharp report, another falls —
O paleface Chief, away! away!
Loud, fierce, resouiwls the deep-voiced bay
Of ghoulish forms, a horrid pack,
That, howling, bound upon your track
With bow and spear, and gun and knife,
And tomahawk to take your life!
Away— away— go, seek the cave
Where oft before, your life to save,
With mystery deep, you did elude
The hordes that at your back pursued.
Ah, hark! they come with sounding tread
And whoops that echo wild and dread !
Dewy, and fragrant breath'd and pale,
Came morn, with wakening voice of bird
And bee, and cool leaf-stirring gale.
And squirrel's chirp, mid branches, heard.
'Twas on a hill-side's bluffy edge.
Where rocks stuck out witii mossy ledge,
Where wavy-scallop'd ferns between
The fissured rocks grew rich and green.
And delicate flowers, to us unknown
Save — hid from man — in forests lone,
Bioom'd 'neath the trees that, arching*high
Shut out tlie azure summer sky.
Where ivy wild and grapevines clung
To drooping shrulis that overhung
The lichen'd rocks and shady ground,
Beneath the ledge a passage wound,
That, to a cavern dark and small,
Led through a jagged, narrow hall.
There Jonathan the night before
Esca])ed the Indians in his flight;
He seem'd to vanish — be no more!
And they, with awe and sore affright
And superstitious fancy fraught
Deem'd 'twas a demon they had fought,
And hied them homeward full of thought.
But .Jonathan lay cold and dead,
The cavern-floor his rocky bed;
And on his bosom, clotted o'er
With oozy drops of blackish gore,
A ball had left its circle red;
And in his back an arrow-head,
With shaft i)rotruding, broke in two.
Had proved its fatal guidance true.
Yes, Jonathan, the pale-face Chief,
Had found at last tiiat sweet relief —
Nepenthe for each earthly grief.
And e'en o'er him one mourner kept
His vigil — yea, and, haply, wept;
For think not man alone can know
The bliss of love, the pang of woe : —
With paws upon his master's breast
And plaintive howl of deep unrest,
His lonely dog, though all unheard,
Implored a look, a loving word.
And lick'd his master's cheek and hand,
And seem'd to vaguely understand
His soul was in a happier land I "
1 62 history of perry county.
Interesting Recollections of an Octogenarian Printer. —
John M. Laird, now editor of the Greensburg (Penn.) Argus, and one
of the earliest printers and newspaper men in Perry county, wrote not
long ago the following recollections to the New Lexington Tribune:
" In the Spring of 1822, Mr. James Patterson, a merchant of Somer-
set, Perry county, Ohio, came to Pittsburgh to purchase a suppl}' of
goods. He was also empowered to purchase materials for a printing
office. He called on John M. Snowden, Esq., who then published the
Mercury, a prominent and influential Democratic paper, with a view of
purchasing type and other materials to equip a printing office. Mr.
Snowden was agent for Johnson's Type Foundry in Philadelphia. Mr.
Patterson purchased one hundred and twenty pounds of long primer
and about forty pounds of English job type, and a font of canon for
head-lines for posters. Mr. Patterson asked Mr. Snowden to assist
him in securing a practical printer to manage the paper.. Mr. S. rec-
ommended (me) his nephew, who had graduated in his office the pre-
vious fall, I was not in the cit}^, but after corresponding with Mr. Pat-
terson, I left Pittsburgh, for Somerset, Ohio, on the first week of May,
1822. I took the stage (a rough two horse wagon)by way of Washing-
ton and Wheeling — there were no tuiTipikes in those days. The roads
were muddy and the passengers had to walk a great part of the way,
and frequentl}^ to confiscate rails from neighboring fences to pry the
wagon out of mud holes. We were to be landed in Somerset on Sat-
urday noon, but owing to the bad roads we did not get there till Sab-
bath afternoon, when I landed at Eaton's Hotel, where I remained a
boarder for eighteen months. On Monday morning I called on Mr.
Patterson, and found that he had no more idea of the material neces-
sary^ for a printing office than a child. Pie had provided but a small font
of long primer, a small font of job type, and an old dilapidated Ramage
press, and two bundles of paper, royal size. We gathered up three old
cases, and set up outside matter. Found that the new type was notsut-
ficient to set up one side. John Lidey and Rev. Andrew Henkle, a
Lutheran Minister, who was also a prett}^ good engraver, had purchas-
ed some type at the sales of the Scot f ion and Rattlesnake papers,
came to the rescue, and I was enabled to get out the first number ot the
Perry Record, without having a single subscriber. The citizens of
Somerset and adjoining neighborhood generally subscribed, with the
full understanding that the paper was to be free from the influence of
any of the factions by which the communit}' was distracted. The
friends of the enterprise assured all timid persons that the reason for
procuring a stranger to manage the paper was that he might be im-
partial to all factions. I concluded, in this state of affairs, to accept
"wages" instead of partnership, or becoming sole proprietor.
"There were only three post offices in the county. One in Thorn-
ville, Somerset and New Lexington. There were some post offices at or
near the lines of adjoining counties. An exciting Congressional elec-
tion took place, in which D. Chambers of Muskingum, General Mc-
Connell of Morgan and W. W. Irvin and Lyman Beecher of Lancaster,
were candidates. Beecher was successful. Jacob Catlin, and some
one in one of the other counties in the district, were candidates for
Senator. Catlin was elected. A Presidential election was approach-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUI^TY. 1 63
ing. Jackson, Clay, Adams and Crawford, were the candidates. The
voters of Perry county were chiefly divided between Jackson and Clay.
There were but two lawyers in the county — John B. Orton and Peter
Odlin, the latter now of Da^^ton, Ohio. Orton was a warm Clay man.
Odlin and a merchant named Hanna, were the only supporters of Adams
in the county. The excitement on this national question, in a great meas-
ure, overshadowed all local issues.
I supported Jackson. The only Jackson papers in the State were
the Cincinnati Republican, Cincinnati Advertiser by Moses Dawson,
the Batavia Sun, by Sam Medar}^, the New Lisbon Patriot, by W. D.
Leaper, and m}^ paper. John Harmen published an English and Ger-
man paper in Lancaster, Ohio. The English paper was of demi size,
and although a Jacksonian, took no part in the contest except to publish
the official proceedings of all parties. I was made chairman of the
Jackson county committee. The State Committee raised funds and
sent each week to the chairman of County Committees from two to four
hundred copies of the two Cincinnati papers, and the Jackson party in
Pennsylvania sent me large packages of the Columbia Observer, pub-
lished in Philadelphia, by Simpson & Conrad. My postage on these
documents was from two to four dollars per week. The packages of
the two last weeks before the election did not arrive until after the elec-
tion, when I refused to pay the postage, amounting to eight dollars.
Perry county gave Jackson a majority of four hundred or five hun-
dred. Clay carried the State by less than one thousand. One town-
ship in Perr}' county voted one week too late, casting the entire vote for
Jackson. Alter being in Somerset about one year, I took t3^phus fever,
in May, and was not in the office until October. G. W. O'Harra, of
Coshocton, conducted while I was coniined b}" sickness. The paper
was never remunerative.
The people of Perry county, in that day, were proverbially hospitable.
My sojourn among them was most pleasant. I found many Westmore-
landers among the earlier settlers — the Trouts, the Bowmans, Mech-
lings, Bughs, and others. There were many Pennsylvanians from
other counties. Jonathan Babb was sheriff', then Benjamin Ream. —
Harper was Presiding Judge and John Trout and C. C. Hood, Associ-
ates; J. Lidev, Auditor; and John Beckwith, Clerk. Mr. Odlin re-
moved to Davton. Mr. Orton married Matilda Reynolds. He is long
since dead. The Reynolds, Yost, Spencer, Skinner and Ream families
were numerous and highly respectable. After remaining in Somerset
about three years, I was solicited by my friends in Pennsylvania to
join another party in establishing a Democratic paper in Steubenville,
which I accepted, and left Somerset with many regrets."
The Rescue of the White Squaw. — This section of Ohio was,
from 1750 to 1800, the theater of many of the most thrilling incidents
and some of the most interesting romances that the world ever witness-
ed. White men, women and children, were frequently captured along
the frontier in Pennsylvania and Virginia, and carried to the homes of
the Indian tribes along the Muskingum and Hocking rivers. Where
the captives were children or young people, the}' were taught the ways
of Indians, and brought up as nearly like savages as possible. Most
164
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
of these captives, however, longed to escape trom captivity and return
to the East. The footsteps of scores of these captives were fiimiliar
sounds here, long before the land surveyors lighted their camp fires, or
the boldest pioneer blazed his way into these primeval solitudes.
The case of the rescue of a white girl from captivity among the In-
dians, is here related and illustrated, because the principal scene is not
far from the border of Perry, and there is a tradition, upon what evidence
is not known, that tlie captive girl and deliverers rowed in a dug-out
canoe across "i^ig Lake," while making their escape from the hostile
Indians who were in i)ursuit.
COLD SERHsTG JRESCUEi
The girl was a captive at the Indian town then existing on the pres-
ent site of Lancaster. The Indians were at the time all hostile, and
two noted scouts, for some unknown purpose, came up the Hocking,
and from a place of concealment on ''Standing Stone." (Mount Pleas-
ant) watched the movements of the Indians on the plain below. The
white scouts were compelled to come down to a place called "Cold
Spring" to procure water to drink. On one occasion, while one of the
scouts was after water, he suddenh- came upon two squaws at the
spring or pool, and instantly comprehending his danger, if they were
permitted to escape, he seized the two women, with the intention of thrust-
ing their heads under water until they were drowned. One of the squaws,
who was young and active, struggled seveerly, and. to the surprise of
the scout, pathetically addressed him in English. The scout made sure of
the death of the old Indian squaw, and then he and the white girl cap-
tive, hastened to the hiding place on Mount Pleasant. The prolonged
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 165
absence of the two squaws was observed by the Indians, search was
made, the lifeless body of the squaw was discovered in the pool, after
which there was an unusual commotion in the Itttle Indian town on the
the plain, among the Indian braves. The retreat of the scouts and the
rescued girl were at length discovered, and finally, in the night season,
there was an attempt made to storm the heights ; but the intrepid
scouts, with their unerring rifles, picked oft' Indian after Indian, as the
red warriors advanced up the narrow defiles, whereupon the remaind-
er of them prudently concluded to try and starve out the enemy above.
There was a possibility of doing this, of course, but the vigilant scouts
watched their opportunity, and favored one night by great darkness
eftected their escape at an unexpected point, taking the rescued white
girl with them.
This is the substance of the story, as related by the late General
Sanderson, of Lancaster, in a lecture before a Literary Institute, in
1844. Sanderson was acquainted with the earliest pioneers, and with
many of the Indians as well, and he considered the story authentic. It
is also stated, upon what appears to be good authority, that the rescued
girl had a sister in captivity, who was also restored to her friends at a
subsequent time, afterwards married, and that some of her descendants
yet reside in Fairfield county. The fact has already been referred to,
that the adventures of the rescued captives have in some way been con-
nected with "Big Lake" (Reservoir), but upon what authority cannot
at present be ascertained.
As marvelous as the foregoing story ma}' appear, it is not more so
than scores ol others, well authenticated, connected with this section of
Ohio during the latter part of the last century.
l66 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
CHAPTER XXI.
SOME "perry county BOYS."
General Philip H. Sheridan, born and brought up at Somerset,
Ohio, was sent to West Point, graduated, and subsequently became,
as General Grant once said, as great a soldier and General as any of an-
cient or modern times, capable of managing or maneuvering the largest
armies. It is not expected that any thing here said can add or detract
from the fame of General Sheridan, yet it is quite certain that he has
not, in many respects, received the credit and honor that is justly due
him. It has been frequently said that he saw the backs of more rebels
than any other Federal General ; this is doubtless true, and, of itself,
expresses as well as implies a good deal. It is known that he was
about equally skillful in the command of artillery, cavalry and infantry.
He commanded in the East as well as in the West, and was popular
and successful with both armies. He changed the cavalry arm of the
service Irom an inefficient, unreliable force, into a well diciplined, in-
vincible, victorious army. He brought his division — all there was left
of it — intact out of the deadly struggle in the tall cedars at Stone River.
Though badly cut up with General McCook's Corps at Chickamauga,
Sheridan rallied the remnant of his division and proceeded to march in
the direction of the sound of General Thomas' guns. It was Sheridan
who changed the valley of the Shenendoah from a valley of humiliation
into a land of triumph. After the Shenendoah was cleared of the en-
emy, he was called back to the main army in front of Richmond.
Grant's whole operations, during the summer of 1864 and the early
part of the year 1865, had been little less than a series of bloody disasters,
and, as offensive movements, were certainly not successful. Eventually,
Grant decided to make a last desperate attempt to break the rebel lines,
and General Sheridan was selected to lead the momentous expedition.
About three o'clock one morning Grant called Sheridan from his bed,
and told him what w^as to be done. "I want you to break the rebel
lines," says General Grant, "and if you fail, go and join Sherman."
"I'll make the attempt," replies Sheridan, ''but I'll notgo to Sherman ;
I propose to end it right here." Right there, in the breast of little Phil
Sheridan, was the crack of doom for the Southern Confederacy. Sher-
idan's command charged at Five Forks, the hitherto invincible lines
of General Lee were broken, and Richmond doomed. Lee's army was
routed, retreated in great confusion, and the Confederate Administra-
tion hastily deserted the rebel Capital, as rats desert a sinking ship. It
was a great victory for the Army of the Potomac ; but few dreamed
— not even General Grant — that the war was virtually over. It was
Sheridan who, with his accustomed habit of following closely upon the
backs of the defeated rebels, at once discovered the true condition of
things, and dispatched back to Grant: "Hurry up the troops; Lee
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 167
must surrender if closely pressed. I am sure of it." Meanwhile Sher-
idan had a sharp engagement at or near Hanover Court House, the last
stand Lee's ragged and brave veterans ever made. Grant "Hurried
up the troops," and Appomattox was the result. Sheridan is a Major
General in the Regular Army, with headquarters at Chicago. His
aged mother still resides at Somerset, in this county.
Janairus A. McGahan was born and brought up in the neighborhood
of New Lexington, Perry county, Ohio ; afterward attended school at
Notre Dame, Indiana, and before he was twenty-one was a reporter
and correspondent of the daily press at Saint Louis. In a year or two
he went East and secured a position on the New York Herald, where
he suddenly arose to the front rank among newspaper men. In a short
time he was sent to Europe as a war correspondent of the Herald. He
also made a similar engagement with the London News. As a cor-
respondent of these journals, McGahan was in all the wars of Europe
for eight or ten years previous to his death, including the great French-
Prussian war. McGahan was in Paris during the reign of the Com-
mune, and gave vivid but faithful pictures of that exciting and eventful
period. He was arrested and imprisoned by the Commune, and would
have been summarily executed but for the intervention of powerful and
influential friends. McGahan was with one expedition of the Czar of
Russia into the heart of Asia, and at another time he accompanied an
exploring party to the Arctic ocean in search of the North Pole — all in
his capacity of newspaper correspondent for two of the greatest journals
of the world. It was McGahan who penned the faithful descriptions of
the Turkish atrocities in Bulgaria, and he then told the suffering people
that he would be back there in a year with the army of the Czar ; and,
sure enough, he was. McGahan is known over the civilized world as
the deliverer of Bulgaria, and the Bulgarians so regarded him ; and
when he was there the second time the people — men, women, and chil-
dren— crowded around him, kissing his bridle, spurs, and even the
horse that he rode. McGahan was no common man. He was a states-
man and philanthropist, as well as newspaper correspondent. He had
the ability to be first writer on any newspaper on either side of the
Atlantic. He fell in love with and married a Russian lady of rank,
though no man was more democratic in his notions than he. McGahan
died about four years since at Constantinople from a malignant fever,
which he contracted while nursiug a friend who was afflicted with the
disease. McGahan died at the age of about thirty-three years, and his
mortal remains were consigned to their mother earth near the bank of
the Bosphorus, hard by the ancient citv of Constantinople. His widow
and baby boy, not long since, visited the boyhood home of the lamented
husband and father.
James M. Comly was born and brought up at New Lexington, Ohio.
He went to Columbus to learn the trade of a printer, and was suc-
cessively " devil," "jour," foreman, local editor, and finally editor and
proprietor of the Ohio State yoiirnal. He was Colonel, then General
in the army, postmaster of Columbus, and was subsequently appointed
by President Hayes as Minister to the Sandwich Islands, from which
country he has recently returned to his home in Columbus.
J. M. Rusk was brought up in Bearfield township. Perry county,
1 68 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
Ohio ; worked as a day laborer on the old C. W. & Z. R. R. at McLuney
in 1853 ; went to Wisconsin, became a General m the Union army,
subsequently served three terms in Congi^ess, and is the present Governor
of the State of Wisconsin.
Jacob Strawn, one of the early settlers of Thorn township, remained
a citizen of the same until he had accumulated considerable property,
sold out and left, with the stereotyped remark that he would be the first
in his State or nothing. He did become the largest land owner in the
State of Illinois, to which he went, and was at the time of his death the
greatest cattle owner in the world.
John W. Ilift', born and lived to man's estate in Harrison township,
near McLuney, went to the Far-west at the age of about twenty-one ;
went into the cattle business on the Plains ; raised, sold, and speculated
in cattle until he became very wealthy ; and at the time of his death,
which occurred a few years ago in Denver, Colorado, was the largest
cattle owner in the world, and was known far and wide as the " Cattle
King." His estate is estimated to be worth about two million dollars.
Thomas C. Iliff, a cousin of John Wesley Iliff, the Cattle King, born
and brought up in Harrison township, near McLuney, served in the
war while in his 'teens ; went to school and graduated at Athens Uni-
versity ; subsequently became a minister in the Ohio Conference of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, then was sent to Helena, Montana, and
finally to Salt Lake, where he is now in charge. Though onl}^ a Pre-
siding Elder in rank, Ilift' is practically a Bishop throughout all Utah
Territory. One of the Bishops, in presenting Iliff, in a late session of
the Ohio Conference, announced that he would now introduce to them
*'The successor of Brigham Young." Ilift' is an able and eloquent
preacher, as well as organizer and explorer. He visited the Old World,
not long since ; spent a year in Palestine, and rode all over the Holy
Land on horseback.
Walter C. Hood, born and brought up at Somerset, Ohio, clerked
in his father's store, learned the tiade of a printer, taught school, be-
came editor of the Perry County Trtte Democrat, Ironton Tinier, Ports-
mouth Times, Marietta Times, and was one of the best political writers
in the State, and, in some respects, had no peer. He was said to be a
walking library and dictionary, and scarcely ever made a misstatement
of anything. He was a nephew of the celebrated Charles Hammond,
a distinguished old-time editor of the Cincinnati Gazette. Mr. Hood
was appointed State Librarian by Governor Allen, a position for which
he was eminently qualified, and he died in the city of Columbus, while
holding that office.
Rezen Debolt, son of Rev. George Debolt, brought up in Thorn
township, learned the trade of a tanner, afterward studied law, went
West, and subsequently became a District Judge and member of Con-
gress for the State of Missouri.
Stephen D. Elkins, a native of Thorn township, has, for several
terms, been a delegate in Congress from the Territory of New Mexico,
and would have been one of the United States Senators, had New
Mexico been admitted as a State. Mr. Elkins is married to a daugh-
ter of Senator Davis, of West Virginia.
Fifteen or sixteen members of the Ohio Conference of the Method-
I
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 169
ist Episcopal Church hail from Perry county. Of these, Isaac Crook,
James F. Gardner, Wellington Harvey, and several others, are very
distinguished. Crook has now been transferred to a Michigan Confer-
ence. Harvey served quite a number of years as Presiding Elder,
Joseph Carper, of Reading township, Jesse Stoneman, of Thorn,
and Samuel Harvey and Samuel Plamilton, of Madison township, were
all, in their lifetime, itinerants in the Ohio Conference. Jesse Stone-
mon, with James Qiiinn as a colleague, was appointed by the Baltimore
Conference, in 1800, to what was then called the Muskingum and
Hocking circuit, embracing Marietta, Zanesville, Coshocton, Mount
Vernon, Lancaster, Athens, and all the country lying between ; and
they rode this extensive wilderness circuit in 1801, as the Church record
shows. The mortal remains of Rev. Stoneman repose in the Methodist
Episcopal Cemetery at Thornville.
STATE CAPITOL..
\
L PART VI.
tow:rship histories
I
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. I7I
TOWNSHIP HISTORIES.
CHAPTER XXII.
BEARFIELD TOWNSHIP.
Bearfield is one of the original townships of Perry county, Oliio, and
was organized in 1818. It is situated one township north of the south-
east corner of the county, and, with Monroe township, forms the most
eastern portion of the county. At the time of its organization it was a
full township, containing thirty-six sections, and remained so up to
1850, when there were nine sections taken from the southwest corner of
it to form a part of Pleasant township, thus leaving it with twent3^-seven
sections, or seventeen thousand two hundred and eighty acres of land.
It is bounded on the north by Harrison township, of Perry county, and
Harrison township, of Morgan county; on the south, by Monroe and
Pleasant townships, of Perry county; on the east, by Harrison and
Dearfield townships, of Morgan county, and on the west, by Pleasant
and Pike townships. The township is nafurally divided into two parts,
or slopes, by a ridge passing in a northeastern arid southwesterly direc-
tion, the northern slope dipping toward the Muskingum valley, and
occupying about two-thirds of its surface. The southern slope dips
toward the Hocking valley, and contains about one-third of its area.
The streams are all small, and from this natural division flow both north
and south, the greater number rising within its own borders. The
largest stream is that of the south branch of Jonathan's Creek, which
flows from the central northern part of Pleasant township, in a north-
eastern direction, and flows out at its northern boundary, near McLu-
ney, in Harrison township. The township is all underlaid with a stratum
of the best of soft coal, four feet thick. This coal is mined iu the north-
western part by drifting ; but if it were obtained in the southern and
eastern parts it would necessaril_v have to be by shafting, so rapidly
does the stratum dip. Iron ore and Are and potter's clay are found in
many places. The iron ore is of the black band mineral, and yields
about forty per cent of iron. The potter's clay is of the best quality,
from which all kinds of common stoneware are successfully manufac-
tured.
The surface of this township may well be said to be everywhere
undulating. It has so small a portion of valley land that it is scarcely
worth a mention. The hills are not so high, but a great many of them
172
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
are rather steep ; yet there is not much of the hind that is not arable,
and its fertiHty is beyond dispute, as many an inchistrious farmer, who
now enjoys a full competency for his declining years, can testify. Coal
mines, iron ore deposits, potter and tire clay banks, and farm products,
are seldom more happily united than in Beartield township.
It is said that James Black was the first settler in this township, who
must have come before 181 2, but how long before is unknown. He
settled near where Porterville now stands. As early as 1815 came the
father of Jacob Hearing and settled, a neighbor to James Black. The
following is a list of the first setders, as could best be obtained from
available records: Benjamin Tatman, Bartholomew Tatman, John G.
Hearing, David Worley, Charles Crook, Samuel Ogburn, John B.
Holcomb, Benjamin Morgan, Lawson Teal, Samuel Worley, James
Palmer, Edward Conner, James Montgomery, Isaac Kent, Michael
Longstreth, William Lashley, Andrew Woods, John Younkin, Thomas
Tatman, John A. Hearing, Samuel Younkin, William J. Moore, Elisha
Palmer, Matthew Palmer, Leon Strait, William Tatman, John Mont-
gomery, John Thrapp, L. J. Baker, Ezekiel Rose, John J. Jackson,
David Little, Lloyd Teal, and John Handsley. These people came
from the Eastern States and the Old Country ; consequently, were a
mixture of various nations.
Upon their arrival, all the hardships and realities of a pioneer life
were upon them. The "Giant Oak" stood king of the forest, and
defied the "Woodman's ax." At once it was to be seen that there
was life for a struggle, and prosperity for continued efl:brt. Making
bare their muscles to the labor, and with wills determined to know the
best or worst of it, log cabins sprang up like mushrooms from a hotbed,
and passed away like fairies in the morning dew-drops, giving place to
the hewed log-house, and eventually to the unique frame and brick
architectural dwellings of the present day and generation, as the har-
vest of the fallow, broken by the wooden mouldboard as it was direct-
ed by the muscle that received sustenance from the hand and horse
grist mill, and toated upon the pack saddle, together with the venison,
the bear and the turkey, nature's provision for man's coming. In those
pioneer da3^s, the sickle was thrust, the flail was wielded or the oxen
trod out tiie grain, which was fanned by the sheets of pioneer couches,
for twenty-five cents per bushel, in trade.
Corn was plowed with the rudest plows for twelve and a half cents
in trade. Tea and coffee were luxuries that was too expensive to be
often indulged in ; upon Sunday or a holiday they might be allowed.
Yet at their log rollings and house and barn raisings we still can catch
a breath of their hilarity and neighborly feeling, and we are often con-
strained to say, "They enjoyed themselves more than we do now%"
never taking a thought that then they had no time to quarrel with each
other, or look up the intricate points of law and ])ush a law suit. They
were busily employed.
The most of the land in this township was entered directly, by the
citizens themselves, at $1.25 per acre. Some of the southern part came
through the hands of Buckingham and Sturgess.
It is creditably stated that of those who took up land through Buck-
ingham, manv were unable to pay for it, and some could no more than
»
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 1 73
pay the interest on the money thev borrowed from him, or was dvie on
back payments, the enormous interest of twenty per cent, being charged
by him for money invested, or upon back pay for their tarms, purchas-
of him at from $5.00 to $10.00 per acre. In consequence of this they
were obhged, many of them, to sell out the very land they had doubly
earned and made fruitful by their toil, in many cases saying a mere
pittance from years of hard labor. Hence it comes that, few of the first
settlers or their children remain to this da^' in the southwestern part of
the township.
It is difficult to tell now, where the first mill was built, but it is quite
likely it was upon South Fork creek, in about 181 7, by Frank Harris.
That part of the township was afterward made a part of Pleasant town-
ship, where a more complete historj^ of the mill is given.
Levi Little, who once lived upon the present site of Porterville, in an
early day had a hand mill where they used to grind all night, and in
that length of time could grind about two bushels of corn, three or four
bushels of buckwheat, or one and one half bushels of wheat. The burr
was small and turned by means of a pin fastened near the edge upon
the top. They turned with one hand and fed it with the other. It was
afterward turned to a horse mill.
It is claimed by some that the first mill w^as built upon the head
watens of Black's Fork creek, by a man by the name of Fate, who after-
ward sold it to Petit. At this mill the}^ ground corn, buckwheat and
wheat, and sawed lumber. A man by the name of Underbill once had
a horse mill on the line between Perry and Morgan counties. One of
the oldest mills was built by Levi T. Deaver, near the edge of the
township, not far from Deavertowm, of Morgan count}-.
There is now no mill running in the township, all having gone
down.
For a better class of work, and quicker returns, the farmers often
went to Zanesville on horseback to mill, via the cow paths, riding one
horse and leading another, which wore the pack saddle and carried
most of the grain.
In 1818, as above stated, this township held its first election, and the
names given as the first settlers, were the first voters, or at least most
of them were voters here at that time. Then the ballot was cast for
the first Justice of the Peace, who in all probability was Samuel Ogburn.
At that time the votes were polled as they have been ever since, some
place, and in some kind of a building, upon the sixteenth and school
section of the township. If Ogburn was not the veiy first, he was
among the first to hold that office. Upon the sixteenth section they
now have a township house where the votes are polled. The number
of votes cast in 1882 w^as two hundred, not varying but little from that
number at any time. It is said that David Hearing was the first man
married in this township.
This township has no railroads nor pikes. The Cincinnati & Mus-
kingum Valley, a branch of the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & St. Louis
Railway, passes near its northern boundary at McLuney.
As James Black is considered the first settler, it is altogether prob-
able that around him gathered the first neighborhood, and thereby the
first schools were held in that neighborhood, on a farm owned at the
174 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
time by Jesse Simmer, and now owned by Ephraim Bennett. Tiie first
school teachers there were, first of all, Abraham Striker. Samuel
Younkin soon after. Robert Sandburn taught in 1820, and Thomas
Petit in 1821. They all taught in the log cabin school house, so fre-
quently described in this histor3^ that a repetition here would be to in-
crease the monotony of the story. The public school system was adopt-
ed as soon as practicable, and as is shown in the county history.
There is now in this township six sub-school districts, and in each
there is a good, substantial frame school house, where at least an aver-
age term of school of six months is kept up each year, the teachers re-
ceiving their pay from the public school fund. There are one hundred
and fort3^-eight male and one hundred and fort3^-eight female scholars
enrolled.
Churches. — Fletcher Chapel is of the Methodist Episcopal denom-
ination, and is commonly known as the Holcomb church. It is the
oldest church we now have any knowledge of in this township, and was
probably organized in about 181 5, and met in private houses previous
to 1820 to 1825, at which time they built a log church on Joseph Hol-
comb's farm. In private houses they meet at Geoige Reed's, John
Fate's and Joseph Holcomb's. The first members were John Fate and
and wife, Joseph Holcomb and wife, Mrs. George Reed, Patton Person
and wife, Thomas Hollingshead and wife, Asher Holcomb, who was
the first class class leader, and a few others. The first preachers were
Rev. Samuel Hamilton and Rev. Cornelius Springer. They were after-
ward supplied by the Ohio Conference, and were known to be in the
Zanesville district, and in Deavertown circuit until 1882, wdien a change
was made, and it became one of four appointments of which the Rev.
Raymond Griflith is pastor, but is still in Zanesville district. Previous
to the change they for many vears past had preaching once in three
weeks, but since that they have preaching alternate Sunda3^s. I'he old
log church was supplanted in 1846 by a frame building that is now
standing.
The first Sunday school met in the log house and was kept up until
about 1867, only during the summer season ; since that time they have
continued during the whole time, and now number about fifty scholars,
with M. G. Sayre as Superintendent. Charles Crider, Ephraim Ben-
nett, Bartholomew^ Longstreth and William Sayre are class leaders of
the church, and there are about seventy members.
Pleasant Grove M. E. Church is commonl\' known as the Tatman
Church, and is situate in the southeastern portion of the township, near
Joseph Wallace's farm. It was organized in about from 1832 to 1837,
and first met in Bartholomew Tatman's house on the farm now owned
by Joseph Wallace. Bartholomew Tatman and wife, one McClanna-
hau' and wife, Samuel Ogburn, one Mr. Iden and some others, were
the first members. B. Tatman was likely the first class leader. The
first ministers were Samuel Harvey and Samuel Hamilton, and have
since been supplied by the Ohio Conference.
Soon after their organization, they built a hewed log church hard
by the site of the present frame church, which took its place in about
1861, built under the pastorate of Rev. Joseph Barringer. There are
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 1^5
now about sixty communicants, with John M. Holcomb and Isaac
Cooper as class leaders.
The first Sunday school was organized in about 1867, and met only
during the summer season until 1881, when it was continued during the
year, and up to the present time. There are now about fifty scholars
enrolled.
This charge belonged to the Deavertown circuit until 1882, when it
was changed and put into the Millertown circuit.
Bethel M. E. Church was organized about 1837, with James Moore,
Elias Moore, William Moore, Urias -Moore. John Handsley and family,
Alexander McClannahan, and some of the Petits as first members.
James Moore was the first class leader. The first preachers were John
Reed and Samuel Hamilton'. They first worshipped in a log school
house near where they afterward built a hewed log church.
That house stood until about 1845, when the society having removed
to Porterville charge, the house went down or was moved away, but
the cemetery is still kept up.
In a very early day there was a class organized in the vicinity of
where the United Presbyterian church now stands, and near which
the}' built a church, now remembered as the Teal church ; but for some
unknown reason, and at a date unknown, they disorganized.' It was a
pioneer church, no doubt. Some time previous to 1854 ^^^ Methodist
Episcopal church organized a class in section 16, and met at first at
private houses. Rezen Hammond and wife, James Allen and wife,
Alexander Burgess and family, Bernard Smith, who was the first class
leader, Eliza Koons, and others, were the first members ; about twelve
or fifteen in number. In 1854 ^^"^^7 moved the Teal church from where
it stood and rebuilt it on the farm of Rezen Hammond, where they
worshiped until the time of the late rebellion, when differences of opin-
ion split the society, and it became disorganized, some joining at the
Holcomb church, while others went to near Poterville, and, with oth-
ers, formed what is known as the Christian Union church. The Ham-
mond church, by which name it was usually called, held Sunday school
for several summer seasons, daring its organization.
ZioN. — In about 1847, there was organized a Disciple church, near
Poterville, with Daniel Rusk at the head, which continued for a few
years, when it was changed and became a Christian denomination.
The Disciples, and other Christian people, had built a log house,
for general church purposes, but it appears that a deed for the lot was
made to the Christian denomination, who still hold the deed. How
long either the Disciples, or Christians kept up their organization, is
unknown, but together the}' held meetings until the time of the late re-
bellion, at which time the Christian Union church was organized, tak-
ing the place of the others. In 1868 they supplanted the log church by
a neat frame building, where they still hold services. It was changed
to the Christian Union denomination, with Rev. Ammon Biddison as
their pastor. Simultaneous with the organization of the church Sunday
school was commenced, arid is still continued with an attendance of
twenty-five or thirty persons.
Porterville Methodist Episcopal church was organized in the old log
church, where the Zion now stands, under the pastorate of Rev. Ben-
176 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
jamin Ellis, in 1855, and in 1856 they built a frame church edifice in
Porterville, under the direction of Rev. Sheets and Rev. Jno. Gregg.
The first organization consisted of about thirt}^ members ; among whom
were Jno. Bell, who was the first class leader, and his wife, one Bullick
and wife, Jacob Brock and wife, Mrs. Abi Butt, Mar^- Skinner, Adam
Dennis and wife, and at that time, the Bethel charge, west of this place,
was disbanded, and most of that membership moved here. The first
church-house stood until 1881, when a neat new frame church was built
in its stead, at a cost of $1,975.00. Rev. G. P. Fry was pastor during
its building. They now have a membership of about eighty, with Rev.
R. H. Griffith as pastor, and George Holcomb, J. S. King and Marian
Newlon as class leaders. Sunday School was organized at the time
they first occupied their own church, with Jno. Ball as Superintendent,
since which time it has been continued, and for several years past, dur-
ing the whole year, and now has an average attendance of about
thirty or forty scholars. Levi Aler is now Superlendent.
Goshen United Presbyterian Church. — In 1827. a society was
formed in the vicinit}^ of where the above church stands, known as the
Associate Church, which so continued until 1868, at which time that
body and the Associate Reform Church were united, and formed the
United Presbyterian Church.
The Associate Church was organized by Rev. John Walker. In
1839 ^^^^y built a church-house, under the pastorate of Rev. David
Lindsay, which stood until 1877, when a larger frame house was built
in its stead, which still stands, the ground being leased by W. C.
Moore for as long as it is used for church purposes.
W. C. Moore and wife, Nancy Moore, Mary Moore, James Beard
and wife, Mrs. Jane Rusk, Miss Feckner, Mrs. Margaret Adams,
Robert N. Moore and wife, Martha Moore, Margaret Moore, Susannah
Moore and Robert R. Moore, were first members. From 1827 to the
time of building the first church, thev met in houses and barns, and
man}' times at Robert Moore's, sen. W. C. Moore was the first Elder.
There are now twenty-two members, with Jno. Taylor, James L.
Moore and Robert N. Moore as elders. The largest membership they
have ever had was about fifty or fifty-five souls. Sunday school was
first organized in 1877, when James L. Moore was Superintendent, and
had about thirty scholars. They now have about sixt}- scholars, and
Jno. Taylor is Superintendent. Previous to 1877 they had Sunday
school only a part of the time. They now have school every summer, but
do not continue during the winter season.
Porterville. — The town was laid out by John Porter in 1848, in the
treme eastern edge of the township, and on the dividing ridge, before
referred to, from which the water sheds both north and south.
This is a village, or hamlet rather, of about forty souls, beautifully
situated, in which health, the greatest temporal blessing vouchsafed to
humanity, is abundantly enjoyed. It is surrounded by the most desir-
able farming community of the township, as the hills seem not quite so
rugged. From here to every point of the compass, stretches out before
admirers of nature, hill and dale, forming ever\^ variety of scenery.
Soon after it was platted, Jno. Adams opened, in Porterville, a general
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. l*J*J
merchandise store, and a postoffice was established, receiving mail by
horseback carrier from McConnellsville ; the mail now is carried in the
same manner but from Rendville, in Monroe township. The stores have
changed hands several times since Adams first opened the business.
There is now one store of general merchandise kept by P. W. Newlon,
and a furniture and undertaking room, kept by E. Hearing. It has one
church and blacksmith shop.
In 1870 there was erected, in the extreme north edge of the town-
ship, near McLune}', a potter shop, where all kinds of common stone
ware is manufactured. It emplo3-s several hands, and makes seven
hundred gallons of ware per week. A great deal of the first ware made
here was shipped to Maryland and Virginia, but it is now wholesaled
at McLuney Station.
The facilities for manufacturing in this vicinity are not excelled any
place, as everything is found near at hand, except salt.
There is a claim made that a pioneer by the name of Dusenberry
settled on Bear Run, in Bearfield township, in 1802. If this be correct,
it is undoubtedly the first settlement in the township, and one of the first
in the county.
James Moore, of Bearfield township, was the inventor and operator
of the first portable steam saw mill ever run. He had an eight-horse
power saw mill, and employed a firm in Zanesville to build him a light
engine, such as he directed. He invented the attachments, set up the
machinery, and operated the mill for eight or ten years. It was the
first portable steam saw mill in the world. William Moore, a brother
of James, also had an interest in the mill. The well-known Zanesville
mills, which have been shipped all over the world, are all of a later
date than the Moore mill. The portable mill w^as not only the concep-
tion of a Perry count}^ man, but it did its first work in Bearfield
township, Perr}^ county.
The population of Bearfield in 1880 was 997.
22
178 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
CHAPTER XXIII.
CLAYTON TOWNSHIP.
Clayton township, which before the formation of Perry, belonged to
Muskingum, was organized as a political township about 1810, and was
named in honor of one of its early settlers. It was originally six miles
square, and of course embraced thirty-six sections ; but when Perry
county was organized, or a short time thereafter, four sections were taken
from it and attached to Harrison. The divide between the Muskingum
and Hocking rivers runs through Clayton, leaving about two-thirds on
the Muskingum slope and the remaining one-third on the Hocking
slope. The land on the Muskingum side is drained by the waters of
Buckeye, McLuney, and other tributaries of the Moxahala, while that
on the west side is drained by the head waters of East Rush Creek.
More than one half of the township is good laying land, while the re-
mainder ol it is hill}^ and some of it extremely rough. Some of the
most enterprising and wide awake farmers in the State reside in Clay-
ton township. Its wool-growers are especially distinguished. Fruit
growing also receives considerable attention. About three fourths of
the township is underlaid with two seams of valuable bituminous coal,
respectively four and five feet in thickness. These seams are known as
5 and 6 of the geological series. Number 4, another good seam of coal,
is also found in some places, but it is not thought to be so persistent as
the other two seams. Considerable iron ore also abounds in nearly all
parts of this township ; limestone, chert, and sand rock are also plenti-
ful. Potter's clay of good quality is abundant, and several potteries are
in successful operation. Coal has been mined in Cla3^ton for fifty years
or more, and there are numerous openings, in both numbers 5 and 6, in
various parts of it. The old Dr. Poujade mine — now the Isaac Denny
mine — near the southern border of the township, was one of the first
regularly operated mines in the county. The coal of all the open mines
is of a desirable quality.
Clayton township was first settled about 1806 or 1807. It~is difficult,
in most cases, to determine who was the first settler of a township, and
in attempting to do so inaccuracies are liable to occur, and injustice is
often unintentionally done. There is no doubt, however, that the Clay-
tons, Thralls, Wilsons, Pher^ons, Gardners, Browms, Bennetts, Kings,
Goodins, Rhodes, Teals, Sellers, Skinners, Crosbys and Cooksons,
were among the first settlers of Clayton. It is stated that Robert Pher-
son settled in Clayton township in 1806; if this be correct, it is safe to
presume that it was one of the first permanent settlements in the town-
ship. The following named persons were all citizens of the township
as early as 1817, or very soon thereafter:
John Moore, Amos Roberts, Christian Barnd, James Wilson, Wm.
C. Martin, John Rodman, Jeremiah Reed, Moses Goodin, Arabram
Bennett, John Sellers, Samuel Heath, Joseph Cla3'ton, William Clay-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 1 79
ton, Daniel Cusack, James C. Wallace, James Rusk, Sen., Isaac De-
Long, Samuel Rusk, Jacob Hightshoe, Joseph Cookson, John Bradley,
John Hough, John Gibson, Henry Shaner, Thomas King, Charles
Wizvvell, George Moore, Thomas Wilson, James K. Wilson, Wm.
Rodman, Joseph DeLong, Solomon Dusenberry, Daniel Pugh, Andrew
Cusack, Tuba Ta^dor, Jacob Emerick, William Larkins, Michael
Cooper, John Rusk, Samuel Thrall, John Hartsel, Wm. McCormick,
Caleb North, John Clayton, Benjamin Hull, John Gardner, Jacob Hol-
lenback, Henry Shaner, Andrew Wright, Lewis Shreeves, George
Skinner, William Thompson, Absalom Chenowith, John England,
Edward Crosby, James Wright, John Grove, Frederick Amrine, Rob-
ert Love, George Gardner, Joseph Mills, Samuel England, Thomas
Dusenberry, Joseph Claypool, James Shreeves, James Crosby, William
Hammond, Isaac Brown, John Hull, Ruel Sayre, Ebenezer Davidson,
Samuel Hull, John Skinner, John North, Levi Burgoon, John Yarger,
Jacob Acker, John Crosby, Jacob Pace, John Clayton.
These early settlers came mosth^ from Pennsylvania, Maryland and
Virginia, though a small number of them were from other of the older
States and a few from the Old World. There were not so many Penn-
sylvania Germans among them, as in Thorn, Hopewell, Reading and
Jackson.
Clayton is as yet intersected by no railroad, but the Columbus and
Eastern is surv*j3^ed through its territory, and is under contract to be
finished by the first day of August, 1883. Though touched b}^ no rail-
road, Clayton even in the past has not been very distant from railroad
facilities. A part of the township is not far from Somerset, on the
Newark, Somerset and Straitsville road ; and other parts are near New
Lexington, McLuney and Crooksville, on the Cincinnati and Mus-
kingum Valley. Previous to the railroad era, all the surplus products of
the township were marketed at Zanesville. After the building of th'e
Zanesville and Maysville Turnpike, it was reached by mos^ of the
Cla3'ton township grain-haulers, at or near Uniontown. The wheat
was hauled either to Putnam or Zanesville, and was mostly disposed of
at Whipple's, Reaves' or Dillon's Mills.
Most of the eastern part of Clayton township was originall}- cover-
ed with large poplar timber, of a very superior quality. Logs from
these trees kept several local mills busy for many years, and a large
quantity of lumber was sawed, which found a ready market. Not
much of this good poplar timber is now left. There were, also numer-
ous sugar groves in this part of the township, and much good maple
sugar was made for many 3'^ears alter the first settlement of the
country. . '
Martha Wilson, wife of Judge James Wilson, one of the earliest set-
tlers, was born in Alleghany county, Maryland, Feb. 1786, and died
March, 1880, in the ninetv-fifth year of her age, and was the last of the
pioneer women in Clayton township to pass from time to eternity. She
came to the neighborhood where she lived and died, in 181 1, when
neighbors were few and far between. Bears, wolves and panthers,
were frequently seen. Once, during the war of 1812, when her husband
was absent at Zanesville, there was an alarm that the Indians were com-
ing across the coimtry and murdering the white people. Many families
l80 HISTOl'-Y OF PERRY COUNTY.
loaded up and fled. Mrs. Wilson having no way to go and take her three
children, converted her cabin into a fortress and prepared for battle.
She barricaded the door with timbers, prepared her gun and ammuni-
tion, and with the great dog at her side, stood with gun in hand all
through the night and until dawn of day ; but no Indians came. On
another occasion when her husband was awa}-^ from home, the wolves
attacked her only sheep, before she had put it in the pen for the night.
She heard her faithful dog fighting and striving to drive the wolves away ;
but they were ravenous and would not be driven off" by the dog. Mrs.
Wilson lighted a torch, rushed out, frightened awa}' the wolves, and
rescued the sheep. The savage animals remained so near that she
could distinctly hear their teeth gnash and grind together as the}' thus
gave vent to their unavailing rage. For many years previous to her
death she had been blind, but she was cheerful, resigned and happy.
Most of the time during her later years, she fancied and believed that
she was living with her husband and children who had long been dead.
Again she would recognize and converse intelligentlv with her living
sons and daughters at her bedside. Mrs. Wilson was a religious
woman ; she united with the Methodist Episcopal church in 1809, at her
old home in the State of Maryland. The Methodists held camp meet-
ing for a number of years in a grove upon her husband's farm, and a
church (Wesley Chapel) was subsequently erected near the old camp
ground.
The M. E. Church organization in Rehoboth is about the second
oldest in the county, and one among the oldest in the State. The
original class was organized in 181 2 or 1813, by George Gardner, who
was soon after ordained as local preacher. Gardner and wife, James
Thrall and wife. Grandmother Carroll, Hannah Carroll and one or two
others, were the members composing it. Rev. Martin Fate preached
the first sermon, at Gardner's house, which was a preaching place for
some time, and until the log church was built, about 1818, on the front
part of the cemetery lot, a few rods south of the present site of Reho-
both, on the New Lexington road. The old church was in regular use
until about 1832, when the brick edifice was erected, near the east end
of the town. The earl}'^ preachers on the Rehoboth charge were the
same who served Somerset and other charges, of whom a sketch is
given in another chapter. School was also held at the old church men-
tioned, and as regular preaching always took place on a week day, it
was a common occurrence to dismiss school for an hour, that religious
worship might be held. The circuit preachers, as they were called,
would come from the direction of Uniontown or Somerset, sing, pray
and preach, and after shaking hands with the congregation, would
mount their well-fed and well-kept horses, and move on westward, dear
knows where, for there was no church in New Lexington or neighbor-
hood, at that time.
The Rehoboth Church has had some up and downs, but it always
has been a strong society, and remains so at the present day.. Two or
more eminent preachers have gone out from its portals into the life w^ork
of the ministry. It maintains a flourishing Sabbath school, and has
during almost its entire existence. The Sabbath school was organized
previous to 1820, George Gardner probably being the first superintend-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. l8l
ent. The Rehoboth circuit, at one time, and for quite a number of
years, included the New Lexington, Uniontown and Somerset churches,
along with man^^ others, and three ministers were assigned to its ser-
vice. The old circuit has been divided into stations and smaller cir-
cuits. Rehoboth church is now attached to New Lexington station,
and is only two miles distant therefrom.
Unity Church is one of the oldest in the county, and is the mother
Presbyterian Church. On the occasion of the dedication of the new
sanctuary in 1875, Rev. Henry Beeman delivered a carefully prepared
and highly interesting historical discourse, from which the following is
taken. It will be readily observed that the history of the Unity Church
also embraces the history of three or four other Presbyterian churches :
" The early settlers, few and scattered, were eager for and appreci-
ated divine service. It was the golden link connecting them with their
ancestral homes in the Eastern States. Clergymen passing westward
and eastward, along the great highway, often stopped for a night in the
settlement and preached. This began as early as there were any con-
siderable number of settlers. As early probably as 1808-9. These
transient services continued two or three years before any stated ser-
vices began. An aged church member says that when she moved into
the settlement in 181 1, Rev. James Culbertson, pastor of the Second
Presbyterian Church, Zanesville, came regularly once a month and
preached in private houses or barns ; the people gathering from a cir-
cuit of many miles. He preached to them for the last time in 1814, in
Isaac Sellers' barn, from the text "• Remember now thy Creator in the
days of thy vouth." — Eccl. 12, i.
At the close of the service he went into the road and held out his
hand. The people tiled past him in a long procession to say farewell.
He was greatly moved. He said, "Had I known this parting would
be so painful, I would not have come out to you from Zanesville on this
occasion." The aged narrator, sister of Isaac Brown, first elder of
Unity, said, '* I cried all the way home, then I went out yonder,"
pointing to a retired spot in the. forest, "And there I prayed on and on
until there came into mv heart such peace and comfort as I cannot ex-
press." She had been distressed in view of her sins tor several years,
and this was the hour of her conversion. Two years afterward, at the
first sacrament of the Lord's Supper, administered by Rev. Moore, she
with two others, were admitted into the communion.
Through the labors of Mr. Culbertson, numeroiis churches were or-
ganized in Ohio. His death occurred about 1850. Isaac Sellars, a
warm-hearted Christian, in whose barn this farewell sermon was
preached, died in 1818, aged forty-nine years.
Unity is the mother, tier children are scattered over the western
plains, and are found in many States of the Union ; were they and their
immediate descendants here to-day, respectable as is this congregation
'in numbers, it would be exceeded five to one. Unity ! Fond recollec-
tion of their boyhood and girlhood has not died out of their hearts.
Here they were born into the world ; here they were given, at this
sacred altar by their parents to God in the rite of baptism ; and here
they were born again, and here they were married ; here in Unity's
church-yard lie fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, brothers and
102 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
»
sisters. And, to-day, Unit}' is fondly cherished by many, who, learn-
ing its liistory from their fathers, yet have never seen it.
Not only individuals, but w^hole churches rise up to call her blessed.
Seven daughters are hers: Bethel,' Bremen, Somerset, New Lexing-
ton, Roseville and Uniontown.
In the year 1816, Rev. Mr. Wright of Lancaster, Ohio, on his way
to the Synod at Pittsburgh, was interviewed and urged to come and organ-
ize the scattered followers of the Savior into a church. Isaac Brown,
afterward the first elder, guided Mr. Wright from Somerset through
the dense forest to this hallowed place. September 2d, 1816, in the old
log school house which stood within a few feet of the present edifice,
fourteen persons were organized into a church of the blessed Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. A vote was taken and they called it ".Unity."
" Because we are all of one mind," they said. Happv name when it
expresses a fact. It reminds one of the trite but famously true adage,
" United we stand, divided we fall." One Lord, one faith, one bap-
tism, one God and Father of all. And for nearly two generations,
through all the vicissitude of time and changing fortunes and peoples,
Unity still bears her name, giving it to the neighborhood around for
many miles. Then no human habitation was visible from her altar.
The forest seemed illimitable ; no roads for vehicles, only bridle paths
blazed through the wilderness. Now before the march of improve-
ments, the red man has disappeared toward the setting sun ; beautiful
farms, well stocked and cultivated, pleasant dwellings and happy homes
are seen in all directions.
Rev. Mr. Wright, the founder of this church, died in 1855, at Lo-
gansport, Indiana, well nigh one hundred j-ears old.
In the same month and year of the organization. Rev. Thomas
Moore became the first pastor. He was a graduate of Dartmouth Col-
lege, studied divinity at Yale Theological Seminary. Previous to set-
tlement at Unity, he preached for several years in Pennsylvania. His
pastorage continued sixteen years. During it the old log church, (di-
mensions thirty-five feet by twenty-seven feet,) was built in 1826. The
neighbors assembled to roll the logs ; the women spun cloth and sold it
to purchase glass ; one good lady said she gave her cow ; and thus with
loving hearts and willing hands, they built a house. One hundred and
twenty souls were added to the church during this long pastorate. An
argument in favor of a permanent ministerial settlement. In our theory
of church polity, the unity existing between pastor and people, is like
that of the marriage relation, until death shall separate them. In 1832,
because of the increasing infirmities of age, a successor was called,
though the aged pastor continued to officiate occasionally until the day
of his death. At times his feebleness necessitated his sitting instead of
standing in the pulpit to address his congregation.
The remains of Mr. Moore lie beside those of his aged companion in
Unity Church yard. And on the large flat stone covering his grave
j-^ou may read this inscription :
"In memory of Thomas Moore, who died August 24, 1840, aged 78
years, 11 months and 21 days. He was 52 3'ears a Minister of the
Gospel."
In 1832, Rev. Francis Bartlett succeeded Mr. Moore in the pastorate
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 183
of Unity. He received his theological training at Princeton, and
while a student of theology, he was associated with Mr. Nettleton, the
great revivalist, for six months. And fresh from those great revival
labors he came to Unity and New Bethel. And in live months twenty-
five persons were received into the church. And during his pastorate
of two vears forty were added. Through his labors at New Bethel the
roll of church members increased until it reached the surprising number
of three hundred and seventy-five. Thus the years of his pastorate to
both these churches were 3^ears of the right hand of the most High.
Through all the region where he labored so successfully, the name of
Francis Bartlett is spoken with veneration. In October, 1837, he and
Roswell Tenny and Edmund Garland were a committee of Presbytery
to organize New Lexington church.
After the departure ot Mr. Bartlett, Rev. Roswell Tenny became
the pastor. During his pastorate of three years two additional Elders
were elected and ordained — Robert Ewing and John North, in 1835.
These, together with Isaac Brown, Isaac Reynolds and David Pugh,
Sen., constituted the Session. Seventy persons were added to the
church, making the membership no. There were thirty infant baptisms ;
$65.50 were contributed to the various causes of the church. Septem-
ber I, 1837, t^^6 Session dismissed twenty-three persons to unite in the
organization of the New Lexington church, which organization was
effected the next day by authority of Lancaster Presbytery.
Mr. Tenny gave one-third of his time to New Lexington, one-third
to Unity and one-third to Somerset, which was held at this time as a
mission station ; as had been New Lexington, from an early period, up
to the time of organization.
In the latter part of Mr. Tenny's pastorate, through no instrumental-
ity, however, of his own, the date of the waning period of Unity may
be fairly placed. For a score of years unexampled prosperity attend-
ed the church ; accessions on profession of faith were almost constant for
twenty years, until the membership reached the large number of two
hundred. The moral and spiritual condition was equal to the ad-
ditions. The Holy Spirit's influence seems not to have been withdrawn
during all this happy period. A jubilee period; a score of years that
should be celebrated by Unity's people. But now Unity's 12 o'clock
had struck. Her sun had reached its zenith, then began slowly to de-
scend. At times, like Joshua's sun on Gideon, it seemed to stand in
the midst of the heavens, until the people had avenged themselves upon
their enemies, but soon resumed its declension until in 1866, it was just
visible above the horizon. In other words, from May 1835 to May
1866, Unity's history was exceedingl)^ checkered. There were times
when the ebbing tide stayed and gathered only to burst tjie barriers and
run lower.
There were additions, but at the end of scarcely a single year, dur-
ing all that waning period of one score and ten or eleven years, did the
accessions keep pace with the deaths and removals.
There were causes, however, for this declension, besides those found
in the records. The mountain stream pours down into the basin, filling
it, rolling back upon its course, overflowing and passing on. So the
stream of emigration pouring .along the great thoroughfare, filling Perry,
184 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
overflowing and passing on farther westward. Children of the early
settlers, and in some instances, the oldest inhabitants themselves sought
new homes in the west. With each migration Unity lost her sons and
daughters.
Mr. Tenny passed the last ten years of his life in Marietta, laid aside
from the work of the ministry by an affection of the throat. After suf-
fering three years with paralysis he died in August, 1866, in the seven-
tieth year of his life.
Unity's fourth pastor was the Rev. Edmund Garland. His pastorate
extended from, the autumn of 1837 ^^ 1840, three years. At the begin-
ning of his labors he made an examination of the records, and after
careful inquiry found that out of the vast number on the register of
communicants only fifty remained as active members. A rapid decrease
in a very few years. It will be remembered, however, that a colony of
twenty-three had just gone out to organize the New Lexington church,
and others later were dismissed to unite with the same church.
A year and a half subsequent — February 25, 1839 — another colony
left Unity to organize the Somerset church. So that during this period,
the aggregate membership of the three churches was still about one
hundred. The three formed one parish. But the old hive never again
swarmed. One of Mr. Garland's sermons from the text, "What think
ye of Christ?" preached, probably, at the organization of the Somerset
church, is still remembered. Mr. Garland is yet alive, residing upon
his farm in Licking county, in comfortable circumstances. Too aged
for active service in the ministry, but faithful and devout, giving of his
means to the cause of Christ, thus preaching by proxy. During his
pastorate Unity gave about $75 to the Boards of the church.
Mr. Garland's successor was unhappy in his relations with the
churches. He continued, however, something more than a 3'ear. And
there were some additions to the church. Among the number Mr. Noah
Moore, who afterward became a ruling elder, and his wife.
His successor was Rev. John Forbush. He remained about two
years ; but judging from the meagre records during his ministration
but little was accomplished.
After Mr. Forbush, Rev. A. S. Avery labored nearly two years.
The records show one case of discipline and suspension, but no addi-
tions. Mr. Aver}' died at the residence of his daughter, in Lawrence-
burg, Indiana, in the summer of 1867.
From July 1848 to July 1852; during these four years there were
some accessions to the church, Margaret A. Acker, Mary Leach, Juliet
Sellers, D. Stokely and the lamented James Wigton. The two latter
elders of Roseville. Wm. Cookson, David Fulton and Noah Moore
were ordained to the office of Ruling Elders. The church at Somerset,
though promising well in the beginning, having bought a house of wor-
ship, convenientl}'^ located, from the Methodist Episcopal Church, hard-
ly had an organized existence ten years. After Mr. Garland's depart-
ure, becoming t'eeble and greatly distressed, mother Unity took back
her daughter under the maternal roof with her accumulated property.
The Somerset church property was sold for about $300. And with
the proceeds, in 1849, Unity, originally built of hewed logs, chinked and
daubed, was weather-boarded, ceiled, plastered and painted at an ex-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 185
pense of $280. Somerset was lost; Roseville was gained. Several
members of Unity. Thomas Beard and wife, Jane Beard, James Wigton
and wife, and D. Stokely were dismissed, and a number of other per-
sons, living in the vicinity of Roseville, united in the organization ot
the Roseville church, October 20, 1849. From that time until the pre-
sent, Roseville, Unity and New Lexington have constituted one parish.
Their interests and history have been intimately connected.
After a vacancy of a few^ months Rev. Warren Nichols began his
labors at Unit}^ in November, 1852. He continued about two years.
The records show a few additions.
Mr. Nichols died some years since in the w estern part of this State.
His widow, much loved bv all intimately acquainted with her, fell
asleep in Jesus some years ago, at the I'esidence of her daughter, near
Jackson, Illinois.
Rev. Samuel Westcott Rose was the successor of Mr. Nichols. Mr.
Rose's pastorate extended from September, 1854, to January, 1857 — about
three years. As had done his two predecessors, so he ministered to the
three churches, preaching also in private dwellings and school houses
through his extensive parish, sometimes preaching three times a day-
Abundant in labors. Said a good woman to him one day: "Mr.
Rose, you will kill yourself." He smiled as he replied, "I wish to die
in the service of the Lord." And so, after a brief illness, he fell asleep
in Jesus at his residence in New Lexington.
Two pastors thus have fought the good hght, finished their course,
and kept the faith in this held of labor.
Mr. Rose was a man of earnest piety, a faithful and laborious pastor
and unimpassioned preacher. Had the esteem and confidence of his co-
presbyters, once moderated Presbyter}-. He devoted much time to the
study of the prophecies. Lectured upon them. It is said that some of
his interpretations concerning the visible church and the country, have
been remarkably fulfilled. He is the author of one or two published
sermons ; one a Thanksgiving discourse, finds its theme in "The stone
cut out of the mountain without hands," which broke in pieces the great
image of Nebuchadnezzar. He makes the stone the United States,
which, if true, is certainly very flattering ; and just now, with rottenness
in almost every branch of the Government, very encouraging.
While I cannot accord with this interpretation of prophecy, his argu-
ments to establish it are ingenious.
Rev. Samuel Loomis followed Mr. Rose, in March, 1857. He
served the church less than a vear. Mr. Loomis is now, and has been
for many years, a successful Missionary among the Freedmen at Ches-
ter, South Carolina.
Rev. James Lamb labored irregularly at Unity for less than a year.
Mr. Lamb came in the spring of 1859, fresh from the Seminary. He
is now pastor of Bethany Church, Utica, New York.
Rev. Theodore Stowe came next in the spring of i860. His labors
extended for over a period of about two years. Mr. Stowe resigned to
accept a Chaplaincy in the service of the country.
This gentleman, having found a new home a 3'ear ago in Saginaw,
Michigan, and a new wife, ministers to two little churches in that
vicinity." [Rev. Stowe is since deceased. — Compiler.]
l86 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
No record is made in the Sessional books of Unity of the services
of these four ministers. During all these ministrations, covering a per-
iod in the aggregate of about seven years, there is no record of any
Sessional meetings ; no additions, nothing to show that any thing was
done. It is probable that, except during the time of Mr. Rose, the ser-
vices were irregular.
I find, however, several records in November, 1857, to the effect
that the Rev. Mr. Hildreth, leaving his own pulpit vacant one Sabbath,
visited Unity and held a series of meetings, da}^ and night, administer-
ing the sacrament of the Lord's supper, and received one person. Miss
Mary Cookson, into the church ; also, ordained Jacob Sellers as Ruling
Elder. Mr. Ebenezer Reynolds was elected to -the same office at the
same time, but there is no record of his ordination. Most likely this
meeting of ten days, encouraging the feeble membership, saved the
church from extinction.
Rev. Mr. Stuart followed Mr. Stowe, a gentleman who never had
a regular connection with the church. He continued not more than a
year.
The three churches had now been vacant tVom one and a half to two
years, supplied occasionall}-, in the meantime, by appointment by the
Presbytery. Members of Unity were hopeless and out of heart — re-
duced to a handful, the houses of worship neglected, the possession of
bats ; birds built their nests and brooded their young over God's quiet
altars. One of the three — the New Lexington edifice — had disappeared
entirely, its very foundation plowed up.
Such was the mournful state of affairs when your pastor appeared
upon the scene in May, 1866.
The Uniontown Church, then and for some years subsequent O. S.,
made application for his services. From that day to this her interests
have been intimately connected with these. Her historv is theirs and
theirs hers.
He came fresh from his first 3'ear in the seminary, " not with excel-
lency of speech or wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God ;
for he determined not to know any thing among you save Jesus Christ
and him crucified. And he was with you in weakness and in fear, and
in much trembling ;" and his speech and his preaching were not with
" enticing words of man's wisdom." He was with you tor four months
in each of two years, spending the remaining time in pvu'suing his theo-
logical studies. Having finished his course at Union Seminary, New
York city, he returned, and on the nth and 12th of November, 1868,
was installed pastor of Unity, New Lexington and Roseville churches,
Revs. D. Tenny, of Newark, S. P. Hildreth, of Dresden, and D. E.
Beach, of Granville, officiating. Continuating the stated supply of
Uniontown till 187 1, when the New Lexington church, growing so
rapidly, having built a church edifice at a cost of twenty-five hundred
dollars, it was deemed expedient to hold services there every Sabbath
day. But alas ! for the chequered life of that chinxh. Its congrega-
tion ran down almost as fast as it ran up. So, after an interval of two
years, the old relations were resumed September, 1873.
Unity's elders have now reached the apostolic number — twelve :
Isaac Brown, Isaac Reynolds, David Pugh, Sr., Robert Ewing, John
I
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 187
North, William Cookson, Sr., David W. Pugh, Jr., David Fulton,
Noah Moore, and the present incumbents, Jacob Sellers, John Welch,
and William R. Cookson, Jr. Isaac Brown, David Pugh, and William
Cookson, Sr. sleep in Unity church-yard. Isaac Reynolds and David
W. Pugh, Jr.. found a peaceful grave in White county, Indiana. Of
Ewing. North, Fulton, living or dead, I know not. I cannot say that
those who have \et\ us here and departed to the land of pure delight can
see or hear or know what their friends and children are doing. But if
they can, these fathers and spiritual guides of old Unity, along with
the Great Head of the Church, have seen their posterity, to the second
generation, gathering around this sacred altar, heart worshippers of the
God of their fathers. It is pleasant to think, at least, these fathers of
Unity are to-day rejoicing and singing the G/oria /^«/r/c?, that " the
glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former."
The dedication of the new church at Unity was a memorable occa-
sion, and the services of more than usual interest. The annexed ac-
count of the dedication and description of the new house of worship is
from the New Lexington Tribune :
"The dedication of this little rural temple of worship took place
last Saturday and Sabbath. On Saturday morning a well-filled house
listened to an appropriate preparatory sermon, full of the unction from
on high, b}^ Rev. H. Kingsbury, of New^ark. The afternoon was given
to the Sabbath-school cause. Sabbath was the Pentecostal day. As
early as seven o'clock in the morning vehicles were in motion over the
hills and along the valleys, having Unity as the objective point. There
were there dwellers in Newark, Zanesville, Somerset, New Lexington,
Roseville, Uniontown, Bremen, and Rushville. And the whole neigh-
borhood seemed to be poured out, filling the classic grounds of. old
Unity. The edifice is Gothic in design, thirty b}^ fort3^-five feet, and to
the tip of the spire seventy-five feet. Entrance through the tower at
right corner, forming a vestibule ten feet square. The church was ele-
gantl}^ furnished with three Gothic chairs, upholstered in maroon terry,
and an elaboratel}^ wrought litde communion table. The pulpit is of a
chaste design, white pine finished in walnut. The carpets, matting,
and chandeliers gave the house a coz}', rich, and attractive appearance.
The whole cost was twent3'-four hundred dollars. The debt was seven
hundred and sevent3'-fivc dollars, every dollar of which was secured
belore the services of dedication. Mr. Jacob Sellers, a large-hearted
Christian, carried oft' two hundred dollars' worth of the prize. The
young gave nobly. Then, in the presence of that concourse of people,
this house was solemnly dedicated to the service sf Almighty God,
henceforth separated from all unhallowed, ordinary, and common uses.
The oflSciatjng clergymen were. Revs. Dr. A. Kingsbury, of Zanesville ;
E. H. Heagler, Methodist, of New Lexington; Z. II. Adams, Method-
ist, of Uniontown; Beacham,of the United Brethren Church, Rush-
ville, and A. H. Amrine, of Mount Perry."
Some of the earliest setders in the county were Presbyterians, and,
in the pioneer days, members or adherents of Unity church.
There was a popular superstition for a long time connected with the
old log Unity church. It was a current report that one of the great
double doors of the edifice would not remain closed, and it is a fact that,
l88 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
for a long time, it nearly always stood open. It is asserted that some-
times during divine service it would remain closed for a little while, and
then mysteriously swing open. All the singular action of this door
could, no doubt, have been accounted for, had an investigation of the
premises been made by a competent mechanic and builder.
Wesley Chapel, a Methodist Episcopal congregation, was organized
and a church built about twenty years since. Stated preaching, and
other church services, bave been sustained until the present time.
A Catholic log church was built in the eastern part of Clayton town-
ship, near the Zanesville road, at an early day, and it was used as a
place of public worship until about 1832 or 1833, when a church was
located at Rehoboth, and the old log church was abandoned. Dr.
Poujade, a Frenchman, who had built a large frame structure, near the
south end ot Rehoboth, intended for a grist-mill, which he proposed to
run by means of a sort of perpetual, endless pump, an invention of his
own, upon realizing that the machine would not work, effected a sale of
the premises to the Catholics, and the large frame edifice was converted
into a house of worship. It was thus used for about twenty years, the
congregation most of the time being very large. The communities now
accommodated by the churches at New Lexington, McLuney, and
South Fork, nearW all worshiped there. At last the building was
removed to a back lot, with a view of erecting a new and commodious
brick edifice on the spot where the old frame house stood. This inten-
tion, for some reason, was eventually abandoned, and the congregation
built the McLuney church, just over the line in Harrison township.
The Methodist church at Saltillo was built in 1849. ^^ "^'^''^■'^ ^O"^-
posed, to a large extent, of those who had been members of the Mount
Horeb church, in Harrison township, which appointment was discontin-
ued after the establishment of the church at Saltillo. The Saltillo
church was, in effect if not in fact, the successor of the Mount Horeb
church, though some of the members of the latter probabh^ united with,
other congregations. The Saltillo church first belonged to the Somer-
set circuit, and then for a series of years to the Rehoboth circuit. It
is now a part of the Uniontown circuit.
The village of Rehoboth was laid out about the 3^ear 1815, by
John and Eli Gardner. • The record is imperfect, and this may not
be the exact date ; but, if not, it is ver}^ near to it. Rehoboth, like
almost all the towns in the woods, grew slowly at first, but it was not
long until it had its store, post-office, tavern, blacksmith and shoe
shops. From 1830 to 1842 it was a considerable village, and one of
the best business points in the county. During most of these years it
had two hotels, two or three stores, school-house, post-office, a phy-
sician or two, half a dozen shops, and a large tobacco warehouse. The
latter establishment brought more business to the town than everything
else together. Soon after 1842 the tobacco trade began to wane, the
town lor a while barely held its own, and then rapidly declined for
several years. Of late, however, Rehoboth has been regaining lost
ground, to some extent, and is again a village of some life and business.
It has, at present, a post-office, school-house, one church, one store,
one grocery, several shops, and a population of one hundred and sixty-
two, in June, 1880.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 189
Saltillo was laid out in 1849, by F.Bradshaw, and is situated on Buck-
eye Creek. Tliere had been a tavern there for many 3'ears before the
town was hiid out, which had been a general stopping place for travelers
and grain-haulers. Saltillo has at present a post office, M. E. church,
schoolhouse, store, a number of shops, and a population of 80 in 1880.
The Columbus and Eastern railroad is located along the Buckeye
Valley, near the village. The name of the post office is Buckeye Cot-
tage, and at present receives its mail twice a week from New Lexington,
a distance of seven miles.
The population of Claj^ton township, including villages, at time of last
enumeration was 1 164.
190 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY
CHAPTER XXIV.
COAL TOWNSHIP.
Coal township was originally a part of Saltlick, and was struck off
into a seperate township in 1872. It contains only thirteen sections and
borders on Hocking county. The early history of Coal is inseparably
connected with that of Saltlick, and the early history of that township
necessarily includes that of Coal also, except as hereinatter related.
The building of the Straitsville branch of the Hocking Valley rail-
road, and the establishment of the tow^n of New Straitsville, were the
causes which led to the organization of the township of Coal.
New Straitsville was laid out in 1870, by the Straitsville Mining
Compan}^ and at once began to grow with a rapidity that no other new
mining town in this section of the State had equaled. Large coal
companies were organized, and the shipping of coal engaged in on
a large scale. Coal-works, stores, shops, dwellings, and churches grew
up as if by magic. Miners, mechanics, general laborers and business
men, gathered from nearly all quarters of the globe. The population
of the place increased wonderfully, and in a short time it appeared to
be almost a city. It was" duly incorporated, and otherwise prepared tor
permanent growth and lasting habitation. It contains a bank, post
office, railroad station, telegraph offices, turnace, and stores, shops, etc.,
corresponding with the population and business of the place. It also
has a large union school-house of eight rooms, four churches and a num-
ber of costly private residences. The population of New Straitsville,
according to the census of 1880, was 2782, and now probably exceeds
3000.
Straitsville (the old town,) situated about one mile from New Straits-
ville, was laid out in 1835 ^y Jacob and Isaac Strait. The village is
pleasantly situated on a broad and commanding ridge, overlooking
much of the surrovmding country. It grew^ slowly, however, and for
many years, had simply a postoffice, store or two, tavern, and church,
and less than one hundred inhabitants. Though onl}' an unimportant
country village, it is historic ground, for there the first three years
company of volunteers in the county rendezvoused and drilled, before
the}- came to New Lexington to take the cars for the seat of war.
Straitsville and surrounding country was a favorite recruiting ground,
which kept far ahead of its quota, and the dark shadow of a draft never
fell upon its homes, though no part of the State, so far as is known,
gave a greater percentage of its population to fight for the Nation's life,
and the mortal remains of a large number of them sleep in the soil
which their valor helped save to Liberty and Union. Ti'uly, these con-
siderations should make the old village of Straitsville historic ground.
The old tavern mentioned is gone, but the village now has a good
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. I9I
schoolhouse of two large rooms, a Baptist church, and post office, which
is now called Sheldon. A branch of the Hocking Valley railroad comes ~
up to a mine about a lourth of a mile from the town. Straitsville had,
by the census of 1880, a population of 308.
The Methodists organized a society, and built what was long known
as the "Harbaugh Meeting House," at an early day. It was a regular
appointment in the Ohio Conference, and was, for many years, a strong
and influential congregation. The Harbaugh church stood in what is
now the suburbs of New Straitsville. After the town was laid out, the
congregation decided to build within the town limits, and the old
"Meeting House" was abandoned and torn down.
The Baptists organized a society, and erected a log church in Old
Straitsville, at a very early day. After a few years, the old log church
gave place to a new frame building, which is yet in use.
The churches in New Straitsville are, of course, all of more recent
origin. The Catholic church, which is a large brick structure, was
built in 187 1. The M. E. church, a frame building of good dimensions,
was erected in 1872. The Welsh Baptist and Disciple churches were
built in 1880. The society of Primitive Methodists have not 5ret built,
but worship at Odd Fellow's Hall. The Methodist Protestant congre-
gation have no building of their own, but hold regular services at Kohn's
Hall. All of these churches have Sabbath schools connected with
them, which schools are said to be in a flourishing condition.
New Straitsville has a Masonic Lodge, an Odd Fellows' Lodge and
a Lodefe of the Knicrhts of Labor. The last named has an extraordin-
ary list of members, said to embrace four or five hundred persons.
Coal township abounds in iron ore as well as coal. There is a good
market for the ore at Bessie Furnace, situated in the suburbs of New
Straitsville.
The Straitsville coal has a reputation equal to any in the State, and
the output is most of the time very large. The statement is made, which
is doubtless correct, that New Straitsville ships more coal than any
other one point tributary to the Hocking Valley railroad.
For a small, inland township, the population of Coal is very cos-
mopolitan. It consists chiefly of English, Irish, Welsh, Scotch and
American born ; with a considerable sprinkling of other nationalities,
including a comparatively small number of persons of African descent.
There were, a few years ago, very serious troubles at New Straits-
ville between the miners and operators, but latterly strikes have been
of infrequent occurrence and of short duration. As a general thing,
capitalists, operators and miners appear to work together with a fair
degree of harmony.
New Straitsville is a flrst-class market for much of the neighboring
country in Peny, Hocking and Athens counties : but, after all that can
be done, much of the produce consumed by the people is shipped in
from other parts of the countrv. There is little attention given to agri-
culture, in the near vicinity of^ the town. The land is not adapted to
such a pursuit, and if it were, it is now nearly all the property of coal
companies, and has been thrown out as commons. The population of
Coal township in 1880 was, including villages, 3836.
192 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY
CHAPTER XXV.
HARRISON TOWNSHIP.
Harrison township was named in honor of General Wm. H. Harri-
son, and was organized as a separate political township, in 1820. Pre-
vious to that time it was attached to Clayton. The territor}^ comprising
it, befoi-e the organization of Perry county, belonged to Muskingum.
Harrison is not a full township, and contains only twenty-four sections.
The territory comprising it lies wholly on the Muskingum slope, and
is drained by the waters of the South Forkof Moxahala and tributaries,
chief of which are McLuney, Black's Fork, Buckeye, Burley's Run
and Wigton's Run. About one-third of the township is extremel}^ hilly,
the remainder principally level or gently rolling. The greater part of
the soil is fairly productive, and the land is well watered. The land-
holders are mostly engaged in general farming, stock raising and wool
growing. Some of the best sheep in the county are in Harrison
township.
It is rich in minerals. Coal No. 5 and No. 6 underlie nearly the
whole township, except in the low valleys. Coal mining has been ex-
tensively carried on, at and near McLuney and Crooksville for several
years — at the first named point for quite a long time. The coal has
been shipped far and near, stands well in market, and has a good sale.
Much of the township is also rich in iron ore, but there has not been
much practical development of this mineral. A considerable portion of
Harrison has a valuable seam of potter's clay, which has been well
tested and worked for a long time. The manufacture of potter's ware
is a very considerable mdustry at various points in the township.
There are also seams of fire clay, but these have been but little de-
veloped.
The first permanent settlement appears to have been made in Harri-
son about 1806, several families coming about the same time. It is
claimed that James Clark, who owned land on both sides of what is now
the count}^ line, came in 1799 or 1800, and built a cabin on the Perry
county side, residing there for a number of years before settling on the
Muskingum side, "Clark, afterward, was a State Senator, Justice of the
Peace, and kept a tavern at Roseville, (then called Milford,) at an early
day. The Ilift's, Brumages, Burle^^s, Dusenberries, Roses, Hol-
combs, Dennis', Hightshces and Hitchcocks were among the first set-
tlers. The following named persons were living in the township as
early as 1816 or 1817 : John Iliff', William Ilift', John Dusenberry, John
Burley, John Brumage, W. McCaslin, John C. Cox, James Spurgeon,
William Combes, Joseph Ta3dor, Hugh Lennington, Jacob Reed, James
Mumford, M. Plummer, William Turner, James Ilift', Nicholas Hitch-
cock, James Rose, Tubba Taylor, John Hough, Israel Hitchcock, Wm.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
193
H. Herron, Jeremiah Rose, Aaron Dennis, Sen., Aaron Dennis, Jr.,
John Barcrott, John Melick, John Moore, John Reed, John Rose, Alex-
ander Brumage, Wilham Cox, Jacob Holcomb, John Carr, Robert Al-
len, George Moore, Robert Moore, Thomas Taylor, Sen., Thomas
Taylor, Jr., John Taylor, George Taylor, John Combes, Israel Combes,
Stephen Owens, Bennett Woods, Isaac Hitchcock, Jacob Richards,
John Hitchcock, George Wolf.
The first church in the township was the Iliff church, a log building
erected in 1819 or 1820, by the Methodist Episcopal denomination. A
class had been previously organized, which met mostly at the house of
Jacob Holcomb, who resided on the sixteenth section. The Iliff church
prospered, and about 1852, built a new frame church. Rev T. C. Iliff,
a prominent minister of the M. E. Church, is from this place. The
next church in the township was built at Roseville, for the use of all de-
nominations of Christians, and was so used for a long time, and until
the several sects erected their own houses of worship.
The Bible Christians built a brick church at Roseville, on the Perry
side of the line, in 1844, which is still in use.
A society of the M. E. Church was organized at Reeds, and a
church was built in 1846, which is still a regular charge.
The Presbyterian Society at Roseville was organized in 1849, ^^ ^^^^
old house on cemetery hill, which was open to all denominations. The
society was organized b}^ a committee appointed by the Presbytery of
Pataskala, and continued to worship at the house named, until the erec-
tion of their own church in 1859. This building was dedicated free
from debt, and a large congregation was present to hear the dedicatory
sermon, preached by Rev. Kingsbury of Putnam. Rev. Henry Bee-
man of New Lexington has been pastor of the church since 1866; pre-
vious to that date, the pastoral connection had frequentl}^ changed, and,
at certain periods the pulpit was vacant, except when visited by a cler-
gyman of some neighboring charge.
The Methodist Protestants organized a congregation and built
a churcii at Roseville, about tweiity years ago, which is still in use, and
a regular appointme:!t ot' the denomination.
The Methodist Episcopal denomination erected a church edifice,
known as Mount Horeb, in the northern part of Harrison township,
about 1832, which was a regular appointment of the church for about
twenty-five years. The congregation, in connection with other persons,
finally built a church in Saltillo, Clayton township, and the Mount Horeb
charge was discontinued.
The Catholics erected a fine brick church edifice near the northern
border of Harrison township, in 185 1. The principal portion of the
congregation had previously worshipped at Rehoboth, in C]a3'ton town-
township. The congregation is a large one, has a resident pastor and
regular services. There is a ver}' numerous Catholic population in the
vicinity.
A United Brethren Church, near McLuney Station, has been in ex-
istence some twenty or thirty years, has a neat, commodious house of
worship, and maintains regular church services.
McLuney, a village situated in the western part of the township, on
the C. & M. V. R. R., was established in 1855, and takes its name
23
194 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
from McLuney Creek. It has a railway station, post office, stores
and church. A number of potteries are in the town or near vicinity.
There are also mills in the suburbs or near vicinity. The coal mines at
this point are extensively worked and coal shipped to distant markets.
The mines are principally in seam No. 6, but No. 5 is also mined to
some extent. The coal of both seams is a good marketable commodi-
ty, though differing somewhat in quality from each other. McLuney
had in 1880 a population of sixty-six, though with the suburban inhab-
itants would doubtless count considerably more.
Crooksville, situated two miles east of McLuney, on the C. & M.
V. R. R., was established about 1874, ^"^ soon became a considerable
point for coal mining. It has also several potteries, and a large quantity
of potters' ware is manufactured there, most of which is sold in distant
markets. The town has a railway station, post office, store, etc.
Crooksville does not appear in the census reports as a separate village,
but it is justly entitled to recognition as such, and has a population of
about one hundred inhabitants.
Roseville is situated chiefly on the Muskingum county side, but the
railway station, several churches, a number of potteries, and twenty or
thirty private dwellings are on the Perry side, in Harrison township.
The population of Roseville is about five hundred, of which the census
returns ninety-six as in Harrison township, Perry county. Most of the
buildings on the Perry side are new, and if Roseville continues to im-
prove, it is likely to extend still further on the Perry county side.
The population of Harrison township, in 1880, including villages,
was one thousand five hundred and sixty-two.
I
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. I95
CHAPTER XXVI.
HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP.
Hopewell was originally organized as a political township, about
1810. The source from whence the name was derived, does not appear
to be known, but it is worthy of note, that two neighboring townships
— one in Licking and the other in Muskingum — bear the same name.
A majority of the early settlers were Pennsylvania Germans, who were,
in religion, Lutherans, German Reformed and Tunkers or Dunkards.
Lr- There is a claim that one Ridenour, whose first name has not
been obtained, was the first settler of the township, but this is by no
means certain, and it now seems to be impossible to determine with
any considerable degree of accuracy, who was, in reality, the first per-
manent settler. It is evident, however, that the Ridenours, Zartmans,
Swineharts, Cooperriders, Skinners, Strawns, Helsers, Bowmans and
Basores, w^ere among the earlier settlers. The following named per-
sons were residents of the township, as early as 18 16 or 181 7 : Asa
Wilson, John Jonas, James Bogle, James Dean, George Stockbarger,
Wm. Armstrong, Holmes Bogle, Benjamin Shelley, Daniel Nunne-
maker, John Basore, Peter Eversole, Charles Hamisfar, John Helser,
Joseph Ferguson, Cornelius Skinner, Henry Warner, David Boyer,
Alexander Zartman, George Gordon, Henry Walters, John Strawn,
John Helser, William Skinner, Jacob Ridenour, Philip Rousculp,
Wm. Dannison, Thomas Tipton, Daniel Parkinson, Jacob Keefover,
Wm. King, George Shelley, Sen., James Ramsey, Jacob Fought, Isaac
Fickle, Daniel Fickle, John Swinehart, Lewis Wilson, John Cooperri-
der, Adam Cover, Robert Herron, Henry Zartman, John Daniels,
Joseph Wheatcraft, Edward Wheatcraft, Jonathan Franks, Adam
Wiseman, George Swinehart, John Ridenour, Isaac Wilson, Mar-
tin Ridenour, Andrew Smith, Henry Fought, Isaac Ridenour,
Benjamin Overmyer, James Wilson, 'Jacob Mechling, William
Bogle, Jeremiah Strawn, Lewis Ridenour, John C. Strawn,
John Gordon, Thomas Strawn, Bernard Bowman, Robert Chalfant,
Thomas Benjamin, John Sturgeon, Thomas Cowen, Christian Darsham,
Thomas Kendall, Abisha Danison, Henry Walters, Peter Rison, Jared
Danison.
Hopewell is a full congressional township, or six miles square, as
originall}' surveyed. It lies in the Muskingum valley, and is watered
by the north branch of Moxahala (commonly called Jonathan's Creek,)
and tributaries. It is a good township of land, the greater part of it
sufficiently rolling to afford good drainage. The principal portion of
is in a good state cf cultivation and is chiefly devoted to grain, stock
raising, and wool growing. Considerable fruit is also grown in cer-
tain sections of it. A small portion of it is hilly.
Previous to the railroad era, the greater part of the surplus products
ip6 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
was taken in wagons to Newark and Zanesville. Wheat was the
principal export. Tlie Newark, Somerset and Straitsville Raih-oad was
built throusjh the township in 1871, and there are now two railway
stations in it, Glenford and Chalfants. The projected Columbus and
Eastern Railroad is to pass through this township, in a little different
direction from the Newark, Somerset and Straitsville, though following
the line of this road a part of the way. The township will have good
facilities for marketing all surplus products of every description. There
is considerable good limestone rock in Hopewell ; also an abundance
of valuable glass rock, which has been quarried and shipped to distant
places, and used in the manufacture of glass more than sufficient to
prove its quality and value. There is some talk of a glass manufactory
at or near Glenford.
One of the most important local features of Hopewell, is what is
generall}^ known as the "Old Fort," situated not far from Glenford.
It is, in fact, quite a curiosit}^ and to all persons interested in such mat-
ters, well worth going to see. The Fort was, formerly, a popular resort
for pic-nic parties from neighboring villages. It has also been visited by
antiquarians and other investigators, and some account of it has found
its way into newspapers and books. John II. Shearer, now editor and
publisher of the Marysville (Ohio) Tribune^ when editor of the Somer-
set Post^ in this county, visited and inspected the famous spot, and with
care and particularity made out a full description, which is hereto ap-
pended :
"Here, within two and one-half miles square, are many wonderful
works of art, the relics of a race of beings who have long ago disap-
peared from the earth, and who have left no other monuments behind
them to tell who they were or where they existed. These ancient works
consisted principally of circular, semi-circular and oblong Forts and
trenches, singularly joined together, for what purpose God onh' knows ;
they are mathematically laid out, and may have served those who built
them either as a defence against hostile neighbors, or as a means of re-
creation. They are singular enough indeed and cannot fail to fill the
mind of the beholder with deep interest in regard to the nations who
have left behind them these monuments of their existence.
"Then there is the 'Stone Fort,' two miles south of the above men-r
tioned Earthen Fort, which has been the wonder and admiration of
mankind over all other ancient fortifications. It is situated on a very
high eminence, perhaps the highest in Hopewell township. The ascent
to it on either side is fully a fourth of a mile, if not more, and very ab-'
rupt and rocky. On the top of this hill there is a level plain, of about
twenty-five acres, of as beautiful land as can be found any where in the
township. On the outer edge of this plain, and where the land begins
to descend, there is a lonj;^ wall of stone averaging in size from a brick-
bat to a large bucket.
"At one period, judging from the quantity of stone, this wall must
have been eight or ten feet high, sufficient to debar a foe frem entering.
The walls, however, are demolished, the stones thrown down and scat-
tered, and man3'^of them have been hauled away we learn for various
purposes. But still there are enough there yet to show that the work
has been one of much labor.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. I97
"The entrance to the fort, which is on the southeastern side, is cut
through a solid sand rock, the distance of one hundred feet or more, and
ascends up into the Fort nearly in an angle with the hill. It is about
eight feet wide and perhaps fifteen feet deep. The mouth of this lane
or entrance is nearly covered by a large rock, which appears to have
been detached from the main ledge by some convulsion of nature and
removed some thirty feet to its present bed. A few rods west of this en-
trance there is another entrance of about the same dimensions, and no
doubt used for the same purpose.
"On the extreme southeastern side of the Fort, where it runs to an
obtuse angle, there is a door or opening, which leads oft' some fifty yards
and connects with a small Earthen Fort. This latter Fort, which con-
tains about half an acre, has been thrown up from the earth within, as
the trenches are yet very visible, being at least three feet deep, not-
withstanding the leaves, vegetation, etc, have been accumulating over
them a thousand years, and perhaps much longer. We noticed a num-
ber of very large trees growing upon the walls of the 'Stone Fort,' and
on the embankments of the 'Earthen Fort,' that were ver}^ old. We
noticed one old red oak, in particular, could it speak it no doubt could
tell a history of six or seven hundred years, and yet these works were
constructed prior to the growing of this tree, and it may be, that gener-
ation of trees have grown and fallen over those walls, before this
dates its existence. Since these works have been constructed, thesum-
mit of this hill has evidently been fearfully convulsed by some natural
power.
"In numerous places, large masses of rock, bearing portions of the
wall, have been detached from the main rock, and removed fifty feet
from their ancient positions. The lanes or entrances into the Fort have
no doubt been caused by the same power. The numerous breaks and
fissures in those otherwise solid rocks, are evidence enough of this fact.
"The rock, or a very large portion of it, is conglomerate, a mixture
of the white pebble and sand, and we picked up several specimens of
marine conglomerate, or stone formed from shells, such as are usually
found to compose the body of our black limestone.
"About the middle of the 'Stone Fort,' there is a huge mound of
rocks of the same size of those in the wall, and covering nearly the
fourth of an acre of land. Its height is about thirty feet, though it is
not as high as it anciently was. Man prompted by curiosity, has dis-
placed the stone and disfigured the pile, expecting perhaps to find some
hidden treasure deposited there.
''What purpose this massive pile answered in the economy of its
tounders, we could not even conjecture. Our fancy led us to suppose
that it might have answered as a kind of 'King's Bench,' upon which
the monarch of that ancient race occassionally ascended (if they had a
monarch) and in the dignity of his power proclaimed to his subjects:
'I am King of this people !' We were equally at a loss to conjecture for
what purpose the small Earthen Fort, which connects with the large
one, could have been used, unless it answered as a kind of side
pocket to store awa}' provisions in. It does not look as though any-
thing of particular utility had been connected with it, though we confess
we are not a verv good judge. But there the works are, the wonder and
198 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
admiration of mankind, of the eventful history of whose builders, not
even a sentence is known beyond the diversity of the merest conjecture.
"Then added to these interesting relics, a half a mile or so south
are the Great Artificial Mound, the Pools, the Standing Rocks and
many other objects of a deeply interesting character, where a party can
spend a whole day with pleasure and profit,
"Upon the whole, these regions are fraught with peculiar interest,
especially to the antiquarian, and to those who love to look upon the
Inxuriant, wild, and romantic scenery of Nature."
Hopewell Baptist congregation was organized at a very early day —
probably as early as 181 2 — but a church edifice was not erected until a
few years later, and was built in the southwestern part of Hopewell
township, on the road leading from Zanesville to Lancaster — originally
Zane's Trace. Several of the original members of the church em-
igrated from Somerset county, Pennsylvania ; among them, Thomas
King, who subsequently became the first Representative of Perr}^ county,
and was afterwards an Associate Judge. Mr. King was an intelligent
man, of sound judgment, and was frequently called upon to arbitrate
difficulties between neighbors, and was a veritable "peace-maker."
He had no children of his ovsai, but he and his wife raised a large
family, nevertheless, and did a father's and mother's part bv all of them.
A strict Baptist, he was not only tolerant but liberal in all matters per-
taining to religion and the general diffusion of knowledge. On one
occasion he was speaking in favor of granting the use of Hopewell
Church for a general Sabbath-school, and his remarks were making an
impression, when another old brother became somewhat excited and
cried out "Jezebel.'" The Hopewell Church was the mother Baptist
Church of the county, and nearly all the Baptist preachers of this part
of the State preached there at one time or another. The society w^as a
very strong one for forty years or more, but of later years accessions
have not been equal to the deaths and removals, and the society has
diminished in numbers. The Baptist farmers were well to do and
liberal, and the Muskingum Baptist Association was frequently held
with the Hopewell congregation, and all visitors entertained free of
charge. The cemetery, adjacent to the Hopewell Church, is one of the
oldest in the county — probably older than any at Somerset.
What is known as Shelley's, or Good Hope Lutheran Church, was
organized and built in t8i8, though there had been preaching at private
houses several years previous to that date. The names of Rev. Jacob
Leist, Rev. Jacob Foster, and Rev. Andrew Henkel, are given as
among the early preachers. Rev. Foster came to this part of the
country about 1805, and died about 1815. Rev. Andrew Henkel, one
of the pioneer pillars of the Lutheran Church in Ohio, came to what is
now Perry county about 181 2, having been ordained to the ministry at
New Market, Virginia, a little prior to this date. Rev. Jacob Leist re-
mained a fewj^ears and then removed to another county. All the original
members of this church are probably dead. The names of Jonathan
Franks, John Cooperrider, George Shelley, George Deffenbaugh, and
John Cochranbaugh, are given as among the first members. Rev. Jacob
Leist preached in private houses prior to the coming of Rev. Andrew Hen-
kel. Among these houses were those of Lewis and John Cooperrider.
I
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. I99
St. Paul's Lutheran Church, popularly known as Smith's Church,
was also organized in 1818, under the ministration of Rev. Andrew
Henkel. The following names are given as among the early members :
Paul Bean, Peter Hetrick, William Mechling, John Swinehart, Mar-
tin Ridenour, Philip Rousculp, Isaac Ridenour, John Ridenour,
Alexander Zartman, Jacob Mechling, Godfrey Weimer, Lewis Riden-
hour, Frederick Mechling. The church edifice was built in common
by the Lutheran and Reform churches, and is occupied by both de-
nominations.
The Reform congregation, which uses the St. Paul Church edifice
jomtly with the Lutherans, was also organized in 1818, or about that
time. The compiler is indebted to Isaac Zartman for the following list
of names among the organizers and pioneers of this church : Andrew
Smith, John "Basore, John Vocht, Jacob Vocht, Alexander Vocht, John
Daniel, Henry Basore, and the wives of all or nearly all of these per-
sons. This has been an active, living church from the time of its
organization. The land on w^hich the church stands, consisting of four
acres, w^as donated to the church, or churches, for school, cemetery and
church purposes, by Jacob Mechling, in those days considered a wealthy
citizen, wlio came at an early day and secured homes for each of a large
family of children, was the pioneer Justice of the Peace, a liberal sup-
porter of religion, and a worthy exemplar of virtue, frugality and thrift.
One-half acre was added by Andrew Smith, of the Reform Church.
There is a thriving Methodist Episcopal congregation in Hopewell,
commonly known as the Chalfant Church, a sketch of which is given
in connection with the Methodist Episcopal Church at Somerset, with
which charge it is connected.
The robbery of Emanuel Bear, of this township, in June, 1874, and the
apprehension, trial and final conviction of the robbers, constitutes an in-
teresting chapter in the criminal annals of the county. Mr. Bear was
a well to do farmer, about sixty years of age, and at the time, himself,
daughter, an aged lad3% and a Miss Rousculp, were sleeping in the
farm house, which he owned and made his residence. Three men
wearing masks, entered the house in the night, struck a light, covered
Mr, Bear with their revolvers, and demanded to know where he kept
his money. He declined to tell, but the daughter was frightened into
disclosing- its whereabouts. One of the robbers began to look for the mon-
ey, while the others attended to Mr. Bear, threatening him with instant
death if he attempted to arise from the bed. The money — about $600
— was found and appropriated, together with a watch and a few other
articles. Before leaving, the robbers threw something into Mr. Bear's
eyes, which for awhile blinded and almost crazed him, and prevented
any alarm or pursuit until his assailants had made good their escape.
One Bhickburn, a notorious desperado, who was suspected of hav-
ing been connected with the robberv, was arrested in Dresden, where he
resided, and imprisoned in the calaboose ; but he watched his chance,
shot and wounded the marshal, and made his escape. Blackburn sub-
sequently wrote to some one, that Isaac and James Linton, of Dresden,
Muskingum county, Ohio, and "another fellow" were the guilty per-
sons. The two Lintons were then arrested, brought to New Lexington,
had a preliminary trial, and were committed to jail to await the action of
200 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
the grand jury. Before the time for court had arrived, they dug a tun-
nel from their cell under the foundation walls of the jail, and thus made
their escape. In the course of time, Blackburn was again arrested and
incarcerated in the New Lexington jail, to await his trial at court. In
company with two other prisoners, he cut through the brick wall near
the ceiling of the jail into the Auditor's office, irom which all three
made their exit by a window ; the two other prisoners made good their
escape, but just as Blackburn got outside the window he was discovered
and seized by the Deputy Sheriff', and after a desperate struggle, and
assistance arriving, conveyed back to his quarters in the jail. Black-
burn was, at the ensuing term of court, indicted, convicted and sentenced
to the penitentiary for a long term. The Lintons, who had fled to Ind-
iana, were subsequently arrested, brought back to New Lexington,
Ohio, indicted, convicted and sent to the State prison. At the trial of
the Lintons, Blackburn was brought from Columbus to appear as a wit-
ness in the case. He testified that he, Isaac and James Linton were
the persons who perpetrated the crime. It was with some difficulty that
Blackburn had been convicted, although the accused had been seen in
the neighborhood where the robbery had been committed ; but with his
testimony, added to that of others, there was no chance for the Lintons
to escape. The pursuit of the accused persons, who were finally con-
victed for their offense, by Mr. Bear, the Sheriff' and Prosecuting At-
torney of this county, may be regarded as one of the most indefatiga-
ble and efficacious any where recorded in the criminal annals of the
State. Without the extraordinar}' persistence of Mr. Bear, and the un-
tiring perseverance of the officers alluded to, no one would have ever
been punished for the crime.
Glenford, a small village that has grown up since the building of the
Newark, Somerset and Straitsville Railroad, is the principal town in
Hopewell township. M. Estella Mechling, an intelligent school girl,
eleven years of age, describes Glenford as follows :
It is a small town, situated in Hopewell township. Perry county,
Ohio, on both sides of Jonathan's Creek, and on the Newark, Somerset
and Straitsville Railroad. It is noted for its large sand stone quarries,
glass stone and building stone, and limestone for the manufacturing of
iron. This limestone is shipped to Newark, Shawnee and other places.
Glenford has a population of seventy to eighty, it has two dry goods
stores, one school examiner, one grocery, one dress making and fancy
store, one carpenter shop, one shoe and boot shop, one blacksmith shop,
one gristmill, run by water or steam ; one warehouse for 'wheat, corn,
etc. ; one tool house, one watering tank, one express office, one post
office, one section house, two boarding houses, one sewing machine
agent, one agent selling reapers, mowers, wagons and buggies, one
physician, one school teacher and two engineers. The town is noted
for its beautiful surroundings, its rolling hills, and the hill of the Old
Fort, less than a mile south of Glenford. This hill and Fort can be
seen from town and is so much of a curiosity [so ancient its date is not
known — Cofupiler^, a circle of stone thrown up three or four feet high,
inclosing more than twenty-seven acres of land, a big pile of stone
within the circle and an entrance to all, between two high rocks. It
used to be a pleasant place for the scholars at the school nearby. There
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY, 201
is a large grove near town, and this is one of the most beautiful places
for festivals, Sunday school, or other celebrations, political meetings and
pleasure seeking parties. The passenger train passes through Glenford
four times every day, Sunday excepted, two local trains and about lour
coal trains daily.
Chalfant, a'small village and railway station, on the Newark, Som-
erset and Straitsville Railroad, is situated between Glentbrd and Som-
erset, and has a railwa}^ station, post office, store, blacksmith' shop and
wagon shop, with a population of probably less than tilty.
An anecdote, illustrative of the early times, is still I'elated by the
older citizens of Hopewell. Just as Rev. Henkel had pronounced the
benediction dismissing the congregation, one Sunday, assembled at the
house of Lewis Cooperrider, Jacob Strawn, afterward renowned as the
cattle king of Illinois, requested the preacher to say to the congrega-
tion that he had trapped a large wolf, which request the minister com-
plied with. Nearlv all of the men present, and not a few of the women
and children, went to the place indicated, and enjoyed a show not wit-
nessable in these latter days. One of the hind legs of the wolf, a fierce
and desperate animal, was by some means dragged through the crack
of the log trap, and his ham-string cut in twain with a sharp knife. Thus
disabled, he was allowed to escape from the trap, when all the dogs, be-
fore apparently eager for a fight, showed cowardice except one, be-
longing to Jacob Mechling, and this one prevented the game from es-
caping, by his vigorous attacks, which exhibition of pluck brought to
his aid the more timidly and cowardly of his associates, and the battle
ended against the wolf, after an exciting contest of some minutes.
About 1815 or 1816, Henr}^ and Andrew Walters, John Swinehart,
Jonathan Franks and Peter Mechling, having been informed that a den
of cub wolves had been captured among the rocks of Section 9, and
were still left alive, these men assembled to capture older wolves.
One by one the young ones were held up by the ears, when some
of them would utter a howl of distress. This was kept up until many
wolves would skulk into view, but with such caution that only the
mother of the cubs was slain. William Mechling was then Justice of
the Peace, and the'scalp of the old one, and all the cubs bodily, were
presented to him, for the certificate which he had to sign in order to
draw the premium allowed for such scalps.
Brush burning at night would, so late as 1815, set the wolves to
howling all around so frightfully as to drive the workmen into their
cabins for security.
The last of Bruin was seen as late as i8i7,not as a pemanent settler,
but as a rover in quest of information and booty.
Hopewell township, according to the census of 1880, had a popula-
tion of 1,284.
202 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
CHAPTER XXVII.
JACKSON TOWNSHIP.
Jackson township was named in honor of General Andrew Jackson,
and was organized into a civil township about 1805, by the authorities
of Fairfield county, to which it then belonged. The township contains
thirty-six sections, and is just six miles square, and remains the same
as originally surveyed. Jackson is bounded on the north by Reading, on
the east by Pike, on the south by Monday Creek tovvnhips, and on the
west by Fairfield county. It lies wholly in the Hocking valley, or on
the Hocking slope, and is drained by East Rush Creek and tribu-
taries. A small area of the southern part is drained by the head waters
of Monday Creek, which, like EastRush Creek, is also a tributary of
the Hocking river. A considerable portion of the township may be
denominated level ; nearly all the remainder is undulating, and only a
small percentage of the whole really hilly, or very broken. The land
is all arable, and is generally, in a good state of cultivation. Hay is a
leading staple, though nearly all the cereals are successfully cultivated.
Stock-raising and wool-growing receive much attention. The culti-
vation of fruit also has its votaries. One of the oldest and best nurseries
in this part of the country is in Jackson township.
Geologically speaking, the township is situated partly in the
coal inasures and partly in the drift region. The drift region is along
the valley of Rush Creek, and cuts the township nearl}^ in two. In the
hills to the north and south, there is more or less coal, but the seams are
thin, excepting in a small aera in the northeastern part. There is also
a small area in the southeastern part, where the seams are thicker, and
the coal is of good qualit}^ Iron ore is abundant in many parts of the
township, and has been mined and used to a considerable extent. It is
shipped to Shawnee, Zanesville, and other places. Jackson is well sup-
plied with railroads, and its facilities for shipping are very good. The
Cincinnati and Muskingum Valley, the Ohio Central, and the Newark,
Somerset and Straitsville Railroads, all pass through its territory. The
land of the whole township is capable of excellent drainage,but the chan-
nel of Rush Creek, and some of its tributaries, need straightening and
the removal of obstructions.
The population of Jackson township is something near being equal-
ly divided between Pennsylvania Germans and their descendants,
Irish born and their descendants, and American born Anglo Saxons
from Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland, and their descendants. Not
many of the original pioneers are left. This township was first settled
about 1802 or 1803 ; but it is impossible, with the best existing informa-
tion, to determine who was the first settler. The first cabins were,
probably, built along the western border of the township, but little is
known concerning them or their builders. The Pennsylvania Germans
I
HISTORY OF PERRY C TUNTY. 2O3
and emigrants of English descent came, and made their permanent
settlements, cotemporaneously, from 1805 or 1806 to 1820. A few Irish
families came in from 181 2 to 1820 ; but the great flow of Irish emigra-
tion, which amounted to a colon}^ came in from 1825 to 1830, and many
still later. Though it is impossible at this late day, and with no ade-
quate pioneer statistics to guide, to state who was the first, or even the
second settler ; yet it is indisputable that the Pett3's, V^anattas, Wolfs,
Browns, Sandersons, Forsythes, Sherlocks, Kings, Larimers, Raricks,
Klinglers and Crossens, were among the early settlers. The following
named persons were all living in the township as early as 1816 or 1817 :
Peter Black, David Brown, John Hiles, Joshua Brown, Adam Spohn,
James Brown, John Sherman, David Cochran, John Hiles, Sr., Robert
Larimer, William Hayes, Enos Kelsey, James Dillon, Robert Sander-
son, PhiHp Wolf, Sr., Solomon McGrevy, John P. Angle, Samuel For-
sythe, Sr., Samuel Forsythe, Jr., John Wolf, Charles Lott, John Dut-
ton, David Klingler, Thomas Hardin, Martin Poland, Philip Wolf, Al-
exander Crook, Joseph Finck, David Brown, Joshua Brown, Moses
Petty, Thomas Milholland, Ignatius Ricketts, Patrick Murphy, Casper
Emerick, Samuel Black, Alexander Sanderson, John Strohl, Owen El-
der, Abraham Sherlock, Jacob Whitmer, John Clover, Wm. A. Sander-
son, Henry Angle, James Vanatta, John Vanatta, John Crooks, Joseph
Williams, Edward Adams, William R. Crossen. John Reece, Owen
Brown, Enos Kelsey, Benjamin Hardin, John Emerick, William Cros-
son, Jacob King, John Wolf, William Poland, Richard Poland, Henry H.
Cochran, George King, Samuel Black, William Keenan, James Van-
atta. The foregoing named persons were citizens and voters of Jack-
son township, as early as march, 1818, as the official records show.
Junction City was laid out in 1872, by George Wolf and John Ed-
miston. Mr. Wolf had previously laid out a town and called it Damas-
cus, and Mr. Edmiston had laid out one and named it Trio City. Wolf
and Edmiston owned farms adjoining, near the crossing of the C. &
M. V. and N. S. & S. Railroads. Mr. Wolf was Postmaster and had
succeeded in having the name of the post office changed from East
Rush Creek to Damascus, corresponding with the name of his newly
platted village. Unpleasant compHcations ensuing. Wolf and Edmiston,
the rival town proprietors, were induced to submit aflfairs to arbitration,
which recommended that the two proprietors unite their plats, that
the names of Trio City and Damascus be discarded, and that the joint
town and post office be called Junction City. This arrangement was
amicabl}^ agreed to by all parties interested, and so the village and post
office were duly christened Junction City. The place had been known
for nearly twenty years as Wolf's Station, a point on the C. & M. V. R.
R. During all this time, however, it was but a small hamlet, contain-
ing only a post office, store, a shop or two, and a very few inhabitants.
After the laying out of Junction City, there was a ready sale of lots for
a while, and the village grew with considerable rapidity. It now^ con-
tains a post office, two station houses, two telegraph offices, two hotels,
two churches, one bent works, one flouring mill, one newspaper, a
good two-story brick school house, two dry goods stores, two hardware
stores, two drug stores, two millinery stores, four physicians, one-meat
shop, and a numbej- of groceries and eating houses.
204 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
Three railroads pass through the town. The village is situated near
the north bank of Rush Creek, part of it lying in the valley, but most
of it on the slopes and heights northward. Junction City has now a
population of about five hundred, and steps have heen recently taken to
have the village incorporated.
Crossenville was laid out in^ 1817, by William Crossen. It grew in-
to a thriving little village, and, for a long time, was a point of consider-
able trade. It was at one time a tobacco market of some consequence.
It had also a post office, for some twenty or thirty years, but that has
long been discontinued. Crossenville now has one church, two stores,
a number of private houses, and a population of about fifty. The vil-
lage is beautifully situated on the high grounds between the waters of
Rush Creek and Monday Creek.
Middletown, situated in the southern part of Jackson township, was
established in 1853-54, at the time work was in progress at the tunnel
on the old Scioto & Hocking Valley Railroad. It is delightfully situ-
ated upon the ridge which separates the waters of Rush Creek from
those of Monday Creek. The village has a post office, with mail every
other day ; one church, two stores, several private residences, and about
fifty inhabitants.
Clarksville was laid out by Daniel Clark in 1854, ^"^ ^^^^^ ^^^' ^^'^~
eral years a post office, store, shops and several private residences, but
since the building up of Junction City, only one mile oft", the village
has gone down. St. Patrick's, a large Catholic church, is here as it
was before the establishment of Clarksville, and not aflected in anyway
by the rise or decline of the village.
Mount Hope was laid out in 1S35, by George Kishler and Patrick
Sweeney. The point was a public cross-roads, and the site ot the
village was a beautiful one ; but it was never built up to any consider-
able extent. It had for a long time a post office, (Asbury), and a good
country store, with a shop or two, perhaps. The village never amount-
ed to much, and has gone down entirel}'. The Avsbury post office has
also ceased to be.
Wolftown was a little old-time hamlet, situated not far from the
Reading township line, two miles north of Junction City. Wolftown is
a familiar name yet to old settlers, and at one time, and for quite a
number of years, it had a tannery, a store, a number of shops and sev-
eral private residences. But its ancient glory has departed. Two
family residences and a number of unoccupied houses, is all that re-
mains of the old town.
Lebanon (Lutheran) Congregation was organized about 1815, no
doubt by Rev. Andrew Henkel, though the old church records are de-
stroved, and the original members of the church are gone. There are
tombstones in the cemetery adjacent, commemorative of burials as
early as 1816 and 1817, and it is probable that the church was organized
prior to that date, though the old log church may not have been built
until a few years later. The Lutheran and German Reform congre-
gations built and occupied it jointly. The two congregations dissolved
partnership in church property about 1840, and the Lutherans, in 1842,
' erected the present neat brick edifice. The Lutheran congregation has
been a strong and influential one, and remains so to the present day.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 205
There is a neat parsonage connected with the church. A Sabbath
school is regularly sustained. Rev. Wiseman is the present pastor,
and resides in the parsonage. Lebanon church is beautifully situated,
one mile north of Junction City.
The Methodist Episcopal Church at Crossenville was organized and
a house of worship erected at a very early day. A class was also in
existence several years before any church was built. The old church
was eventually disposed of, and a new commodious structure substitu-
ted, which is" still in use. The congregation was for many years a
strong one, but of late years has been somewhat reduced by removals
and the organization of new congregations, though regular preaching
and other religious services are sustained.
Harvey Chapel, (M. E.) in the western part of the township, near
the county line, is a very old congregation. A log building was erect-
ed at an early day, and was called "Black's Meeting House." School
w^as also held in ft, and it was sometimes called "Black's schoolhouse."
A frame edifice was erected at a later date, which is still in use. Har-
vey Chapel is a regular appointment, and there is preaching every two
weeks. Sunday school is sustained in the summer season.
Zion (United Brethren) church was established and a log house of
w^orship erected at an early day. The house was built abouriSso,
but there was probably a class in existence before any church building
was erected. It is related that Sabbath school was held in this neigh-
borhood during the summer season in a grove, and when the cool
weather would come on in the fall, the members of the school would be
so reluctant to discontinue, that they would build log heaps in the
woods, and recite their Sabbath school lessons around them. The
members of Zion erected a frame edifice about 1845, or 1846, which is
in use at present. Rev. Cumings of Junction City is pastor, and a Sab-
bath school is sustained during the summer months.
St. Patricks (Catholic) congregation was organized and a small
brick church built about 1830 or 1831. The congregation was composed
chiefly of an Irish colony that setded in Jackson township about that
time. A large and costly brick edifice, substantial and of showy archi-
tecture, was erected about 1844 or 1845, and substituted for the old
house of worship. The church occupies a handsome site, and the con-
gregation is large and influential.
St. Patricks church was organized, and the first building erected,
under the pastorship and supervision of Rev. Father Young of St.
Josephs. -
Fail-view (United Biethren) church, situated m the neighborhood ot
Middletown, near the southern line of the township, was organized and
a church erected about 1858. It is a flourishing litde congregadon,_and
sustains a Sabbath school during the summer months. Rev. Cumings
of Junction City is the present pastor.
Salem (Uni"ted Brethren) church, situated in the interior ot the
township is, like Fairview, a comparatively modern church, and has been
a regular appointment some twenty or thirty years. It has a neat frame
edifice, keeps up a Sabbath school a portion of the year, and sustains
preaching the year round. Rev. Cumings of Junction City is the pres-
ent pastor.
206 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. ^
Friendship (Methodist Episcopal) church is situated at Middletown.
A society was organized at an early day, and a house of worship
erected. It was, during the existence of the old building, generally
known as the "Linton Church." The present neat edifice occupied by
the society was built about 1869 or 1870. This is a regular appoint-
ment of the M. E. church, and sustains a Sabbath school during the
entire year.
The Methodist Episcopal church at Junction City was organized in
1873, and a house of worship erected in 1874. There had been regular
preaching a year or two before the building of the church. The edifice
is a substantial and handsome one, though not very large. Preaching
and other regular services are sustained, including Sabbath school.
The United Brethren church at Junction City was organized in 1873,
and the building erected in 1874. There had been preaching tor some
time previous to the erection of the house of worship. The edifice stands
on elevated ground and is nicely situated. Stated preaching is sus-
tained, and also a Sabbath school. Rev. Cumings, the pastor, resides
near the church.
The German Reform congregation, after dissolving church prop-
erty relations with the Lutherans at Lebanon, proceeded to erect a
house of worship about one mile north of Lebanon. From some cause
the society did not prosper; the building was never finished, although
used for a few years. The congregation eventually disbanded, and the
church property was disposed of to pay outstanding obligations.
Saftell's church (Methodist Episcopal) was organized, and a log edi-
fice erected, about 1830. It was a regular appointment for ten or twelve
years, when the society disbanded and the house was put to other uses.
A Presb3^terian church was erected in the Ross neighborhood at an
early day'. Stated preaching was maintained for many 3^ears, but lat-
terly there are no regular services, though the house is kept in repair,
and there is occasional preaching, especially on funeral occasions.
It will be observed, irom the foregoing brief sketches, that Jackson
township is well supplied with churches of various denominations. A
larger proportion of the inhabitants are Catholics than would seem to
be indicated by the one Catholic church (St. Patrick's), as it is the gen-
eral policy of this denomination to build large and costly edifices, capa-
ble of accommodating large congregations. A portion of the Catholic
population of Jackson belongs to the St. Joseph congregation, in Read-
ing township, and a few others, probably, to churches in neighboring
townships.
The people of these various denominations live peaceably and har-
moniously together, affording a striking example of the blessings of
civil and religious liberty, and of the good genius of American institu-
tions.
Some persons will be inclined to doubt the organization of Jackson
township as early as 1805 ; but the records of Fairfield show that the
township had been organized and named early in the spring of 1806,
and it is almost certain that it had been instituted the preceding year.
A part of Jackson township was settled at an earlier date than most
persons living in it would suppose. At a very early day, indeed —
from 1798 to 1800 — pioneers rowed up the Hocking, from Athens, in
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 207
quest of eligible locations, and when they would reach the forks of the
Hocking, a few miles below Lancaster, many of them would proceed up
Rush Creek, which is the larger branch at the junction, and, in this
way, what is now Rush Creek township, Fairfield county, received its
first permanent settlement. Jackson township. Perry county, joins
Rush Creek township, Fairfieled county, and the larger branch of Rush
Creek runs through them both. It is about certain that some of these
early explorers pushed as far over as what is now Jackspn township,
Peny county. Of the Larimores, Thompsons, and others, who settled
on Rush Creek near where the county line now is, in 1800, it is known
that some of them became citi2',ens of Jackson township. Perry county,
but probably at a little later date. At any rate, there is no available
knowledge of any permanent settlement on the Jackson township side
previous to 1805. If earlier settlements or improvements were made,
they must have been of a temporary and transitory character, and little
or nothing is now known concerning them. There is no doubt, how-
ever, that the adjoining township of Rush Creek, in another county,
was settled as early as 1800. ^
Most of what is now Jackson township was a good hunting ground
in the very early days, and the first settlers of Thorn and Reading
townships, and of the western townships of what is now Fairfield
county, have killed bears, deer, and other wild animals, along or in the
neighborhood of the numerous streams which flow through its territory.
The population of Jackson township, including villages, was, at the
date of the last census, 1,896.
2o8 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
MADISON TOWNSHIP.
Madison township lies in and forms the northeast corner of Perry
county, Ohio. It is hounded on the north by Licking county , on the south
by Clayton township, on the east by Muskingum county, and on the
west b}' Hopewell township. It extends six miles in length, north and
south, and east and west is nearly four miles wide. The township is a
fractional one, in two senses. First, it contains only twenty-four sec-
tions. Secondly, six of these are not full sections, while three others
are more than full ; all the western sections are deficient. Except the
northwest corner section, the northern sections over run, but the over-
plus in the north lacks 308.12 acres at least, of making up the amount
lost by the western sections. It is one of the original townships of the
county, and was surveyed at an early day. The township is naturally
divided into two slopes dipping toward the center, through which Jona-
than's Creek passes, forming a natural drainage. The small streams
from both north and south flow into Jonathan's Creek, which is a
good sized stream ; entering the township about one and three-fourth
miles south from the northwest corner, it flows in a southeastern direc-
tion to nearly the center of the township, from where it flows almost a
direct eastern course into Muskingum county. Upon this stream some
of the first water mills of Peny county were built.
From the south, flowing directly north, is Turkey Run, whicli joins
Jonathan's Creek near the center of the township, and is the second
largest stream in the township. About one and three-fourth miles from
the southeast corner of the township enters the Somerset and Maysville
pike, from Zanesville, Ohio, continuing a little south of a direct western
course to the central township meridan, and thence in a southwestern
direction, it passes out about one half mile from the southwestern corner.
This pike aflbrds a fine out-let during all kinds of weather, and upon
which a hack line is driven daily, from Somerset to Zanesvflle, carrying
a daily mail to Sego. This pike was built in 1839, -'^^"ce which time it
has been in constant use.
The township is undulating, but the hills are rather of a gradual
slope, and not very high. The land is all arable, except it may be
some small sharp ravines, and is very fertile. The neat, well arranged
, brick and frame farm dwellings and barns, and the yards of both, indi-
cate a lively, thrifty communit}^. About one-fourth of the township has
some two or three feet strata of coal, the thickest being about four feet.
All the coal is in the south and western edges, and is mined by drifting.
Several mines are being operated at this time. In all the hill land there
is to be found black band iron ore, and in some places is found gray-
band. In many places, especially in the northeastern part, is to be
found a fine quality of potter's clay, from whiclVafl kinds of earthen-ware
may be manufactured.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
209
Settlement. — Of the first settlers in Perry county were three
men who came from Sussex county, New Jersey, about 1800 ; one of
these men was Wm.Dusenber3^,who settled at the junction of Jonathan's
Creek and Turkey Run, and is traditionally known as the first settler
in Madison township. Mr. Dusenbery was a Revolutionary soldier,
and was nineteen years of age when that war broke out, and remem-
bered seeing General George Washington. He lived up to the time ot
his death where, as above mentioned he had located, and was the first
man buried in the honors of war in the township. He was buried on
his own farm. It is probable that his two youngest children, Catharine
and Abigail, were born in this township, and if so, it is quite likely that
Catharine was the first child born in the township. At any rate she
was among the first. Abigail is the only surviving member of the fom-
ily ; she now lives in Grant county, Indiana. His son Jonathan, at one
time, went hunting for turkey and by some means was lost, but kept
firing his gun as an alarm, which directed the steps of his father, who
found him by a riin, with a turkey he had killed, whereupon the stream
was christened Turkey Run, a name that remains to this day.
In 1804 came the father of Barney and Jonathan Hammer, and his
two sons, also Henry Flowers, the Ritcheys and the Williams'. Other
early setllers were as follows: Cornelius Sullivan, William Baird,
David Miller, George Dills, Jonathan Ward, Andrew Wolfe, Henry
Cunningham, John Cunningham, Cornelius Dills, Alexander Baird,
Aurelius Mason, William Melick, Joseph Burgess, Absalom Danison,
Alfred Baird, Robinson Chilcote, William Rinker. Philip Miller,
Hiram Turner, Ensor Chilcote, John Humble, Joseph Hamilton, Abrar
ham Craig, William McCluney, Thomas Sawyer, Edward Danison,
Jerome Plummer. Among these James Ritchey and WilHam Williams
were the first Justices oi' the Peace.
The elections have always been held where Mount Perry stands.
The voters have gradualy increased until there are now about 183 voters
in the township.
Schools. — The first school was kept about one and one-half miles
south of Mount Perry, on what is known as the Williams farm. A man
by the name of Woods was on^ of the first teachers. This school, of
course, was of the old fashioned kind, in a log house. The modern means
of public schools were adopted at the earliest opportunity. There are now
233 scholars enrolled in the township, and there are six public school
buildings now in use, five of which are frame, and one a brick building.
Madison Academy. — Besides the public schools in this township,
there was established in 187 1, a school known as the Madison Academy.
This house was built by donations by the citizens, and its sole means of
support is the tuition paid by the students. They have numbered as
many as forty-two students, and now have an attendance of twenty-five.
The Rev. James White was the first President, and continued as such
until 1879, when he resigned upon account of taking up labor in another
field. He was succeeded by Prof. David W. Parks, who continued
with them one year, and was also Principal during tliat year; he re-
signed on account of taking up work in another field. For one vear
24
2IO HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
-they were without a President, at the end of which time the Rev. J. H.
Leiper was chosen by the board as President, and still continues to hold
that position. The first board was John S. Eversole, Erastus Bogle,
Rev. James White, John Danison and John H. Huston. John Danison
resigned on account of moving from the communit}^. The present
board is the same as the original, except White and Danison, with Rev,
J. H. Leiper and Dr. Holland additional. Miss Mary Miller of Con-
cord, Ohio, was the first Principal, who continued four years. Rev.
Amrine was second Principal, and continued one 3'ear, and afterward,
as follows : Prof. H. F. Acker, one year; Prof. D. W. Parks, one
year ; Prof. Elijah Burgess, one year ; Prof. D. W. Parks, one 3'ear ;
Prof. Samuel Rutledge, one year; Prof. Hastings, one year; and now,
1882, Prof. Frank Murch. For the first six \'ears they employed an as-
sistant, since which time but one instructor has been employed. Upon
an average, the\" have graduated about seven persons each year. It is
probably due to say, that the Rev. White, who became the first Presi-
dent, was the main mover in establishing the academy. The communi-
ty affords a good patronage, and is much benefited bv this institution,
although it is small.
Mills. — The first mill was built upon Jonathan's .Creek, and where
Mount Perry now stands, by a man by the name of Hendricks, in an
eary day, as soon at least as 1820 ; it was one of the first water mills in
Perry county. Here they did sawing and all kinds of grinding. In
about 1847, the mill was re-built, which continued^in use until 1880,
when the machinery was removed to Hebron, in Licking county, Ohio,
where it soon after was destroyed by fire. The frame is still standing
upon the site, but is of no use.
A mill was built upon the western edge of the township, a few 3^ears
after Hendricks built, also upon Jonathan's Creek, b3' .Asa Dolson.
This was also a saw and grist mill, and was in use until about 1862.
There is now no mill in operation in the township.
Towns. — This township has two post offices, one at Mount Perry
and one at Sego. Mount Perr3'^ at rtrst was a natural collection of houses
around Hendricks' mill and John Gu3'singer's blacksmith shop, both of
whom had their dwellings here. Nathan Melick bought the mill, built
and kept a store, and laid out the first lots, east of Main street. James
Ha3'^es bought the first lot that was sold, and George Curry bought the
second one. The3'^ both built upon the lots and lived in the town, about
1828. In 1876, John Danison laid out tlie Danison addition, west of
Main street, and sold the lots. It is now a town of about one hundred
and ten inhabitants, has an academy, three churches, two stores and a
post office. The post office was established over fifty 3'ears ago, with'
Nathan Melick as post master, and at that time received mail once a
week from Somerset. They now have tri-weekl3' mails fromChalfant's
Station, a place about three miles west on the B. & O. R. R. Mount
Perry is about three miles north from the Zanesville, Somerset and
Maysville Pike, and near the center of the township. Is beautifull3'
located on Jonathan's Creek. It is said that ever3'bod3' in Mount Perr3'^
are on friendly terms, which speaks wonders in its praise.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 211
Sego. — It is situated on the Zanesville, Somerset and Maysville
Pike, near the central meridian of the township. In 1846, WilHam
Curry built a blacksmith shop on a lot he bought from William Dusen-
bery, it being part of one acre that was cut oft' from Dusenbery's farm
by the above-named pike. Soon after this a store was established, and
in 1849 Benjamin Williams built a woolen mill, and carded, spun and
wove woolen goods there. The mill was run b}^ steam, and stood only
four years, when it was destroyed by tire and was never re-built. In
1848, when General Ritchey w^as in Congress, he had a post office estab-
lished there, calling it Sego. a name given it by William Curry, for a
small town in Africa. Jacob Miller was the first postmaster. There is
now a small grocery, a general merchandise store, a post office that re-
ceives daily mail, except Sunda3% via hack line from Zanesville to Som-
erset, and some three or four houses in Sego.
Churches. — Bethel Methodist Episcopal Church was hrst organized
as a class in about 1818, and hrst met at Robinson Chilcote's house. In
1819, April 17, they obtained a deed for two acres of land from Philip
Miller, upon which they built a hewed log church, which stood until
1838. The first trustees were James Chilcote, Joseph Claypool, James
Porter, Robinson Chilcote, Nathan Chilcote, Nicholas Rible and John
Shaw. In 1836 they bought one-fourth of an acre more from Joshua
Plummer, and in 1838 supplanted the hewed log church b}^ a brick
house near the site of the old church. In 1863 the church was burnt
to the bare walls, and the same ^^ear was repaired. In 1882 the church
was again repaired and made a neat, w^ell-finished church-house.
When the brick was built in 1838, under the pastorate of Rev. M.
A. Milligan, Nathan Chilcote, Henrv Roberts, Vincent Kelley, James
Porter, Philip Miller, Israel Moore and Samuel Curran were trustees.
The present trustees are Joshua Chilcote, Isaiah Rible, Joseph Koehler,
J. W. Chilcote, Leonard Reddick, James E. Beard and S. Shaw.
The first members were Robinson Chilcote and wife, John Shaw and
wife, Mrs. Chilcote, l^hilip Miller and wife, Nathan Chilcote and wife
Robinson Chilcote and Nathan Chilcote were the first class leaders.
Nathan Chilcote was an exhorter : Robert Ellis was the first minister,
and one Rev. Richmond of Somerset, was one of the first preachers ;
and they have been furnished ministers by the M. E. Conferences since
those days. At first, preaching davs were far apart, but after being
taken into the Conference, they had preachinggonce in two weeks, on
Thursdays, and some time after that again, they had preaching on
Sabbaths, each alternate week. Sabbath School was organized Aug.
17, 1828, and Vincent Kelley was first Superintendent. The school has
been successfullv kept up to this date, meeting during summer season
only, until in about 1880. since which time they meet all the year.
There is now an attendance of about fifty scholars, with Isaiah Rible
as Superintendent.
DuNKKR Church. — It was organized in about 1817, and was among
the first Christian organizations in the township. About the time they
organized they built a hewed log church in or quite near Mt. Perry, in
which they worshiped for about fifteen or twenty years. The church
212 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
edifice was built upon the farm of James Ward. This farm afterward
passed into the hands of Mason Benjamin, who claimed there was no
title given for the land the church occupied. After it was made clear
that there was a good title, the Dunkers sold the church and lot to the
M. E. church in about 1832 to 1838, and moved their membership to
Hopewell township. Some of their first members were John Hendricks
and wife, Adam Plank and wife, Peter Eversole and wife, and Abra-
ham Bowsher and wife. Elijah Schofield was their first minister, and
they sometimes were visited by Rev. Crinter of Pennsylvania, and
Rev. Helser of Ohio.
SuMMERFiELD M. E. Church. — ^This church was organized in
about 1835 to 1838, upon the purchase of the hewed log church from
the Dunkers, and continued to hold services regularly until about 1844,
from which time up to about 1847, if any preaching services were held
they were few and irregular. At about the date above given, there came
to this church from Zanesville, Ohio, an evangelist by the name of
Stephen Shaffer, who held a successful revival, reorganized the society
with about forty of a membership, appointed John Davison and William
Willison leaders, continued with the charge, and in about 1850, by dili-
gent effort, supplanted the old hewed log church by a frame house that
stands to this day. Upon the reorganization of the charge it was added
to the Asbury circuit, Zanesville District, 'Ohio Conference, and so con-
tinued to remain until 1858, when they were put into the Somerset cir-
cuit, Lancaster District, Ohio Conference. Since the reorganization they
have been gradually increasing in strength, and now number about
sixty members, with the hopeful anticipation of building a new church
edifice in the summer of 1883. Some of the first members were Mason
Benjamin, Batena Baird, Hannah Clark, John Lenhart and wife, David
Lenhart and wife, John Melick, Sen., and Mary Melick, his wife.
Among the first preachers was Joseph Carper, from near Somerset.
Some of the members, upon the reorganization, were John Lenhart and
wife, David Lenhart and wife, Lewis Bateson and wife, John Davison
and wife, William Willison and wife, Jacob Demude and wife. Mother
Smith, Batena Baird, and Mary Melick. After the building of the
frame church came Samuel Harvey and David Mann, as regular minis-
ters, and have continued to be supplied by the M. E. Conference up to
this date.
Sabbath school was organized soon after the organization of the
church, and was conducted only during the summer season until 1879,
since when it has been continued during the year, with an average
attendance of about forty. Matthew Benjamin was probably the first
superintendent.
Disciple church (St. Matthew) was probably first organized in
1851, at which time they bought the old Jonathan's Creek U. P. church,
removed it to the junction of the Zanesville and Gratiot roads, near Mt.
Perry, repaired it and made quite a neat church of the same, where they
continued to worship until about 1867, when the society was disbanded.
The lot upon which the church was built was donated by Nicholas Tay-
lor. John Eversole and Samuel Lyle seem to have been the principal
men in this pious enterprise. One Rev. Gardner was their first minis-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 213
ter. After the church was disorganized the house was sold and is now
used as a dwelling house.
In 1880, a sufficient number of members collected together and reor-
ganized and bought a church edifice of a disbanded Lutheran denom-
ination, who had built a church on the pike that passes through this
township, and removed it to Mt. Perry, repaired it in a neat, substantial
manner, and have since prospered in their second house of the Lord.
They now have about thirty members. Sabbath school was organized
simultaneously with the erection of their present church, and they have
an attendance of about twenty, and meet during the whole year.
The United Presbyterian Congregation, of Jonathan's Creek,
was organized in 1807, and met at first in a log school house in the
winter and in a tent during the sumrner season, where the old church
now stands, about one and one-half miles east from Mt. Perry. In
1809 this became a settled charge in connection with Brush Creek
charge. They continued to worship as above mentioned until 1823,
when the}^ commenced a churce edifice which was not finished until
1828. This building was occupied until 1851, when it was sold to the
Disciple branch of the church, and they erected the frame house that
is still in use. In 1877 they built a second and a new church in Mt.
Perry, but keep up both the old and the new houses, having preaching
services alternately in each.
The first pastor was Rev, Abraham Craig, who continued until
1823, when there was a split in the church, some going to the Seceder
denomination and some to the Covenanters. At first this congrega-
tion was known as the Associate Reform church, and so continued by
those who did not leave by the split until 1858, when the Associate Re-
form and Associate churches united and formed the present denomina-
tion, the United Presbyterian. On account of the weakness of the
societ}^ caused by the split, they became unable to support a minister,
and were without a pastor until 1829, when Rev. Benjamin Waddle was
chosen pastor, who so continued vmtil 1836, when he was called to another
field of labor. Under Rev, Waddle the church was much built up.
They were without a pastor then until 1841, when T, B. Calderhead
took charge of the congregation and continued as pastor for about
twelve years. In 1853 Rev, Calderhead was called to give his attention
to other pastoral charges, and then they were without a pastor for about
eight years. In 1861 the Rev. James White took charge of the church
and remained for more than 17 years, when he was called to other
pastoral work. There was then a vacancy of two years, when the Rev.
J. H. Leiper became their pastor in 1882, and who continues to this
date.
The first Session of this church or corps of ruling elders were John
Baird, Joseph Bogle, Thomas Nesbit, and William Wills.
The present Session is Alexander Baird, R. R. Huston, James
Smith, Alexander Miller, and James Ardrey. There are now in the
church about 170 members.
Sabbath school was first organized about 25 years ago, and R. H.
Baird was first superintendent, with about 75 of an attendance. Since
the first year the school has been continued during the whole year.
21 A HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
James McCullough is the present superintendent, and they have about
150 of an atttendance.
Zion church (Methodist Episcopal), situated in the southwestern part
of the township, near the Zanesville and Maysville Turnpike, is an old,
thriving and influential congregation, and is sketched in connection with
the Somerset church, with which charge it is consected, and probably
has been, ever since its organization.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 215
CHAPTER XXIX.
MONDAY CREEK TOWNSHIP.
Monday Creek township consists ot twenty-four sections, and was
originally a part of Fairfield county. It was organized in 1823, and
named after the creeks (Big and Little Monday) that flow through it.
It is drained principally by what is known as Big and Litde Monday
Creeks, though a portion is drained into Rush Creek, and other tribu-
taries of the Hocking River. The township, as a whole, may be de-
nominated hilly, though there is well laying land along the principal
streams, and on some of the high ridges between. A considerable por-
tion of the township is highly productive, and in a good state of cultiva-
tion. It was heavily timbered when the first settlers came, and parts of
it are yet well timbered.
Monday Creek township, geologicall}^ considered, belongs to the
Coal Measures, and a very considerable portion of it is underlaid with
a good marketable article of bituminous coal. It is also verv rich in
iron ore, the principal seam being known as the Baird seam. The land-
owners of Monday Creek, for quite a number of years, occasionally mined
and hauled ore to the Logan (Hocking county) Furnace, and Frank
Baird, who, for a time, had charge of said lurnace, became acquainted
with the ore of the township, and along about 1872, in connection with
others interested, effected the purchase of several hundred acres of
mineral lands in the eastern part of the township, and proceeded to
erect a furnace, which was completed and went into operation in 1874.
The lands purchased contained not only iron ore, but coal, limestone,
and everything necessary for the manufacture of a good article of iron.
Here, in 1874, and in succeeding years, a good article of pig iron was
made, cheaper than anywhere else in the world. Ore is extensively
mined in various parts of the township, and sold at Baird's, Gore, Wi-
nona, and Logan furnaces, the latter six or eight miles distant. The
furnaces at Gore and Winona are only a few rods over the line in Hock-
ing county, and are almost as accessible for an ore market as Baird's
"furnace. The iron business and ore trade furnish a remunerative em-
ployment for men and teams, at almost all seasons of the year, and
bring in handsome sums to the land-owners for ro3^alty, and all with-
out seriously interfering with farming operations. Thus employment is
obtained, money is eas3% and times are usually the reverse of dull.
The first settlers of Monday Creek were principally from Virginia.
Timothy Terrell came witii his family to the township in 1815, and
appears to have been the first permanent settler. Robert Nixon and
Charles Manning soon followed. Nixon and Terrell were brothers-in-
law. Terrell discovered a trail of strange cattle in the wild pea vines,
and, following it up, came to the cabin of Charles Manning, only two
2l6 HISTORY. OF I'ERRY COUNTY.
miles away. This was the first intimation of tlie presence of the Man-
ning tamily. Joseph Johnson, Reuben Miller, James Ross, and Samuel
Steele were also very early settlers. Steele was the first Justice of the
Peace in the township.
Monday Creek township, when the white settlers first came, was as
wild a part of the county as any other, if it did not excel, in this par-
ticular. Not only deer, but panthers, bears and wolves were very
numerous. Rattlesnakes, copperheads and other venomous serpents
abounded, and were killed by the hundreds. Men yet remain in Mon-
day Creek, less than seventy years old, who have heard the dismal howl
of wolves at dusk of evening, in close proximit}^ to the cabins of the
lonely sellers. No person seems to be able to satisfactorily characterize
the depressing effect on all produced by the howling of the wolf.
Bears would come into gardens, yards and pig pens, and thought
nothing of carr^ang oft' a good sized fat hog. The wild beasts were,
indeed, a terror. Some persons affect to doubt whether a panther was
ever killed in Perry county ; there is no room for doubt. The early
settlers of Monday Creek killed many a panther, and there are men yet
living who have seen dead panthers brought home by their fathers,
which they had killed not far away.
Robert Nixon, one of the early settlers referred to, was once out
hunting deer, and had no dog with him. He came upon a large bear,
and believing that he could kill the animal, took good aim and fired.
The bear was wounded, but instead of falling took after the hunter,
and exhibited an unusual fleetness ; so much so, that Nixon had to run
for his life, and yet Bruih was fast closing the distance between them.
Realizing fully the condition of affairs, Mr. Nixon as he ran, uttered
loud and repeated outcries for help. Timothy Terrell and sons were
rolling logs not far away, and, at the time, had a large log about half
way up a skid. Mr. Terrell shouted to the bo3'^s to let the log go, and
all hurried in the direction from whence the alarmed outcries proceeded.
They soon came upon the frightened and fleeing hunter and pursuing
bear. The ©position was too formidable, and Bruin beat a retreat. Ter-
rell himself had a similar adventure of his own. He was also hunting
deer, and this time had no dogs along. Probably bears were becoming
scarce, and were seldom encountered. However, he came upon a bear,
and an unusually large one. He thought he could kill him and fired.
Bruin, who was wounded and terribly enraged, immediately took after
the lone hunter. Terrell said that he soon discovered that the bear was
a good runner, and he proceeded without useless delay, to put himself
in "light running order." He hastily threw away his gun, pouch,
and every weight but a knife. The bear was persistent, and the race
was a long and doubtful one. Going up hill the hunter would gain on
the bear ; but on descending ground the bear made long strides and
gained on the hunter. Terrell says Bruin would blow and snort every
jump, as he struck the ground behind him, evidently getting short of
breath as well as himself. Bruin at length gave up the chase, and re-
tired in the direction of his lonely haunts. Terrell afterward gathered
up his gun and other accouterments, but no doubt he took a dog or
two with him, and other assistance.
The young Terrells, the oldest a boy of fifteen or sixteen, were left
*ea4-^C_j
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 21'J
at home one Sunday while their parents went to church, some miles
away. Two large dogs were left with the youngsters. During the
absence of the father and mother, a large bear with two half grown cubs
came into the meadow^ near the house. The eldest boy seized the ax,
the next older a hatchet, and a little girl armed herself with a hammer.
One of the cubs was killed w^hile crossing thfe meadow^ fence into the
woods, and the big dogs chased the other two aw^ay. The boys had
seen their father dress bears, and they thought thev would try their
hand. They succeeded nicely indressingit, and had a large piece of
it in the dinner-pot cooking, wdien their father and mother returned,
not a little astonished to learn what had been going on in their absence.
John Mackin and his sons w^ere at work in a clearing, when they
saw a huge roll of snakes, of several different kinds, including rattle-
snakes, blacksnakes and others, all lapped and twisted together, rolling
around over the ground. The senior Mackin took a shovel, filled it
with red hot coals from a heap, and threw them into the bunch of snakes.
They "broke ranks" without receiving orders, and ran in every direc-
tion. The Mackins only suceeded in killing twovor three of them. To
see bunches of snakes of different species, coiled up in this way, was
not an uncommon occurrence when the country was new; but "the
seed of the woman has bruised the serpent's head," until it is a rare
thing now to see a poisonous snake of any kind, even among the hills of
Monday Creek.
The township has as yet no railroad, but one is frequently talked of,
in railroad and mineral circles, to be called the Monday Creek Valley
railroad. Though without a railroad, the township is so environed by
roads and stations, that it is not so very remote from market, or discon-
nected with the outside world. New Straitsville, Gore, Winona and
Webb's Summit on the Straitsville branch of the Hocking Valley ; Mc-
Cuneville and Dicksonton on the Newark, Somerset and Straitsville ;
Junction City and Bremen on the C. and M. V. are not far distant, and
all more or less accommodate some parts of the township.
Charles Manning, one of the early settlers, was a Lutheran, and
there was preaching of that denomination, at his house, at a very earlj
day. There was also Presbyterian preaching in the Ross neighbor-
hood, and Methodists held services at various private houses, years be-
fore any religious societies w-ere organized or churches built.
The Methodists organized at Mount Carmel, two and a half miles .
east of Maxville, about 1840, and erected a frame church. Stated
preaching has been maintained.
The Methodists organized at Maxville about 1845, built a church,
which was used for several years, and then disposed of it to be used for
school purposes. The society bought a new lot, in another part of the
village, and erected a new frame church in 1852. Regular preaching
and other church services have been sustained throughout the whole
time, and the society is in a prosperous condition. Sabbath school
is kept up through a portion of the year.
Ebenezer church was built by the Baptists one mile west of Max-
ville, about 1832. The edifice was originally a log one. At a later
date, a new and better edifice was erected, which is still in use. Reg-
2l8 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
ular preaching has been maintained, and there is a Sabbath school
connected with the church.
The St. John's (Lutheran) congregation was organized by a colony
of Germans, direct from the "Fatherhind," at an early day and a house
of worship erected, which was used for several years. Subsequently a
larger and better edifice took the place of the old one, and is still in use.
The congregation is strong and influential. It supports regular
preaching and sustains a Sabbath school connected with the church,
Rev. Wiseman is the present pastor.
Harmony (United Brethren) church situated in the western part
of the township, was organized and a church built about thirty years
ago, since which time it has been a regular appointment of the de-
nomination, and has maintained stated services. A Sabbath school
is connected with the church. Rev. Cumings is the present pastor.
The Mennonite church was organized at an early day, and for
man}^ years worshipped in a log building, which was also used as a
school house. About thirty years since a new and more commodious
house was erected. Regular services are maintained. There is a Sab-
bath school in connection with the congregation.
The oldest buring ground in the township is what is known as the
Nixon family grave-yard, and was used at a very early da}'. George
Nixon, a child nine years old, was the first interment therein, and the
first in the township.
The early schools were primitive enough. The first school of which
there is any account, was taught in the neighborhood of where Mt.
Carmel now is, in an old abandoned log-cabin.
The township is now organized into six school districts, and has
fairly good school houses and teachers. The schools at Maxville and
Baird's Furnace are the only village schools.
The following named persons lived in the township at the time or
soon after it was organized : Robert Nixon, James Ross, Timothy Ter-
rell, Charles Manning, Lemuel Steele, James Johnston, Reuben Miller,
Thomas Ross, William Johnston, Joseph Everly, Jpseph Johnston, Reu-
ben Jackson, Joseph Parsons, James Chester, Ewen Miller, John
Abrams.
Maxville was laid out in 1850, by Wm. McCormick, on what is
called Little Monda}-- Creek. The manufacture of plasterer's lime, was,
for a long while, a very considerable industry carried on there, and the
Maxville Limestone is known far and near. The town has a post office,
church, school house, hotel, two stores, one physician, two blacksmith
shops, two shoe shops, one saddler shop, and a number of private resi-
dences. Maxville is omitted in the census bulletin, but it has a popula-
tion of two or three hundred.
There is quite a little village at Baird's Furnace, though there is no
laid out town. There is a large company store, a physician, several
shops, and a population of about one hundred, consisting mainly of
those employed about the furnace.
The number of inhabitants in Monday Creek township, in June,
1880, was one thousand six hundred and thirty-six.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 2I9
}
CHAPTER XXX.
MONROE TOWNSHIP.
Monroe township was organized in 1823. It was named in honor of
James Monroe, fifth President of the United States. Previous to the
organization as an independent precinct, it w^as, for several vears, at-
tached to the township of Bearfield. It was organized as a Congres-
sional township, six miles square, and remained of the same dimensions
until five sections were taken off" to aid in forming the new township of
Pleasant. Monroe township was originally well timbered, in most places,
and contained oak, poplar and other valuable wood. Considered as a
whole, it is hill}^ and, in some parts almost mountainons. Adjacent to
some of the larger streams, and particularly near their confluence, there
are considerable areas of well laying land. The surface of this town-
ship is better adapted to stock raising and wool growing, than to the
cultivation of any of the cereals. The stony points and hill sides are
believed to be well adapted to grape growing, but this industry has not
received any great attention.
The water system of Monroe is simple. The. whole township lies
in the Hocking Valley, and is drained b}" the cast and west branches of
Sunday Creek and their tributaries, among which are Sulphur, Dod-
son's and Hadley's Fork. The confluence of the two principal
branches of Sunday Creek, is over the county line in Athens county.
The township, geologicalh^ speaking, all belongs to the Coal Meas-
ures, and is the richest part of the Ohio coal region. The so-called
" great vein " seam reaches its maximum in this township, where it is
thirteen teet thick. There are also the Norris and Stallsmith seams of
coal ; the former about six and the latter about four feet thick. The
great vein seam appears to underlie nearly the whole township. The
Norris and Stallsmith seams have been opened in various places, and it
is believed that they will be found wherever the hills are high enough
to contain them. There is also another coal, No. 5, below the great
seam, which has been found in places, but, for the most part, this seam
lies far beneath the lowest surface, and sufficient borings have not been
made to decide whether or not it is persistent, or what its value may be.
There is believed to be a large quantity of iron ore in the township, but
it has not been much developed, and its ultimate value cannot even be
approximated. It also ha-s fire clay, potter's clay, and sand stone ; the
latter in practically inexhaustible quantities.
The first settlements were made in 1814, by John McDonald and
James Dew. John McDonald and James Dew were brothers-in-law,
and emigrated from Maryland. They blazed their way through from
Zanesville, and built a little log cabin, which yet stands in the yard
220 HISTORY OP' PERRY COUNTY.
near the old McDonald residence. It is somewhat modified and is now
used as a smoke-house. McDonald and Dew moved on horseback.
Soon after they got their little cabin built, McDonald followed the
" blaze" back to Zanesville, bought a bushel of cornmeal, a skillet and
a board to make a table. When Mr. McDonald got these things home,
they all thought they were comfortably fixed. The man who subse-
quently became the richest man in his township, if not in the county,
commenced housekeeping in this humble way. Dew settled on the east
branch of Sunda}^ Creek, near the Athens line.
The following named persons were living in Monroe at the time, or
soon after the township was organized : John McDonald, James Dew,
Enos Devore, David Devore, Elisha Tinker, John Small, Samuel Mor-
row, Nicholas Owings, Elijah \yooley, Jacob Woolens Stephen Rod-
man, John Rodman, C. Wood, David Hearing, Wm. Ward, James M.
Ward, George Juniper, William Stamford, John Acord and John
Gaver.
Previous to its settlement, Monroe was a great hunting ground for
the Indians, and afterward for the whites, from older settled parts of the
county. Indians encamped and spent the winter on Sunday Creek as
late as 1815, if not later. The countr}' was also full of wild hogs, or
hogs thai nobody owned. Hogs had probably strayed aw^ay from the
older settlements along the Ohio, and with their increase, became al-
most as wild as those of India or South America. Along about 1816,
there was an unu^suall}' long, cold winter, and these hogs nearly all per-
ished. Many were tbund dead in heaps on Sunday Creek, after that
memorable winter br6ke up. They gathered in bunches for warmth,
but perished, nevertheless.
Lord Dunmore's expedition from Virginia, in 1874, t^g^inst the hos-
tile Indians on the Scioto, doubtless crossed the valley of Sunday
Creek, and tradition has it that the little army encamped one night on
Sunday Creek, but it was probably south of the Perry county line.
As previously stated, Monroe township was, before its settlement,
and for a considerable time after its first settlers came, a good hunting
ground. Deer and wild turkeys were numerous, and bears, panthers
and wolves were not scarce, in the earlier times. Hunters habitually
came from the northern part of the countv, and from other counties, to
camp out and hunt on Sunday Creek. They usually came with horses,
dogs and guns, prepared to spend a week, at least, and often a number
of weeks. Their horses were belled and turned loose, and some of
them hobbled. The men composing these hunting parties would
usually separate in the morning, come into camp in the evening,
and, around the camp fire, relate the adventures and success of the
dav.
Edward Danison of New Lexington, and Jonathan Colborn, of
Noblesville, Indiana, hunted and camped on Sunday Creek in very
early times, and enjoy telling their old adventures. These hunters
were usually in the pursuit of deer, as the most desirable and profitable
game, but they not unfrequently encountered other animals. Edward
Danison, of New Lexington, a hunter previously named, relates that,
upon one occasion, just after he had espied two deer, and was maneuv-
ering to get a good shot at one of them, he heard a great noise in a
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 221
thick cluster of bushes, and soon after a bear ran across an open space
with Danison's dog in close pursuit. The two deer having scampered,
the hunter followed on in the direction the dog and bear had taken, and
in a short time heard the dog bark ; then he was satisfied that the bear
had been treed. Following up, he soon came in view and saw that
Bruin, was, sure enough, up a tree, and the dog barking furiously be-
neath. Mr. Danison was a considerable distance oft', and probably did
not care about venturing any nearer; but he thought he could bring
Bruin down. He took good aim and fired. The bear only reached up-
ward with his paw and went one limb higher. Danison leveled and
fired again, and this time the bear tumbled to the ground. But he was
not badly hurt, and the bear and dog engaged in a fight that was fearful
to behold. Mr. Danison all this while felt considerably alarmed, but
reloaded his gun, and kept a sharp lookout forbear number two, which
he expected every moment. The bear and dog fight continued. Some-
times the bear was under, and sometimes the dog. As the fight pro-
ceeded, the combatants approached the brow of a steep hill, and down
it they rolled, over and over, until the bottom was reached, where the
struggle for the mastery continued. A comrade of Danison now made
his appearance, coming over the hill. It soon became evident that the
dog was getting the w'orst of the battle, and Danison requested his com-
panion to shoot the bear, if he thought he could without killing the dog.
The hunter fired accordingly, and Bruin was killed. The faithful dog
was badly used up, and it was some time before he was sufficiently re-
covered to drag along after his master into camp. There was sttU an
apprehension that another bear might be around, but he did not put in
an appearance, and it is likely enough that the venturesome hunters
did not seriously regret it. The bear was not slaughtered or skinned in
camp, but was carried in triumph to Madison township, where Mr.
Danison then resided.
Tobacco was once very extensively raised in Monroe township, and,
though it was considered a paying occupation for the time being, it no
doubt contributed toward the impoverishment of much of the land, and
the culture of the weed was eventually abandoned.
Though the township is hilly, and the surface of the land compara-
tively unproductive, some of the finest and most valuable stock in the
county is to be found there.
Monroe was, for many years, far from market, even with such sur-
plus products as she had to dispose of. Athens, New Lexington and
McConnellsville were the nearest markets. All this is changed now.
With the building of the Ohio Central, and the establishment of stations
at Rendville, Corning, Buckingham and Borbec, the people of the
township have as good facilities for shipment, and for coming and go-
ing, as any others in the county.
Some of the coal mines of Monroe were opened and used along
about 1832, and afterward, but as there was nothing more than a neigh-
hood demand, except a little trade with Morgan county, they were but
little developed until the coming of the railroad era. The Sands' bank,
near Millertown, and probably a few others, sold coal to the farmers
and some of the residents of villages in Morgan county, who came to
222 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
the mines and hauled the coal away, in the fall of the year, while the
roads were solid and comparatively good.
With the completion of the Ohio Central to Rendville and Corning,
in 1879 ^"^ 1880, and the extension and building of a line up the West
Branch of Sunday Creek, at a later date, and the sinking of shafts and
the opening of mines at Rendville, Corning, below Corning, and at
Borbec, Buckingham and Hemlock, the development of the coal de-
posits began on a grander scale, and the output is yet on the increase.
Monroe now leads all the townships of the county in the export of
coal.
Millertown was laid out in 1834, ^Y Jacob Miller. It is located upon
a high piece of ground, between the east and west branches of Sunday
Creek, and is less than a mile from the new town of Corning. There
is from a point a little above Millertown, one of the finest outlooks in
Southern Ohio. Millertown has a physician, store, hotel, church, sev-
erel shops, and had. according to the census of 1880, eighty-four in-
habitants.
Thompsonville, usually called Chapel Hill, was laid out in 1849, '^y
George Thompson and Bryan Murtaugh. It is a pleasanth- situated
village. It has a church, hotel, store, shops, etc., and had a population
of fift^'-two, in 1880.
Ferrara was laid out by Nelson Rodgers and James Taylor, in 187 1,
at the time the Atlantic and Lake Erie Railroad was projected. The
railroad failed for the time, and Ferrara has remained a paper town, or
almost so, ever since. Ferrara is situated between Corning and Rend-
ville, in a nice, conspicuous place, and several new houses have lately
been erected in it.
Rendville was established by Thomas J. Smith and Wm. P. Rend,
and others, in 1879, ^^^ grew with a rapidity marvelous in this section
of the world, and yet very much like other mining towns of the county.
Boarding houses were improvised, shafts sunk and coal works erected.
Houses for miners and other workmen were put together, finished and
inhabited in a space of time that would seem almost impos.sib]e.
Rendville is situated in the narrow valley of the east branch ot Sun-
day Creek, and upon the slopes, hills and ridges, on either side. The
Company houses are mostly built in rows, but more to suit the ground,
than upon parallel or corresponding lines-. The houses in the same row
are usually alike ; but the houses in different rows are of different size,
shape and color, and this seems to give an agreeable and picturesque
appearance to all, when viewed together. After this description, it
seems almost useless to say that rough board shanties received little con-
sideration in the building of Rendville. In addition to the numerous
neat Compan}'- houses, it has quite a number of nice costl}^ residences,
erected for lease, or to be occupied by the persons owning them. The
town has a post office, station house, two churches, one large union
school house, hotel, numerous boarding houses, dr}'- good stores, drug
stores, groceries, shops, saloons, etc. The population in 1880 was 349,
but the town was then only a few months old. The population is now
estimated at 2,500, and is on the increase.
Corning was laid out in 1878 by Joseph Rodgeis. Its growth was
HISTOKV OF PERRY COUNTY.
223
very similar to that of Rendville, so tar as the Company houses for
miners and other employes were concerned ; but the most of the othfer
buildings erected were even of a more costly and substantial character.
The valley is a little wider at Corning, and the chances for streets a
trifle better than at Rendville. The business part of the town is very
much solidified, as compared with Rendville. To a person standing in
the business section of the place. Corning looks as though it might have
been built fifteen or twenty years, so solid and substantial does it appear.
The largest and most costly storehose in the county is here, and there
are many other large establishments. In addition to the numerous
company houses on the slopes and hill-sides, there are many beautiful
and costly residences, some of them among the finest in the county.
Several of them are ver}'^ handsomel}- situated.
Corning has a post-oflice, telegraph office, station-house, one large
union school-house, newspaper, two churches, two hotels, several attor-
neys, physicians, dry-good stores, clothing establishments, drug stores,
meat stores, boarding houses, groceries, bakeries, millinery stores, black-
smith shops, shoe shops, billiard rooms, saloons, etc. It had, accord-
ing to the census of 1880, a populatijon of two hundred and seventy ;
but the town had just commenced, and nearh^ all its growth has been
since that date. Its population is now estimated at from tvventv-five
hundred to three thousand.
The most notable events that occurred in Rendvdlle and Corning
were in connection with the labor troubles in 1880. Both towns were
full of dissatisfied miners from Shawnee, New Straitsville, and the
Hocking valley, for several days, and companies of the National
Guard, called out b}- Governor Foster, were stationed in the two towns
for a week or two. There was one company on duty at Corning, but
the principal camp and headquarters were at the northern end of Rend-
ville. The skirmish which took place between the dissatisfied miners
and the State troops was in the woods near the Rendville camp. The
miners first assembled in Corning, and then moved in a body up the
narrow valley to Rendville. A detailed account of the " Corning War "
is given in anotlier chapter.
Buckingham, situated on the west branch of Sunday Creek, was laid
out by James Taylor and Benjamin Sanders In 1873, but remained little
more than a paper town until 1881, when an arm of the Ohio Central
was extended to the place and coal works established. The town has
now a population of several hundred.
Borbec, also situated on the west branch of Sunday Creek, a mile or
two below Buckingham, is a mining town, was established in 1881,
shafts sunk, and coal works erected. A large colony of German min-
ers live there. It has store, shops, etc., but is almost exclusively a
mining town. It contains a population of several hundred.
A Bible Christian (New Light) church was built on the McDonald
farm about 1820. This was a log building. John McDonald, the old
settler, erected the church principally at his own expense. He was a
minister of the denomination, and preached there regularly in all the
earlier years, and occasionally as long as he lived. There was a frame
church erected at a later date, which is still kept in repair, and in which
services are occasionally held.
224 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
The Methodists erected a log church where Millertovvn has since
been laid out at a very early day, where regular preaching was held.
A neat frame house was built at a later date, which is still in use.
The Methodists built what is known as the old Asbury church, one
mile from Millertown, about 1830. It was a very large frame building,
was used fifteen or twenty years for church services and Sabbath-school,
and then abandoned. The society disbanded and tlie members united
with other churches, probabl}'- the most of them with the church at Mil-
lertown.
A Presbyterian Church was organized and a house of worship
erected in the south part of Monroe township, at a very early dfty, not
ver}'^ far from the line between Perry and Athens counties. A lai'ger
and better edifice was built at a later date, and stated preaching main-
tained for a long time, but services are now onl}^ occasional!}^ held.
A Methodist Episcopal Church was organized and a church built, at
an earlv day, in the neighborhood of where Rendville has since been
built. It maintained regular services a great many 3'^ears, but the con-
gregation disbanded, and the church was torn down and the material
used lor other purposes.
A United Brethren Church was organized and a church built, at an
early day, about half-way between Millertown and Chapel Hill, and
regular preaching maintained for a great many years ; of late, how-
ever, religious services are only occasionally held. The church is near
the present residence ot Morgan Devore.
The Catholics organized a congregation and erected a house of
worship at Thompsonville about 1850, which has been used ever since.
This is known as the Chapel Hill church, and is a strong congregation.
The edifice is very pleasantly situated.
The colored people of Rendville have both a Baptist and a Meth-
odist church, each of them erected in 1881. They are neat, commodi-
ous edifices, very similar in appearance, and stand near together.
The Baptist Church recently organized in Corning, and have erected
a neat and commodious frame edifice, which is finished, and readv for
occupancy. The congregation has regular preaching and sustains a
Sabbath school.
A Methodist Episcopal Church has been organized at Corning, the
congregation has bought a lot, contracted for a house of worship, and
the foundation of the builditig is laid. The Methodists, for the pres-
ent, hold religious services in the Baptist church.
A Presb^-terian Church has been organized at Corning, a lot pur-
chased, and the building of an edifice commenced. The foundation
stones are laid. The Presbyterians, for the present, hold religious
services at Knights of Pythias Hall.
The Catholics have organized a congregation, purchased six acres
of land, erected a parsonage, and built a school-house thirty by seventy-
five feet, which, for the present, is used for religious purposes, as well
as for school purposes.
A large round house and machine shop combined, have recently
been erected by the Ohio Central Railroad Company, near Corning.
A very fine Opera building has also been recently erected at Com-
ings and formally opened with a success that was highly encouraging.
JOSEPH RODGERS.
Mrs. CATHERINE RODGERS.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 22i;
226 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
CHAPTER XXXI.
PIKE TOWNSHIP.
Pike township is range fifteen, number fifteen, of the original survey
oi lands to be sold at Zanesville, Ohio, and was originally a Congres-
sional township, or six miles square. It was organized into a political
township about 1814, by the authorities of Fairfield county, of which it
was then a part, and given the name of Pike, in honor of General Pike,
an officer in the American Army in the War of the Revolution. Its
northern boundary was, at the time of its political organization, the
boundary line between Fairfield and Muskingum counties. Four sec-
tions were afterward taken trom the southeastern corner of the original
township, and incorporated into the new township of Pleasant.
The territory which constitutes the present township of Pike, lies
about one-third on the Muskingum, and two-thirds on the Hocking side
of the great divide. Or, in other words, about two-thirds of the town-
ship is in the Hocking, and the remaining one-third in the Muskingum
Valley. That portion of it which is in the Hocking Valley, is drained
by Rush Creek and tributaries, and the portion in the Muskingum Val-
ley is drained by the tributaries of the South Fork of Moxahala or Jona-
than's Creek, the principal streams on the Muskingum side being Bear
Run and Little South Fork. The chief stream of the Hocking side is
Rvish Creek, which has many tributaries, named and unnamed ; Yer-
ger's Run, Fowler's Run, Bear Wallow, and the stream variously
named, along the banks of which the N. S. & S. R. is built, are the
principal ones. The head waters of Mondav Creek also drain a part
of the township. The township is not only well drained, but well wat-
ered. It contains numerous good springs of pure and wholesome
water, and good well water is almost anywhere found, and at no great
depth.
Pike township was originally heavily timbered with oak, hickory,
ash, elm, chestnut, sugar, maple, beech, dog-wood, gum, poplar, and
other varieties. Some of the oak trees were very large — the species
known as the red oak and black oak being the largest. The original
forest also contained more or less service trees, black and white walnut,
wild cherr}', cucumber and persimmon. The latter is yet a well-known
tree on "Brier Ridge," in the southeastern part of the township.
About three-fourths of the township is underlaid by two valuable
seams of coal, known in the geological reports as the "upper" and
" lower New Lexington seam." The upper seam has been opened and
worked over nearly the whole area, and is one of the best burning coals
in the country. The lower seam has not been opened or used so exten-
sively, but has been well tested as a clear, dry burning coal, and is be-
ginning to attract general attention.
John Fowler made the first permanent settlement, erecting a cabin
near the big spring, in what is yet known as Fowler's meadow, about
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 227
three-fourths of a mile east from the present public square in New Lex-
ington. Mr. Fowler was a native of Baltimore county, Maryland, and
came to Ohio on horseback in i8i i. He stopped with a relative, James
Thrall, who had setded a year or two earlier, in Clayton township, about
forty rods north of the Pike township line, about a half mile south of
where Rehoboth was afterward laid out and built. Fowler made his
home at Thrall's until he erected his cabin over in the unbroken woods
of an unnamed township, in another county. Even after he had his
cabin built, he often went to Thrall's, and usually spent Saturday night
and Sunday there. He had blazed a way through the forest, which he
frequently traveled, and traces of '-Fowler's path" could be seen for
more than twenty years.
Robert McClellan and Robert Humes, with their families, came soon
after Fowler, and they all lived one summer in and about Fowler's
cabin — seventeen persons in all — until cabins were erected on an adjoin-
ing tract of land, which is the property of the McClellans at the present
time. Jonathan Carroll, Thomas Wright, Samuel Clayton, Eli Babb,
William Lashley, Nathaniel Rush, Reuben Skinner and several others,
came in soon after, but just in what order is not now known. Jonathan
Carroll settled near the west bank of Yerger's Run, on the land that
now belongs to Thomas Mills, pi-obably in 1812. Ira Carroll was born
there in 18 13, who was the iii'st white child born in this township.
Thomas Wright moved to the place where Jackson Wright now resides,
in 1813. Nathaniel Rush settled on the land now within the limits of
New Lexington, and which was for many years the property and home
of Samuel Skinner. Samuel Clayton settled on the side of the hill,
within the present limits of New Lexington, which was afterward, for
many years, the property and dwelling place of James Comly and de-
scendants. Reuben Skinner settled where Mr. McNeal now lives. Eli
Babb located where Mrs. Kate Adams now resides. Thomas Selby
now owns the land where William Lashley settled, up near the tunnel.
The following names of pioneers have been gathered, nearly all of whom
came to the township previous to 1818: John Fowler, Robert McClel-
lan, Jonathan Carroll, Thomas Wright. Samuel Clayton, William Lash-
ley, Nathaniel Rush, Reuben Skinner, James Comlv, Samuel Rush,
Daniel Hull, John Colborn, John Davis, Benjamin Coddington, Thomas
Carroll, David Carroll, Ezekiel Chaney, John Smith, Thomas Clayton,
Peter A. Vansickle, Isaac Barnes, Stephen Barnes, Samuel Skinner,
Samuel B. Skinner, Samuel Smith, Dennis Kennedy, John Kennedv,
Seth Kennedy, William Hume, William Roberts, George Ogg, Henry
Rush, William Rush, Peter Strait, Richard A. Rudle, Jacob Wemmer,
Aaron Skinner, Jacob Barnthistle, George Stiers, William Sanderson,
William J. Moore, Benjamin Morgan, Ephraim Teal, Lawson Teal-
Samuel Ogborn, Henry Stiers, James Cheiioweth, John Grimes, James
Skinner, Levi Melon, John S. Powell, Noah Teal, Richard Strait, John
Hume, Jacob Barnd, James Spencer, John Wright, Andrew Wright,
Moses Wood, Isaiah Rush, Jacob Rush, William Rush, Jesse Huff,
Reuben Tharp, Thomas Wilson, George Spencer, Daniel Hollenback,
Jacob Bugh, Jesse Bugh, Robert McClung, Barney Donl}', James Mc-
Gahan, John Hollenback, Barne)'^ McGahan, Michael Forquer, David
Martin, Robert Sanderson, James Brown, James Jennings. Some of
228 HISTOK.Y OF PERRY COUNTY,
these pioneers did not remain long, and removed to other purts of the
country. Many of tliem. however, remained permanently, opened
farms and brought up large families, and their descendants are numer-
ous here and elsewhere throughout the country.
In the foregoing list of pioneers, it was not the design to give the
names of any who came in later than 1818, though, possibly, a very few
of those given may have come later than this date.
Mills. — The first mill of which there appears to be any authentic
account, was a so-called "corn-cracker," a very diminutive structure,
built and owned by Nathaniel Rush, and was situated on Fowler's Run,
at a point about thirty or forty rods below George A. Granger's present
mill. There was considerable corn ground there, and, when the stream
was full, the proprietor frequently ground wheat. The elections were
sometimes held at the mill, or at Rush's house, a few rods distant, when
Pike township was yet a part of Fairfield countv. A little later. Samuel
Clayton erected a similar mill, of somewhat larger pretensions, on Rush
Creek, near where the iron bridge now is, at the north end of Main
street. New Lexington. Isaac Barnes also had a similar mill situated
on Rush Creek, near the Jackson township line. James Comly, who
bought out Clayton, and became proprietor of the mill at New Lexing-
ton, subsequently built a larger mill on the north side of the creek.
This was run by water power for a while, then steam power was attached.
The grist-mill, not appearing to be very profitable, was finally aban-
doned, and the Comh-^s gave their sole attention to their saw-mills, of
which they at first had two — one on Rush creek and the other on Fow-
ler's Run, a short distance above its junction with Rush Creek. The
latter was eventually abandoned and all the latest improvements put in
the former, which was now owned and managed by John Comly. son of
James Comly, deceased. This mill did much for the building up of
New Lexington and surrounding country.
James Law and Ira Carroll built the old Granger Flouring Mill in
1840. Samuel Arnold erected his in 1857-58 ; and George A. Granger
constructed his in 1879, and, since 1840, there has been no lack of mill-
ing facilities in the township. Mr. Arnold also built a saw mill in con-
nection with his grist mill, which he subsequently sold to D. C. Fowler,
who removed it to his premises, and runs it there in connection with his
tannery. There were, in early times, a number of horse mills in the
township, but thev were soon abandoned, or little used.
Schools. — The first schools were very primitive, and. as a general
thing, if not in all cases, held in old cabins that had been built for and
used as dwellings. The first school appears to have been taught with-
in the present limits of New Lexington, about 18 15. The teacher was
Jonathan Sturgeon, an Irishman. The school was taught in an old
cabin that had formerly been used as a dwelling, and stood within a rod
or two of the spring that is nov/ enclosed in Andrew Stocklein's front
yard, on Brown street. The floor was made of unhewn puncheons, and
to make it a little even, the low places and depressions were filled up with
earth. School was taught in this disagreeable place for three years.
One teacher taught there, who had a wooden leg, (not Sturgeon) and
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY, 220
\
he received many a hard fall, from his wooden leg sticking down in the
dirt, and catching against the projecting puncheons.
About 1820 or soon thereafter, a log school house was built on the
lot back of the Horahan block, on Jackson street. It was a very primi-
tive structure, although it was designed and constructed for a school
house. It had greased paper windows, a big log fire-place at one end,
and school iurniture to match. School was taught in this house for
eight or ten years.
Along about 1820, a school was taught near where Jonathan Nixon
no\y lives, and, about the same time, they had school in the Thomas
Wright neighborhood. One school was taught in an old building in
Thomas Wright's yard. Some kind of a school was taught early in
linstol or neigliborhood. Also down the creek in the Barnes or Van-
sickle neighborhood.
About 1830, the township was districted, for school purposes, very
much as It is at the present time. There was the Selby district, the
New l^exington district, and the Vansickle district in the northern row
Then the David Brown district, the Chiyton (Deaver) and the Skinner
( Vanatta) districts. Then there was the Bristol and other districts, on
the south side of the township. These have been somewhat changed.
The location ol the school houses has been changed, as a general thing,
while some remain where they were fifty years ago. All the old log
school houses are gone, and some of the districts have built their third
school house. The New Lexington district has done this, but no more
than this.
About 1830, the New Lexington district erected its second school
house, a frame, on the same lot where its predecessor stood, on Jackson
street. The Stocklein spring building is not counted, for it was never
designed for a school house." The frame structure of which mention is
made, was a very creditable liouse, for the times, was well furnislied,
and occasionally accomodated seveiity-tive or eighty pupils. It was
used over twenty years for school purposes, and then' abandoned, and
finally sold. From 1850 to 1858, after the abandonment of the old frame,
schools were taught in the old Presbyterian, Second Baptist, First Bap-
tist churches, and elsewhere about town, as rooms could be procured,
until 1858, when the new brick Union School building being completed,'
the schools were graded and transferred to it. A considerable addition
was made to this edifice in 1876 ; and now the question of yet more ad-
dition.s or an entire new house is pressing upon the people for solution.
Saint Aloysius Academy is situated three-fourths of a mile west ot
New Lexington, upon a farm bequeathed for the purpose, by the late
Owen Donelly. The first wing of the Academy edifice was erected in
1874, and the school organized by Sisters of the Franciscan Order in
1876. A second wing of the building was erected in 1881. The
Academy, farm and other interests are all admirably managed by the
Sisters in charge, who have rendered themselves agreeable and popular
with all who have visited the institution, or had business of any kind to
transact with them. The religion taught at this school is the Catholic,
and it receives and educates pupils from various parts of this and other
States. It is the design of the managers to still further enlarge the
Academ}'.
230 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
Churches. — The Baptists were the pioneers in rehgion in Pike
township. Many of the early settlers had been communicants or ad-
herents of what was known as the "Old Jersey Church" in Somerset
countv, Pennsylvania. This church was so called, from the fact that it
was built and supported by people who had come in a body from the
State of New Jersey. When the descendants of these men and women
came to the Rush Creek Valley, they brought their letters, and it was not
long until there was public worship in the homes of the pioneers. Elder
Moody, w'ho lived in Bearfield township, was one of the first preachers.
There were also other' visiting ministers. Rev. James Skinner w'as or-
dained about 1821. There appears to be no existing record of the fact,
but the firi-t Baptist Church Society was organized about 1820. There
was no church edifice built until 1825 or 1826 ; when the old log church
was erected. It stood very near the site of the present building, and on
the same lot. It was about forty bj^ fifty feet, constructed of very
large hewed logs, and had a gallery on the second floor, which, how-
ever, was onl}' used on extraordinary occasions. It had a high, oc-
tagon sort of pulpit, which the ministers reached by a little, winding
stairway. Before this church was built, public worship was held, as
stated, at the private houses of members of the organization. In the
summer season, the services were often held in a large barn upon the
threshing floor. Public worship was .frequently held at the houses of
Samuel "Rush and Reuben Skinner. Rush lived and died where Mr.
Jonathan Nixon now lives, and John McNeal now lives where Mr.
Skinner did. There was also preaching at the houses of Jonathan Car-
roll, Benjamin Coddington, Thomas Wright, Daniel Hull, Samuel
Skinner, and at other places. Preaching at private houses w^as not un-
common, for many years, even after the church was completed.
James Skinner, after his ordination, as previously referred to, was
the regular pastor for quite a number of years. He wore his hair long,
was a reverential sort of person, and had considerable pulpit ability.
His last appearance in the pulpit was to preach the funeral of Mrs. Car-
roll, widow of Jonathan Carroll, upon which occasion, it is said that he
preached a memorable and unusually impressive disc'ourse. He died
in 1841. He had served as pastor of the church for a number of years,
and also preached in other parts of the countrv. After Moody and Skin-
ner, as regular pastor, came Matthew Brown. Thomas Harper, Martin
Sperry, George Debolt, Thomas Martin and others. J. R. Vanhorn is
the present pastor. Brown and Harper were members of the congrega-
tion and residents of the township, and nearly all the time had other
charges in neighboring counties. Harper and Brown were both widely
known and highly esteemed as ministers in the denomination to which
they belonged. Mr. Brown is yet living, at the advanced age of nine-
ty-seven years. He removed to Wood county, Ohio, some fifteen years
since.
The First Baptist Church Society was originally strong in
numbers, wealth and influence, but deaths, removals, etc., have told
heavily upon it, and though still a considerable congregation, it is not
so strong as it was in its earlier days. It built a second house of wor-
ship, a frame structure, in 1845. This is a neat, commodious, well pre-
served house, and is the one in use at the present time.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 23 1
This church is a member of the Muskingam Baptist Association,
and the annual Associations of this body have frequently been held with
it. The first Association in New Lexington, of which there is any ac-
count, was held in the woods near where the Second Baptist Church
now stands, .about 1825. Thomas Harper, not then a resident of the
county, was one of the young preachers in attendance, and led the sing-
ing, which he was well qualified to do. A few years later, an Associa-
tion was held in Skinner's grove, adjacent to the First Baptist Church.
Subsequent Associations were also lield there about 1836 and in 1843.
An Association was held in Fowler's grove in 1858, and in Carroll's
grove in 1877 and in 18S1. The one which convened in Fowler's grove
in 1858, was probaby the largest ever held here, and many distinguish-
ed ministers w^ere present from Ohio, Indiana, Kentuckv and other
States.
The Presbyterian Church was organized in October, 1837. Several
members of Unity, who resided in New^ Lexington or vicinity, on
presentation of a petition to that effect, w^ere dismissed for the purpose
of organizing the New Lexington Church. Rev. Roswell Tenny,
Francis Bartlett, and Edmund Garland, were appointed by the Presby-
tery to organize the church. David Carroll, Hugh S. Hankinson, and
David Brown, were oixlained Elders. The lot on which the present
church stands, on High street, was purchased for twenty-five dollars,
and within a year a large frame edifice was erected. For three years
the church prospered and grew, and then for a quarter of a century came
the waning period, and at last, in 1866, when Rev. Henry Beeman ar-
rived, the old edifice had been sold and torn down, and the lot on which
it stood plow^ed and cultivated in vegetables.
The early regular ministers of the church were Revs. Roswell Tenny,
Francis Bartlett, and Edmund Garland. Then there was a vacancy of
a year, after which came Revs. Edward W. Twining, John Forbush,
A. S. Avery, Hugh McBride, and Warren Nichols. Then there was
a second vacancy of over three years, and the church building, during
the most of this period, was used as a school-house. In September,
1854, Rev. Samuel W. Rose came to the charge, who labored on until
his death, which occurred at his residence in New Lexington, January,
1857. After Rev. Rose came Revs. Samuel Loomis, James Lamb,
Theodore Stovve, and A. C. Stewart. The latter left early in 1865, and
for more than a year the pulpit w^as again vacant. Lamb," Stewart, and
Stowe, preached in the Second Baptist Church, the old Presbyterian
edifice having become too dilapidated for use. Rev. Beeman also
preached in the Second Baptist Church until the erection of the new
edifice.
The church was virtually disbanded and the church property sold,
when in June, 1866, Rev. Henry Beeman, by order of Presb3'tery, ap-
peared upon the field. Under his administration the church wlis re-
organized, stated preaching maintained, and a new church edifice
erected in 1870. The new church was dedicated September nth, 1870.
The dedication sermon was preached by Rev. Daniel Tenny. Rev.
Kingsbury, of Putnam, was also present, who, with Rev. Beeman,
assisted in the dedicatory services. There was a goodly attendance
from Unity, Roseville, Uniontown, and other places, and the dedica-
232 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
tion was an occasion of much interest. Mrs. Elizabeth Carroll, over
eighty years of age, was the only one of the original members present ;
all others were gone. From 1866 until the present time Rev. iJeeman
has been the regular pastor of the church, though not ordained and
installed until 1868.
It must not be inferred that there was no Presbyterian preaching in
New Lexington or neighborhood until the organization of the church,
in 1837. There were a number of Presbyterian families in the town
and neighborhood, and Rev. Moore, of Unity, as well as other ministers,
had frequently preached in the old log Baptist Church and in private
houses ; in fact, Presbyterians and Methodists assisted in the building
of the church with the understanding and agreement that at times when
the house was not in use by the Baptists it could be occupied by other
denominations. It was so used, for quite -a number of years, satis-
factorily and agreeably to all parties. Rev. Moore preached there
frequently to his own people and all others who chose to come and hear
him. He was known to all the old settlers, and highly esteemed by
them, irrespective of sect or religious proclivities.
There were not many Methodists among the early settlers of Pike
township, and what there were had their membership, a number of
years, with the church at Rehoboth. Asa Brown organized the first
Methodist class or society at New Lexington about the 3'ear 1828, by
the authority of the itinerant ministers who were in charge ol the Reho-
both and other neighboring churches, l^he society was regularly con-
tinued, and prayer and class meetings held at private houses. George
Gardner of Rehoboth, a local minister, probably preached the first
Methodist sermon in New Lexington. It was his custom to walk over
through the woods and preach, by appointment, at the old log Baptist
church, where he was sure to have hearers of all denominations. The
venerable Rev. Gardner is yet living, and is ninety -five years old.
The Methodist society at New Lexington prospered from its organi-
zation, but in consequence of the near proximitv of the Rehoboth
church, and another (Saft'ells) three miles west, together with the
smallness of the village itself, the New Lexington society did not
decide to build a house of worship until 1839. Subscriptions were
taken up during the latter part of said year, and, in 1840, a neat, com-
modious frame edifice was erected upon the site of the present building.
The New Lexington society was made a regular appointment by Con-
ference, however, 3'ears before the erection of a church edifice. The
itinerant ministers preached first in the old log Baptist church, and
afterward in the newly built Presbyterian church, until the time came
when their own house was ready for occupancy.
The frame church was used from 1840 until 1875, when it accident-
ally caught fire and was consumed. The loss was not considered very
great, though the house had answered a good purpose, and the subject
of constructing a new and larger place of worship had been agitated
for years. Now something had to be done. The trustees at once
decided to build, without delay. The present large, elegant, and sub-
stantial brick structure was the result. The walls were erected in 1875,
and the Sunday-school, or lecture room, finished in 1876. This is, itself,
an audience-room of large size, and church, Sunday-school, and all
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 233
other services, were held in it until 1880, when the principal audience-
room was completed, and the church formally dedicated. This is one
ol the roomiest and costliest church edifices in the State, outside of the
large cities, and no wonder the venerable Asa Brown, the organizer
and leader of the first Methodist class, was deeply impressed with the
great changes, when he thought of his little group of a dozen persons,
assembled at a private house, and then looked upon this building. Mr,
Brown spoke from the platform of the new audience room, a year or so
since. The most striking change, after all, was the statement which he
made, that all the members of the original class, exxepting himself, had
plumed their wings and taken the eternal flight. Mr. Brown resides
near Kirkersville, in Licking county, Ohio,
How many of the distinguished ministers of the denomination have
preached upon this spot ! David and Joshua Young, Finley, Jameson,
Trimble, White, Frazier, Mather, Phillips, Porter, Cunningham, Har-
vey, and Hill, have all ministered at the altar as Presiding Elder; and
many of the most gifted ministers of the Ohio Conference have, at one
time or another, preached from its pulpit.
The greatest event, perhaps, in the history of the church, was the
revival of 1868, when daily meetings continued nearly two months, and
three hundred persons gave their names to the church.
The Second Baptist Church was organized in 1842, under the min-
istry of Rev. B. Y, Sigfried. Public worship, for a while, was held in
the old frame school-house. The church was at first composed of a few
who had been members of the First Baptist Church, others who united
on profession of faith and baptism, and yet others who came by letter.
The society was not strong — in fact had very few male members — but
soon resolved upon erecting a suitable house of worship. A lot was
purchased, and a building commenced, of large dimensions for that day.
There were numerous difliculties to encounter ; the construction of the
edifice proceeded slowly, but, in 1845, it was finished and opened for
service, Jesse Skinner was the member who did more than any oth-
ers— quite probably more than all others — toward the erection of the
church edifice. He would listen to no discouragements, was cast down
by no difficulties, and was determined to know no such word as fail.
He held on to the enterprise with all the tenacity and faithfulness that
mortal man could show, and his long continued efforts were eventually
crowned with success.
This church has had a rather eventful history. Often without
a regular pastor, it was never permanently closed, but ever kept in
line of battle. In the early days of the church, visiting brethren were
always made at home, and"^a good minister, of any denomination, was
cordially welcomed to the house and pulpit, and most likely Mr, Skinner
himself would light the lamps and make the fires.
After Rev, Sigfried, Rev. S. D. Alton was the pastor for several
years. Rev. Ferguson was also pastor for several years, soon after
1850. Revs. Heistand and Sackett also had charge of the church for a
time, about 1859-60. Revs, Nochross and Amerman succeeded them,
and were, in turn, succeeded by Rev. Sigfried. Rev. W. J. Sharp
came to the charge in 1866, and remained one year. Rev, Churchhill,
subsequent to this, was pastor for some time, also Rev. Lyons. Rev.
234 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
J.Chambers was the next regular pastor, who remained two or three
3''ears. After Chambers came Rev. Daniels, for a season ; Rev. Tus-
sing then succeeded to the pastorate. Revs. W. W. Marlow and Whar-
ton were also pastors of the church, but at what time is not known —
about 1867, probably. The pastorships were irregular and discon-
nected, much of the time, and quite often the pulpit was vacant. Mean-
while, Sigfried, Churchhill, Sackett, and other ministers, would make
a visit and hold a series of meetings, so that the church was almost as
frequently occupied as an}'^ other in town. When there was no preach-
ing, there was prayer meeting at the regular hour, Sabbath, as well as
Sabbath and Wednesdav evenings. All these services, together with
the occasional, and sometimes stated, preaching of ministers of other
denominations, contributed to keep the Second Baptist Church open
and in general use. The congregation is one of considerable strength
and influence. Rev. Tussing is now the pastor of the church.
The Lutheran Church, in New Lexington, was organized in 1867,
nnder the ministry of Rev. George Young. Religious worship was first
held in the Second Baptist church, for several months, and afterward,
until the erection of a church edifice, in the Court House. A lot was
purchased at the corner of Brown and High streets, a corner stone was
laid, with appropriate ceremonies, in 1868, and the building constructed
in 1868 and 1869. The edifice was dedicated in January, 1870, and
stated preaching maintained regularl}^ thereafter. Rev. George Young
was pastor for seven or eight years, and was succeeded by Rev. Allen
Wiseman, who continued one year. Rev. Walter succeeded Wiseman,
and is still the pastor in charge. The church edifice is of brick, and is
large, commodious, and substantial. The congregation is very regular
in attendance upon religious service.
St. Rose's Catholic church in New Lexington was organized in
1868. In June of that year the property at the corner of Main and
Water streets was purchased of Samuel Koons. The brick house
which stood upon the lot was remodeled, and converted into a tempor-
ary church building. St. Rose's church was organized under the min-
istery of Rev. Father Adams. There were few or no Catholic fiimilies
among the very early settlers of New Lexington and Pike township.
Before the Catholic population of the township had become numerous,
churches had been established at St. Josephs, St. Patricks and Reho-
both, and a little later at McLuney and South Fork. The resident
Catholics of the town and township were accustomed to attend one or
the other of these neighboring churches. Occasionally a priest would
come and hold religious worship at private houses in New Lexington.
But, as the Catholic population of the town and township increased, the
establishment oYa church in New Lexington began to be agitated, and
eventually ended in the purchase of property and the organization of
St. Rose's congreijation, as stated. Rev. Father Adams remained
about a year, and was succeeded by Rev. Father Keogh. He was suc-
ceeded by Rev. Father Mortrier, who remained four or five years.
Mortrier was succeeded b}'- Rev. Father Meshenmoser, who is the pres-
ent pastor.
The old remodeled brick house was used about ten years, and then
torn down and replaced by the present handsome, large and imposing
HISTORY OF PERRY C TUNTY. 235
Structure, in 1880. It was dedicated early in 1881, Bishop Watterson
and other distinguished clerg3anen being present. The new church
edifice is very elegant and substantial, and the site one of the finest in •
the State. St. Rose's has now grown to be a large congregation.
The Baptists organized a society and erected a church edifice at
Bristol, about 1832. The house was of good size, constructed of large
hewn logs, similar to other church edifices erected about that time, or
earlier. This society grew and flourished for quite a number of years,
and stated preaching was constantly maintained. Of later years the
church has not been quite sos rong, and preaching has been more irreg-
ular. The original building was burned about 1839, '^"^ ^ frame one
erected in its place which is yet in use.
The United Brethren built a neat, commodious church edifice in
Bristol in 1871 and 1872, and stated preaching has been sustained, as
well as other religious services. The society is a zealous one and the
congregation appears to be in a prosperous condition.
The Bible Christians (New Lights) organized a society and erected
a church edifice about 1831 or 1832, on Bear Run, some three miles east
of New Lexington. This house was also built of hewed logs. Regular
preaching was kept up a good many years, and, at one time, the place
had a resident minister, Rev. Hand. Stated preaching and Sabbath
school are still maintained. The church is on the township line.
Sabbath Schools. — The first organized Sabbath school of which
there appears to be any trace was a union school in New Lexington,
officered and controlled by men of different denominations. The Sab-
bath school was held in the old frame school house, (then new) which
so long stood on the school lot on Jackson street, a little south of the
oldDeaventown road. This Sabbath school was sustained during the
summer seasons, tolerably regularly, for several years, and until the
Presbyterian cljurch was built, and a school organized there.
The Presbyterian Sabbath school was organized in the spring of
1838, while the house was yet unfinished and carpenter work-benches
and huge piles of shavings encumbered the rear part of the building.
The school was large, from the beginning, and was unusually well
managed, taking into consideration the facilities and opportunities of
the times. It made good progress for about four years, until the Meth-
odist school was organized, and the Presbyterian church began to lose
heavily b}' removals, when it declined rapidly, and was soon discon-
tinued. After the erection of the new Presbyterian church edifice, in
1870, the Sabbath school was promptly reorganized, and has been held
regularly, the 3^ear round ever since, with varying numbers, of course,
and is at this time in a very prosperous condition.
The Methodists, soon after the completion of their church building,
in 1841, organized a Sabbath school, which has been continued, with
varying success, down to the present time. For several years after the
original organization, the school adjourned over the winter months.
This custom was eventually abandoned, and the school kept up the year
round. This school, for fhe most part, has been prosperous and flour-
ishing from its commencement, though, of course, not always in the
same degree. At one time — about 1871-72, it enrolled considerably
236 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
over three hundred members, and from two to three liundred were in
constant attendance. Neither enrollment nor attendance is so high now
as then, though both are creditable and encouraging.
The Second Baptist Church organized a Sabbath school not long
after their house was constructed, and the school still continues. Like
the other early schools, for a number of years, it adjourned over the
winter mouths, but finally came to be held throughout the entire year.
This school has experienced a varied success, corresponding, in some
degree, at least, to the waxing and waning fortunes of the church itself.
It has usually, however, been in a good, encouraging condition, and is
so represented at the present time. The late Jesse Skinner was super-
intendent of the school for more than twenty years.
Sabbath schools have been held in connection with the Baptist and
United Brethren churches in Bristol, and a school is held at the Breth-
ren church, at the present time. A Sabbath school was, for a time,
held at the Bible Christian church on Bear Run, but never with much
regularity.
Cemeteries. — The cemetery adjacent to the M. E. church, in New
Lexington, was established in 1819 or 1820. The lirst burial in the
cemetery attached to the First Baptist church was in 1822, the body of
Jonathan Carroll being the first interment. The first interments were
made in the Vansickle burial ground at a very early da^'. A large
number of kindred, and probably a few others, are interred therein.
The burial ground adjacent to the Baptist church at Bristol was first
used about 1836, the time not definitel}^ known. Previous to the estab-
lishment of public burying grounds in Pike township, a nmnber of in-
terments were made, Irom this township, in the Methodist grave-yard
at Rehoboth and also in ThralTs familv grave-3'ard, on the Thrall
farm, in Clayton township.
The New Lexington cemetery, comprising a tract of about thirty
acres, was purchased jointly by the town and township, laid off into
burial lots, walks, and streets, and opened to public use in 1874. The
first interment was the body of the late Colonel D. W. D. Marsh, in
December, 1874. Soon after this date, several removals were made of
bodies from the older cemeteries in towai to the new cemetery. Though
only a few years have passed, a large number of interments have been
made, and quite a number of beautiful and even costly monuments
erected. New Lexington cemetery is situated on a beautiful, command-
ing eminence, south of town, is planted in forest trees, and is nicely set
in grass or laid off into walks and drives. Towns and cities of living,
animated beings, may increase or decrease, but it needs no prophet to
tell how populous must become, in time, this silent, sacred city of the
dead.
New Lexington. — New Lexington was founded in 1817, by James
Comly, who had bought Samuel Clayton's farm, including a grist-mill,
situated on Rush Creek. In order ,to have the streets run just as was
desired, a few lots at the east end of the town were from the lands of
John Comly, a brother of Jam'es. This John Comly lived not far from
the present residence of Robert Huston, on the same farm, at the old
HISTORY OK PERRY COUNTY. 237
house a few rods above the big spring. The Comh's were ot" Qiiaker
ancestr}'. and originally came from Pennsylvania. James Comly fn'st
settled in Pickaway count}', not far from Circleville, but the family were
constantly sick, and while the husband was bed-fast with malariaf fever,
of long duration, the farm was sold and the family removed to Perry
county, and bought, as already related. It is a singular fact that Mr.
Comly, atler recovering from his long illness, had not the slightest
recollection of selling his Pickawa}' land or of signing the deed. The
principal negotiations had, in fact, been made b}^ the wife and mother,
although it was supposed, of course, that Mr. Comly understood and
sanctioned all that was done. He never had any disposition to disturb
titles, however, and the purchasers remained in quiet and undisturbed
possession.
New Lexington was named after the immortal Lexington, of Revo-
lutionary fame. The original town plat consisted of only sixty-four
lots, containing one fourth of an acre each. The town had three paral-
lel streets. Main, Jackson and High ; there were also two alleys, east
and west. The trees had been felled, but the lots and streets were full
of stumps and brush. The lots were sold at public auction. An auc-
tioneer of some note, whose name was Gra}', was engaged to cry the
sale. Persons yet living, who were present at the sale, have a distinct
recollection of the auctioneer and some of the incidents of the sale. The
auctioneer had an oilv tongue and possessed the gift of gab, which traits
likewise distinguish some of his gifted successors. The town was cen-
trally located, declaimed the eloquent Gray, half way between all other
places, near the center ot what would be a New County, would eventu-
ally be a county town, and a place of commerce and consequence. After
an expenditure of considerable elocution, the lirst lot was sold for
twenty-five dollars. Some of the lots brought fifty dollars. The prices
ranged from twenty to fifty dollars, though some of the lots sold for less
than twenty. James Comly did not become rich b}' the enterprise of
laying out the town, but he probably made as much as he anticipated.
Jacob Barnthistle built the first house in town, on the lot where
Berkimer and Kishler's bugg}^ factory now stands. It was a good sized
dwelling house, built of hewed logs, and stood back from the street.
Barnthistle was a tanner. His tan-house and vats were on the lot where
Hixon Hunt now resides, just back of the Barnthistle residence. The
dewlling house and the old tan-house, were not torn doVvn until after
New Lexington had become a railroad and county town. The second
house, a dwelling, was erected on the lot now owned by John Smith,
The third house was built by Ezekiel Cheney, at the east corner of the
Public Square. Before it was altogether completed, it was sold to Jacob
Barnd. Esq. Elder of Somerset, opened the first store in the place.
Jacob Barnthistle started a Tannery, already referred to. Jacob Barnd
was a hatter by trade. He built a shop, bought furs, and manufactured
hats and caps tor the early settlers, and their numerous progenv' of boys.
He also kept tavern. His tavern sign read thus : "Temperance House,
by J, Barnd." It had no bar attached, and, in that respect, differed
from nearl}' all other taverns of the period. In a short time a carding
and fulling mill was put up on the south corner of the Public Square,
directly opposite the Barnd tavern. This mill had an immense wheel,
238 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. '
and was run by horse or cattle power. Smith Riley and Alexander
Brown run the factory for a number of years. The village soon boasted
of a sawmill, grist-mill, carding and fulling-mill, store, tavern, postoffice,
tannery, church, school-house, blacksmith shop, hat shop, shoe shop,
and about a score of dwelling houses. It grew ver^' slowly, however,
until about 1840, when it appeared to receive a new impetus, increased
more rapidly in population and business, and, not long after that date,
became a corporate town.
As has been hereinbefore related, the original town plat consisted of
only sixty-four lots, and, for twenty-seven years, there appeared to be
notliing like a necessity for an}^ addition. But the additions came on
in course of time, numerous enough. The fir.st was Bugh's anddition,
April 12, 1844 5 Fates' came next, September 9, 1845 ; Comly'stirst ad-
dition, October 27, 1849 ; Skinner's, January 17, 1850 ; Bastian's, March
6, 1854; Comly's new addition, June 15, 1854; Huston's first addition,
December 19, 1854; Bastian's Station addition, August 3, 1855 ; Roth-
ran and Mackin's, August 25, 1856 ; Railroad, March 5, 1857; Hous-
ton's second, March 17, 1857 ; Central, December 6, 1856; Northwest-
ern, April 15, 1859; Carroll's, April 25, i860; Comly's third addition,
March 6, 1868; Kelley's, March 8, 1871 ; North, August 21, 1872;
Northwest, June I, 1873; South, August 15, 1873; Kelley's second,
February 2, 1874.
These numerous additions exhibit, in a good degree, the growth and
expansion of the town since 1844. The population did not much ex-
ceed one hundred in 1840. It was 836 in i860, 954 in 1876, and 1,357
in 1880. These figures, however, do not include all that may very
properly be called the town. The corporate limits are, for some rea-
son, very much circumscribed. For example, all the flouring mills are
outside the corporate limits. The south side of Mill street is also all
outside. Some twelve or thirteen roads lead into the place, and for a
mile or more from the Court House, on almost every road, are scatter-
ing houses, and groups of houses, which, for all practical purposes, be-
long to the town, and these suburban residences are constantly on the
increase.
New Lexington now contains six churches, a post office, one union
depot, two telegraph offices, one opera house, one union school-house of
eight rooms, one female academy, three newspapers, one bank, three
flouring mills, one planing mill, door and sash factory, one hub and
spoke factory, one woolen mill, one foundry, corn and cob mill
factory, two wagon and buggy factories, three hotels, five dry goods
stores, two hardware stores, two drug stores, one drug and
jewelry store, seven groceries, two bakeries, two cabinet-ware
establishments, two tin shops, four shoe shops, two merchant tail-
oring establishments, one shoe store, five millinery stores, four
blacksmith shops, three ice cream and 03^ster saloons, three barber
shops, two book stores, two tutcher shops or meat stores, two livery
stables, one marble shop, two tanneries, one saw mill, one cigar factory,
and ten saloons, several of them with billiard tables attached. The
town also contains fourteen lawyers, five physicians and two dentists.
New Lexington has two railroads, the Cincinnati and Muskingum
Valley, and the Ohio Central. The principal streets are graded and
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 239
macadamized with "chert," a flinty stone found within and near the
corporate hmits, in great abundance. As a result of the natural lay of
the land, and the grading that has been done, the general drainage is
complete and satisfactory. The original plat, and much of the additions
thereto, are situated on a western spiir of the great Divide which is dis-
tant two or three miles to the south and east. Rush Creek flows at the
base of the spur on the north side, and Fowler's Run — a considerable
stream — on the south and east. These creeks unite about half a mile
west of the Court House, just outside the corporate boundary. Yerger's
Run — not quite so large as Fowler's — flows into the west end ot the
town from the north, and empties into Rush Creek about twenty rods
below the mouth of Fowler's Run. The town, in pursuance of the
laws of its growth, has overspread all the available part of the spur, and
has extended into and beyond the valle}- s ol Rush Creek, Fowler's
Run and Yerger's Run. The later improvements appear to be creep-
ing up the hill-sides to the summit of other spurs of the same great Di-
vide, to which reference has been made. Considerable building is in
progress, during the present season of 1882.
Lodges. — The New Lexington Masonic Lodge No. 250, was chart-
ered and organized in 1854, and has continued in regular working order
to the present time. New Lexington Lodge No. 241 of L O. O. F. was
organized in 1853, and continues to the present. The New Lexington
Division of Sons of Temperance was organized in 1844, and was sus-
tained seven years, when it disbanded. The New Lexington Lodge ol
Good Templars was organized in 1866, continued six years and dis-
banded in 1873. A Lodge of Foresters was instituted a few years since,
but did not long continue.
A Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry was organized in New Lex-
ington in 1873, and continued for several years, but is now disbanded.
A Chapter of Royal Arch Masons has recently been organized.
Banks. — The First National Bank of New Lexington was organized
in 1872, and located in the Mackin building on the south corner of the
Public Square. The bank bought ground made vacant by the fire
of 1874, ^^^ erected the present bank building in the latter part of the
year named. The National Bank charter was voluntarily surrendered,
and the concern reorganized as a private bank of deposit and discount,
in 1877, under the name and style of Perry County Bank, and continues
to do business as such at the present time. The institution has, since
its organization, had the confidence of the public, and receives a liberal
patronage.
TheFarmers' and Miners' Bank was also organized in 1872, and
located in the room where the postoffice now is, in the Marsh block.
It did business for a year or two, then wound up its aff'airs honorably
and discontinued. The Perry County Bank is now the only one in
New Lexington.
The Fire of 1874. — '^^"'^ ^^'^ ^^ February", 1874, ^^^ one of the
most notable and certainly the most disastrous occurrence in the history
of New Lexington. The fire originated in Dr. A. White's drug store,
240 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
and, as the room was in a great part tilled with highly combustible ma-
terials, it was full ot smoke and flame before any one could enter. Dr. ,
White occupied the second story as a residence, and so quickly did the
fire spread, and break into the upper story, that several members of
the family barely effected their escape, without other apparel than their
night clothes. Horahan's block, in which White's drug store was situat-
ed, was a frame building. Jacob Nease occupied the basement story as a
billiard saloon. J. V. Ward & Brother's grocery store, and Dr. White's
drug store were in the second stor}^ on a level with the front pavement.
Dr. White occupied the whole upper story as a dwelling. •
There were screams of women and children heard, then cries of
fire, and soon all the bells of town were sounding the alarm. It was
about midnight, and all were in bed asleep ; but in an incredible short
space of time, it seemed that everybody was on the streets, for they
were crowded with men and women. The lire had made much head-
way, in fact had broken out with such force and volume as to almost
paralyze beholders, and it appeared as though nothing could be done to
stay the mad career of smoke and fire. The people stood everywhere
with buckets and water, but what could be done? There was a strong
gale from the north, and the flames quickly flew to the large produce
building of J. D. Webster, and then on to J. W. Montgomery's grocery
store, and the large new block in which P.J. Kelley lived, and also had a
large busisess room, just then vacant. Next to the P. J.€Celle3" prop-
erty, and between itand the Diller block, was a narrow alle}'^. Before
the advancing flames had reached the Kelley block, it was decided that
a strong effort should be made to stop the fire at the alley between Kel-
ley and Diller's. Diller's block was covered with carpets and fairl}-
drenched and saturated with water. The roof was full of men. brave
and strong, who constantly threw water on every part of the house, and
especially on the side nearest the fire. The water buckets were passed
up on ladders to the roof. All the while onward came the crackling,
roaring flames, and pushed their fiery tongues over into the alley, and
at last against the Diller building. Still the battle went on. The buck-
ets of water came faster and thicker, and were dashed against the side
or on the roof. The Diller block took fire and began to blaze, but the
blaze was drowned out, at first, only to come again and with greater
violence ; and then it was apparent that the battle was lost. The fiery
flames had won. Slowly and reluctantly the men retired from the root^
Some of them were so determined, that they had to be almost forced
away. Onward moved the devouring monster, and, in a ver}' short
time, the Diller building was all ablaze.
It was evident to those who were watching the fire and noting its
progress, that there was no chance of saving the houses between the
alley already referred to, and East Alley, some fifteen or twent}- rods
distant. This was a somewhat wider alle}^ and the last house next to it
was a small frame building, one story in height. Just across the alley
stood the large two-stor}- furniture establishment of J. C. Elder. It
was determined to tear down the one-story house, and keep the Elder
block as wet as water would make it. Axes, crowbars and pike poles
were brought into requisition, and the one-story house cut down and
pulled to pieces. A strong cable was attached to the different fragments,
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 24I
and scores of men laid hold and pulled the debris out of the reach of
the fire. There was no time to lose. Onward came the fire, sweeping
everything before it. The J. D. Bowman building, the Melo}' and Mil-
ligan furniture building, Mrs. Forquer's and Mrs. Lizzie"^ Colborn's
dwelling houses were in the track of the fire, and, of course, consumed.
The old one-stor}' house which was owned by Newton Thacker, was
hardl}- razed and pulled out of the way, until the fire was there with its
angry tongues, and threatening sparks and flames. It appeared to have
gained force and volume as it progressed, and fears were entertained
that it would leap across the space where stood the one-storv house, and
across the alley, and set on fire the Elder block. The Elder roof had
as many men on it as could work, and water was rapidly passed up the
ladders to them. It was for a time feared that the batde would be but
a repetition of the one at the preceding alley. Just here, and at a crit-
ical moment, when water appeared to be getting a little scarce, a
woman who was known to but few present, in a firm, commanding
voice, and apparently with authority, organized a new line for passing
water buckets, which did very effective work. As the names of none
of the other brave and efficient workers have been mentioned, hers will
not be either, though she was spoken of after the fire in terms of great
admiration. When the fire began to diminish, with the Elder building
still safe, and it became apparent that the destroying flames were at
last under control, cheers and shouts of jo}^ went up, the like of which
is seldom heard.
The houses on the opposite side of the street were very much blis-
tered, and the glass in manv of the windows and doors was cracked by
the intense heat, and onl}- the utmost vigilance and watchfulness pre-
vented them all from going. The wind carried the sparks and coals of
fire to a great distance, and several roofs were set on fire, but were put
out without doing any great damage.
The aggregate losses by this fire, in real estate and personal prop-
erty, were estimated at fifty thousand dollars. With the exception of
the first two or three buildings burned, the principal portion of the per-
sonal propertv was saved, much of it, however, in a damaged condi-
tion. The best blocks in town have since been erected on the burnt
district, but the space made vacant by the fire, has not yet all been
filled.
The Crusade. — The crusade began. in Janaar}-. 1874, '^^ Hillsboro
and Washington Court House, and soon after the wave struck New Lex-
ington. The first meeting was a night one held in the Methodist Epis-
copal Church. The house was filled to overflowing. Organization was
effected, and the next day a band of praying women, to the number of
seventy-five or eighty, set out from the Presb}- terian Church to pray at
the drug stores, saloons and all other places where intoxicating drinks
were sold. The drug store proprietors were not long in signing the
pledge presented ; then the praying, singing and visiting went on until
all the saloons had been visited. At night there was another large meet-
ing, this time in the Second Baptist Church. Progress was reported,
speeches and prayers made, and songs of faith and triumph sung. The
day and night meetings were continued for six or seven weeks, and the
26
242 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
saloons were visited daily by the praying band of women. One by one
the liquor dealers succumbed, until all but two had signed the pledge to
discontinue the selling of intoxicating drinks. The night meetings
were alwa3's crowded, and sometimes of thrilling interest. The com-
munity generally was wonderfully swayed and influenced, for the time
being. There is no room for doubt that the consumption of intoxica-
ting drinks was, for the time, much diminished. There was much op-
position to the proceeding, but the praying band of women was almost
universally treated with the highest respect and consideration. The
meetings at length came to an end, the old order of things gradually
resumed its accustomed sway, and the question of whether any perma-
nent good was done, is one upon which people will naturally differ in
opinion. The crusade itself, however, was a notable event in local
history.
New Lexington in 1838. — The following is from a pamphlet sketch
of New Lexington, descriptive of the town and environs, and some of
the habits and customs of 1838, when the place was only a small
village. The author of the sketch first describes the town as it then
appeared :
" We will begin at the noith end of Main street, on the western side.
This is a natural beginning point, and was the first lot sold at the origi- .
nal auction of town lots. On this lot, now occupied by the residence of
Edward Rose, stood a long frame or weather-boarded log house, with
the end to Main street. In 1838, or possibly not until the Spring of
1839, ^^ ^^^ occupied by H. B. Chappelear, as a residence and shoe
shop. Passing along the same side of the street, the next improvement
was on the lot where Dr. Taggart now resides, which was occupied by
William Courtney as a residence and chair shop. I think there was
some kind of a house on the lot where Mrs. Chenoweth now lives, but
whether occupied by Absalom Chenoweth, or some one else, I am not
positive. Soon after 1838 the present dwelling, now occupied by Mrs.
Chenoweth, was built by Absalom Chenoweth, her husband, now many
years dead. About where Mr. Holmes lives stood a log dwelling with
the end to the street, and occupied by Mrs. Grigsby, now Mrs. Grimes,
and living only a few rods from her old home. There was a small
frame, or weatherboarded log building, on the lot where the Central
House now stands, occupied at short intervals b}'^ different parties, but,
in 1838, James and Thomas Durban had their tailor shop there. Where
Motz's bakery now stands was a frame building, used by Eli Montgom-
ery as a cabinet shop. The place now occupied b^-^ the residence and
cabinet ware-rooms of J. C. Elder was occupied by a one-story frame
house. I can not state who lived in it, or whether it was occupied in
1838, unless as a ware-room by John Comly, who had a store in the
brick on the corner, the same now in use by Murtha & Lennon, as a
residence and grocery. John Comly was leading merchant of the town,
and did an extensive and profitable business in the old brick. The
brick building, and the frame adjoining just referred to, were soon after,
and for many years, occupied by George Chappelear as a tavern stand.
•* We pass to the corner now occupied by Edward Mackin. On this
corner lot stood the carding and fulling mill, run by Smith Riley and
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 243
Alexander Brown. These mills were run by horse or cattle power,
tramping upon an immense wheel. The carding machine was on the
corner, and the fulling mill about where Miss Green has her millinery
store. The fuller was a simple, rude contrivance, but, as the great
wooden blocks punched, pounded, and squeezed the woolen fabrics, the
village boys looked upon it as the most wonderful piece of machinery in
the world. Where now is Morehead's hardware store and W. A. Ma-
son's tailor shop, was a small one story frame dwelling, and a small
store room, both occupied by John Huston, who was a successful mer-
chant of that day. On the lot now owned and occupied by Joseph Wei-
land as a residence and meat store, stood the dwelling aud office of Dr.
Nelson Mason, the principal physician of the village. On the next lot,
now owned by John Smith, back from the street stood a log house,
occupied by Samuel Feigley as a dwelling. He soon after built the
frame that now stands on the street.
" On the next lot was situated the dwelling and cabinet shop of Rob-
ert Essington. The buildings were both small. Essington was an old
bachelor, and resided with his mother. On the next lot, bordering on
East alley, stood a two story dwelling, with a portico in front, and occu-
pied by R. E. Huston, who had just been married. George Rankin, a
merchant, had previously lived in the house for a number of years.
Across the alle3^ where Walter Rutter now lives, resided Mrs. Jane
Allen, a tailoress, who made up many good and satisfactory garments
for the citizens of that day. There was no other improvement until we
come to the corner where Dr. Swingle now lives. This was occupied
by Moses Daniels, who was a shoemaker, and "whipped the cat"
around the country, as well as carried on at his home.
" We have now arrived at the southern end of Main street of the orig-
inal town and the time of 1838. Let us cross over and go back on the
other side of Main street. The first improved lot we come to is the one
on the corner of Main street and East alley, now occupied by a carriage
shop, and other buildings. This lot contained a two story log dwell-
ing, situated directly on the alley, but back thirty or forty feet from
Main street. It was occupied by Jacob Bugh, a tanner by trade. He
had his tannery below the old schoolhouse, adjacent to what is now the
north end of Brown street. Directly across East Alley from where
Jacob Bugh lived was a small frame building, standing a little back
from the street, and adjoining was a small store room, with the front
end on Main street. This residence and store room was occupied by
Jesse Skinner. Mr. Skinner kept an assortment of goods and groceries,
and was postmaster, also. The next lot, adjoining what was then a
private alley, and the same on which Mr. Schofield is now erecting a
block, was occupied by Aaron Petty as a residence and blacksmith
shop. The dwelling was next to the allc}- and the shop on the opposite
corner of the lot. both, however, on Main street. Crossing the private
(now public) alley, we come to a large two story house, extending
across the front of the lot, with a wing facing the alley, which was a
public house, a tavern, kept by Jesse O. Piper. It was a log structure,
but weatherboarded, painted red, and was a respectable looking village
tavern. The next improved lot we come to, is the one on the corner,,
where the Horahan block now stands. On this lot stood "The Tern-
244 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
perance House, by J. Barnd," and another small building, used for a
hat shop, for Jacob Barnd was a hatter by trade. But, about 1838, he
abandoned the hat making business, and turned the shop into a cake,
candy, and notion establishment. The hotel building was only a story
and a half in height, the dining room small, and the sleeping rooms
not extensive, but it managed, for many years, to do quite a lucrative
business. What is now the park was, in 1838, a part of the public
square. Facing the square, and about where Overmyer's hardware
establishment is, stood a good sized log house, which was the home of
Mrs. Eckles, mother of Mrs. Julia Barnd. Mrs. Eckles lived to a great
age, and was well known all over the country. The front of the corner
lot was not built on until 1840. It is possible that the long and wide
one story frame, extending from about where Smith's store now is to
the north end of McArdle's property, was erected, or commenced, in
1838, but I think it was not built, or at least finished, until 1839. This
long frame edifice was designed for a tobacco warehouse, but the sud-
den death of John Comly, in April, 1840, changed the tide of affairs,
and it was eventually converted into shops, stores, and dwellings.
Crossing West Alley to where H. B. McLaughlin now resides, we fitjd
it occupied as a residence by Smith Riley. It was a story, or a story
and a half house, and was painted yellow. The lot where Mrs. ^Hick-
man resides contained a building, standing on Main street, that was
used some years as a blacksmith shop. About 1838 it was so occupied
by William Dempsey. Mr. Dempse}^ was an uncle of the celebrated
author and newspaper correspondent, Janairus McGahan, who died
recently, at Constantinople. The next improved lot we reach is the one
so long the residence of Eli Montgomery. I can not sav who occupied
it in 1838, but very soon after that it became the residence of Eli Mont-
gomer3^ The dwelling was a weatherboarded log structure, and was
torn away only a few years since, when Newton Thacker erected the
present nice and commodious edifice, now occupied by L. J. Jackson.
" This completes the tour of Main street, as it was in 1838. Let us
now pass down Water to Jackson. Going southward, on Jackson, we
find no house until opposite where the Second Baptist church now
stands. This lot was occupied by a two story log house, which, at dif-
ferent times, was the residence of several families ; but, in 1838, I think
Rev. Courtland Skinner lived there. Passing on, we find no more im-
provements until we arrive at the old frame schoolhouse, situated on the
east corner of the lot now occupied by John C. Smith. The school
building faces Jackson street. On the next lot, where William McCloy
now lives, was a log dwelling occupied by a man bv the name of Shed-
ron. He could speak no English, was a blacksmith by trade, and
worked for Aaron Petty. We have no further improvements until we
reach the lot where Hixon Hunt now resides. On this lot stood a large
frame building, known as the " old tan house." The house and lot had
been used as a tannery by Mr. North, but subsequentlv abandoned on
account of the water giving out. This old tan house stood for many
years, and was used for packing tobacco, as a barn, stable, workshop,
and particularly for the boys to play "Antony Over." We have no
other houses until we come to the corner lot now occupied by A. J.
Ward. On this lot was a log dwelling, in which lived William Van-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 245
wye. He continued to reside there until within a year or two of his
death, which occurred onl}^ a few years ago.
" We have now done with Jackson. Passing down Walnut to High,
and up High, the first house we come to is a story and a half log dwell-
ing, on the lot where Thomas Mains lives. This house, in 1838, and
for many years before and after, was owned and occupied by Alexan-
der Brown. Next, on the lot where Lloyd Whipps lived, stood a little
log house occupied by Mrs. Cheney, widow of Ezekiel Cheney. This
Cheney was one of the very first settlers of the town. He built the
original house on the corner where the Horahan block now stands, and
sold out to Jacob Barnd. Passing along High street, the next improved
lot we come to is the Presb3^terian Church lot. Here stands a large
frame structure, built only a year or two preceding, and hardly yet fin-
ished. It is near the center of the lot, and the entrance, instead of
being next to High street, is at the end next to the alley. But all
around was then a common, and people did not pay any great attention
to streets and alleys. From the Presbyterian church to Water street
all was a common.
"' The First Baptist Church, or the *' Old Porcupine," as some of the
young people nicknamed it, on account of the shagginess of the roof,
stood within a few feet of the site of the present building, now on Church
street, then simply a county road. It was a large log structure, with
a double door in the front center, a stairway leading to a gallery used
onl}'^ on extra occasions, and a high octagon sort of a pulpit, which was
reached b}' another stairway. There were regular services here each
" fourth Lord's Day and Saturday preceding," at the yearh' visitation
meeting, and on other special and irregular occasions. The congregation
was usually large, and was composed principally of the first settlers and
their descendants, mostly Pennsylvanians, but embracing also some
Virginians and Marylanders. The house was partially surrounded by
trees, and in front was a lawn. The Presbyterians and Methodists
also formerly worshiped here, but in 1838 the}^ removed to the new
Presbyterian Church, of which we will now speak. This edifice was
erected in 1836 or 1837, would seat four or five hundred persons, and
for several years was jointly used by the Methodists and Presbyterians.
A flourishing Sunday-school was in operation there in 1838, with Samuel
Carroll as Superintendent, and Robert Stewart, the public school teacher,
as Assistant Superintendent. Stewart was a man of correct deportment
and great piety, but he was not a member of the church, or of any
church, but -he was the power behind throne, so to speak — the real
manager and controller of the school. In the fall and 'winter season
there was nearly always a regular organized singing school at this
church. About 1838 Stephen Barnes, wlio had recently been County
Auditor, and Ira Carroll conducted a series of singings in the Presb}'-
terian Church, the largest and most popular, perhaps, ever held in the
town. There were sometimes over one hundred singers. Barnes
understood music and had a very sweet voice. The school used the
old Missouri Harmonist. There were man}- good singers belonging to
the school. The Harpers were all natural singers, and to hear them
sing at home was better than almost rny traveling concert. The Har-
pers, Browns, Wrights, Carrolls, Colborns, Wilsons, Kennedj^s, Davises,
246 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
Coddingtons, Skinners, Riishs, Fowlers, Barnds, Grimeses, Strawns,
Ashbaughs, Donaldsons, and many others, were represented in these
schools. Young people would oiten come six or eight miles to attend a
singing. There was always an intermission, which was devoted to
social conversation.
" The widow of James Coml}', the chief proprietor of the town, lived
in a story and a half brick, situated on the hillside, a little below the
house in which Mr. Maxwell resides, on Factor}^ street. It was a farm
house and outside of town, of course. The Comlys had three mills —
two saw-mills and a grist mill. The old saw-mill stood where now is
about the center of Morehead's stone quarry lot, on the waters of Skin-
ner's or Fowler's run. The stream is now sometimes called the Oxa-
woosie. This was not the natural course of the water, but a long
channel or race was cut and the water brought to the point. The old
mill did its last siiwing about 1839. T'l^e grist mill was quite a large
frame structure, and was situated on the waters of Rush Creek, about
where Mrs. Meenan now lives. It was run awhile as a water mill, and
then steam fixtures were attached. The steam power was not a success,
and the old mill was abandoned. It did not stand on the natural channel
of the creek, but a large race was made from near the old depot bridge
to the point where the mill stood. The new saw mill erected by John
Coml}^ stood on the natural channel of Rush Creek, just below where
C. H. Bailey now resides. Some of the old foundation timbers are yet
to be seen. In 1838 the mill was in very successful operation, and was
adding pretty rapidly, for those days, to the fortune of John Comly.
Comly's mill dam was large^^xtending over a good part of what is now
the south part of '• Limerick," and backing water often for a half mile
above town. The dam was a popular resort for bathing in summer, and
for skating and playing games of "shinny" in winter. It was an ex-
citing scene to witness a party of twenty-five or thirty play a sharply
contested game of "shinny" on the smooth, frozen surface of this dam.
The hill now occupied by the school property, Second Baptist Church,
and Sheriff Crosbie's residence, was a common, on which stood many
large oak trees, but the small under-growth and rubbish were all cleared
away. Menageries and circus shows pitched their tents here, and
public meetings of various kinds had for years been held there. About
1838, there was a large Fourth of July celebration on these grounds.
There was a long table and a free dinner, and a gay civic and military
display. The old Lexington Guards were in all their glory. I believe
there was no regular orator of the day, but there were numerous regular
and volunteer toasts, and they were gravely read and drank with a gusto
that cannot now be easily realized. The long table was surrounded by
guests, a reader was stationed at each end of the table, standing on it.
A toast was read at one end, a fleet-footed boy would run with it to the
reader at the other end, where it was read again. The Lexington
Guards would fire a salute, the old anvil would boom, and the guests
would all simultaneously rise, drink and halloo. And all this ceremony
was repeated with every toast. The reader has often heard about an
old-fashioned Fourth of July — this was one of them. It looked big to
the small boy who had not seen much of the world, but had read some-
thing of Lexington, Concord and Yorktown. On the evening of this
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 247
very day, or possibly a year later, the ladies got up a Fourth of July
supper. The supper was spread on improvised tables, beneath the ap-
ple trees adjoining Jacob Bugh's residence. All the families in town
who desired participated in this supper. It was a sociable affair, and
said to have been greatly enjoyed. Thus the people were sometimes
entertained forty years ago.
" There were few approaches to the town in 1838 as compared with
the present. One bridge across Rush Creek served for both the Somer-
set and Zanesville roads. It was situated six or eight rods below where
Henry Free now lives. Of course there was no iron bridge or any
bridge at that point, no depot bridge, and none where the bridge now
is at Arnold's mill. The families north of town, in the summer season
and when the creek was low, in going to school or church, often crossed
at the ford, near where Arnold's mill now is. A little later James J.
Wilson and sons constructed a foot-log, with hand railing, about forty
rods further up the creek, which was used by the families north of the
creek. The Lancaster road turned obliquely to the left from where
Shelley McDonald now lives, passing to the foot of the hill, then turn-
ing to the right and passing up the hill several rods south of its present
location. There was no road where Water street. Brown street, and
Western avenue now are. There was no traveled road where Mill
street is, no road where Main street is south of Walnut, and no road
where Fowler street is. The road leading south was on or near where
Church street now is. The Deavertown road came- in at the public
square, as now, but instead of winding around the hill and up the creek,
as at present, it led straight across Huston's big hill. The woods en-
vironed the town closely on almost every side. There were large trees,
as before stated, on the school-house hill, large oak trees close to the
old Baptist Church, heavy woods nearly all along what is now one side
of Mill street, and much of Kelly's addition and other parts of the town
were in woods in 1838.
" It will not do, in making this picture of the times of 1838, to con-
clude without giving the school-house and village school something
more than a passing notice. The old frame school-house has already
been located and partially described. The house was well furnished
for its day and a small village. There were good writing desks all
around the wall and securely attached thereto; long, hard, smooth
benches stood by them for seats. There was also an inner circle, or
square rather, of these same benches for smaller pupils or those w^ho
did not write. There was also a teacher's seat and desk stationed in
the north corner of the room. A large stove ih the center was not a
very nice ornament in the summer, but was very useful in winter.
Robert Stewart was the teacher in 1838 and for many years before, and
for several years after, with but slight intermissions. He must not be
confounded with the well-meaning but poorly educated old-time teacher.
Stewart was educated at an academy in his native country, Ireland, and
began teaching at the early age of sixteen years, attending school and
teaching alternately until he had completed his education. He taught
a few years in the old country and then came to America, and finally
settled down permanently in New Lexington. How he came to settle
down in the then obscure village is, to the writer, something of a mys-
248 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
tery. He was a perfect gentleman, dressed neatly and scrupulously in
broadcloth, with polished hat and boots, and habitually carried a hand-
some cane. He was most thoroughly educated in the common branches
of learning, and in penmanship could surpass any of the teachers of
Perry county that I know of to-day. I think he had some knowledge
of the dead languages, but he was not a man to show off in anything,
and he never had any real occasion to air his Latin and Greek. He
was very methodical and exact in all his ways, and it was absolutely
painful to him to see a crooked row of figures, or a crooked or slanting
line across a slate, but he was compelled to endure a great many of them.
Young men and women frequently came for miles to his school, partic-
ularly in the summer time, when it was not crowded with resident pupils.
" Stewart had a way of dismissing school in the evening that I never
saw or heard of at any other place. When study and recitation ceased,
he named a girl and boy to quietly distribute hats, bonnets, shawls,
baskets and buckets to their proper owners, and when this was ac-
complished, he would stand up and say, "Good evening, girls," and
the girls would quietly pass out; then he would say, "Good evening,
boys," and the boys would go out in the most quiet, orderly manner.
This quiet and with him impressive way of dismissing school for the
day, was strangely at variance with his mode of dismissal for noon, for
then he would look at his watch and simply say, " You may have your
dinners," and some of the boys would be eating lunch before the teacher
had his watch returned to the fob. The signal for books was the teacher
standing in the school-house door, holding up his pocket handkerchief
at full arm's length. No gong or bell could start the boj-s in the direc-
tion of the school-house door -with more rapidity than the simple eleva-
tion of this bandana.
" We will call the roll of pupils for a random day of 1838, and then
bid the village school good-by. Almost all are far awa}^ some are
dead, and others are near at hand, but no longer answer to roll-call as
lads and lasses, pupils at school : John Wilson, Oliver Wilson, Calvin
Wilson, Hiram Wilson, John Davis, James Davis, Jane Davis, Sarah
Kennedy, Davis Kennedy, Ephraim Colborn, David Hull, Hannah Jane
Carroll, Sarah Carroll, Isaac Fowler, John Fowler, Charles Banks,
Mary Banks, James White, Melvilla Skinner, Loxley Barnd, Sarah
Barnd, Horatio Mason, Simeon Petty, William Petty, Ralph Spencer,
Levi Reynolds, Mar}' Reynolds, Jacob McClellan, John Wilson, Martha
Wilson, Eleanor Huston, William Huston, James Johnson, James Coml}-,
Sarah Comly, Jacob Brown, Phoebe Brown, Anna Brown, Sarah Jane
Groves, John Vanwye, Isaac Hankinson, A. M. White, Ann W^hite,
Sarah Daniels. This will do for an average day of the New Lexington
village school, in the fall or winter of 1838."
Bristol (first called Burlington) was laid out in September, 1816,
by Samuel Smith and Jacob Hollenback, and is the oldest town in the
township. It is situated on the "Old Marietta Road," which was a
road leading from Lancaster to Marietta. Bristol is about three miles
south of New Lexington, on the road leading to the old town of Straits-
ville. The post office was first called Burlington, and was the first post
office in the south part of the county ; subsequently the name was
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. ~ 249
changed to Pike, and the town itselt from Burlington to Bristol. The
post office was finally discontinued, when Maholm, on the Newark,
Somerset and Straitsville railroad, only half a mile distant, ^^as estab-
lished. Burlington and Bristol never grew much, though the town was
nearly always had a tavern, a store or two, physician, and a few shops
of one kind or another. It now has two churches. Baptist and United
Brethren. The school house is a half mile from the village. Consid-
ering the old town and the new one at the railroad station as one, it is
larger and of more importance than in former years. There are large
coal works at and near the station. The population of Bristol in 1880
was 116. This probably does not include the town near the station.
DicKSONTON — Dickson ton was laid out in 1875, by George Detwiler
and W. H. Price. It is situated in the extreme southern part of Pike
township, and has about one hundred inhabitants or upwards, though
the census of the place is not taken separate!}'. The people are en-
gaged principally in mining coal and iron ore. The village contains
a store and post office. A school house is in contemplation. The
town is chiefly noted as being the residence of "John Hancock.'" a
humorous writer for the county papers.
Miscellaneous. — The dread of getting bewildered, "lost,"' or
"turned round," as the trouble was variousl}'^ expressed, was not an
uncommon one with the pioneers, and any person who ever went
through the mental and physical strain, has not the least desire to have
the experience repeated. While John Fowler was yet unmarried, and
passing his Sabbath at the home of James Thrall, on the south bor-
der of Clayton township, one Sunday morning, before breakfast,
he espied a deer passing near Thrall's house, and hatless and shoe-
less, and in his shirtsleeves, quietly took down the gun and followed
after it, hoping to get a shot at it somewhere in the woods not far away.
He pursued the deer, after the manner of hunters — watching, lying in
wait, and following up — nearly all day, until toward evening he dis-
covered that he had lost his bearings, and was sadh^ bewildered. He
started in what he thought was the direction of home, but could make
no progress in getting out of the woods, for he could tell b}^ a ver}- large
tree that was blown up by the roots, and other land-marks, that he was
traveling in a circle, instead of a straight line, as he desired. He thinks
he passed the big blown up tree more than twenty times. He would
frequently strike out with the determination to walk in a straight line,
but invariably came upon the large uprooted oak. He did not know
how many miles he had wandered from home, could not form an idea
where he was, and was sure his was a very bad case of "lost," and he
began to weaken. Despairing now of getting out of the woods without
assistance, he climbed a convenient, accessible tree, and hallooed with
all his might. He met with no immediate response, in any way, but
believing it to be the most likel}^ way to obtain aid, he held on firmly
to the tree, and continued to halloo. The brothers Robert and John
Colborn, who were in the woods that day, heard the frightened outcry
of some one, evidently in distress, and answered. The shouts were
repeated, and following in the direction from which they came, they
250 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
found John Fowler in the tree, pale, anxious and well nigh exhausted.
He could not descend from the tree without assistance, and, when plac-
ed upon the ground, could not stand. He soon rallied, however,
"turned round" right once more, and was himself again, except that he
was very weak and hungry. Fowler was not a man to scare at trifles,
but it was the sickening, despairing''"turn round" that overcame him.
The scene of Fowler's "lost" experience was up near the tunnel, on the
C. and M. V. railroad, thongh he supposed that he had wandered
much farther from home.
Jacob Barnd and wife emigrated from Cumberland, Maryland, to
New Lexington, Ohio, in 1817, and bought an unfinished house from
Ezekiel Cheney, situated at the east corner of the public square. Benj-
amin Coddington and family had emigrated from the same part ot
Maryland, a year or two before, and lived where Isaac Vansickle now
resides. The Coddingtons and Barnds had been acquaintances in Mary-
land, and, in a few months after the Barnds came out, Mrs. Codding-
ton made a turkey roast, and invited the Barnds out to dinner. It was
a forthwith invitation, and Hannah Coddington, a girl about fourteen
years old, was entrusted with the important mission. Mr. Barnd, for
some reason could not go, but Mrs. Barnd prepared at once to accept
and return with Hannah Coddington. They soon started off' along the
narrow path, through the dense woods. They got over in the neighbor-
hood of Rehoboth, and turned back to try another path, but soon found
themselves at New Lexington. Miss Hannah thought she knew the
way now well enough, and off* the two started again. They had not
proceeded far until they heard the sound of a woodman's ax, and when
they came up to him, they found it was John Fowler. He accompanied
the ladies to a spot near where S. S. Avery now lives, and put them on
the Coddington path. They reached the place in safety, and though
the turkev had been waiting for some hours, their appetites were all the
keener, and the dinner was good and much enjoyed, and old Maryland
and Pennsylvania matters fully talked over. There was a crossing of
paths a little east of New Lexington, and there is where the lady pe-
destrians were turned out of their way.
Tradition has it that an Indian was killed in this township, sometime
after the county was settled by the whites, and after New Lexington
was laid out. This Indian is represented as a not very agreeable per-
son, though he probably did no one any serious injury. He remained
about New Lexington for awhile, and started off" to the southeast. It
was alleged that he was followed by men, who had suffered much by
Indians in Pennsylvania or Virginia, and had sworn vengeance against
the race, and killed, and his remains buried at a point not far from the
Brier Ridge tunnel, on the Ohio Central railroad. If the bones of the
lone Indian should, in any way, be unearthed, at some future time, this
tradition of his death will serve to explain what might otherwise be con-
sidered a great mystery.
The population of Pike township, by the census of 1880, was 3059,
and has been steadily increasing since that time.
"Aunt Peggy Wright." — Margaret Wright, wife of Thos. Wright,
was one of the first pioneer women of Pike township, was a representa-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 251
tive woman, and the last of all of them to pass from time to eternity.
She died in 1881, at the age of 92, On her ninetieth birthday she was
hearty and lively, and there was a great surprise gathering at her resi-
dence, two miles east of New Lexington. A representative of the Perry
County Democrat, who was an invited guest and present, gave the fol-
lowing interesting account of the rare and memorable occasion :
"Mrs. Wright had been informed that some of her neighbors and de-
scendants would call upon her that day, but she was kept in ignorance
of the magnitude of the affair, until it gradually developed to her vision.
Children, grand-children and neighbors began to gather early, and, a
little after nine o'clock, carriages and buggies began to roll in from a
distance. Descendants and other relatives from Clayton, Madison,
Reading and Hopewell townships came across by the Rehoboth road ;
and the numerous guests from New Lexington came pouring out the
Deavertown road. The barn-yard and public road were crammed
with horses and vehicles, and the large house was full up stairs and
down with the assembled guests. Half a dozen good coal fires were
booming, and the stairway leading from the first to the second floor was
frequently blocked by persons eager to go up or down. The New Lex-
ington Cornet Band appeared on the scene about eleven o'clock, and
regaled the assemblv with several of their choicest airs.
" Dinner was announced a little after twelve, and continued until after
three. Tables were spread in the dining I'oom and on the two back
porches. The}^ were literally crowded with everything good to eat, and
the display of large fine cakes could not easih^ be excelled. Even the
good old crullers and 'tanglebreeches' were not absent. One ol Aunt
Peggy's great-grand-children, (about thirty years of age,) alter eating a
bunch of the 'tangles' nearly as large as his head, remarked that they
tasted ver}^ good, but were 'thin diet for a laboring man-.' It was a lit-
tle cool on the porch, of course, but the jokes and hot coffee flew thick
and fast, and the dining was well done. " Every once in a while, all the
afternoon, ladies were running around trying to find somebody who had
not eaten. The day was given to hand shaking and general conversa-
tion, and the time was well occupied. Several attempts were made to
count the number of persons present, but they failed of complete success.
Those who tried it could count until they reached about two hundred
and seventy-five ; but the remainder jumped around and ran up and
down the slaii's so they could not be numbered. It is safe to say there
were three hundred present.
" Aunt Peggy was, apparently, about the least surprised of anybody.
She was highly pleased, but was as calm and collected as though none
but the members of her own immediate family were in the house. She
was in the best of health, and got up and dressed herself belbre seven
o'clock. When told by some of the friends that they feared such a
large crowd might make her nervous, she promptly replied, 'don't be
the least alarmed ; I am not one of the nervous kind ;' and it cannot be
denied that she understood herself perfecdy. She received many of her
friends standing, and seemed not at all fatigued in doing so. She knew
almost everybody that she had ever seen, and readily recognized some
persons that she had not met for nearly thirty years. She resides with
her son Jackson, at the old family homestead, in a large two story
frame house, erected about thirty-five years since.
252 HISTOrY OF PERRY COUNTY.
"Dr. Vanatta and family, and daughter Clara and family, from Un-
iontown, Muskingum county, were present. Mrs. Vanatta, the oldest
daughter of the late William Williams, of Madison township, Perry
county — looking almost as 3'oung and well as when she came to New
Lexington a bride twenty-live years ago — played the exceedingly inter-
esting part of grandchild and grandmother, in the same act. The Dem-
ocrat representative knew enough about the world to realize that he was
looking upon a very rare scene, as Mrs. Vanatta sat beside her aged
grandmother, and called her own two little grandchildren to her side.
It is seldom, indeed, that five generations are gathered, at the same
time, under one roof, as on this memorable day."
Sketch of Aunt Peggy, — Margaret Ankeny, who, for fifty years
or more, has been known in all this neighborhood as Aunt Peggy
Wright, was born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, December 13th,
1789. Her father's name was David Anken}' ; her mother's maiden
name was Elsie Ritter. Margaret Ankeny was married to Thomas
Wright, December 25th, 1809. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs.
Wright lived in Pennsylvania seven ^-ears, and until the}- had three
children. They then pulled up stakes at the old home, and removed to
what was then Muskingum, but what is now Perry county, Ohio. They
moved family and goods in a four-horse wagon, and were three weeks
on the way. It rained every da}^ of their journey but three ; and they
ate their meals and slept in the wagon. • They crossed the Muskingum
river at Zanesville on a flat boat. They halted in Putnam and got
breakfast. There was only one house in Putnam. Mr. Wright rent-
ed a farm in Madison township. The farm was on the State road, near
where David Ream now lives. They arrived there in April, 1813,
raised and saved a crop, and then came to the farm where Aunt Peggy
has ever since lived, and which Mr. Wright purchased. She has resi-
ded on this spot for sixty-six years.
When Mrs. Wright and her husband came to this place, and un-
loaded their world's goods, neighbors were few and tar between, and
the almost unbroken forest abounded with many kinds of wild game.
Deer, bears, panthers, wolves, wild cats, and other animals had their
home and habitation near. There was onl}' one family living on Bear
Run ; William Fowler lived near where Moxahala now is ; John Fowler,
Samuel McClellan and James Comly lived where New Lexington now
is, and there were two or three houses close to where Rehoboth now is.
Rehoboth and New Lexington were not laid out.
A bear once came and took a fat hog out of the pen near Mrs.
Wright's house, killed it and hid it in the leaves. The bear returned in
a few days and got another hog from a man by the name of W. Lash-
ley, who lived where W. Hammond ~ now lives. The neighbors were
aroused and all gathered in with guns and dogs. Uncle Thomas
Wright had two bullets in his gun, and as the bear raised up from the
dogs, he fired and killed it. They hung it in Lashley's house, raised
the puncheons of the floor, and skinned and cleaned it in there, and
then divided the meat. When Jeremiah, one of Mrs. Wright's older
children, was a small boy, he was sent to a neighbor's, beyond Reho-
both, to get a cheese hoop repaired. On his return, when he got to
where Nugent's coal switch is, and only about a quarter of a mile from
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 253
home, he espied two cub bears, and, boy like, tried to catch them, when
the old bear raised up behind a log, and put its front feet upon it. —
Jerry made tracks fast enough toward home, and raised the alarm. Sev-
eral men gathered with guns and dogs, and run the bear down on the
creek close to where Ira Carroll now lives. There the bear climbed
a tree. The bear was shot and tumbled to the ground. Ever since then
the creek near wiiere the bear was killed has been called Bear Run.
••Aunt Peggy has been the mother of eleven children, and raised ten
of them. She has eighty grandchildren and about seventy-live great-
grandchildren. She has also five descendants of the fourth generation.
Seven of her children are yet living, to-wit : Jackson Wright, Calvin
Wright and Julia Selby. wife of Thomas Selby, of the vicinitv of New
Lexington ; Mrs. Mary Williams, widow of the late William Williams,
of Madison township. Perry county : David Wright and Charlotte Yost,
of Missouri : and James Wright and Susan Carroll, wife of Benjamin
Carroll, of this place. Children, grandchildren and great-grandchild-
ren are inter-married with the families of Williams, Selby, McClung,
Wilson, Carroll, Groves, Yost, Ream, Vanatta, Arnold, Teal, Moeller,
Snider, Hull, Colborn, Bright, Snell. Eversole, Zeigler, Guy, Barnes,
Koons, Hammond, and fully as manv more, not known or not now re-
membered b}' the writer. So it will be readily observed, that a reun-
ion of Aunt Peggy's descendants could be no small affair.
'• She united with the New Lexington Baptist Church in 1823, and
was baptized in Comly's mill dam. close to where H. N. Free's new
store house is. Rev. James Skinner was the pastor of the church at
that time, and administered the ordinance of Baptism. She attended
meeting at the residence of the late Samuel Rush, one mile southwest
of town, where Mr. Nixon now lives, and carried her baby, a distance
of three miles from home. She said she would rather walk than bother
with a horse.
'•Aunt Peggy is accustomed to say that those early pioneer days were
the happiest of her life, when she had plent}' of work to do, and the
will and the strength to do it. She used to milk twelve or fifteen cows,
and made plenty of butter and cheese. She was a liberal feeder of her
stock, and she says that her ' calves didn't go around with tails like chest-
nut biu's." She pitched wheat and taught her husband how to build the
first wheat stack he ever made. She had learned that at home when a
girl. She would take her child to the field and lay it on a bunch of flax,
while she was engaged in pulling and saving the crop. For several
years she did all the sheep shearing. On one occasion she got break-
fast, did up her work, clipped nineteen sheep in the forenoon, and went
to the house in time to get dinner for the men.
'•Thomas Wright, the husband of Aunt Peggy, died July 5th, 1864,
after which she kept house about one year, and then got her son Jack-
son to move into the house with her.
"Rushs, Coddingtons, Hulls, Skinners, Thralls, and a number of
other families came to the neighborhood soon after the Wrights moved
down from Madison township. Mrs. Wright has one brother 3-et living.
His name is David Ankney, and he resides on the old home place in
Pennsylvania. i\unt Peggy thinks that she is stouter than any of her
daughters or granddaughters yet. She never had any trouble with her
254 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
neighbors, but always lived a life of peace, neighborship and'good will.
She says she always made it a point never to ' fuss with the old man.'
When things did not go to suit her, she 'just shut her eyes like an ox
and went straight ahead.' It is seventy years this month since Aunt
Peggy was a bride, and she lived with her husband nearly fifty-six
vears, though he has now been nearly sixteen years gone to his eternal
rest."
"Grandmother Barnd." — Next to "Aunt Peggy Wright,"
"Grandmother Barnd" was the last of the pioneer women of Pike
township to depart this life. She was another representative woman,
and one who is widely remembered. She died in 1880, at the age of
eighty-six. The following interesting facts are gleaned from an obitu-
ary sketch published in the Perry Cotmiy Democrat :
"Julia Ann Eckels was born at Cumberland, Maryland, February 9th,
1794. She was married to Jacob Barnd, December 26th, 1815. They
emigrated to New Lexington, Ohio, in 1817.
" Their removal from Cumberland to this place was not an easy task,
under the circumstances. They brought no wagon, and only one horse.
We believe they had two little children at the time, and also brought
some light personal and household effects. Mr. Barnd, of course,
walked nearh^ all the way. New Lexington had just been laid out,
and a few log houses erected. Mr. Barnd bought an unfinished log
house, situated on the corner where the Horahan block now stands.
The house had been erected by Ezekiel Chaney, and was purchased
from him. Chaney was one of the first men that lived in the town.
The writer has often heard Mrs. Barnd describe the place as she rode
into town to her new home. The trees had been cut on Main street,
and the timber cleared away ; but the brush had been piled flat, all along
the street, preparatory to being covered with earth, so as to round up
the street. But the brush was not covered for some time.
"When Jacob Barnd and wife came to Ohio, Christian Barnd, a
brother of Jacob, lived on the farm now owned and occupied by Curtis
Rugg, a mile or two northwest of town. Sometime in the summer of
1817, two other brothers came to Ohio, and visited Christian and Jacob.
We have heard Mrs. Barnd describe how she wanted them to come,
yet dreaded their coming for they had no table, no chairs, and but very
little of anything else. A rude table was improvised, and three-legged
stools were made. She secured a wild turkey, got some potatoes of a
neighbor, and she had a cow, and milk of her own, if we remember
right. So the dinner was prepared, and, after all, was good enough
for anybody. The brothers were very jolly, as they sat around the rude
board, and enjoyed their dinner, the last they ever all ate together.
"The log house on the corner was weather-boarded, raised in height,
and additions built to it, and it became the famous " Temperance House,
by J. Barnd," and as such was very favorably known to travelers and
sojourners. Jacob Barnd was a hatter by trade, and he, for a long time,
carried on a shop, but finally abandoned the business. He died in
1856.
" Mrs. Barnd united with the Old school Baptist church, and was bap-
tized by Rev. James Skinner in 1819. At that time no Baptist church had
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 255
been built in this place, and Mrs. Barnd went, once a month, afoot, and
carried her baby, to attend church, near where Henry Hazleton now
lives, at the mouth of Shawnee run. She would go Saturday and re-
turn Sunday afternoon. She united with the Second Baptist Church
thirty odd years ago. She was a regular attendant at church as long
as she was able to go anywhere. She lacked but two days of being
eighty-six years old at the time of her death,
" Grandmother Barnd was one of the last of the pioneer women, who
came to the town and neighborhood previous to 1820.. She had been
tenderly brought up in a town or city, and her people were well-to-do ;
but she hesitated not to start out on a lonesome journey into the wilder-
ness, and labor to found and furnish a new home. She did her part
nobly, and was highly honored and respected in every station of life.
Few persons will be more kindly or generally remembered when they
pass off the stage of action."
256 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
CHAPTER XXXII.
• PLEASANT TOWNSHIP.
Pleasant township was organized in 1850, from nine sections taken
from Bearfield, three sections from Monroe, three sections from Pike,
and one section from SaltHck township, and contains sixteen sections.
It is in the southeastern portion of Perry count^^ Ohio, bounded on the
north by Bearfield and Pike, on the south by Monroe and Saltlick, on
the east by Bearfield and Monroe, and on the west by Pike and Salt-
lick township. In size it is a fractional township, and next to the small-
est in the county. Coal township being two sections smaller. The
surface is quite undulating, the valle3'S being narrow, and the hills in
some portions are quite steep, but none reach a great height. Very
nearl}^ all the land is arable and produces well.
The township is well watered by small spring streams, nearly all of
which rise within its borders, the largest being a branch of Jonathan's
creek, which cuts a complete triangle from the northwest corner, by
heading at or near the central western border and flows east and north-
east, passing out a little east of the north central border. Although
the stream is small, on account of its narrow valley it at times consid-
erably overflows its banks, and in 1882 completely flooded Moxahala.
The streams flow from the northern part of the township, into the
Muskingum river, while those of the southern half flow into the Hock-
ing river. The dividing ridge passes just south of Moxahala over the
tunnel, and eastward in a zigzag line upon which Oakfield and Porter-
ville are situated.
The township is rich in mineral products, being underlaid with what
is commonl}^ known as the four feet vein of coal. Iron ore is tound in
many places in good paying quantities, and south of Moxahala a vein
has been' used from, that is seven feet in thickness. This is known as
the pot ore. Black band is more frequent but has been worked less
than the pot ore. Black band usuall}- appears at from eight inches to
eighteen inches thick, and yields about forty per cent iron. Pot ore
generally yields about forty five or fifty per cent iron. Pot ore is so un-
certain in its amount in one place, that it is seldom worked with profit,
and with little dependence. Black band lies in strata and is worked
with dependence and success. The coal now being mined is of a su-
perior quality, and all obtained from drifts. South of Moxahala, if the coal
is mined it must be by shafts, one or two of which are being sunk at
this time, 1882. There is one small shipping bank at North Ferrara.
The health of the township is extremely good, and upon account of
the undulations of its surfiice, they never sufler from miasmatic influence.
The hills are indeed picturesque, and are to the student an open
book of nature, from which the geological formations may be studied
without even the aid of a book or teacher.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 257
It is a splendid stock farming country — especially adapted to sheep
raising. Upon account of its mineral, the land is reckoned valuable, and
they who now own it laugh at the man who claims his fine valley farm
is worth more money than these hilly ones, although previous to the
development of this mineral wealth, it was freely acknowledged that
one acre of bottom land was worth three acres owned in these hills.
Thus we see, that natxjre's storehouse unlocks her doors slowly, but
surely to supply the wants of her offspring.
William Fowler was perhaps the first settler, who entered land in
section thirty, then of Bearheld township, in about 1814 ; and at that
time there was but one house between his premises and New Lexing-
ton, a distance of seven miles. Soon after him came the Biddisons, and
just after the Biddisons the Montgomerys.
Other early settlers were Reuben Tharp and his sons, Job and Wal-
lace Tharp, Lloyd Whipps, John Whipps, Thomas Ayers, John S.
Kelley, and others. A list of voters and tax-payers will be found in
Bearfield township, which will give all the other earl}^ settlers of the
township, as they were settlers as earl}- as 1818. They were most likely
from the eastern states; at least the majorit}^ of them. Fowler came from
Marj-land, upon horseback, and after entering his land, built upon it a
log cabin ; where he kept bachelor's hall for sometime before he was
married ; perhaps a year or so. In those days the privations were much
to endure, and it required a determined mind as well as muscular force
to withstand the hardships. The day of pack-saddles and wooden
mould-boards were in the height of their glory.
Going to mill then meant a horesback ride, a distance of twenty to
twentyfive miles ; a two days trip to Zanesville and return via cow paths.
The grist was fixed upon one horse that wore a pack-saddle ; this liorse
was led, while another one was rode. Corn and buckwheat were the
principal products at that time. Some wheat was raised, and also some
tobacco. All produce was cheap ; wheat was worth twentyfive cents
a bushel, corn fifteen cents per bushel, and was usually exchanged for
goods or any thing the farmer needed. Tea and coffee were scarce
articles and high priced. Buckskin breeches and moccasins were the
usual dress goods for mens' wear, while the women wore linen and
linsey of their own manufacture. House raisings and log rollings were
frequent.
The flesh of the wild beasts of the forest furnished the pots, while
their skins clothed the backs of the hardy, rugged frontiersmen. The
pioneer was reliable as a friend, and kind as a neighbor. The land
was generally taken up b}^ entry at $1.25 per acre.
The first water and horse mill was built about two miles below
where Moxahala now stands, and on the south fork of Jonathan's creek, in
about 1817, by Franklin Harris, where they ground corn and buckwheat,
and also some time afterward arranged for sawing. It went into
the hands of Thomas and Robert Porter, who owned it until it fell down,
killing a boy by its falling. It has not done any grinding since about
1842. One of the Biddisons built a saw-mill where Moxahala now
stands, which run only about ten years and went down. It was built
about 1842. On the Fowler farm. Joseph and Henry Fowler built a saw-
mill about 1847, which was used until about 1867. West of Moxahala,
S7
258 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
William Biddison, Jr., built a saw-mill about 1842, which was kept in
use until 1880, when it was finally abandoned. There is now no mill
in Pleasant township, that is in use. Portable mills have done their saw-
ing, for some years past.
Churches. — The oldest church of this township was the Old School
Baptist Church, and it appears to have been the pioneer religious society.
Although it was the oldest, it seems to have been one of weakness.
Being the oldest, it probably was organized about from i8i4to 1820. At
first they held services in dwelling houses, but at some date afterward,
built a church house where Oakfield now stands, in which they worship-
ed until some three or four years ago they disbanded. The only per-
sons now living who were members of this church are Mrs. Eliza Hall,
Mrs. Juliet Hartzell,, and Mrs. Marjory Conaway. The old church
house is still standing, in a dilapidated condition, and the cemetery is
still kept up.
The Methodist Episcopal Church was the second oldest church in
this community, and it would likely be correct to say it was a pioneer
religious body. The class worshiped at different places in the com-
munity previous to the building of a church. They once had a church
edifice in Oakfield, but more than twenty-two years ago they disband-
ed, and united with other appointments. There is now none of its form-
er members in this community. ,
The New School Baptist Church was organized in about i849,under
the pastorate of Rev. S. D. Alton, with about twenty members ; among
whom were Henry Fowler and wife, Mrs. Solomon Cauls, James
Spencer, Edward Minchall and wife, Evan P. Young and wife, Mrs.
Jamison and others. Jno. B. Holcomb was also a member and Deacon,
and yet remains Deacon.
Rev. S. D. Alton remained pastor for seven or eight years after the
organization, and has been succeeded by Rev. Louis Madden, Rev.
John Herbert, Rev. Benjamin Ferguson and a number of others. For
about one year past they have had no preaching. This church organ-
ized a Sabbath-school about 1873, and it has been kept up during the
summer season each 3'ear since, and part of the time during summer
and winter. There is now about thirty-five in regular attendance.
The Baptists bought a church that was formerly owned by the Dis-
ciple Church, a small frame building upon the site of their present
house, which they supplanted by a much larger one, and the one now
occupied by them in Oakfield.
The Disciple Church was organized in about from 1848 to 1852, by
Revs. Devore and Riley, who came from Sunday Creek to Oakfield
for that purpose. At one time they numbered some forty members.
This organization lasted only about two or three years, during which
time they built a small church house, where the New School Baptists
now have a much larger building, having previously bought the site.
The Presbyterian Church was organized in about i860, with about
fifteen members, as follows : Benjamin Green and wife, Cyrus Green
and wife, Robert Little and wife, Jared Rader and wife, Jane Little,
Susan Little, Matilda Little, Jno. Green, George Green and David
Brown and wife. Benjamin Green was Deacon. At first they met in
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 259
the Baptist Church, but in the same year of the organization, i860, they
built the present church house owned by them in Oakfield. They now
have about sixty members, and Jared Rader is Deacon, and James
Brown Elder. Rev. Ferguson was pastor at the time of the organiza-
tion, who has been succeeded by Rev. Robert Grimes, Rev. Charles
Duncan, Rev. William Reed', Rev. Hugh McBride, Rev. Charles
Taylor, Rev. Dudley, Rev. Charles Wallace, who is pastor now.
Sabbath-school was organized in 1874, by Rev. McBride, and the
first few years, met only in the summer season, but for some three years
past has been kept up all the year, with an average attendance of from
forty-five to fifty. At one time it numbered 150 scholars.
St. Pius Catholic Church was organized and the house built in about
1854, under the pastorate of Father Darchoe. .Some of the first mem-
bers were James Sheeran, Owen Slevin, Michael Riley, Jno. Riley, Mr.
O'Conner, Edward Meloy, Peter Carroll, James Carroll, Thomas Crad-
dock, S. W. Dillehay, William Bennett, Robert Bennett, WiHiam
Forquer, Washington Hillis, Edward Hillis and others. There is now
about sixty families belonging to this church. Father Heary is now
pastor. This church is situated south of Ferrara, near the township line,
in Section 24.
Mount Pleasant Methodist Episcopal Church, which is commonly
known as the Whippstown church, is situated in the very extreme
northwest corner of Section No. i, and was organized about 1840, un-
der the pastorate of Rev. McHutchins. In 1842 or 1843, they built a
log church house. Previous to this they met in private houses and barns,
often in the house of John Madden. The log church stood until 1871,
when it was replaced by the present neat frame house, under the pastor-
ate of Rev. Adamson. Some of the first members were Lloyd Whipps,
John Whipps, Thomas A3'ers, John S. Kelley, John Madden, and Anna
Whipps. John S. Kelle}^ seems to have been the leader. After Mc-
Hutchins, the pulpit has been supplied by the Ohio Conference. Sab-
bath-school was organized about thirty years ago, and has been kept
up ever since, during summer, and for four or five years past, the whole
year.
Towns — Oakfield was laid out by Job Tharp, in 1838. The land
was entered by Tharp's father, who gave it to his son. The first store
was kept probabl}'^ by J. P. Reed, who came there from Baltimore, Mary-
land. James Moore kept after Reed, and both kept where Albert
Tharp now lives. Robert Donaldson kept store at one time where
Robert Little now lives, and moved to where Jesse Smith now keeps.
Smith's store is the only store kept there at this time. Oakfield
is very pleasantly situated, in the southern part of Section 29, and upon
the dividing ridge of drainage that slopes both north and south. It has
about 130 inhabitants at this time.
Moxahala was laid out in 1873, by A. S. Biddison, and is situ-
ated near the central part of Section 30, and upon the Ohio Central
Railroad line. It has a population of about 375, a postoftice, three
general merchandise stores, two drug stores, two hotels and a blast
furnace, where pig iron is made.
North Ferrara is on the line between Pleasant and Pike town-
26o HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
ships, and that portion in Pleasant township was laid out by William
Wiggins, of Pleasant township. It is a very small village.
Schools. — The first school will be noticed in Bearfield township,
from which most of this township was taken. There are now six school
districts, all of which have good school-houses, three being brick struct-
ures and three frame buildings. The house in Moxahala is two story
and employs two teachers. There is enrolled in this township 264
scholars. At the election in the fall of 1882 there were 210 votes cast.
The present Justices of the Peace are William Spencer and George
liams. Thomas Longshore, Charles Carter and Franklin Grimes are
Trustees. Thomas Holcomb is Township Clerk.
Industries. — In the year 1877 the Moxahala Iron Company
built what is known as the Moxahala Furnace, and in January i, 1878,
it went into blast. It was built here because of the mineral, afforded in
this vicinity, to supply it. They use one-half native ore, one-fourth
mill cinder and one-fourth lake ore or hematite. They employ about
fifty hands, and run, upon an average, about forty-eight tons of iron
per day, but have a capacity of about fifty-seven tons per day.
There is a potter shop near the town of Moxahala that was built in
September of 1880, where they employ ten hands, and make all kinds
of stone or earthen ware, obtaining their material about one mile from
the pottery. They manufacture about 6,000 gallons per week, and in
December, 1882, increased to double that amount. At the Ohio State
Fair they took the premium, both on their wares and fire clay and pot-
ter's exhibit. The ware is principally shipped into the central and north-
ern parts of this State. Pleasant township has a population of 1053.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 261
CHAPTER XXXIII. ,
READING TOWNSHIP.
Reading township was probably authorized and named as early as
1804 or 1805, but the first record evidence of its organization into a civil
township, IS early in the year 1807. It derived its name from Reading,
Pennsylvania, and was named by Peter Overmyer, who came to the
township in 1802. Reading township was originally a part of Fairfield
county, comprised thirty-six sections, and was just six miles square ;
but when the new county ot Perry was organized, two rows of sections
were taken from Richland township and attached to Reading, in order
to give the new county the necessary number of square miles, and prob-
ably to make the western border of the county a little farther from Over-
myertown and Somerset, both of which villages aspired to be the seat
of justice for the new county. Reading township is now an oblong,
six miles from north to south, and eight miles from east to west. It is,
in extent of territory, the empire township of the county, and had no
rival in population, until within a few years, in which time Pike, Salt-
lick, Coal and Monroe have become competitors with it in this respect,
and two or three of them now surpass it.
Reading is, undoubtedly, one of the most desirable townships of
land in Ohio, and long years of cultivation and care make the o-reater
part of it show to the best advantage. About nine-tenths of it Ties on
the Hocking slope, and the remaining one-tenth on the Muskingum slope.
That part of it which is on the Hocking side of the divide, "is drained
by West Rush Creek and tributaries, and by some of the tributaries of
East Rush Creek. So much of the township as lies on the Muskingum
side of the divide, is drained by Hood's Run, and a few other small
tributaries of the north branch of" Jonathan's Creek, or Moxahala. The
land on both sides of the dividing ridge is naturally of excellent drain-
age, and only a very small percentage of stagnant water is ever known
within the township limits. Most oi" the land is undulating, and a part
of the southeast region of the township is hilly. The land" is about all
arable, and most of it is very productive. Coal is found in the south-
eastern part in great abundance and of excellent quality. There are
two or three seams in a part of the coal district, all of a good, merchant-
able quality. Iron ore is also very abundant in many places in the
southern part of the township. The ore has been mined and shipped,
to a considerable extent, and has been used witii success in furnaces at
Shawnee, Zanesville, Newark and other points. Some of the first coal
mined in the county, was in this coal district, and the first coal miner is
said to have been a colored man. The coal of this region found a mar-
ket in early times at Somerset, Rushville, Lancaster and other points
adjacent.
Nearly all the cereals are produced in Reading. Stock-raising and
262 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
wool-growing receive much attention. There are also good orchards and
vineyards, and the cultivation of many varieties of fruit has been
crowned with considerable success.
Many of the early settlers of Reading township were Pennsylvania
Germans, but large numbers of persons of English descent, from Penn-
sylvania and others of the older States, came along soon alter, and
made permanent habitations. The Germans settled principally in the
neighborhood of Overmyertown, while the emigrants of English de-
scent located mostly about Somerset, and in the eastern part of the
township. There were many exceptions to this, however, and Germans
were found near Somerset, and English speaking people in the vicinity
of Overmyertown and in the western part of the township. At a little
later date, from 1820 to 1830, there was a considerable emigration of
people of Irish birth or descent, who settled, for the most part, near
Somerset and to the south of it.
What now constitutes Reading township, was first permanently set-
tled in 180 1, in the western part, and it ma}^ be that a few other families
settled in other parts of the township in the same year. There are re-
ports of men living in the west part of what is now Reading township,
in 1799 or 1800, and it is possible that two or three persons did tempo-
rarily live there within those years ; but this could scarcely be called a
permanent settlement, and nearly all trace of these adventurers is lost.
What became of them appears to be unknown. Peter Overm3^er and
Peter Whitmer, brothers-in-law, came to Overmyertown in 1802, and
some other families soon followed, constituting quite a little colony.
Robert Colborn settled one mile east of Somerset, in 1802, and a few
other families came to the neighborhood of where Somerset now is,
during that and the following year. Frederick Heck appears to have
come to the neighborhood of Otterbein in 1802, and George Bowman
to West Rush Creek in the same year. Daniel Lidey also came to the
neighborhood of Otterbein about this time. Thomas Hammond came
in 1802 or 1803, and Fink and Miller, the proprietors of Somerset, in
1803 or 1804. But there is still an earlier settlement than any of the
foregoing.
Aaron Binckley, Esq., of Reading township, in response to an in-
quiry on the subject, writes: "My grandfather's name was Christian
Binckley. He came to Ohio in April, 1801, and settled on the farm
where I now reside, in section eleven of this (Reading) township. He
built a cabin about one hundred yards from where my house is. The
land was bought of George Arnold, who entered it a short time before.
Christian Binckley came from Washington county, Maryland, near a
place called Fankstown. He died in 1832, at the age of ninety-five
years."
This settlement by Christian Binckley, in the western part of Read-
ing township, is the earliest permanent one made within what is now
Perry county, so far as any authentic information can be obtained. The
place where Mr. Binckley settled, was originally in Richland township,
Fairfield county, but when Perry was organized, two rows of sections
were taken from Richland and attached to Reading, the section where
Binckley settled being included. It will be noted that Christian Binck-
ley was born in 1737, and he was a middle-aged man at the breaking
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 263
out of the Revolutionary War. He was sixty-four years old at the time
he emigrated to this part of the country, and must have been one of the
oldest men who ever came to this part of the western wilderness to hew
out a new home. Aaron Binckley, the great-grand-son who gives the
information, must be about fifty years old, and there are few persons of
that age in Perry county, the mortal remains of whose great-grand pa-
rents are interred therein. Very few persons ever emigrated to what is
now Perry count}^ Ohio, who were born so early as 1737.
The following named persons were citizens and voters in Reading
township, as early as 18 16 or 1817 :
Leonard Ream, Jacob Miller, Jacob Mains, Adam Anspach, John
Cassell, Jacob Dittoe, George Morris, John Beckwith, Thomas Neal,
John Beigler, Jacob Finck, John Hammond, John Finck, Sr., David
Beckwith, Thomas Cull, Joseph McNeil, Jesse McGowen, John Collins,
Peter Dittoe, George Witmer, Henry Heck, Philip Spohn, Benjamin
Anspach, Thomas Hammond, Charles Garey, George Trout, George
Kuntz, Tilden Philips, Michael Stoker, Jacob Spohn, Philip Spice,
Freeman, Isaac Pence, Daniel Parkinson, Frederick Mains, Sr.,
Jacob Walker, Joshua Roberts, Samuel Parrott, Samuel Ziegler, Sam-
uel Zartman, Jacob Downhour, Philip Lentz, John Burkhead, Adam
Binckley, Jacob Seniff, John Mains, Jacob Overmyer, Daniel Spohn,
James Harding, Adam Householder, George Crossen, George Brehm,
Jacob Noles, Daniel Lidey, Henry Stults, George Beckwith, John Wag-
ner, Frederick Mains, Jr., Philip Dupler, John Kuntz, John Cochran,
Robert Colborn, Lewis Brant, David Pugh, Frederick Kistler, James
Patterson, John McCormick, John Teal, Anthony Finck, Jacob Stein,
Roswell Mills, Peter Bugh, Sr., George Batson, Peter Whitmer, Wil-
liam Wright, Robert Barnes, William Keenan, John Beecher, Peter
Bugh, Jr. Joseph Bowman, John Little, John Miller, John Overmyer,
Henry Gray, John Braddock, John Harris, ](^\n Middagh, George Rich-
ards, Wesley Allwine, John Ream, George Miller, Thomas Reynolds,
Michael Bugh, George Bowman, Robert Skinner, John Yost, John
Moyer, John Finck, Jr., Myron Griffith, John Trout, Peter Overmyer,
John Bugh, Daniel Bowman, John Wilson, John Murray, George Over-
myer, John Stutz, John Green, James Elder, Abraham Yost.
As before stated, the first record of Reading township appears in
1807. The official proceedings of the officers for several years subse-
quent to that date, show in a better way than can otherwise be done,
the growth and progress of the township, and also, to a great extent,
the characteristics and peculiarities of the times.
The following extracts are taken from the official proceedings of the
Township Trustees, as recorded by the Township Clerk. The book is
now in possession of the present Township Clerk, Mr. A. A. Finck :
Reading Township, Fairfield County, O.,
May 30th, 1807.
The Trustees of Reading township met to give the Supervisors their
orders for making the roads of said township.
March 26th, 1808 — Jeremiah Conoway and David Pugh, Trustees of
Reading township ; Jacob Dittoe and Peter Overm\^er, Grand Jurors ;
and Robert Barnes, John Wagner, William Spencer and Hemy Sellers,
Petit Jurors.
264 HISTORY OF PI?RRY COUNTY.
April 14, 1808 — Township Clerk, George Overmyer ; Treasurer,
John Hammond ; Trustees, John Wagner, Joseph Fegruson, Thomas
Cowen ; Supervisors, Christian Deal, William Babb, Ludwick Riden-
our ; Fence Viewers, William Babb, John Finck ; Constables, William
Allaway, William Read ; Lister of Tax, David Ridenour ; House Ap-
praiser, Joseph Shafer.
May 2, 1808 — Overseer of the Poor, John Poorman.
March 6, 1809 — William Babb, Supervisor ot Reading township,
indebted to said township, $6. Order to Treasurer to collect above.
March 6, 1809 — Robert Barron, due to Reading township, for one
stray mare, $35.
March 6, 1809 — Benjamin Spencer, due to Reading township, for
some stray hogs, $10.
March 6, 1809 — John ^Binckley, due Reading township, for one
stray steer, $15.
March 6, 1809 — John Wagoner, Joseph Ferguson, Thomos Cowen,
Trustees of Reading township ; Jeremiah Conowa}^, Frederick Heck,
Joseph Bogle. Grand Jurors; Uriah Hull, John Cassell, Daniel Lidey,
Petit Jurors.
For April 2, 1809 — Officers of Reading township: Joseph Petty,
Treasurer; Daniel Lide}-, Robert Colborn, Supervisors ; John Poor-
man, George Souslin, Overseers of the Poor ; Jacob Miller, Jacob Dit-
toe. Fence Viewers ; Joseph Shefler, Assessor ; Christian Ream, House
Appraiser.
I do hereby certify that the above is correct.
George W. Overmyer, Clerk.
April 2, 1810 — Officers of Reading township elected: Trustees, Ja-
cob Dittoe, Peter Overmyer, Smith Goodin ; Township Clerk, John
Dittoe ; Supervisors, Jacob Miller, John Fiuk ; Constables, William
Reed, John Stiers ; Appraisers of Houses, John Parkinson, Benjamin
Johnson ; Overseers of the»Poor, George Souslin, Ludwig Brand ; Fence
Viewers, Jeremiah Conoway, David Hard}-.
August 6, 1810 — George Overmyer came before me, with his
certificate from the hands of the County Clerk of Fairfield, that he was
qualified a Justice of the township of Reading of said county.
October 20, 1810 — William Spencer and Smith Goodin came be-
fore me, with their certificate from the hands of the Clerk of the county
of Fairfield, Ohio, and give bonds for the true performance of Justice
of the Peace of Reading township. John Dittoe, Clerk.
Met and made settlement between the township and the officers and
issued orders on the township Treasurer, John Fink, one order of $6;
Jacob Miller, Supervisor of said township, $8 ; Jacob Dittoe, Peter
Overmyer, and Smith Goodin, Trustees of the aforesaid township, one
order each, and each one contained $3 ; and John Dittoe, Clerk of said
township, one order of $4.
April I, 1811 — State of Ohio, county of Fairfield: At an election
held for the township of Reading, the following men were elected for
township officers, viz. : Trustees, John Vanatta, John Yost, William
Spencer ; Township Clerk, John Cassell ; Treasurer, Joseph Petty ;
Constable, Jacob Overmyer; the Trustees appointed the above day:
John Collare, Supervisor ; Robert Colborn, Daniel Lidey, Listers ; John
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 265
Parkinson, Benjamin Johnson, Overseers of the Poor ; Daniel Parkin-
son, Benjamin Stiers, appointed by the Trustees as Fence Viewers.
April 8, 181 1 — Trustees met and laid off the township to Supervis-
ors in districts.
April 6, 1812 — State ot Ohio, county of Fairfield : At an election
held for the township of Reading, there were elected for township offi-
cers: Clerk, George Ziegler ; Trustees, John Vanatta, Wm. Spencer,
and John Yost ; Treasurer, Joseph Petty ; Constables, John Forsythe
and Jacob Overmyer ; Lister of Tax, John Parkinson ; Supervisors, Jno.
McLain, Jacob Dittoe ; Overseers of the Poor, Peter Overmyer, Jona-
than Loveberry ; Fence View^ers, Jacob Miller, George Souslin.
The Trustees met the i8th of April, 1812, and laid off the township
in districts to supervisors.
At an election held in the county of Fairfield and the State of Ohio,
for the purpose of electing township officers for the township of Read-
ing, the following men were elected : Clerk, John Murray; Trustees,
David Beckwith, Christian Deal, Peter Overmyer; Treasurer, Joseph
Petty ; Supervisors, Jacob Dittoe, Jonathan Babbs ; Lister, Daniel Park-
inson ; Overseers of the Poor, Peter Overm3'er and John Wagner ;
Fence Viewers, Jacob Miller and George Souslin; Appraiser ot Prop-
erty, David Beckwith.
April 8, 18 1 3 — At a meeting of the Trustees for Reading township,
county of Fairfield, Ohio, they divided the districts to each Supervisor.
These bounds the following line shall divide, commencing between the
3d and 4th sections, and running straight through the township.
David Beckwith,
C. Deal,
Peter Overmyer,
John Murray, Clerk. Trustees.
March 7, 1814 — $13. Sir, please pay to Jacob Dittoe thirteen dol-
lars, being his account against the township, allowed by us.
Order No. 7. Peter Overmyer,
David Beckwith,
Trustees.
March 7, 1814 — $17. Sir, please pay to Jonathan Babb the sum of
seventeen dollars, being his account against this township, as allowed
by us. Peter Overmyer,
David Beckwith,
John Mui^ray, Clerk. Trustees.
April 4, 1814 — At an election held in Reading township, for the pur-
pose of electing township officers, the following men were elected :
Trustees, John Vanatta, Roswell Mills, William Spencer ; Clerk, Jno.
Dittoe; Treasurer, Joseph Petty ; Supervisors, Jonathan Babb, J. Dit-
toe, and George Trout ; Constables, John Middagh and Tobias Ream ;
Listers, Daniel Parkinson and John Mains ; Fence Viewers, George
Souslin aud Jacob Miller : Overseers of the Poor, Frederick Heck and
Crist. Ream.
April 16, 1814 — The State of Ohio, Fairfield county, s.s.., Mr. Ros-
well Mills, John Vanatta, and William Spencer, Trustees, by virtue of
the power vested in us, by law, have laid out the township into three
districts : No. i beginning at Richland township, from thence east two
266
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
and one-hcilf miles east, north and south through the township ; No.
2, beginning at the east side of No. i, from thence one mile north and
south through the township ; No. 3, beginning at the east side of No.
2, from thence to Hopewell township. No. i to Jacob Dittoe ; No. 2,
George Trout; No. 3, Jonathan Babb, Supervisors. Given under our
hands and seal. John Vanatta,
William Spencer,
RoswELL Mills,
John Dittoe, Clerk. Trustees.
Orders being issued by the Clerk, in favor of John Hammond, for
one dollar, for services rendered as judge of an election on April 16,
1814. No. 14. $1. RoswELL Mills,
John Vanatta,
William Spencer,
John Dittoe, C7erk. Trzistees.
April 16, 1 8 14 — No. 15 ; Order being issued by the Clerk on the
township Treasurer, in favor of Tobias Ream, for one dollar, for serv-
ices and mileage in summoning the township officers.
Roswell Mills,
John Vanatta,
William Spencer,
John Dittoe, Clerk. Trtistees.
March 6, 1815 — At a meeting of the Trustees of Reading township,
held at John Fink's, there was made a final settlement with all town-
ship officers tor the present year: No. 16, George Trout, one year as
Supervisor, $3.50; No. 17, Jonathan Babb, one year as Supervisor,
$10 ; No. 18, Jacob Dittoe, one year as Supervisor, $7 ; No. 19, William
Tait, witness at an electton, $1 ; No. 20, John Vanatta, Trustee one
year, $4; No. 21, Roswell Mills, Trustee one year, $4; No. 22, John
Dittoe, as Clerk one year, $12 ; No. 23, John Dittoe, as Clerk one year,
$3 ; No. 24, Joseph Petty, Treasurer one year, $3.
The above is a true record of the settlement of the late year.
April 3, 18 15 — Poll Book of an election held in the township of
Reading, Fairfield county, Ohio, at the house of John Fink, in which
poll were elected the following township officers : Trustees, John Va-
natta, William Spencer, Roswell Mills ; Clerk, John Dittoe ; Consta-
bles, John Medaugh, Melshia Gray ; Appraisers, Peter Bugh, David
Beckwith : Overseers of the Poor, Joseph Shafer, John Wagner ; Treas-
urer, Joseph Petty ; Fence Viewer, Jacob Miller.
March 4, 1814 — At a meeting of the Trustees of Reading township,
orders were issued to the township officers for the present year, as fol-
lows :
No. 25, John Vanatta as Supervisor, $10.00; No. 26, Tubba Tay-
lor, as Supervisor, $12.00; No. 27, Robert Colborn, as Supervisor,
$5.00; No. 28, WilHam Spencer, as Trustee, $4.00; No. 29, R. Mills,
as Trustee, $4.00 ; No. 30, Jos. Petty as Treasurer, $3,00 ; No. 31 John
Dittoe as Clerk, $3.00 ; Trustees— John Vanatta, R. Mills, William
Spencer; Clerk— John Dittoe.
March 3rd 1816 — John Dittoe to Reading township, for taking up one
stray steer, four dollars ($4.00.)
April 1816 — An election was held in the township of Reading,
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 267
Fairfield county, Ohio, on the first Monday of April 1816, on which day
were the following township officers elected : Trustees, John Vanatta,
William Spencer, Peter Bugh ; Clerk, John Dittoe ; Treasurer, Joseph
Petty ; Constables, John Guisinger, John Medaugh ; Appraiser, John
Cassell ; Lister, David Parkinson ; Overseers of Poor, John Trout, Jacob
Theirs ; Fence Viewers, John Yost, Robert Skinner.
April 13th 1816 — At a meeting of the Trustees of Reading township,
John Vanatta, William Spencer, Peter Bugh Sen., Trustees.
Orders were issued for binding out poor children. No. 32, order to
Joseph Shafer of $2.00; No. ^^■i order to John Wagner of $2.00; No.
34, order to Joseph Petty of $1.00 ; No. 35, order to Roswell Mills of
$1.00. Trustees — ^John Vanatta, Peter Bugh, William Spencer. John
Dittoe, Clerk.
April 1817. — At an election held in the township of Reading, Fair-
field count}', Ohio, the tbllowing township officers were elected on the
first Monday of April 181 7 : township clerk John Dittoe ; Trustees, John
Wagner, Jehu B. Jones, Peter Overmyer. Constables, John Middaugh,
David S. Waters ; Supervisors, Samuel Kratzer, David Pugh, John
Trout ; Appraiser, Jacob Overmyer ; Lister, John Murray ; Overseers of
the poor, John Mains, Aaron Vanatta; Fence Viewer, Andrew Swine-
hart.
March 4th, 1818 — Trustees' office, Reading township. The following
orders were issued to township officers.
No. 36, Roswell Mills one order for his services for binding one
poor child and for clerking, $1.95 ; No. 37, John Middaugh for collect-
ing poor tax $2.00 ; No. 38, David Pugh services as Supervisor $2.72 ;
No. 39, John Dittoe services as Clerk $3.50; No, 40, John Wagner
services as Trustee $2.00 ; No. 41, Jehu B. Jones services as Trustee
$3.00 ; No. 42, Peter Overmyer services as Trustee $1.47.
Attest: Clerk.
August 15, 1818 — Trustees' office Reading township. Trusteesmet;
present, John Wagner, Roswell Mills, Jehu B. Jones. It is ordered
that a poor tax and township tax be laid on this township, in one tax for
the present year, and that the said tax be six cents on each head of
neat cattle over three years old ; twelve and one-half cents on each
head of horses, asses or mules, over three years old ; and on town prop-
erty, one-eighth of ©ne per cent, of the appraised value thereof. David
S. Waters is duly appointed collector of the above tax, to pay the
above tax into the Treasurer's office on or before the first day of Janu-
ary next.
No, 43 — Ordered, that David S, Waters be entitled to receive an or-
der for $1.94 for serving township summons on various persons;
No. 44 — Ordered, that Roswell Mills receive an order for his
services for the year 18 18 of $1.65.
March ist, 1818 — Trustees' office of Reading township. Perry
county — Present, Roswell Mills, John Wagner, Jehu B.Jones. Ordered,
that Smith Goodin receive an order for his services as Supervisor for
$5.66; No. 46, ordered that Daniel Lidey receive an order for his ser-
vices as Supervisor ot Roads for the past year, $6.32 ; No. 47, ordered
that John Murray receive an order for his services as township Clerk
for the year of 18 17 of $2,25 ; No. 48, ordered that John Wagner receive
268 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
an order for his services for the year of 1818, for $3.00 ; No. 49, ordered
that Jehu B.Jones receive an order for his services for the vear of 1818,
$1.00.
April 5th, 1818 — Ordered, that James Chrisdter receive an order for
keeping Miss Sliud while sick, $11.00.
April 5th, 1 8 19 — Poll book of an election held at the house of
Mr. John Fink in Reading township, on Monday the 5th day of April,
1819, for the purpose of electing township officers, viz. : Trustees, one
Clerk, one Lister, one Appraiser of property, four Supervisors, two
Constables, two Overseers of tlie Poor, two Fence Viewers, one Treas-
urer. The poll being closed the following officers were declared elected :
Trustees, George Trout, Adam Binckley, Daniel Lidey ; Clerk, John
Murray ; Supervisors, John Miller, Charles McCormick, John Yost,
Mathias Saum ; Constables, David S. Waters, Jacob Hundsooker ;
Overseers of the poor, Jacob Noles, Leonard Ream; Fence Viewers,
Jonathan Babb, William P. Darst ; Treasurer, John Dittoe ; Lister, S.
Waters ; Appraiser, Jacob Mains. Who were all sworn severally pre-
vious to their entering on the duties of their respective offices.
April 17th, 1819 — Trustees present, George Trout, Daniel Lidey,
Adam Binckley. Ordered, that the township be divided as follows,
viz. : John Yost to have two sections across the township from north to
south, on the east end ; Mathias Saum, two sections from north to south
next to the said Yost ; Charles McCormick to have two sections across
the township from north to south next to the said Saum's. John Miller
that part of Richland now attached to the township of Reading.
John Murray, Clerk.
July 31st, 1819 — Trustees' office of Perry county ; Reading township,
July the 31st. Present, George Trout, Daniel Lidey, and Adam Binck-
ley ; order that a tax be laid to open and repair roads and highways,
which tax is the one fourth of one per cent on lots ; fifteen cents on
horses, mules and asses, and five cents on all neat cattle over three
years old.
March 6th, 1820 — Trustees' office, Perry countv, Reading township,
March 6th. Present, George Trout, Daniel Lidey, Trustees ; and
John Murray, Clerk.
Ordered, that Charles McCormick receive an order for his services
as Supervisor for the sum of $8.00; Order 52, that Mathias Saum re-
ceive an order for his services as Supervisor of $4.25 ; Order 53, John
Miller as Supervisor for $5.65 ; Order 54, that George Trout receive an
order for his services as Trustee $3.00; Order 55, that Daniel Lidey re-
receive an order for his services as Trustee for the 3''ear of 1819, $3.00 ;
Order 56, order that John Yost receive an order for his services as
Supervisor for the year of 1819, $2.90; Order 57, order that Adam
Binkley receive an order for his services as Trustee for 1820 of $2.25 ;
Order 58, order that John Murray receive an order for his services ^as
township Clerk for the year of 18 19, $5.43i.
Here are the first jurors appointed by the Trustees of Reading town-
ship. Perry county, Ohio:
Grand Jurors — Peter Dittoe, John Murray, J. B. Jones, W. P. Darst,
George Bowman, James Elder, Thomas Davis, Aaron Thomas, Joseph
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 269
Shafer, John Clemier, Fred. Heck, Daniel Lidey, John McCormick,
George Jackson, Philip Speice, Jacob Darst, Joseph Petty. \
Petit Jurors — Charles McCormick, Jacob Dittoe, Henry Filler,
John Finck, George Bigler, John Mains, Abraham Elder, John Yost,
Smith Goodin, Robert Colborn, John Wagner, Sen., Daniel Parkinson,
Sen., John Bugh.
The foregoing extracts make a clear showing of who were the offi-
cers of Reading township from 1807 to 1920, their mode of doing busi-
ness, and the general expense account of the township. It is enough
to sa}^ the township officials could not get rich on the salaries in those
days. Taxes were light, and there was not very much to tax, com-
pared with the present time. The taxable propert}/- of the township,
both real and personal, has "wonderfully increased since those days, and
of course it costs much more to carry on the township government now
than it did then. The township, too, in material aspects, is a garden
and paradise compared with what it was in those far awa}'- times, when
the battle with roots, stumps, and brush was yet going on, anct the wild
animals and half savage Indians were reluctant to give way to the civil-
ization of the white men from the East.
Towns. — Somerset, first called Middletown, because it was the half
way point between Zanesville and Lancaster, was laid out in 1810, by
John Fink and Jacob Miller. Fink owned the land and kept a tavern
at the east end. Miller owned the land and also kept a tavern at the
west end. These taverns were in existence several years before Somer-
set was laid out, and before there was any village. It was nearly all
woods between the two taverns, bears would sometimes prowl, and
wolves howl and gnash their teeth, in the woods between these taverns,
and elsewhere in the vicinity. There was a noted wild turkey roost
near where the Western Square now is, where many a good fat turkey
was obtained to grace the tables of the two taverns, as well as other
early settler's tables.
An aged gentleman, now residing in Noblesville, Indiana, upon be-
ing requested to give the appearance of Somerset when it was a small
village, replied that his first recollections of the place were before there
was any town ; "Only a couple of Dutch Taverns in the woods, situated
about half a mile distant from each other." These were the taverns of
John Fink and Jacob Miller, for these men were both of German de-
scent, spoke the German language in their families, and many of those
who were accustomed to frequent the taverns were also German,
It is not known to a certainty who erected the first cabin on a lot of
the platted village, but it is probable that several persons built during the
same season. The place grew slowly enough at first, for Overmyertown
(now New Reading) was a rival, and an older town, and there was, at
that time, nothing in the nature of the locality or surroundings, to cause
villages to grow with any great rapidity. Edward Danison, now in his
eighty -eigth year, a citizen of New Lexington, has a very clear remem-
brance of Somerset when it contained only five or six houses. Mr. Dan-
ison was a youth of seventeen or eighteen years at that time, and lived
with his parents in Madison township. He says the little village of Som-
erset, for several years, is easily described, as it consisted of a couple of
270 ' HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
taverns and a few straggling log houses and cabins, with more or less
stumps and brpsh in the streets.
David Beckwith brought on a stock of goods and opened a store.
John Skinner built a blacksmith shop, one of the Reams opened a tail-
or shop, another Ream opened a hatter shop, a man by the name of
Trout started a crockery establishment, other shops were set up, and
thus the village began its humble career of growth, which continued
steadily until about 1844.
An old and well known citizen, who knew Somerset well in the times
of which he writes, contributed a number of articles to the Somerset
Press, which seem to give a better idea of Somerset and surroundings
in the early times, than any thing that fcould be prepared at present,
and no apology need be offered for making liberal extracts from them.
The writer referred to, over the non de plume "Senex," sa3's :
"I will go back a little while to a time that the 'oldest inhabitant'
will not be able to reach, except by tradition. The first cabin erected
in the village — or rather the territory comprised within the present limits
of Somerset, for the town had no existence then — was built by John
Fink, who had emigrated from Pennsylvania. It stood on the right
hand side of the turnpike, about midway between the school-house and
the mill. It was built in 1806, and was built of unhewed logs, and it
answered all the purposes of a 'lordly palace' in the lone wilderness, and
many were the hospitalities shown by its venerable occupants to the bold
adventurers who afterward were seeking homes for themselves and fam-
ilies in the neighborhood. Father Fink's house was a kind of head-
quarters, not only for those who were locating lands, but as well for
those who, on foot and horseback, were working their wa}^ further west.
(Perry county at this time had no existence, as it was not formed until
the first of March, 1818 — the territory comprising it being taken from
Fairfield, Muskingum and Washington — and was named in honor of the
hero of Lake Erie — Commodore O. H. Perry.)
"Mr. Fink entered a half section of land, and he, with Jacob Miller,
who settled in the west end of the village, or where the village now
extends, afterwards laid out a portion of their land into town lots, and
the village began to spring up. The first buildings were nearly all log
cabins. Afterward a few hewed log buildings, and now and then a
small frame were erected. These, for the first few years, were scatter-
ed half a dozen rods apart, and the town, of course, had a decidedly 'clap-
board' appearance. Afterward many of the hewed log buildings were
weather-boarded, and a number of them stood the wear and tear of the
times until within the recollection of many of your readers. I am not cer-
tain but there are a few of the old dweflings still standing, the logs,
chinking and mortar being hidden by a cloak of weather-boarding.
After the nucleus of the village was laid, and Mr. Fink had his farm
partly opened, and began to have things abundant around him, he built
the house that has been in use as a school building at the east end of
town. This was a large log cabin, and was afterward weather-boarded.
Here, let us stop awhile, and make a description of the venerable old
mansion, as it looked during the decade between 1820 and 1830.
At that time there was no turnpike to deface old landmarks. The
road was located near its present site, but it was then on top of the
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 27 1
ground, leaving a large open space between it and the house. The
large capacious barn stood on the south side of the road, opposite the
house, or a little east of it, if any thing. During these years there was
a constant emigration from Pennsylvania, Virginia, and other Eastern
States, and as Mr. Fink had gone into the hotel business in earnest, in
his fine new mansion, he had about all the customers he could provide
foi. In addition to the traveling public, teaming was one of the promi-
nent occupations of those days, as the goods purchased in the East had
to be hauled out to the small stores and groceries in the Western coun-
try by wagon. Most of the teams following the road, always made it a
point, if possible, to reach Fink's Tavern by sundown, even though the
poor horses had to expend a little extra muscle to reach there. Many a
time have I seen that large yard literall}' covered over with wagons —
some going east, others west, laden with products for the east, or goods
for the west. There are few residents in Somerset,who are able to form
any idea of the business done at that hotel, or the constant activity go-
ing on there in those days. This house was the general headquarters
of Somerset for many years, and nearly its whole activity was centered
there. The monotonous silence which now lurks in that vicinity, ex-
cept in school hours, is a fair type to represent the death of an individ-
ual after an active life."
After a rest of a week, "Senex" continues : "I am now, as I prom-
ised you last week, proudly walking down Main street. I have all the
elasticity and nimbleness of a boy. In short, I am young again. On
either side the forests edge up close to the village, and these abound
with squirrels and other game, and a mile or two out I hear the crack
of a rifle of the huntsman, who is engaged in furnishing the few dozen
of villagers with venison. Perhaps the young reader will say, 'what a
simpleton that old fellow must be, who is writing such silly stones. Do
you suppose such stories ever took place here?' Yes, young reader,
it is quite true. Many a saddle of venison was served up at Fink's
Tavern, that had been slaughtered just south of St. Joseph's Church,
and many a 'saddle' found a cheap market in the very earl}'- history of
the village that was captured in the very suburbs. How wondertully
times change, and we change with them ! The scenes and circum-
stances we are called to pass through in young life, as well as the place
in which we had our birth and raising, seem to be nothing to us at the
time. They become so commonplace as often to disgust us. But let
us recede from them half a century, and then for the first time we be-
gin to know their value. Our hearts begin graduall}' to cling to them.
Memory awakens afresh to our innocent childhood days, and what
seemedto us so dry and irksome, now begins to form a halo of glory in
our very inmost souls, and affords us enjoyment we love to cling to with
the tenacity we cling to life itself. But now for that down street march.
"The large two-story brick building on the corner of Main and
High streets, west of Fink's Tavern, was quite a business house in its
early day. The first newspaper Somerset ever had was printed within
its ancient walls. It was used for various offices, and was in the heart
of the business portion of the early village. It was anciently known as
the Ruch House. The brick, if I mistake not, were laid by Henry
Sterner, who has long since gone to his reward. Although it has al-
272 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
ways been represented as being only a nine-inch wall, the masonry has
preserved remarkably well, showing that it was a good, honest job. It
is one of the oldest standing brioks in the town, and was built with the
design of showing the people what could be done in the wilderness, in
the way of a magnificent building. It may stand for some years yet,
.and it is worthy of having its picture taken for preservation.
'.'At the time I write of, half the lots between High street and the
Square w'ere in commons and unfenced. The log cabins and small one-
story frames were scattered along on each side of the street, and a little
beaten pMh on either side marked the "sidewalks. Jonathan Babbs
owned and lived in a little, long, one-story frame that stood where
stands the C. L. jGriner house, now John Huston's. Then came a va-
cant space ; then there were two two-story log houses, weatherboarded
— one on the lot where Mrs. Chilcote lives, and the other on the next
lot west of it. The latter building w^s one of Somerset's first hotels,
and was afterward used by Ensor Chilcote for a carpenter shop. On
the opposite side, betw^een Dan Mohler's blacksmith shop and the east
end of the village, there were, in 1824, only some three or four houses,
some of them log. A few years later, Dan Mohler carried on black-
smithing in a shop where the present brick stands, and next lot west of
it, his brother-in-law, David Church, followed the same business.
About the time that Church quit business, C. Poppe was manufacturing
spinning wheels, etc., but the business of manufacturing wearing ap-
parel at home, has been done away with, and with it went Poppe's busi.
ness. The few houses between this point and the Square, were mostly
one-story frames, used as residences ; but they gave way gradually
from year to year for the present buildings. The brick now known as
the Russell house, was one of the first permanent structures on this
street. At a later day it was purchased by John Humberger, who kept
a grocery in the corner room next the alley. He died about the year
1832, and his widow afterward married William D. Harper. The house
across the alley, occupied by George Coolman as a residence, and the
one west of it, may be termed pioneer buildings ; and I seriously sus-
pect that one of them, or perhaps both, are log houses. The corner
room of the Coolman house was, in early days, used for a grocery store
by George Sanders. Both those buildings played a prominent part in
the trade history of Somerset. The old Johnny Lentz property on the
opposite side of the street, afterwards occupied by Ned Keenan, out-
strips my years in age. At least it has been in existence as far back as
my memory can reach, and it was not a new building then. This was,
for a number of years, the real headquarters for dram drinking. Many
a disciple of Bacchus took his first lessons in " taking on the whisk}'^ ap-
petite " in this building ; and many were the persons who have stepped
out of the door, next to Ream's bank, fancying themselves " monarchs
of all they surveyed," provided, always, they were able to survey any-
thing. A small one-story frame building stood on the corner of the al-
ley where now stands a part of the hotel building, which was used, in
my first recollection, by Joel Beckwith as a store-house. It was after-
ward used by different parties, Beckwith having removed his goods to
a new house he built on the corner of the square, where Dr. Skinner
has his drug store, and which was burned down a few years ago. One
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 273
of the Daists, I believe, built the east part of the brick hotel building,
or at least lived there awhile, if he did not build it. The large frame
between the corner brick and the hotel, was owned by John Murray,
where he carried on the hotel business for many years. On the corner
lot, on the opposite side, where John Beckwith was engaged, for many
years, in the dry goods business, there stood two two-story log houses,
weatherboarded, in one of which — the corner one — Beckwith began his
mercantile operations. His residence was on the lot next easj, and con-
stituted half the brick now standing there.
All around the square there stood almost a continut)us row of one-
stor}^ frames, which constituted the business houses, and the stock of
goods corresponded with the buildings. The Peter Dittoe house, now
in possession of Martin Scott, is among the ancient brick relics. Dittoe
kept the post office with his dry goods store, in the corner room, for
many years. On the corner, on the opposite side, was a one-story
frame, and next door west of it was a w^eatherboarded, tw^o-story log
house. It was used for a hotel, and the first landlord I can recollect of
doing business there, was Benjamin Eaton. He had tvvo sons — children
then — named Ben and Joe ; the latter is dead, and the former is mail
agent at Crestline, Ohio, but is growing old and decrepid. A series of
small buildings were standing on both sides of the street, west of this
hotel, to the Brechbill alley — the only respectable house being old Billy
Beard's, and more recently occupied by Dixon Brown as a residence.
The old frame, still standing on the alley, on the north side of the street,
has a historical record. In the corner room, next the alley, Patterson
printed, in 1827-28, the Perj-y Record^ a paper which took the place of
the Western World and Politieal Tickler. On the casing of the front
door, if it has not been removed, may be found a hideous ax mark,
which was cut by an ax which John B. Orton threw^ at Bob Henderson,
the publisher of the Record^ in a quarrel that resulted from the famous
Mills and Orton war, that had been in progress in the village for several
years prior.
" There are a good many of the old buildings still standing in the
town, in which more thrilling transactions took place, than the philoso-
phy of your present innocent generation is capable of dreaming.
"The old Brechbill Hotel is an ancient building, and has been suc-
cessivelv run by more landlords than I care to undertake to enumerate.
John Mains, Jacob Brechbill (after he quit teaming on the road), and
Abraham Hamisfar, successively run it. Henr}' Clay, Thomas H. Ben-
ton and other celebrities, have dined in this house. On the lot next to
this there was a frame house occupied by Everett Richman ; and Caleb
Atwater, the antiquarian of Ohio, lived cither there or on the lot adjoin-
ing. On the opposite side of tiie street, where the Dan Kelley brick
stands, but back from the street a rod or two, there was a famous drink-
ing house kept by old John Opp. As we go a little further west, on the
left hand side, next to the alley, there is an ancient two-story brick,
now^ owned by Joseph Walker. This was erected by Jacob Brunner,
but was left in an unfinished condition for many years. The next lot
west, across the alley, was where Jacob Noles had his blacksmith shop
and residence. The residence part is an old building, but the eastern
28
?74 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
part is a newer structure, which took the place of the old wooden shop.
On the opposite side was the cigar and -tobacco factory of George Brun-
ner, who carried on this branch of business there for many years.
Up till 1826-28, or thereabout, Columbus street, running from the
Square north, had a fair representation of small buildings, mostly one-
story frames. The only brick on the entire street, was one that stood
where the three-story brick, belonging to D. M. Mathews, stands.
This was built by Dr. Louis J. Moeller, and was considered a great or-
nament to the village. About the time this was constructed, the county
erected a neat and substantial brick in the place where the jail stands.
The old building w^as an ornament to the town. The uncouth structure
that took its place, was, from the beginning, a disgrace, not only to the
village, but to the blockheads who drafted it. The old stone house,
north of the alley, adjoining Frederick Mains, was built by Mr. Mains
in 1813. On the opposite side of the street, on the ground occupied by
the old brick building, where Judge Hood for many years kept his dry
goods store, there was a long row of frame buildings, usually occupied
by tailors, shoemakers and the like. In one of these John L. Williams
set up his first shop, after landing in Somerset in 1836. In one of the
buildings was situated, in 1829, the printing office at which was then
published The Peofle's Advocate. John E. Linn had a tailor shop in
a small building on the southwest corner of Columbus and North streets,
on the vacant space between the two-story log house, weatherboarded,
which constituted his residence, and North street. On the corner lot,
on this street, occupied by Mrs. Burns, old Mr. Trout owned a crockery
establishment, where he turned out an immense amount of dishes,
crocks, etc. The kiln in which this ware was burned and prepared for
the market, stood upon the same lot. This was carried on for some
years, between 1820 and 1828. It may have been in existence at an
earlier date. The brick in which Mrs. Burns resides, was built by Hen-
ry Trout, not far from the year 1830. A few scattering buildings, most-
ly of an inferior class, were standing in 1830, farther north, many of
which have been supplanted by other buildings not much superior in
size or style. The house that Mrs. Shirley resides in, was owned and
built by John Arndt. The next house north, was a small brick owned
by Mrs. Nancy Ream, the noted tailoress of her day. For many years
she carried on tailoring there, and did a larger business than any tailor
in the village. John Orwig owned and lived in the house now occupied
by Mr. H. S. Doubleday. The opposite side of the street was all in
commons. On an acre or so of the land comprising the lot and adjoin-
ing lots, where Joe Reaver lives, there was a large brickyard, carried
on by Felix Cull, who made most of the brick used in constructing the
earlier brick buildings. The vacuums where the earth was dug from,
would fill with water in the winter season and freeze, and here the young
men, such as James W. Shirley, R. Z. Cassell, Henry C. Filler, George
Beeman, George Goodin, George Brunner, S. H. McAfee, Jonathan
W. Ream, Joe Elder, and all of that class of boys, graduated in the
art of skating. The only time the writer of this ever had a pair of
skates on his feet, was at one of these ponds, in the winter of 1836.
Buckling on a pair of skates, one evening, and rising to my feet. I at-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 275
tempted to make a grand gyration and cut a pigeon-wing, as it was
called, supposing it to be an easy thing done. The ice flew up and took
me on the head, and I felt unwell for a month succeeding.
"On the lot now occupied by B. Whitmer's residence, and some dis-
tance back from the street, stood the old Academy. This was the High
School of Somerset. The building was a large one, but was never
fully completed. It had been imperfectly constructed, and after stand-
ing lor many years, being part of the time in use, the lot was purchased
by Thomas J. Maginnis, and the building was taken down. Immedi-
ately north of the Academy, extending from the road at Mrs. McNutt's
residence, westward, there was an eight-acre wood lot that was cleared
about the year 1839."
After a suitable breathing spell, " Senex " continues his old-time
recollections, as follows :
" My earliest recollections come in before either of the brick build-
ings on the southeast and southwest corners of the Public Square were
built. On the lot where stands the building in which the Press is pub-
lished, Joseph Brown had a hat manufactor}^ and, on the opposite cor-
ner, whei-e stands the storehouse now owned by Isaac Yost, there stood
a one story hewed log house, that was used bv Benjamin Ream as a hat
factory. Hatting business was good in those days, as there were none
imported from the East, as now, to compete with the home manufac-
turers. This house gave way before 1830, and the present brick build-
ing was erected in its place b}^ Henry Dittoe. One story frames lined
the street south of the square to the bridge and beyond, with here and
there an unoccupied lot. Benjamin Huff had a chair manufactory in a
one story hewed log house, that stood on the spot where Dittoe & Hull's
grocery now stands. Some of the first Protestant services ever held in
Somerset were held in that building. William D. Harper had his resi-
dence on the hill where the Nunnery was located. He had his carpen-
ter shop in a small building that stood nearly opposite the old residence
of Patrick McDonald. In still earlier days, Lawrence Curran, one of
the first butchers of Somerset, had his slaughter-house about the same
spot. A few of your readers may remember ' Old Lany,' the Irish-
man. He had his peculiarities, like other men, one of which may be
worth relating. In disposing of his meats he had to trust a good deal,
but always made it a duty to set apart a special day for collections, and
he did it so adroitly that it rather pleased his delinquent customers than
anno3'ed them. He would place himself on some corner of the Public
Square, in the morning, and watch for his delinquents. When he saw
one of them, he would hasten in advance of him and remark, in his
good natured Irish brogue, 'An' is it me ye are huntin' afther!' The
customer always knew what Larry was after, and never failed, if he
had the money, to shell it right out. And so he would continue till his
collections were made.
" Of course, many of your readers remember the old jail, situated
nearly opposite the residence of Dr. Magruder. The first story was built
of dressed sandstone, and the second story was carried up with brick.
The courts were held in this house for many years, and until the new
Court House upon the Public Square was erected. On the south side
of this building there was a ball alley, where the young men used to
276 HISTOP-Y OF PERRY COUNTY.
while away many hours in playing what is termed ' alley ball.' Indeed,
for years, the place was a daily resort for all classes of middle-aged
men, young men, and boys. If the men were not there,- the boys were
sure to be. Afterwards the ball alley was removed to the Academy
building, in the north end of the village.
"The ground covered by Dr. Magruder's residence was where
George Beckwith had his dwelling, when he occupied the tan3^ard after-
wards run by Law & Moeller, and later by John Law. The old brick
Methodist Episcopal church stood on South street, nearly opposite the
residence of Colonel Spencer. On the corner of the alley, next west,
stands a small brick, where John H. Binckley used to reside in an early
day. The Methodists used to be a little noisy occasionally, and Binck-
ley, living so near the church, felt himself anno3^ed somewhat, and
so gave to this thoroughfare the name of ' Happy Alley,' a name by
whicii it is known to this day. Between the church and the corner
brick was a two story hewed log house, in which John H. Binckley and
Samuel Binckley had a paint shop and chair factor}'. Samuel Binck-
ley was one of the pioneer young men of Somerset, but left, shortly
after his marriage, and located at Xenia, Ohio. He is still at Troy,
Ohio, hearty and hale, at the age of seventy-six years."
In a subsequent letter, " Senex " discourses further of old-time Som-
erset and vicinity :
"As early as 1805, thirteen years before Perry county was organized,
the reader may well imagine there was no Somerset, and no other town,
in the county. New Reading antedates Somerset by a few years, and
was called, bv the Pennsylvania Germans, ' Overmyerstettle,' and by
those who preferred to speak it in English, ' Overmyertown.' I recol-
lect hearing an old lady, who but recently departed this life, often relat-
ing an incident of her getting lost on the ground near the heart of the
town, in 1807. She lived with her father in a new cabin, a mile or so
north of the town, and was sent after the cows toward the close of the
day. When she arrived at about the place where the Public Square is
located, she became entangled in the underbrush, which was grown
over so densely with wild pea vines that she could not see a rod before
her. When she had extricated herself, she found that she had lost her
bearing, and it was only by a fortunate circumstance that she was
enabled to reach her home that evening.
" The old men who are in the county, and are able to recollect back
forty-five to sixty years ago, cannot help to bring to mind one of the
singular changes that has taken place in the streams. At that time
they were all running full of water, at least nine months in the year.
Now they are nearly all dry most of the year, and not enough water
running in them at any time, except in times of flood, to water a drove
of cattle. Many will remember that, half a mile north of Somerset,
was situated ' Grandfather Parkinson's ' saw-mill, afterwards run by
Billy Larue. The water that was gathered from the ravine starting on
the summit in the town, with that gathered by a race from the west
branch, run this sawmill, fifty vears ago, nine months in the year. It
cut a great deal of timber, and, being so near the then growing village,
it furnished much of the lumber that was called for. The dam in which
the water was collected was the ' swimming hole ' for the boys of the
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 277
village, and for many years it was a favorite resort. Below this, about
half a mile, Judge Hood had a gristmill — ' corn-cracker,' it was called
in that day — at which he accommodated his neighbors with corn meal,
and also furnished a fair article of flour. This mill was a two story log
building, situated on the south bank of the creek, near where the road
now crosses above the railroad trestle. The Judge also run a stillhouse
in connection with the mill. The water for turning the mill was col-
lected by races. The race for conducting the water, on the south
branch, started in some four or five hundred yards below the steam
mill, following the west bank of the hill ; and the one on the west
branch started just below Parkinson's saw-mill, and run along the south
bank ot the creek. The faint outlines of these races may be seen in
places yet, but the}'^ have been mostly defaced. At the confluence of
the Somerset branch and the Berkey run, there was, at one time, a saw-
mill, the water likewise being conducted by races. About half a mile
below this there was a grist-mill, and farther down, Darsham's grist and
saw-mill. So that, from 1814 to 1830, there were no less than live mills
on that little stream, between Somerset and Jonathan's Creek, all running
by water nearly through the entire year. The stream used to run a
large volume of bright, clear water, and it used to abound in fish of
prett}"^ good size. It was a great resort for the ' town boys,' even so
late as 1840. Many a time did the bovs of that day — Dan and John
Parkinson, P. H. Binckley, Walter C. Wood, and others — pull out
* chubs ' and ' suckers ' that weighed a pound.
"If I were to undertake to trace out all the ' old landmarks ;' or, in
other words, to give the early settlers of lands around Somerset, I
should never get through with these letters. But I will mark out, say,
a mile square, on either side of Somerset, and give the occupiers of
land from about the 3^ear 1820 to 1830.
"On the north side. Judge Hood was, at that time, a permanent
fixture on the farm he so long occupied. The next farm north, now
owned by Andy Leach, was entered by a man named Miller. The
next farm north of that was the ' Stoker farm,' and the farm still north
of that was the Funderburg farm. We will go brck, now, and take
another tier. The farm west of Judge Hood, afterwards constituting
part of the Gongloft' farm, was occupied by John Deal, on the north
side of which stood a stillhouse, run, from 1812 to about 1820, by a man
named Shunk. Next east, the farm of Conrad Snider, was owned by
his father, one of the first settlers. Next east, the farm long ow^ned and
occupied by David Church, was owned bv David Boyce. On the south
side of town, about the year 1825, the farm of John Moore was tilled
by Joshua Green, afterwards purchased by John F. Moeller. The
Thomas Scallan farm was owned by John Trout. The farm farther
south — afterwards the Cay wood farm — was owned by James McDonald,
and a little before that time by Leonard Ream. The farm west of this
was the farm of Michael McKinney. The tract of land east of the
Scallan farm, on which Mrs. Scallan now resides, was owned by John
Beckwith. There were still earlier proprietors of most all of these
lands, but my recollection cannot reach them."
The foregoing extract.s from the highly interesting articles of " Se-
nex " give a good description of Somerset and surroundings, from 1820
278 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
to 1830, and also contain a number of facts of interest, both earlier and
latar'than these dates. As early as 1844 Somerset was compactly and
neatly built up, in a great measure of brick, and was one of the hand-
somest towns of its size in Ohio. It just about held its own, in popula-
tion and business, from 1844 to 1857, when the Seat of Justice was
removed to New Lexington. This did not prove as much of a calamity
as was feared, though it had a depressing eftect for several years.
When the railroad was built, in 187 1, the old town revived to a great
extent, and quite a number of new and costly buildings have been
erected, among them several fine private residences.
Somerset was visited by a destructive fire in the latter part of the
year 1873, which is thus described by the Somerset I^rcss:
"About one o'clock on Wednesday morning, the cry of fire was
raised on our streets, and by the time those of our citizens living in the
vicinity of the conflagration had reached the scene, the long roof of the
building on the northeast side of the square was enveloped in flames,
and the contents of the rooms were being rapidly destroyed. Such
headway had the flames made that by the time even a few^ of our citi-
zens got upon the ground, it was impossible to enter the more extensive
business rooms of the block, for the purpose of removing the stock, and
all that could be done was to exert every effort to confine the fire to the
block in which it had originated. For a time this seemed to be a hope-
less work, as the wind was blowing briskly to the eastward, and in the
direction of some greatly exposed buildings. Hard work was required
to prevent the fire from communicating with Gallagher's building, and
this being the 'key' to the whole situation, our citizens labored with ad-
mirable success to stop the progress of the flames at that point, tlad
the fire got under headway in that building it is likely that all that part
of Somerset lying east of the square would be in ashes to-day. From
the drug store building, the flames spread rapidly into the large frame
building on the north, and adjoining the three-story brick resi-
dence of D. M. Mathews. From this building the flames soon reached
the roof of Mr. Mathews' residence, and that too would have soon been
destroyed, but for the indomitable energy of that portion of the volun-
teer brigade, who held this part of the field. Long ladders were placed
against the building, and a number of daring men soon took position
upon the roof and ladders, and gave the devouring elements the best
licks they had in the shop. And their efforts were crowned with suc-
cess. Mr. Mathews' residence was saved, and the fire was confined to
the block in which it had broken out. This was totally destroyed, en-
taihng losses about to the amount of $15,000. This block was owned
by D. M. Mathews, Dr. C. J. Skinner and Dr. E. R. Magruder,and was
valued at something like $8,000.
The block was occupied by the following firms : Skinner & Broth-
er, stock destroyed valued at $3,000 ; M. Bowman, grocer, stock de-
stroyed valued at $1,800; J. W. Graves, boot and shoe dealer, stock
saved; Mrs. Burns, milliner, stock destroyed valued at $300; H. A.
Schwartz, photographer, stock destroyed valued at $1,000 ; Snow Fork
Coal and Mining Company, loss in books, maps, plats, stationery, etc.,
valued at $500 ; T. Spencer Stillman, notary, etc., loss in books, station-
ery, etc., about $200; George Price, Justice of the Peace, H. P. Lentz,
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 279
real estate and insurance agent, N. L. Brunner, boot and shoe maker
— effects removed without damage.
"There are various opinions about tlie origin of the fire. Those
who were first on the grounds, say that the fire originated in the office
of the Snow Fork Coal and Mining Company."
Again in 1875, the town was scourged by the fire fiend, a number
of houses burned, and the whole eastern part of the village narrowly es-
caped destruction. The following account of the fire is from the Som-
erset Press:
"Our village has again been scourged by fire, this time entailing a
loss of property to the amount of $25,000 or $30,000, and rendering
homeless a number of families, and throwing out of employment a num-
ber of workmen. The story is briefly told. About eleven o'clock,
Monday night, Mr. Russell, proprietor of the Russell House, discover-
ed that that part of the planing mill of Bowman, Johnson & Mautz,
where the boiler was located, was on fire, and at once gave the alarm.
But owing to the vast amount of highly combustible material in the im-
mediate vicinity of the furnace, the flames had made such frightful
headway by the time of the arrival of persons upon the scene, that such
a thing as extinguishing them, with the means at hand, was at once an
apparent impossibility. An entrance was forced into the show-room of
the establishment, where there was a large amount of finished work,
buggies, wagons, carriages, etc., and an ineffectual effort to save it from
destruction. But the moment the entrance was made, a fiery column
swept from about the furnace through the building, driving the rescuers
from the room. Repeated effc)rts were made to re-enter the building,
but the intense heat rendered them all futile, and it became plain to all
that the large planing mill and carriage factory, with all its contents,
was doomed. As the fire spread, and got fairly under way in the large
and higher part of the building, the flames roared with a fierceness and
rose to a height that appalled the powerless spectators, and at once
created fears for the safety of the town. That the fire originated from
the furnace, there seems to be little doubt.
"The flames rapidly spread to the buildings immediately east and
west of the factory, and the scene became alarming in the extreme.
Then presently Mrs. Filler's house, on the opposite side of the street,
took fire, and the unorganized and excited people hardly knew how or
where to commence the fight ; but that a commencement must be made
somewhere, and quickly, too, if the town was to be saved from total de-
struction, was very manifest to all, and keenly appreciated by all. De-
termined bands of men therefore bent their energies at four different
points, to arrest the progress of the fire.
One point was Coolman's frame building across the alley west from
the Russell House ; another was the frame house owned by O. T.
Mohler, and occupied by George Nichols, on the south side of the street ;
the third was the German Reform Church, on the same side, and the
fourth was Mrs. Chilcote's house, on the north side, and across the alley
west from the large frame structure known as the O'Keefe House.
"In the area bounded by the buildings named, the devouring ele-
ment had things pretty much its own way, and in that space, and with-
28o HISTORY OF PERKY COUNTY,
in an hour or so, it laid in ashes eleven buildings, and caused a greater
loss of propert}'^ than was ever before felt in Somerset.
"At the points named a desperate effort was made to master the fire,
and, though it proved successful in the end, there were times during the
progress of the struggle, when it seemed that all efforts would prove un-
availing.
"The women came to the rescue, when assistance was greatly need-
ed, and rendered noble service in the matter of carrying water, etc.
Their determined labors had also the effect to cheer the men who were
standing up manfully to the work, and shaming, just a little, the few
who were 'too feeble' to do more than stand by and gaze upon the
frightful scene and the determined workers it had called forth.
"The houses destroyed were the planing mill, the dry house, the
old exchange, the Russell House, Mrs. Filler's and Mrs. Cody's resi-
dences— both the latter on the south side of the street — Mr. John
Mautz's residence, Mr. Shower's residence and Mrs. Chilcote's resi-
dence, and Bowman & Johnson's blacksmith shop, and Mr. Shower's
stable. The occupants of most of the dwellings saved only a portion of
their household effects, and some lost about all they possessed of that
kind of property."
Nearly all the space made vacant by these fires has been built upon,
and most of the buildings destroyed have been replaced by better ones.
With these two exceptions, Somerset, during its entire existence, has
been very fortunate regarding fires.
Somerset is very pleasantly situated on the high grounds that separ-
ate the waters of Muskingum from those of the Hocking. The rain
that falls on the north and east end of the town flows into the Musking-
um, while that which falls on the south and west parts finds its way into
the Hocking. The site of the town is elevated, broad and command-
ing, and much of it afibrds a good view of the surrounding countr}^
Somerset, at, present, has a postoffice, one telegraph office, one rail-
road depot, one newspaper, one union school house, one female acad-
emy, four churches, one convent, one hotel, one music hall, four dry
goods stores, two hardware stores, two jewelry stores, two drug stores,
two furniture stores, two shoe stores, one photograph gallery, one car-
riage and buggy shop, one planing mill, one tanner}', two harness and
saddle shops, two tailor shops, one clothing store, one coverlet weaver,
seven groceries, four physicians, five lawyers, one job printing office,
three millinery stores, two meat shops and two tin shops.
The Hippodrome war, the trial and execution of David Work, the
Centennial Celebration, and many other notable events connected with
the history of Somerset, will be found in other appropriate chapters of
this volume.
In view of the imm^se strides which the iron business is making in
Perry county, and its probable future, it is worth while to contemplate
the initial workers and the small beginninfjs of the industry. Somerset
had the first foundry in the county. It was established by Joseph Simp-
son, who, in his lifetime, was well known 'O many of the people of
Perry county. The reader of this volume would naturally like to know
J^, t^i Aa.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 28 1
something of the original foundry and iron man of the county, there-
fore the following sjietch is inserted :
Joseph Simpson settled in Somerset in 1843, having come direct from
Newark, Licking county, but from Halifax, Yorkshire, England, two
years previous. He purchased a large tobacco warehouse on Happy al-
ley, about midway between Columbus street and the Logan road, and
converted it into a foundry. For many years he conducted a successful
business. Mr. Simpson spent much of his time in exploring the great
mineral region of Monday and Sunday Creeks, apd often predicted its
future wealth and greatness. He was well known throughout the county,
and became somewhat famous for his plows. He will be well remem-
bered by the old settlers. He may be ranked as the pioneer of the
iron interest of Perry county. Mr. Simpson died in Newark, in 1856.
New Reading. — New Reading, for a long time better known as
Overmyertown, situated three miles from Somerset, in the western part
of Reading township, was laid out in 1805, by Peter Overmyer, father
of the venerable Peter Overmyer, who now resides in the vicinity of
New Reading. This village is the oldest in the county, antedating
Somerset, Rehoboth, Thornville, New Lexington, and all the other vil-
lages of the county. When the county of Perry was formed. New
Reading was a candidate for the seat of justice, and its citizens were
disappointed and displeased when they failed to secure the location.
The village has just about held its own for sixty years and more. It
contains two churches, a schoolhouse, store, physician, a few shops,
and several neat and comfortable private residences, and had, in June,
1880, one hundred and eighteen inhabitants. The town is handsomel}'-
situated, and is surrounded by a country not onl}^ fertile and healtlw,
but one of the loveliest to be found an^'where in the State, and capable
of being made almost a second paradise.
To this country, then a wilderness, came Peter Overmyer, the pio-
neer, from Northumberland county, Penns3-lvania. Peter was a son of
John George Obermaver, as the name was written in German, who
came from Germany to the United States in 1751. When Peter Over-
myer came to what is now Perry county, Ohio, he brought with him
some of the old heirlooms and keepsakes of his father's family, but
nothing which he could prize more highly than the original of the fol-
lowing "passport," written in German, which his father procured when
about to leave the Fatherland for the New World :
'''■Passfort of 'John Georo^c Obermayer. — In Blankenloch, of the
Magistracy of Durlach, lying within the bounds of the highly exalted
dominion, the Nagraviate of Baden, was born, on October 27, 1727,
and baptized on the day following, October 28, John George, legitimate
son of his father, John George OlDermayer, citizen and weaver, and of
his mother, Anna.
"Witnesses of his baptism were John George Btme, citizen and
weaver ; Henry Bane, citizen of Buechig ; also, Susanna, wife of Jacob
Werners, citizen and weaver; also, Anna Mary, wife of John Storken,
citizen of Hagsfeld. This has been copied from the 'Register of Bap-
tisms' and the 'Church Record,' of this parish.
"In testimony of his honest service and praiseworthy conduct while
282 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
in our midst, especially of his knowledge and confession of the Evan-
gelical Religion (Lutheran), I cheerfully subscribe with m}^ own hand,
and stamp with official seal.
^ CI "John Christian Ebersold,
[UFFiciAL :;>EAL. J "Pastor of Blankenloch and Buechig.
"Blankenloch, May 4th, 1751.
"Inasmuch as the above-mentioned John George Obermayer, native
of Blankenloch, has resolved, by the Grace of God, to leave this prov-
ince to go to the New Country, the Colonv of Pennsylvania, and has
most respectfully besought and petitioned us, as the representatives of
this Court, for an honorable dismissal and certificate of good character,
and we cannot justly refuse, but, on the other hand, we cheerfully testi-
fy, upon the ground of truth, that he has, in his service in our midst,
conducted himself as a Christian, iionest, trustworthy, and industrious.
We, therefore, wish Mr. Obermayer not only all temporal, but, also, all
eternal blessings. We, therefore, beseech all respective persons,
whether of high or low estate, with this charge of duty, not only to per-
mit him to pass free and unmolested wherever he may choose to go, but,
also, without suspicion, kindly to receive and entertain said Oberma3^er,
in whatsoev^er place or locality he mav announce himself, for which we
shall ever be the indebtors.
"In the name of this Court of Justice, we still remain the humble
servants. Judge Bierich,
'•''Attorney, Kimtzma.
"School Sup't Fiegler,
'"' Olerk of the Court.
"Blankenloch, May I2ih, 1751."
What follows is from the personal diary of John George Obermayer,
in his own handwriting :
"On May 9th, 1751, we went for the last time to church in Blanken-
loch. There we sang once more, 'There are none whom God has for-
saken,' 'Bless the Lord, O, my soul, and all that is within me bless His
holy name,' and 'Lord Jesus Christ to us attend.' It was the fourth
Sunday after Easter, 'Cantate,' when we heard the Gospel lesson for
the day, John xvi :5-i5, which begins : 'But now I go my way to Him
that sent me ; and none of you ask me 'Whither goest thou?' '
"On May 14, we left Blankenloch, for Rheinhausen. On the 19th,
we sailed from Rheinhausen, toward Mannheim. On the 20th, we went
to Worms, where we sang, 'O, Holy Ghost, descend, we pray.' On
the 4th of June, at two o'clock, we passed through the Bingerlock, and
at seven o'clock we passed through the bay of St. Gwier, where we en-
countered great danger.
"Our voyage upon the Rhine, from Rheinhausen to Amsterdam, was
of four weeks' duration. On the 20th of June we embarked from Rot-
terdam, and from thence to Old England. On the 22d, we sailed in
upon the vast ocean."
The foregoing was translated from the German, in which language
it was written, by Rev. Walter, of Somerset. Every reader of this
history will regret that John Jacob Obermayer laid aside his pen so soon,
and that the written record he left is so brief. Short as it is, however,
it is sufficient to give a vivid impression of the father of the man who
HISTORY OF PERRY C TUNTY. 283
named Reading township, and the town of Reading, the oldest village
in the county of Perry.
Hanover, the first laid out town in what is now Perry county, was
established by Jacob Dittoe, in 1804, about four miles west of Fink's
tavern, on Zane's Trace, in what is now Reading township, Perry
county. The village never amounted to much, though a few families
gathered there, and in 1818, one of the first actsof the Court of Common
Pleas of Perry was in response to a petition of the proprietor, to annul
the town plat of Planover, and the lots, streets and alleys reverted to the
proprietor simply as land, and Hanover was no more.
Churches. — Of the original settlers of Reading township, the Penn-
sylvania Germans were chiefly Lutherans, Catholics, or German Re-
foi-m, and the English speaking people were principally Methodists,
Baptists or Presbyterians. The Irish immigrants and their descendants
were mostly Catholics, though some of them were Protestants, and ad-
hered to some branch of the Protestant church. The itinerant Metho-
dist preachers visited Somerset at a very early day, and organized
classes or societies. The late Rev. J. VanLaw, who, a few years
since, was stationed in Somerset, compiled a very full and interesting
sketch of the work of the Methodists at Somerset and charges connected
therewith. The sketch is not only of special interest as to Somerset and
vicinity, but to nearly all the old Methodist churches of the county, as
they were all, in the old times, attached to Somerset Circuit. Somer-
set, Rehoboth and New Lexington, all belonged to the same Circuit as
late as 1850. The sketch is from a pubhshed source :
" The first settlement of Ohio was by a New England Colony that
landed at the mouth of the Muskingum river, on the 7th of April 1788.
These were all of Puritan stock, and no Methodists among them, as it
was not till two years later, that Methodism was carried into New Eng-
land, by Jesse Lee, that preached the first Methodist sermon in all that
section, under the great Elm tree in Boston Common, on a July after-
noon 1790. At that time Marietta and Cincinnati were the only two
points settled in Ohio ; and when on the i6th of September, 1799, the
first session of the Territorial Legislature met in Cincinnati, it was then
only a village of 500 inhabitants, built almost entirely of logs, and with-
out a brick ni its entire structure. The population in the whole State,
in 1798, was onl}^ about 5000.
"In 1798, Rev. Kobler crossed the Ohio from Kentucky, kneeling
on the river bank to invoke the divine blessing upon his mission. On
Christmas day he spread the sacramental table for twentyfive or thirty
communicants, all there were in the country. This was the first regu-
lar preaching, and the first Methodist communion in Ohio, that ten
years ago numbered 100,000 on its communion roll. In 1799, Holston,
Kentucky, Tennessee and one Circuit in Ohio constituted one immense
district, with twelve preachers. No society was formed in Cincinnati,
till 1804. On the southeast, however, Robert Manly had crossed over
from Virginia, occasionally, perhaps, as early as 1795, and by 1799, he
had boldly entered and formed a Circuit extending up the Muskingum
for forty miles. In 1799, James Qiiinn made a missionary tour up the
Hocking Valley, preaching to the few families residing near the present
284 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
site of Lancaster. In 1804, Asa Shinn organized the Hocking Circuit
out of this territory, occupying the usual four weeks. The next year James
Qiiinn and Jolin Meek were sent to this circuit, and in 1807 we find
'Ohio District, Fairfield Circuit, William Pattison,' in the list of appoint-
ments of the 'Western Conference,' that contained nearly all the terri-
tory west of the Alleganies. In 1808 it is Ralph Lotspeick, and John
Bowman, Miami district; in 1809 it is Ralph Lotspeick, Muskingum
district; in 1810 Francis Tarvis, with James Quinn, as presiding elder.
" During this year the Ohio Conference was organized at Ports-
mouth, and on Christmas day the first Methodist sermon was preached
in Somerset, at the house of John Mains, by the Reverend Robert Cloud,
who, with Jesse Stoneman, continued to occupy this as a preaching
place for several years. In 181 1, James Qiiinn and James B. Finley
traveled Fairfield Circuit, and the latter organized the first class in
Somerset, with John Mains leader. The remaining four of this immor-
tal five were Anna Mains, wife of the leader^ John Anderson and wife,
and William Babbs. The opposition was bitter and unreasonable, but
the old log school house, afterward used as a chair shop b}^ Jesse Huff,
near the present site of Dittoe's and Hull's grocery, was the class sanc-
tuar_y of those tried ones, for years, and it resounded with the songs and
shoutings of their triumphant faith. In 1812, William Lambden had
charge of the Circuit ; and Archibald McElroy in 1813.
" David Young was presiding elder, in 1813-14; Charles Waddle
in 1814; Charles Waddle and Michael Ellis, 1815 ; James Qiiinn and
John McMahon in i8r6; Michael Ellis and John McMahon in 1817.
During the early part of this Conference year John McMahon retired
from the work, and John Stewart was called from the Kanawha Circuit
in Virginia, taking his place here as Junior Preacher, January ist, 1818.
"The Somerset society had now grown to embrace the following
members : William Babbs, sen., John and Ruth Murray, John and Anna
Mains; Toby Taylor and wife; Frederick Mains, sen., and wife;
George Richards and wife; Jesse G. McGowen, and perhaps Frede-
rick Mains, jun., and wife. In June, 1819, Joseph F. Brown was
added to the society, and Jacob Knowles and wite in place of Ta3'lor
removed. That summer the society made an effort to raise a house of
worship, on what was afterwards called in consequence, Happy
Alley.
" The lot is now occupied in part by William Russell, though the
site of the first church is yet vacant. John Murray undertook the build-
ing, and got the walls up to the square, when a large dead chestnut tree
was blown down by the equinoctial storm, crushing the walls to the
ground. Things remanied in this condition until the next spring ; the
brethren being much discouraged. Albert Gough and Henry Matthews
were preachers on the immense circuit embracing Lancaster, (perhaps
Circleville) Logan, New Lexington, Rehoboth, and other points to the
number of twenty-five or thirty preaching places.
" ' But seeing the desolation of the Lord's house, writes Joseph T.
Brown, ' I was stirred up in my heart and said to some of the brethren :
Let us arise and rebuild the house.' They said to me, if I thought any-
thing could be done they would help me what they could. So I went
forward, hired hands, gathered up and cleaned off the bricks, procured
HISTORY OP^ PERRY COUNTY. 285
materials and workmen, enlarged the building several feet, and got it
up and under roof, with one coat of plaster, in time to hold a meeting
on Christmas. This meeting resulted in the addition of about fifty
members, most prominent among whom were, John Beckwith and John
Ritchey.' " [Letter of Ma}^ 23d, 1876, to the w^riter].
" Brother John Mains, who is now passing the golden autumn of a
ripe age, in Greenfield, Ohio, informs me, that he and Jesse McGowen
were associated with brother Browm in this building, and that Judge C.
C. Hood, coming into the neighborhood about that time, seated the new
church at his own expense. Notwithstandnig this, brother Brown's ob-
ligations and expenditures, footed up about five hundred dollars, part
of which w^as paid, but the greater part remains in the treasur}' of the
Lord, safe until the present time.
" Previous to the building of the brick church, the services of the
society were held in the court room, over the old jail on South Colum-
bus street. Here, as earl}^ as 1817, we are assured of the existence of
a Sabbath school, of which Frederick Mains, now^ living in Somerset,
was probably the first Superintendent, with Tobias Taylor as an assist-
ant. Brother John Mains says, the first Sabbath school was previously
organized in the brick house now^ the residence of Nathan Dennison,
but the recollection of Frederick Mains as its first Superintendent, ren-
ders it unsafe to place its active operations much prior to 181 7.
" Abner Gough and Charles Thorn traveled Fairfield circuit in 1820 ;
WiUiam Stephens and Zara Coston, 182 1 ; William Stephens, in 1822 ;
James Gilruth and Isaac C. Hunter, in 1823 ; Charles Waddle and Ho-
mer Clark, in 1824 ; Leroy Swornsted and James Qinnn, in 1825 ;
James Qiiinn and James Laws, in 1826 ; James Laws and Gilbert Blue,
in 1827 ; Jacob Young and Cornelius Springer, in 1828. Discussion,
leading to the radical separation in 1828, culminated this year in a gen-
eral debate, at the Bethel Church, and Cornelius Springer, a leader in
the movement in the west, withdrew to the Protestant Methodist
Church.
" In 1829, Zachary Connel and Henry S. Fernandes, were preach-
ers; and in 1830, Samuel Hamilton and Henry S. Fernandes. Then
Rushville circuit appears on the records with Samuel Hamilton and
Jacob Hooper, preachers in 183 1 ; J. Carper and Jacob Young, in 1832 ;
and J. Carper, J. Armstrong and S. H. Holland, in 1833 ; for this year,
it appeal's, the church we now occupy in Somerset, was built, and in
the next year, 1834, the log church at Chalfants was dedicated. Thus,
in three successive j^ears, each of the societies constituting the present
Somerset circuit, built a new church. The impulse given under brother
Carper's administration and the building of the new church in Somer-
set, appears at once in the minutes for 1834 5 we have the name changed
to Somerset circuit, James McMahon and B. F. Meyers as preachers.
Brother McMahon not only dedicated the Chalfant church, but also
took subscriptions for the church at New Zion. In 1825, J. McDowell,
B. F. Me^^ers and J. Hooper (supply), were appointed to Somerset cir-
cuit; in 1836, Heniy S. Fernandes and John Blampied ; in 1837, Hen-
ry S. Fernandes and Moses A. Milligan ; in 1838, Moses A. Milligan
and Isaac Caitlich ; in 1839, Andrew Murphy and William T. Hand ;
286 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
in 1840, William P. Strickland and Sheldon Parker; in 1841, William
P. Strickland, Edward Roe and Samuel Harvey, supply.
" In 1842, we find Somerset assuming her place as a station, with
the eloquent Joseph A. Waterman in charge; in 1844, Andrew Carroll
was pastor, and this ended the effort to maintain the station. Hopewell
and Zion had been joined to Rehoboth circuit; and in 1844, Somerset
also became part of Rehoboth circuit, and so remained till the organi-
zation as at present, in 1854. T^^^ appointments for Rehoboth circuit,
during these years, were as follows :
" 1842 — James Gurley and supply.
" 1843 — Joseph Carper and Philip A. Muchner.
" 1844— T. A. G. Philips and John Fitch.
" 1845— John Fitch and T. A. G. PhiHps.
" 1846-47 — Joseph Neuson and Samuel Hamilton.
" 1848 — A. M. Alexander and I. F. Longman.
" 1849— E. V. Bing, J. H. Creighton and G. W. Brush.
"During this year, over one thousand probationers were received
on Rehoboth circuit.
" 1850 — E. V. Bing, John Dillon and James Mitchell.
" 185 1 — John Dillon, Charles Warren and supply.
" 1852 — Charles Warren, Edward P. Hall and supply.
" 1853— Charles C. Lybrand and R. J. Black.
"James M. Jameson was Presiding Elder of the Zanesville District,
and lived at Somerset during 1846-7-8 ; Jacob Young from 1848 to
1852, and J. M. Trimble from 1852 to 1856. Rehoboth circuit, in 1854,
reports seven hundred and fifty -seven members, twenty-five probation-
ers, and five local preachers.
" In 1854, Somerset Circuit was organized as at present, at the Con-
ference at Portsmouth, and James C. Taylor was appointed for 1854-5 ;
E. V. Bing for 1856-7 ; John White, Presiding Elder.
" S. C. Riker was preacher in 1858, with extensive revivals all over
the charge.
"James Mitchell was in charge of the Circuit for 1859-60, when the
present Hopewell Church was built,
" P. V. Ferree was pastor in 1861-62 ; John Frazer, Presiding El-
der for 1860-63 ; D. D. Mather, P. E. for 1864-65 ; T. H. PhiHps, P.
E. for 1866-67 ; WilHam Porter. P. E. for 1868-70 ; W. T. Harvey, P.
E., Lancaster District, for 1871-72 : T, H. Hall, P. E., Lancaster Dis-
Irict, for 1873-74-75.
" Brother Ferree remained in Somerset, engaged mainly in teach-
ing till his death in 1868, and his ashes lie in the M. E. Cemetery in
this place.
" S. C. Frampton succeeded him as pastor in 1863-64 ; R. W. Man-
ley, in 1865-66-67; A. H. Windsor, in 1868-69; J- ^- Weir, in 1870-
71 ; B. F. Thomas, in 1872-73-74 ; and J. Van Law, in 1875-76. Gra-
cious revivals attended the labors of many, if not all of these pastors ;
those in Somerset and Zion, under charge of brother Manley, and in
Hopewell imder brother Thomas, are worthy of special mention. Much
fruit of these remain.
"About the year 1866 or 1867, an extension was made to the Som-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 287
erset church, and October 22d, 1865, the trustees met at the old parson-
age, nearly opposite the church, and organized, with Judge C. C. Hood
in the chair, P. V. Ferree, secretary pro tern. The members present,
were: Dixon Brown, William Ream, John Huston, Martin Berk ey,
C. C. Hood, Dr. Skinner. P. V. Ferree, and the newly appointed pas-
tor, R. W. Manley. The business was, to receive the report of a com-
mittee to examine property for a parsonage. After the report, a com-
mittee, consisting of David Ream, Dixon Brown, John Huston and
Lewis Edwards, were appointed to purchase the present parsonage
property of B. Whitmer. Wm. Ream for Zion, Robert Chalfant for
Hopewell, Dr. Skinner and William Huston for Somerset, were appoint-
ed to raise subscriptions to pay for the property. These committees
ware both successful, and after thorough repairs, under the administra-
tion of brother J. M. Weir, the Circuit may well feel proud of its par-
sonage.
" In 1854, t^^^ Somerset Collegiate Institute was organized, with a
semi-official relation to the Ohio Conference. Charles Nourse was
Principal, and the following constituted the Board of Directors, viz. :
Rev. James C. Taylor, ex officio; EH Spencer, William Spencer, John
Ritchie, George Morris, Thomas Wiles and R. Miller. This school
continued to be taught in the old Fink tavern building for about eight
years, when the property was sold for the use of the public schools.
"About the year 1829, the Somerset society was strengthened by
the accession of Ensor Chilcote and family. He was truly a leader in
the charge for many years, and his mantle of power still rests upon his
family in the church.
"In the Official List of 186 1, I tind James Chilcote as Recording
Steward, with Charles Nourse, Dixon Brown, and J. P. Huston, Stew-
ards for Somerset; William Ream and David Ream, for Zion; and
Mordecai Yarnell and John Kelley, for Hopewell. Leaders at Somer-
set— O. T. Mohler, morning class; Martin Berkey and C. C. Hood,
noon class ; James Chilcote, Monday night class ; A. B. Leach, Tues-
da)' night class, and Gideon Ritchey, Wednesday night. Hopewell —
Mordecai Yarnell and Melzar Kendall. New Zion — Isaac Cooper and
George Ritchey.
"The Trustees of Somerset Station, 1843, were Ensor Chilcote, C.
C. Hood, Jacob Knowles, Thomas Price, John Ritchey, John Beck-
with, and G. Morris.
"Bishops Asbury, McKendree, Roberts, George, and others, have
been here, the honored guests of John Mains, preaching in succession
in the house, school-house, the jail-loft, and the church. The Fairfield
Circuit has become a district ; the school-house and cabin classes have
become a trio of congregations.
"The Hopewell Class. — In 1812 or 1813, a class was organized, to
meet at Abram Hamisfar's (now Rusk's), of which Robert Chalfant
was leader, and contained the following members : Mercy Chalfant,
Abram and Hannah Hamisfar, Charles and Margaret Hamisfar, 'Fath-
er' and 'Mother' Fitsmorris, and their daughter, Elizabeth Miller;
James and Jane Benjamin, Polly Hutchins, Nathan and Ella Benjamin,
Daniel and Peggy Miner, Jacob Miner, Rebecca Miner (now Denni-
288 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
son), Sally and Frank Miner, Thomas and Amy Kendall, Nelly and
Nancv Cane, and George Guysinger.
"This class formed, in part, the basis of Hopewell and Zion classes,
which were formed about 1830. The Hopewell class grew rapidly, and
in 1834 ^^ log-built church was dedicated, by James McMahon, preach-
ing from John xv :5, 'I am the vine, ye are the branches.' It was called
Chalfant's Church- The class-book for 1840-41, now in the hands of
Sister Cochran, gives the class as follows: Robert O. Spencer, P. E. ;
William P. Strickland, J. Parker, preachers ; Robert Chalfant, leader ;
Thomas and Amy Kendall, Jared and Sarah Dennison, John, Margaret,
Thomas, Nancy and Elizabeth Randolph ; Mar}^ Edwards, Mary Wil-
son, Drusilla Ferguson, Rachel Foreman, Margaret Chalfant, Jane
Hinebaugh, Maxwell Edwards, Elizabeth Kelley, Elizabeth Bear.
Thomas N. Edwards, Martha Thompson, David Yarnell, George Cow-
en and Mary Ann Cowen, Amos Dennison, Mary Yarnell, Lydia Ann
Edwards, Catharine Cox, Mary and Elizabeth Sturgeon, Mahala Den-
nison, Emeline Ferguson, Margaret and Olive Hinebaugh, Eliza and
Sarah Bateson, Ebenezer Snellen, Robert and Elizabeth Emery, Louis
Edwards, Robert, Mary Ann, Sarah and Comtbrt Chalfant ; William
Van Horn, Rebecca Cox (now Wilson), Catharine and Margaret Cox,
Elisha and Mary Wilson. Rev. James Kendall was converted here,
and was called to the ministry, entering the Ohio Conference in 185 1.
"The present neat and commodious Hopewell Church was built in
i860, when Rev. James Mitchell was in charge, though the project was
started the year before by Brother S. C. Riker. It was dedicated by
Brother Riker, assisted by Dr. Frazier, P. E., no money being asked
for, as all the expenses had been provided for beforehand.
"The first Hopewell Sabbath School was said to have been organ-
ized in Bozerman's school-house, in 183 1 or 1832.
"In the winter of 1872-73, a gracious revival, under the pastorate of
Rev. B. F. Thomas, resulted in the accession of about forty persons, on
probation, a very large proportion of whom now remain steadfast as
members in the church.
"New Zion. — Rev. James McMahon was appointed to the Somei^set
Circuit in 1834, ^^^ soon after his arrival he was taken by Martin Ber-
key, then a young man, to the residence of David Ream, Sr., where
he preached, and organized a class, with young Berkey as leader. i\.
Class-book, now in his possession, gives the foliowing members, under
date. May 27, 1835 : Martin Berkey, leader ; Rebecca Berkey, George
Boor, Elizabeth Boor, Elizabeth Ritchey, Wilson Ritchey, James
Ritchey, George Ritchey, Jane Spencer, Eleanor Cain, Rachel Patton,
Rebecca Boor, James Cain, Hannah Cain, Priscilla I. Cain, Rachel
Berkey, Martin Boyers, Gideon Ritchey, Elizabeth Boor, Phebe Cain,
Rebecca Drury, Rachel Herron, Rachel Carr, Margaret Spencer, Ed-
ward Hamilton, Rachel Hamilton, Mary Hare, Mary Hull, Hester
Stiles, George Coleman, Jacob Stateser, James Hutches, William Pat-
ten, Elsie Benjamin, Rebecca Fleehart, Elizabeth Emrine, Matilda
Sharen, and Hester Chilcote — total, 38. Another roll gives the names
of William and Rachel Paden, Mahlon S.Gregg, Emily Gregg, Charles
Hamisfar, Catharine Hamisfar, and Dorcas Davis. Ensor Chilcote is
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 289
also mentioned as leader or assistant, though not a member of the
class.
"James McMahon and B. F. Meyers were preachers in 1834-35,
and dm'ing this conference year the present brick church was built, the
ground on which it stands being donated by James Ritchey, Esq. This
church is hallowed by the presence of its manv dead, and bv the mem-
ories of more than forty years : but it is now ready to be taken down to
give place to something better.
"A camp meeting was held in 1819, on the 'Benjamin Farm.' now
owned by John Bumcral, where the preachers were probably Charles
Waddle, P. E.. Sodosa Bacon, and Peter Stephens. In 1834 another
camp meeting was held near Zion, at which William Ream was con-
verted, who afterwards became a strong pillar in Zion. It is hoped the
present church building will give place to a better one during next sum-
mer.
"The number of full members for the past eight years is as follows :
1869, 200; 1870, 195; 1871. 197; 1872, 213: 1873'. 248; 1874, 260;
1875, 242; 1876,^254."
St. Joseph's Church (Catholic), situated in the southern part of Read-
ing township, two and a half miles south of Somerset, on the common
road leading from that place to New Lexington, is the oldest Catholic
Church in Ohio, excepting none whatever. The circumstances attend-
ing the organization of the church, the building of the first edifice, the
consecration of the same, and the preaching of the first sermon therein,
are of interest to all general readers, and especially to those of the
Catholic faith. The ensuing sketch relative to the founding of St. Jo-
seph's Church, and other matters of early Catholic history in Perry
county, is from the pen of the late Rev, N. D. Young, only a year or
two before his death, and were presented to the compiler of the Perry
County History, to be published for the consideration and instruction of
present and future generations :
"Amongst the first settlers of this county were a few Catholic tami-
lies, emigrants from Pennsylvania. They were the children of patri-
otic ancestors, many of whom were soldiers under Washington, in the
days that tried men's souls, braving the hardships of the Revolutionary
War, for liberty and freedom of conscience in this country.
"The Rev. Edward Dom. Fenwick, and the Rev. Nicholas Dom.
Young, of the Order of St. Dominic, were the first established priests
of the Catholic Church in Perry county, and first priests settled in Ohio
as citizens of the State. The}' were both natives of Maryland. The
Fenwick family emigrated with the colony of Lord Baltimore to this
countr}-, and landed in St. Mary's county, Maryland, with the same
colony. Father Young's paternal ancestors were Protestants, and em-
igrated from England. His ancestor. Judge Benjamin Young, was sent
here a commissioned Judge of the British Government, long before our
Independence. He settled, with his family, on the Potomac river,
where the city of Washington now stands. He purchased, on its
bounds, a large tract of land, and erected on the immediate banks of
the Potomac a splendid mansion, importing from England the materials
of which it w^as built. Whilst Judge, he was converted to the Catholic
religion. But the intolerant laws of England disfranchised Catholics
39
290 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY,
from holding any office of the Government, pohtical or religious, in
consequence of which Judge Young resigned his office.
"Dr. Fenwick and Father Young were sent to Perry county by
their superior, from the Convent of St. Rose, in Kentucky, to take pos-
session of a small log church and farm, containing three hundred and
twentv-nine acres, donated to Father Fenwick by Mr. Jacob Dittoe,
who, with the assistance of his two brothers, Messrs. Joseph and An-
thony Dittoe, and his brother-in-law, Mr. John Fink, of Somerset, had
purchased by entrance in the land office held in Chillicothe, this half
section for the express establishment of a Church and Convent of the
Dominican Order then established in Kentucky. The above two
Fathers, in obedience to the will of their superior, the learned Dr.
Thomas Wilson, and in compliance with the wish of the saintly Bishop
Flaget, of Bardstown, in 1818, reached the place of their destmation
abont the first of December, and, on the sixth of the same month, the
humble church, in the presence of their little flock, was dedicated under
the patronage of St. Joseph, by the Rev. Father Fenwick, assisted by
his nephew, Rev. N. D. Young.
"The occasion was a very interesting one, being the first Catholic
Church opened and blessed in Ohio. It attracted a great concourse of
dissenting brethren, many ot whom, for the first time in their lives, had
a view of a Catholic Priest, of whom they had heard so many strange
things.
"At that period, not more than six families composed their flock,
within reach of St. Joseph's. Like the grain of mustard seed, this little
congregation increased so rapidly that, in the course of two years, it
was found necessary to make an addition to the little church. This was
accomplished by adding to it a neat stone building, which was finished
and made ready for divine worship in the course of a year. It was
constructed so as to allow any future addition that might be deemed
necessary. It was soon found that St. Joseph's and Trinity Church,
then erected in Somerset, about two miles distant, were insuflicient to
contain the members of the two congregations, and that something
must be done to assist at Mass and hear the word of God, to fulfil the
obligations of Religion.
"The eyes of all were again turned to St. Joseph's. The Right
Reverend Dr. Fenwick had left St. Joseph's, and was consecrated the
first Bishop of Cincinnati, in 1822, at St. Rose's Church, by Bishop
Flaget. He was anxious that another addition, according to the origi-
nal plan, should be made to St. Joseph's, to accommodate a flock, dear
to his heart, with all the spiritual comforts of the Catholic Church. He
urged his wish that the work should be commenced. The pastor,
Father Young, called a meeting, to decide the question. At that meet-
ing, it was agreed that the old log church should be removed, and, in
its place, a brick addition should be added to the stone part of the edi-
fice. A subscription was immediately opened, and the means, in part,
obtained. This subscription was headed by the bishop's name and two
hundred and fifty dollars. Trusting to the liberality of the friends of
reHgion, and depending particularly on the hope that it might be in the
power of the zealous bishop to extend to this church, the cradle of the
other churches in Ohio, and so long the field of his labors, further as-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 29 1
sistance, the work was commenced on Whitsuntide Monday, the twen-
ty-sixth of May, 1825, when the corner-stone was solemnly blessed and
laid by the Rev. Father Young, authorized by the Bishop ; and on Sun-
day, January nth, 1829, the same Reverend Father, assisted by his
confrere, the Rev. Daniel O'Leary, O. P., blessed the entire edifice,
brick and stone. The whole was now eight3'-two feet in length, and
forty feet in breadth, surmounted by a beautiful little steeple and hand-
some cross, rearing its head above the surrounding forest, and the first
erected in Perry county, to recall to the minds of all, the great redemp-
tion our Lord purchased on the cross for us all.
"The Right Reverend Bishop, on account of his occupation at Cin-
cinnati, and the unseasonableness of the time, was not able to attend
the dedication, as he had arranged with the pastor of St. Joseph's. Af-
ter the solemn high mass sung by the choir of Trinity Church, Rev.
Father Young delivered an appropriate discourse, to a crowded audi-
ence. Some few of his hearers are yet living in Perrv county, and re-
member his sermon, especially that part in which he dwelt with peculiar
delight on the great change that had been effected. He told them that
the woods with which they were surrounded, not many years ago, re-
sounded with the Indian yell, and bowlings of wolves, but would here-
after echo canticles of joy and praises of God.
"He passed a merited encomium on the departed patriarchs of reli-
gions, Messrs. Jacob Dittoe, Joseph and Anthony, his brothers, and
the old patriarch of the Somerset congregation, Mr. John Fink, Sr.,
who was a liberal benefactor in the erection of Trinity Church, besides
donating to Father Fenwick the beautiful site on which that splendid
gothic church now stands, in connection with the cemetery. In his
discourse he observed that St. Joseph's was the Mother Church of all
other Catholic churches dedicated in Ohio, or which in future would be
dedicated in the Diocese of Cincinnati. On the ver}'^ spot on which
he stood, was the place from whence so many churches, as branches,
spread out. Eleven in existence had been erected b}' his brethren of
St. Joseph's, in various sections of the State. Now we have, in Perry
county alone, eight organized congregations, all having churches,
where the word of God and divine service, on all Sundays of the year,
is celebrated, and the holy sacraments administered by resident pastors.
Some of these churches are splendid Gothic buildings, excelled in size
and beauty of architecture by few in the United States, namely : St.
Joseph's, Trinity, St. Patrick's, and St. Louis. Others will follow.
" The order has extended so rapidh', that the Fathers on these missions
were sent to the East ; Washington, New York, etc. In New York
and Washington they have erected magnificent churches. St. Domi-
nic's in South Washington, is said to be one of the most magnificent
churches in the United States, — if not in size, in beauty of architecture,
and is the largest in Washington. It was seven years building, has
seven chapels attached to it, with granite stone brought from the cele-
brated quarry of Fort McHenry, near Baltimore, and stands on the
spot where stood the barn of Notley Young, not far from his mansion
on the Potomac, and where General Washington was honored as his
guest, when surveying the District of Columbia and laying out the City
of Washington. He donated to the Government the beautiful mall.
292 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
now the Smithsonian park, and also tlie square lor a market house on
Pennsylvania Avenue.
" The splendid church of St. Joseph's and the Convent attached to it,
were burnt January 14th, 1862. It was erected by the Rev. Charles
Montgomery, the Superior at the time the conflagration took place.
The fire was supposed to be accidental. The walls of the church being
very thick, were but slightly injured, and were very soon again roofed.
The interior was finished off by lofty Gothic groins, supported by Gothic
columns. The walls of the Convent being thin, suffered so nuicli by the
fire, as to be rendered unfit for further use, and were accordingly taken
down. The present Convent, now occupied by the Fathers of St.Jf)seph's.
and as a Theological College, was once a public college, educating
many of the youths of Ohio, and patronized extensively from distant
parts of the countr}^
" The zealous Bishop, Dr. Fenwick, was an ardent promoter of edu-
cation. Always intent in giving every encouragement to the education
of youths of both sexes in his diocese ; he had determined, as soon as
in his power, to establish a female academy in Perry county. For that
purpose, he purchased in Somerset, of Mr. William Harper, his resi-
dence and lot of two acres of ground, opposite Trinity Church in Som-
erset. He obtained from the Sisters of St. Catharine's C<jnvent, a cele-
brated academy, five of their community, to imdertake the commence-
ment of a similar academy.
"Accordingly, in January, 1830, the five mentioned vSisters, viz : Sis-
ter Angela Sansbery, Sister Emih' Elder, Sister Benveri Sansbery,
Sister Agnes Harlen and Sister Catharine Mudd, were conducted to
Somerset by Rev. S. Montgomery, via Cincinnati, where they stopped
a few days to arrange matters with the Rt. Rev. Ijishop Fenwick. On
their arrival in Somerset, some repairs and additions had to be made on
the little house, before they could take possession of it as their residence.
Mr. Peter Dittoe, a merchant of Somerset, kindly offered them hospi-
tality, where they remained a month. This building, the commencement
of St. Mar^^'s, was a small brick house, with a carpenter shop on the
ground ffoor. In the shop, St. Mary's school commenced. The Sis-
ters had every encouragement from the citizens of Somerset, and from
the Rev. Fathers of St. Joseph's Convent. The}^ also opened a Novi-
tiate, and a lady from Green Bay, Miss Mary Greignew. and Miss Rose
Lynch of Zanesville, Ohio, were their first novices.
" St. Mary's, from the encouragement it received from the public, in
a few years, erected a large academy, with a beautiful Gothic church
attached, and continued prosperous until June 7th, 1866, when, by a
defection of a flue through the roof of the church, it caught fire, and
this splendid church and academy were consumed. A generous benefac-
tor, Mr. Theodore Leonard, near Columbus, offered the Sisters forty
acres of land, and all the materials necessary for the erection of an ex-
tensive academy, if they would locate on the proffered ground. This
generous offer was accepted by the Sisters, and in 1868, the community
of St. Mary's moved to their new home, a splendid house, about one
hundred and fifty feet in length, with all conveniences attached. The
Sisters dedicated it, as before, to the Mother of God, calling it St.
Mai*y's of the Springs.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 293
" The remains of the departed Sisters, interred at Somerset, were all
removed to Cokimbus.
" Perhaps there is not a more beautiful site in Ohio for an academy,
than that of St. Mary's of the Springs. It stands high and gives a fine
view of the surrounding country. It abounds with springs of the best
waters, and within view of the Somerset and Newark Railroad.
" Rt. Rev. Dr. Rosecrans established in Columbus, a branch of St.
Mar3''s, called the Academy of Notre Dame, the Sisters of which are
members of St. Mary's community, and were selected by the Bishop to
conduct this Academy — a large and commodious building, situated on
Broad street, a few squares from the Cathedral and State House. It is
intended for the purpose, more of a day school for the education of the
young ladies of the city, than those who may wish to enter as boarding
pupils, conducted by the Nuns who first founded St. Mary's in Somer-
set, with Bishop Fenwick their father and protector. The first Sisters
are now no more. Their successors are the object of the zealous care of
the Bishop of Columbus, whose diocese was established in 1868.
'" I will conclude this article by recording the names of the second
Catholic pioneers who settled in this county about the time St. Joseph's
was dedicated. The first I wish to record, is that of Mr. William Wise-
man, who emigrated from St. Mary's county, in Mar3'land, near the
shores of St. Mary's river, where Lord Baltimore and his colony landed.
When a young man, he enlisted in the Western Army, commanded by
General Wavne and General Sinclair, under whom he was engaged in
several battles they fought with the Indians. Whilst the army was sta-
tioned at Fort Washington, where Cincinnati now stands, young Wise-
man, with a small force of soldiers, was sent to occupy a block-house,
built on the banks of the great Miami, to watch the movements of the
Indians, and if necessary, to call for reinforcements on the fort. Un-
expectedl}' they were surrounded by a large body of Indians, who took
two of them prisoners ; one escaped, the other was burned alive in sight
of his companions in the block-house. They could give the poor soldier
no assistance ; his lamentable cries the}' could hear, calling out to them
for protection. The commander of the fort, appealing to their patriot-
ism, wished one at least to volunteer his services to go to Cincinnati for
assistance, offering a reward to any one who would undertake the mis-
sion to Fort Washington, although this could not be afieqted without
danger of death, as the Miami must be crossed in a boat, exposed to
the fire of the Indians. Young Wiseman was the only one who offered
his services. He added, * I ask no pay.' They got the boat ready,
which was moored under the bank on which the block-house stood.
The commander accepted his ofier, and the boat was soon prepared for
him. The Indians always on the alert, when the boat was launched in
the river, with Wiseman in it, ]")oured a voile}' of shot upon it. He, in-
tent only on escaping them, gained by quick paddling, the opposite
bank. He often afterward observed, that Divine Providence alone pro-
tected him from their bullets. The bank gained, like a deer speeding
his course over hill and tlale, the valiant soldier soon reached the fort,
distant some twenty miles from the block-house. When in sight of the
fort, in a shallow place of the river, he crossed over on thin ice, which
frequenth' broke before he gained the opposite side. The message he
294 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
brought was soon answered by a quick march of some hundred soldiers,
sent to their rehef, and the cruel Indians dispersed.
" This brave deed of William Wiseman is recorded in Judge Burnet's
History of Ohio. Mr. Wiseman was with General Harrison, at St.
Clair's defeat, and was one of his special friends, and a strong supporter
in Perry and Fairfield counties, when ' Tip and Tyler too ' were candi-
dates for the Presidency and Vice Presidency of the United States.
When General Harrison, during that campaign, visited Perry county, to
make his political principles known, and to defend his abused reputa-
tion, Mr. Wiseman, as a special friend, escorted him, and was at his
side when Harrison spoke, and when he was received at Mr. Peter
Dittoe's residence, since called Mount Harrison, over which waved the
flag of the United States. No man could more rejoice than Mr. Wise-
man, on the success of that campaign.
" The other pioneers of the Catholic Church of Perry county were,
Joseph Hodge (a convert to the Catholic Church), Henry and John
Flowers, Joseph DeLong and brothers, John Noon and brothers, John
Hynes, John McLaughlin, P. Griffin, Henry Sterner, Hugh, Dennis,
and Richard McGonagle, James Cane, Henry and Peter Dittoe, Patrick
McChristle, Henry McNally, Owen Martin, Matthew Casserly, Patrick
Larg3% Alexander Clark, Neal and John Crossin, Patrick O'Hara, Pat-
rick McMuilin, John Clark, John Byrne, Henry Bonastell (a soldier),
Larry Curran, Patrick Cambron, Joshua Green, Judge P. McDonald,
Philip McDonald, Esq., James McDonald, John Thornton, PhiHp,
James, and Hugh Minor, David Mussulman, Jacob, John, Anthony,
and Adam Fink, Felix Cull, Esq., Nicholas Tyder, Adam Gordon,
Daniel McCann, James Elder, Owen Donely, Gregory Metzer, Levi
Burgoon, John Litzinger. These were among the pioneers of St.
Joseph. They are now no more. Their good works have gone before;
them, and secured them an eternal reward."
The names of several other Catholic pioneer families were subse-
quently sent to the compiler by letter, but the hand of the aged Priest
had become so tremulous that they could not be made out. The cir-
cumstance shows, however, that, in his last days, he was thinking of
the men and women to whom he ministered in the golden pioneer days.
Rev. Father Young, the author of the foregoing interesting sketch,
was, from 1818 until a period not a great w4iile previous to his death,
actively engaged in ministerial work in one or more of the Catholic
churches in Perry county. He was a zealous, active 3^oung Catholic
Priest, with headquarters at St. Joseph's, when his parish extended from
Wheeling, West Virginia, to Vincennes, Indiana. He would frequently
ride on horseback from St. Joseph's to Columbus, in the night season,
to administer to the sick and dying. Father Young was of sturdjs well
knit frame, of cordial, genial manners, and of more than ordinary
intellectual abilit3^ He was exceedingly zealous and industrious, and
was apparently best satisfied and enjoyed himself best when hardest at
work. He knew most of the early pioneers of Perry, and they knew
him, Father Young was born and brought up near Washington, Dis-
trict of Columbia, and had recently come to this section of Ohio from
an older settled community. He felt a litde strange, at first, at seeing
so many men clad in hunting shirts and carrying rifles, but he soon
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 295
learned that they intended him no harm, and he could be hospitably
entertained by any of them, whether of his religious belief or otherwise.
He lived to be about eighty-five years of age, and though he died
somewhere in the East, when on an accustomed visit or tour, his mortal
remains were, according to his oft repeated request, sent back to Perry
county, Ohio, and interred in St. Joseph's churchj-ard, where he had
worked to establish a church of his faith so long ago.
Holy Trinity (Catholic) Church has one of the largest and finest
houses of worship in the State. It is most handsomely situated on ris-
ing ground, on Columbus street, near the south end of Somerset. The
present building has been in use nearly twent}^ years. The congrega-
tion was organized about 1820, and, throughout its entire history, has
been a very strong and influential one. It is not as old as St. Joseph's
Church, though it is justly entitled to be called a pioneer one, and is
one among the first of the Catholic Churches organized in the State of
Ohio. Few have been more prosperous in every point of view. Upon
one occasion, when Bishop Fenwick was passing through on horseback,
along " Zane's Trace," on his way from Baltimore, Mar3'land, to Bards-
town, Kentucky, he reached the tavern of John Fink at nightfall, and
remained over night as a strange traveling guest. The next morning,
after paying his bill and getting on his horse, he inquired of Mr. Fink
if he knew of any Catholic families in the direction he was traveling,
Mr. Fink told him of some that he knew, and furthermore informed him
that he, himself, was a Catholic. Bishop Fenwick at once alighted,
hitched his horse to the fence, went into the house and celebrated mass.
This was the first mass said in the State of Ohio, unless some of the
explorers or missionaries among the Indians had celebrated it some-
where along the northern frontier. This was, in fact, the small begin-
ning of the Catholic Church in what is now Perry county, where it has
become so numerous in membership and so important A factor in eccle-
siastical affairs. Further interesting facts relative to Holy. Trinity
Church are given in the sketch by Rev. N. D. Young, concerning the
early history of the Catholic Church in Perry county. Rev. Noon, a
very efficient and popular Priest, has been for several years past, and is
at present, the pastor of the church.
The Lutheran Church in Somerset is one of the oldest in the county.
Among the early emigrants to Somerset and neighborhood were many
Pennsylvania Germans, most of whom were Lutherans, and, at a very
early day — about 1812 or 1813 — there was Lutheran preaching at Som-
erset in private houses, and at the old log schoolhouse situated on South
Columbus street. About 1817 or 1818 the old log house of worship was
erected on North street. The congregation had been organized a few
years previously. The original church building was constructed of
very large hewed logs (afterwards weatherboarded), and had a gallery,
which was chiefly intended for the choir, but, on extraordinary occa-
sions, was open for any of the congregation. The church had a good
organ, made by Henr^- Humberger, of this county, and the congrega-
tion, for a long time, was somewhat noted for its good music. The old
log edifice was used till 1844, when a lot was bought on Main street, near
the west Public Square, and a large, handsome, costly brick edifice
erected, which has been owned and occupied by the denomination until
296 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
the present time. The old church stood until about 1852, when it was
taken down and the materials put to other use.
Revs. Andrew Henkel, Charles Henkel, Greenwalt, Ruch, Bartholo-
mew, Wagenhals, Spielman, W. F. Lehman, A, J. Weddell, John
Rugan, Cornelius Remensnyder, Corbit, Herring, Hunton, Martens,
Isensee, D. M. Weisman and others, have ministered to this congrega-
tion. Rev. M. Walter is the present pastor.
It is not a little remarkable that the congregation was more poweriul,
influential and harmonious while worshiping in the old log church than
after its removal to the new, costly and imposing edifice on Main street.
Soon after the congregation was organized, and a church built, a
Sabbath-school was organized, which has been sustained, with a few
unimportant exceptions, during the whole vear, until the present time.
The church at no time was altogether composed of Penns3dvania
Germans, but also contained many English speaking people, and for
many years, and until about 1844, there was alternate German and
English preaching ; but, subsequent to this date, the services were ex-
clusively in the English language. The abandonment of German
preaching was very much disliked by some of the older members, but
the second generation of all nationalities had learned English speaking,
and services in German could no longer be maintained nor secure the
general approval of the congregation.
Of the officiating ministers of the church Charles Henkel died in
Somerset, and his mortal remains repose in the old Lutheran griwe-
yard. Rev. Henkel was pastor of the church for many years, and
was universally respected by the people of the whole community. At
one time, and for quite a number of years, he solemnized more mar-
riages than any other minister in the county.
As previously intimated, this church is not so strong as in former
years, though regular preaching and Sabbath-school are maintained.
A Reform congregation was organized and a neat church edifice
erected at Somerset a few years since. Stated preaching and Sabbath-
school were sustained until recently, but at present there is no regular
pastor, and services are only occasionally held.
Otterbein (United Brethren) Church was organized and a primitive
house of worship built about 1818 to 1820. A better building of brick
was erected a few years later, which was occupied imtil 1882, when a
still better and more modern brick edifice was built and dedicated.
Otterbein is the oldest United Brethren Church in the county. Some
of its original members were among the earliest pioneers of Reading
township and the county. It is situated about four miles west of Somer-
set, near the Zanesville and Maysville turnpike. Otterbein has from
its organization until the present been a strong and active congregation,
maintaining regular preaching and for many years a Sabbath-school.
Rev. Lambent is the present pastor.
Pisgah (United Brethren) Church, situated in the southwestern part
of Reading township, not far from the Fairfield county line, was organ-
ized and a house of worship built about 1850 or 1852, which was used
until about 1867 or 1868, when a second and better building was erected,
and is yet occupied by the congregation. Pisgah is not so old a church
and the congregation not as numerous as at Otterbein, but it maintains
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. • 297
regular preaching the year round and Sabbath-school during the sum-
mer months. Rev. Lambent is the present pastor.
A Presbyterian Church was organized at Somerset in 1837-38, under
the ministry of Rev. Edmund Garland, who was at the time also pastor
of Unity Church. The congregation bought the old Methodist brick
edifice situated on what is known as "■ Happy allev," where they con-
tinued to worship for several years, until the congregation disbanded
and what was left of them united with Unitv Church, carrving the title
of the church property with them into Unitv Church. The old brick
edifice and lot upon which it stood were subsequently sold and the pro-
ceeds thereof applied to repairing the Unity Church. The Somerset
society had an existence of less than ten years.
The Lutheran Church, of New Reading, was the first church organ-
ized in what is now Perry county, though in respect to date it onh' pre-
ceded Zion CRible's), of Thorn township, a few months, both being or-
ganized in the same year, 1805. The church was organized under the
ministry of Rev. William Foster, the venerable father of Lutheranism
in Perry county, who departed this life in 1815. There is a little uncer-
tainty as to the date of the erection of the first edifice, but it was about
181 2-13. It w^as a two-story log building, and was occupied a good
many }ears. The present edifice is a brick structure, and of more
modern belongings. The Overmyers, Whitmers, Anspachs, Poormans,
Shriders and Bowmans, were among the first members. Regular
preaching and Sabbath school are sustained. The church site is a very
pleasant one.
The Methodist Episcopal Church at New Reading, was organized
in 1825-26, and a house of worship erected about 1828. Rev. Joseph
Carper, long a prominent minister 5f the Ohio Conference, owned a
farm and lived near New Reading, and had his membership here.
Randolph Mitchell, a noted old-time merchant of New Reading, was,
in his lifetime, a prominent member of the church. Also, the late Peter
Whitmer, of the vicinity of New Reading. The Reading church be-
longs to the Rushville circuit, and receives its ministers by the appoint-
ment of the Ohio Conference. Regular church services, including
Sabbath school, have been sustained. The edifice is brick.
A school house, situated in the Baker neighborhood, which is no
longer used for school purposes, is open to all denominations for relig-
ious service, and is occasionally so used.
The Marsh Methodist Episcopal Church, in which a considerable
number of Perr}- county people hold their membership, is situated a lit-
tle over the line in Fairfield county.
Schools. — The earliest school in Reading township, of which any
information could be obtained, was held in 1806-7, in a log cabin situ-
ated about two miles east of where Somerset was afterw^ard established.
Persons are vet living, of good mind and memory, who were pupils in
this school, and can remember the date and place. As indicated, Som-
erset, at this time, had no existence. This was an English school.
A German school was taught at " Overmyerstettle," (New Read-
ing), about 1808. The venerable Peter Overmyer was a member of
this school, and has a full and clear recollection concerning it. It was
298 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
a three months' subscription school. Mr. Overm3'er states that it was
composed of twenty pupils, all of whom were in the alphabet when the
school began, and all were reading before the term of three months
closed, a fact not unworthy the attention and consideration of modern
Teachers' Institutes.
Similar schools — English and German — were doubtless organized a
few years later, in other parts of Reading township, including the vil-
lage of Somerset. The first school in Somerset was probably taught
about 1810. The old log school house in which it was held, stood on
South Columbus street, not very far from the corner of the public
square. Alter being used several years for a school-house, it was con-
verted into a chair shop. Religious services, by various denominations,
were also held in the old log school-house.
After the old log building, referred to, was discarded, school was
taught awhile in a house on "• Happy Alley," in the " Old Academy"
on North Columbus street ; in a room in the second story of the old
jail, and in various other places. The east and west school houses,
each of them containing two rooms, were erected about 1835. These
buildings accommodated four schools tolerably well, but it was not very
long until another room or two was required ; and these additioual
rooms were leased wherever they could best be obtained. This was the
condition of the public schools of Somerset, until the erection, a few
years since, oi the large, elegant and commodious Union School House,
on the site of the old John Fink tavern, near the east end of town.
This building comfortably accommodates all the pupils of school age,
and is a credit to the town and county. The site is a handsome one,
and the landscape, as viewed from the, second story windows of the
edifice, is both agreeable and edifying.
It should have been stated, that several of the public schools were
taught in the old frame, a few years before the present brick edifice was
erected. At a still earlier date, the Somerset Collegiate Institute owned
the property, and Prof. Charles Nourse taught a select school there.
The township, outside of Somerset, is well organized into conveni-
ent school districts, with good frame or brick edifices, and the schools
are in session from six to eight months in the year.
There were, in former years, frequent changes of teachers in the
schools of Somerset. Very few remained long enough to be considered
anything like fixtures. Isaac Thorn — best known by the title of " Col.
Thorn " — probably taught for a greater length of time, than any other
teacher. He was, for many years, regarded as a successful instructor,
but eventually lost his efficiency, and reluctantly and sadly retired from
the profession that he had once adorned. Even after the days of his
usefulness as a teacher had departed. Colonel Thorn lingered about his
old haunts, dressed faultlessly, " boarded out at the lot," as he was
wont to remark, and aired his peculiar grammar and history wherever
he could assemble an attentive, respectable and dignified circle of ad-
mirers. All who ever knew him, will think kindly and charitably of
Colonel Thorn, the famous old-time teacher of Somerset.
There were numerous select schools, at one time and another, taught
in Somerset, some of which were very good, and attamed quite a repu-
tation in their day. The most notable of these were taught by Rev. A.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 299
J. Weddell, and at a later date, those taught by Prof. Charles Nourse,
under the auspices of the Somerset Collegiate Institute. Rev. Weddell
was a minister of the Lutheran denomination, a fine scholar, a finished
gentleman, and well versed in English literature. All who were ever
his pupils continue to venerate the man.
Prof. Nourse's schools were scarcely less distinguished than those of
Mr. Weddell, but he taught at a somewhat later date, and his efficient
labors at Somerset are yet comparatively fresh in the recollections of
many pupils and patrons. Prof. Nourse subsequently became Principal
of the Public Schools at New Lexington.
Prof. Ferree, at a still later date, taught a series of select schools in
Somerset, which were well patronized and gave general satisfaction to
the patrons and community.
St. Mary's Academy, a Catholic school, conducted by a Sisterhood
of the Dominican Order, was early estaslished, and, for a long time,
continued at Somerset, with pupils and patrons -from nearly- all parts of
the United States, and especially from the Southern States. The
Academy building was unfortunately destroyed by fire, in 1866, where-
upon the sisters decided to remove to Columbus, Ohio, where they
established an institution, known as St. Mary's of the Springs. The
Sisters, or a number of them, returned to Somerset, a few years since,
with the intention of re-establishing a Convent, and an Academy in
connection therewith, to be called the Convent of the Sacred Heart.
They leased the Dixon Brown building, on Main street, for temporary
Convent and school purposes, but immediately went to work to erect a
new, large and commodious building of their own, upon the site of the
old Academy, which was destroyed by fire in 1866. When they had
the new building well under way, and almost ready to be roofed, they
were, for some reason, transferred to Galveston, Texas. The erection
of the Academy building proceeded, however, under the management
and direction of Rev.' Father Noon, pastor of Holy Trinity Church, at
Somerset, and it is to be finished and ready for occupancy during the
summer of 1883, when a competent corps of Sisters and teachers are to
be provided, and a good school again opened.
St. Mary's Academ}^ is sketched in another place by the pen of the
late Rev. N. D. Young, and it is not necessary to say anything further
concerning it herein, except that it was a school of wide celebrity, and
that the wives of some of the most distinguished men of the country-
have received their education within its walls.
A College building was erected near St. Joseph's Church, in 1882,
under the direction and supervision of the Priesthood of St. Joseph's,
where a school was opened, and continued for several years, under the
name of St. Joseph College. It was very well patronized, not only by
numerous Catholic families of the county, but also had students from all
parts of the countr}^ and especially from the Southern States. When
the war began, in 1861, and the seceded States were cut oft' from the
North, with the accompanying depression in all business and educa-
tional enterprises, the College was compelled to suspend operations and
close its doors. After the burning of St. Mary's Academy building in
Somerset, the St. Joseph College building was tendered the Academy
300 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
Sisters, and accepted and occupied by them a year or two. until their
removal to Columbus, as before stated.
Miscellaneous. — When the news of the tiring on Sumter reached
Somerset, with the accompanying Proclamation of President Lincoln
calling for volunteers, the hearts of the people were wonderfully stirred,
as was the case all over the country. The bell of the old Court House
was rung, and it was not long until the house was crowded to overflow-
ing. Hon. William E. Finck was the first speaker called out, then T.
J. Maginnis, then Col. William Spencer. These speakers all con-
demned and denounced the attack upon Sumter, and declared that
President Lincoln must be supported in defending the National forts,
and in maintaining the supremacy of the National Government. Dr.
Martin Kagay was the next speaker, and his remarks were even more
radical than the speakers who had preceded him. He said that the
leaders of secession had been in the habit of magnif3nng the raid of
John Brown ; but now, since they had fired upon the flag, it would be
necessary for hundreds of thousands of John Browns to invade the
South, no matter what the cousequences to the peculiar institution of
slavery. The speakers were all unusually able and eloquent, inspired
bv the theme and circumstances of the hour. Many were fired with a
patriotic ardor to do or die for their country, and not a few almost
immediately enlisted in response to the call of President Lincoln.
A place known as " Lidey's Rocks," situated in the western part of
Reading township, is a wild, romantic spot, and has, at one time or
another, attracted a considerable number of visitors. It has frequently
been a favorite resort for picnic and other parties of pleasure. There
is a peculiar formation of rocks, the scenery is delightful, and the gen-
eral surroundings highly picturesque. There is a natural cave, though
not a large one, and there seems to be a natural fireplace, in between
two rocks, where the stone appears to be blackened and burned by the
heat and smoke of many fires. Indians may have encamped in this
place before the settlement of the country by the whites, and it is more
than probable that many an adventurer and hunter of the early days
built his camp fire and broiled his venison at this stone fireplace. Li-
dey's Rocks are only a few miles distant from either Somerset, Junction
City, or Rushville. The "Rocks" are not visited so frequentl}- as
they were some years ago, but the locality is still one of interest and
attraction.
It is stated, upon what appears to be good authority, that the first
white man buried in what is now Peny county, was interred in the
woods, a few miles north of Somerset, not far from the road now lead-
ing to Thornville. The man was a stranger, passing along, who took
sick, and, in a few days, was a corpse. There was then no public or
private burying ground in the neighborhood or county. So the mortal
remains of the stranger, whoever he was, were inclosed in a rough box,
and consigned to a grave dug in the woods, the whereabouts of which
his friends, if he had any, probably never knew. Some of our oldest
citizens could point very near the spot where the stranger was buried,
but soon all trace of the burial place will be lost, and possibly, fifty or a
HISTORY OI'' I'KRRY COUNTY. 3OI
hundred years hence, the bones may be accidentally exhumed, and the
subject be a nine days' wonder for generations yet unborn.
Isaac Pence, one of the earliest settlers of the township, was a sol-
dier in the War of 1812, and was in the celebrated naval engagement
under Commodore Perry, in honor of whom the county is named.
Pence was one of the soldiers in the boat- who rowed., Commodore Per-
ry from his own sinking ship to another vessel. Mr. Pence was an in-
dustrious, intelligent man, highly esteemed by all, and lived to a good
old age.
John J. Jackson, of this township, and the latest surviving soldier of
the War of 18 12 in it, though a quiet, modest man all his life, has rather
an eventful history. He served thorugh the War of 181 2, and drew a
pension 'o the day of his death, for military services rendered the United
States Government. After the war was over, he in some wa}^ drifted to
St. Louis, and he emigrated from that place, or vicinity, to Bearfield
township. Perry county, Ohio, and his name will be found in the history
of that township as one of the first settlers. His first wife was an Ijams,
a sister of William, John and Joseph Ijams, well remembered by the
older citizens of Perry county. Mr. Jackson and others journeyed from
St. Louis, across the country, to this county, in 1815 or 1816. It was a
journey full of strange adventures. So far as now remembered, Mr.
Jackson and companions are the only pioneers of Perry county who
emigrated from the West. All the others came from the East or South,
and nearlv all from the East.
The widow of John Lidey, another soldier of the War of 1812, and
a member of the Constitutional Convention from Perry county, in 185 1,
Jives in Reading township, in the town of Somerset. A few other
widows of soldiers of the War of 181 2 live in other parts of the county,
but the soldiers themselves are all gone.
Reading township had, in June, 1880, a population of three thous-
and three hundred and sixty-seven.
302 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
SALTLICK TOWNSHIP.
Saltlick township was organized about 1823, and received its name
from a deer-lick, near where the town of McCuneville has since been
built. It was six miles square when lirst organized, but a small portion
of one corner was taken to help form the new township of Pleasant. At
a later date, Saltlick was divided and Coal township formed from the
southern part.
Monday Creek, Sunday Creek and tributaries, drain the township of
Saltlick. As a whole, it is hilly and, in part, e^•ceedingly rough ; though
there are some good farming lands on the ridges, and also along the
creeks. Some of it is very productive. It is all, or nearly all, under-
laid with a good article of bituminous coal, and much of it with the so-
called "Great Vein," which is extensively mined at Shawnee. Parts of
the township are also rich in iron ores. The Iron Point deposits, which
lie high in the hills, are of great thickness, of good quality, and pro-
duce an enormous quantity of ore, which is used by the furnaces of
Shawnee. The Iron Point deposit is reported nearly exhausted, but
this seam of ore, in all probability, exists in other hills, at a correspond-
ing horizon.
" What is now Saltlick township was settled in 1815, by the Hazletons
and others. The following were of the ver^^ early settlers : John Ha-
zleton, Sr., John Hazleton, Jr., Henry Hazleton, William Hazleton,
Joseph Hazleton, Henry Rush, and William Bailey. The township set-
tled up very slowly, and, for many years, had but a few voters and a
small population.
Saltlick was a former hunting-ground, in the early days. Its hills
and narrow valleys abounded with deer, bears, wild turkies, and many
varieties of smaller game. Panthers, wolves, wildcats and catamounts
were not uncommon. People from the north part of this county, and
from other places, came here to hunt. Many of them would stay for
days, and some of them for weeks. The deer-lick, previously referred
to,' was frequently watched by the hunters, lor the purpose of shooting
the deer when they would come there to lick the salt water. The hun-
ter would conceal himself, at ci convenient distance, and when the deer
would come and begin to lick, the hunter would fire, with a good chance
of securing his game. After a while the deer would not venture to the
lick in the daytime, but would frequent it at night. The hunters did not
give it up, and, after scouring the woods through the day, would conceal
themselves near the lick at night, and when they heard the deer drink-
ing, would shoot by the sound. This, of course, made the result of the
shot very uncertain ; nevertheless, many a deer was killed in this way.
There was, doubdess, many a fierce contest with deer and bear, in the
early times of Saltlick ; but the old pioneers and hunters are all dead,
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 303
many of them died long ago, and tradition is growing dim and uncer-
tain concerning those far-away times. The men and women who were
children in those early days can remember nothing more doleful than
the howling of the wolves at dusk, and in the night. The}- were hunt-
ed and killed for the bounty paid by the State for their scalps. Deer
skins were taken to market and sold, but brought, usually, only three
cents a piece ; yet the money received from this source helped pay
taxes, in those da3'^s when taxation was very low.
A company was organized and a salt works erected at the deer-lick,
about 1829. A good article of salt was made there for several years,
but the concern became unprofitable, and the works were abandoned.
Coal was used lor neighborhood use only, until the Newark, Somerset
and Straitsville Railroad was built to Shawnee.
A traveler who was passing through the county in January, 1855, re-
mained over night with a hospitable farmer, at the foot of a large hill,
not far from Shawnee Run, or a tributary thereof. The log house, with
one .oom, contained a large grate, in which a coal fire was brightly
burning. The entrance of the coal mine was scarcely two rods from
the door of the dwelling, and the coal mine was the coal house. There
appeared to be no coal bucket, but a huge bank shovel, on which nearly
a bushel could be carried, was used to bring in coal to replenish the
fire. The remains of this old house, a cabin, could not long since be
seen, within the present limits of Shawnee, but the surroundings are
.entirely difl:erent from what they were in 1855.
The facilities for market of the inhabitants of Saltlick, were not very
good previous to the advent of railroads. There was no great surplus,
however, and that made the trouble of marketing I'arm products less
than it otherwise would have been. The surplus products had to be
wagoned to New Lexington, Logan, or Athens, over rough roads. In
the days when tobacco was raised it was taken to Rehoboth or Rush-
ville, the principal tobacco markets. The building of the railroad
changed all this, and Saltlick, with numerous other improvements, has
a railroad station at Shawnee, and another at McCuneville ; and Shaw-
nee is a better market,* for most country products, than Cincinnati or
Columbus. New Straitsville, on another railroad, is but a short dis-
tance oflT.
In a political way. Saltlick is distinguished for having been a strong
Democratic township, until the disbandment of the Whig party and the
organization of the Republican, since which time it has been about as
strongly Republican as it had previously been Democratic. It gave a
majority of eighty-three for John C. Fremont, for President, over Bu-
chanan, in 1856. Saltlick, before its dismemberment, of course, raised
the first three years' company in the county, for the War, which organ-
ized and rendezvoused at Old Straitsville, which was then in the town-
ship, but is now in Coal. Saltlick is also noted as the only township in
the county, in which no draft was made for soldiers to serve in the War
of the Rebellion. The township kept ahead of its quota on all occa-
sions, and without ever paying a dollar of local bounty. It is one of a
very few precincts in the State thus distinguished.
"a fearful calamity occurred at Sulphur Springs, in the eastern part
of the township, on the evening of the ninth of September, 1870.
304 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
Lewis McDonald and George Gaver resided tliere. Gaver was propri-
etor of the flouring mill there, known as the Lyons Mill. McDonald
was a large farmer, and had a small country store,. McDonald, Ga-
ver and George W. Gordon were in the little store on the fatal evening.
Gaver was buying some rock powder, and, upon examining it, expressed
his opinion that it was not very good. He applied a match to a very
small quantity in the palm of his hand, and it did not ignite. Mr. Mc-
DoTiald said that it was not a fair test ot the powder, and proceeded to
make a test himself. He took some out of a hole in a keg, and placed
it on a chair, several feet therefrom. He lighted a match and applied
it to the small quantitv of powder on the chair. Immediatel}' there was
a territic explosion, and the little brick store edifice was in ruins, with
McDonald, Gaver and Gordon badly burned and partly buried in the
debris. They succeeded in getting out in a short time, with great diffi-
culty. Gaver went a few rods to his residence, without assistance.
McDonald was seen to be badly hurt and was helped home. Both Mc-
Donald and Gaver gradually grew worse, and died in a few hours. A
little son of Mr. McDonald, aged about three years, who was no doubt
playing just outside the store, was buried under the ruins, and no doubt
was instantly killed. His body was not recovered until next morning.
A little boy "ten 3^ears old, son ot a Mr. Priest, of the neighborhood,
was not known to be in the store, but is believed to have just reached
the door when the explosion took place. He was badly burned, his
clothes were set on fire, and himself blown out clear of the debris. The
poor boy started and ran with all his might, his clothes burning, and'
after running some distance he jumped into the creek, fell over on his
face, and would have drowned, but a lady who was passing went in and
took him from the water. His clothing was all burned off, and he only
lived a few minutes. Mr. Gordon, though badly hurt, eventually re-
covered.
The victims of the explosion were buried on the Sunda}' following,
and their mortal remains were followed to their final resting place by
the largest concourse of people ever assembled, on a funeral occasion,
in the county. Many persons were present from McConnellsvile, Ath-
ens, Logan, New Lexington, and other places. McDonald and Gaver
were highly respected citizens and sons of old pioneers, who were
among the first to settle in the Sunday Creek country. -
A fatality appeared for a time to attend the place. A little while
after the burning of the store, and its dreadful results, two boiler explo-
sions occurred at the Lyons mill — to which reference has been made —
by which two or three persons were badly injured.
Captain Lyons, who owned the mill — and from whom it received its
name and retained it after other parties owned it — also met with a vio-
lent death, in the town of Shawnee, in December, 1876. He had, at
times, become dissipated in his habits, and one evening in December,
of the year named, was at a saloon kept by Thomas Hughes. When
the proprietor desired to close up, about 11 a. m., Lyons, who was some-
what intoxicated, i^equested the privilege of remaining in the saloon by
the fire, over night, which request was reluctantly granted. Some time
in the latter part of the night the building was discovered to be on fire.
When Hughes came upon the scene he announced that Captain Lyons
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 305
was in the saloon. It was altogether too late to rescue him then, and
there wes a hope that he had in some way made his escape. When
daylight came, his charred remains were found among the ruins. The
cause of the fire will never be known, though it is probable that Mr.
Lyons, in attempting to keep up the fire in the night, or in a delirious
state, had placed kindling wood or other combustibles about the stove.
Some person in the neighborhood heard Lyons shouting and pounding
sometime in the night, and recognized his voice, but thinking that he
was on a customary spree, paid no heed to it. At all events, it must
have been a night of horrors to the old soldier, until death finallv came
to his relief. Captain Sam Lyons was a brave and generous man, and,
until dissipation overcame him, was possessed of many noble impulses,
and had a host of friends.
Shawnee is the largest town in the township, and was laid out by
T. J. Davis, in 1872. For two years after the town was laid out, its
growth was most extraordinary^ and its enlargement has not vet ceased.
It is situated on Shawnee run, and two or three of the tributaries
thereof. There are several large coal works within and about the town,
and four furnaces, furnishing employment for large numbers of laborers.
It has a postoffice, new^spaper, station-house, two telegraph offices, two
hotels, a large union school-house, five church buildings, several
large stores, carr3ihg heav}' stocks of goods, and numerous smaller
shops of various kinds. The town has a good municipal government,
and it is, generalh' speaking, a quiet and orderly place. The Masons,
Odd Fellows, and Knights of P3^thias all have their lodges. Shawnee
has 800 children of school age, and in 1880 had a population of 2,770,
which, since that date, has probably increased to over 3,000. Here is
the terminus of the N. S. & S. railroad.
McCuneville was laid out in 1873, b}- Frank, John W. and John
McCune, and is situated on the N. S. & S. railroad, two miles north of
Shawnee. Large salt works were erected here in i873-'74, and were
run for several years, making a good article of salt ; but from some cause
they proved unprofitable, were discontinued, and now the entire buildings
have been torn away, and the salt w^ells abandoned. McCuneville has
a postoffice, school-hou^e, railroad station, hotel, store, a number of good
private residences, with a population of about 200. It has a M. E.
Church society, which holds regular services in the second stor}' of the
school building. Other denominations sometimes hold religious ser-
vices at the same place.
Hemlock is a small village, situated in the eastern part of the town-
ship. . It contains a postoffice, store, woolen mill, and a number of
private residences.
The Baptists were the pioneers in religion in Saltlick. A congre-
gation was organized and a church built on the land of John Hazleton,
about one-half mile south of where McCuneville now is, about 1820.
This church antedates the oldest Baptist church at New Lexington, and
is the first Baptist Churcli built south of the State road, leading from
Zanesvilleto Lancaster. The Baptists of New Lexington attended the
Hazleton church several 3ears, and until the New Lexington church
was organized. Mrs. Julia Barnd, an aged pioneer, recently deceased,
used to say that in those pioneer times she had frequently walked from
30
306 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
New Lexington to the Hazleton church on Saturday, returning on
Sabbath evening, carrying a child in her arms all the way there and
back. The distance was seven or eight miles. Other pioneer women
did the same, and did not consider it any hardship.
The Hazleton church was used about fitteen years, and then aban-
doned as a house of worship, a new church being built about two miles
north, also in Saltlick township. This church was used about the
same length of time as the Hazleton church, then, by deaths and
removals, the congregation was broken up, and the few members who
remained attached themselves to the New Lexington church.
The Catholics erected a stone church edifice one mile west of where
McCuneville now is, about 1825, which was a regular charge for
many years, but has been abandoned. There is a burying ground
near the old church.
The Disciples of Christ organized a church in the eastern part of
the township, and erected a church in 1830. The congregation is still
in existence, and the church building still in use.
The churches in Shawnee are all of comparatively recent origin.
The M. E. Church was organized soon after the town was laid out, and
a church was erected in 1874. T'^^Q Methodist Protestant congregation
was organized about the same time, and the church was built in the
same year. The Welsh Congregationalist Church was erected in 1875.
The Welsh Calvinistic edifice was erected in 1878. The Catholic
Church was built in 1880. The Baptists have not yet erected a church,
but have an organization and hold regular services at a public hall.
The Catholic Church is brick, all the others are frame. All of the
churches in Shawnee maintain Sabbath schools. Some of them are
very largely attended.
Sulphur Springs, situated in the eastern part of Saltlick township, is
a point of some note, on account of the mineral water there, and the
general natural surroundings. The water of the Springs has been used
to some extent for medical purposes, and it is probable that there is
about as much virtue in it as in the water of most of the famous springs
of the country.
There are also some veins of alum water in Saltltck, as some of the
wells and springs will testily.
Saltlick township had, by the census of 1880, a population of three
thousand nine hundred and seventy.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 307
CHAPTER XXXV.
THORN TOWNSHIP.
Thorn township is, as originally surve3^ed, just six miles square. It
is the north-western township of the county, and is bounded on the north
b}^ Licking, and on the west by Fairtield count\^ It derived its name
from the numerous thorn bushes, bearing red berries, which grew in
early times adjacent to the little lakes near the northern line of the
township. There are other theories of the origin of the name of the
township, but the one herein given is generally believed to be the cor-
rect one. Thorn was organized as a political township, about 1804, by
the authority of the Commissioners of Fairtield county, of which it was
then a part.
Nearly all of the township belongs to the drift formation, and the
soil, as a whole, is highly productive. The water system may be de-
nominated a little complex, when compared with any of the other town-
ships of the county. Jonathan's Creek, the northern branch of the Mox-
ahala, drains most of the eastern part of the township, and the northern
branch of Rush Creek, the western part. Honey Creek empties into
the Reservoir. Walnut Creek heads in the western part of the town-
ship, and flows into the Scioto river. So it will be observed, a small
portion of the township belongs to the Scioto Valley. The natural out-
let of the lakes, the nucleus of the Reservoir, was into the Lickin<T
river ; hence, that part of the township which is drained into the Reser-
voir, is in the Muskingum Valley. When the Reservoir was construct-
ed, as a feeder to the Ohio Canal, an outlet was made into the Scioto,
therefore some persons claim that all the land drained into the Reser-
voir b}' Honey Creek and other streams, is in the Scioto Valley. This
is a line point, and of no practical importance. There is not the least
doubt, however, about Walnut naturally flowing into the Scioto, and,
consequently, all the lands drained by it are, indisputably, in the Scioto
Valle}^ With the exception of the part that belongs to the Scioto sys-
tem, the land of Thorn is nearly equally divided between the Muskin-
gum and Hocking vallies.
The surface, in the western and northern parts of the township, is
usually denominated level, though it is nearly all rolling enough to
drain. The eastern and south-eastern portion is hilly, and yet of such a
character as to be excellent farming land, and interspersed with vallies
that are very rich. The level land in the northern part of the township
is also extremely fertile. In the richness of its soil and yield of farm
products. Thorn excels any other township in the county, and is, in
fact, surpassed by but very few in the State.
Oak and chestnut were the prevailing timber in the hilly parts, and
in the valley parts ash, maple, beech and walnut. There was a lar^re
308 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
amount of hickory in various parts of the township. Wild plums, wild
cranberries and the red thorn berries, already mentioned, were in early
times very plentiful in the northern part, in the neighborhood of the lit-
tle lakes. The land where they grew is now nearh^ all covered by the
waters of the Reservoir.
The little natural lakes, referred to, consisted of pure, clear water,
and were well stocked with hsh, principall}^ sun, cat and salmon. There
was a number of lakes or ponds in other parts of the township, that
contained water the year round, except in July and August, when they
dried up, and were supposed to breed fever and ague. Thev have all,
or nearly all, been drained long since, and their beds furnish a rich,
black soil, highly productive.
The early settlers of Thorn came principally from Pennsylvania and
Virginia, and a large number of them were either Revolutionary sol-
diers, or their descendants. As a matter of course, they were gener-
ally poor, and lived just long enough to clear away a heavy, dense for-
est, and convert a wilderness into a field of profitable agriculture. Any
of these old settlers, who died out of debt, leaving forty acres of land
to each child, was considered well off. Very few of these old pioneers
lived to see the railroad era, and the comforts and enjoyments of later
limes.
The permanent settlements began in several places, about the same
time, without any one seeming to know that the others were there.
The sound of an ax, the tinkling of a cowbell, or the barking of a dog,
was often the first thing to reveal to the lonely settler that he had neigh-
bors not far away. These settlements commenced in 1801 or 1802, ac-
counts as to the exact time conflicting. Of the first settlers were George
Stinchcomb, Sr., Daniel Snider, George Valentine, Hooper, John
Humberger ; and soon came the Neals, Zartmans, Friends. Fishers
and others in quick succession.
Here is a list of all who can be recalled up to about the 3'ears 1815-
16: George Stinchcomb, Jr., Daniel Snider, George Valentine, Jacob
Overmyer, Joel Strawn, John Nesbit, Robert Henderson, Daniel Kem-
per, John Smith, Benjamin Moore, Jesse Stevenson, Jacob Miller, Wil-
liam Karr, Henry Bowman, Geoffrey Weimer, Henr}^ Boyer, Alexan-
der Morrison, Solomon Brown, James, Henthorn, Thomas R. Johnston,
Jacob Anspach, Peter Humberger, Michael Fisher, Hugh McMullen,
Peter Zartman, George Long, Jacob Cover, Christian King, Christian
Foster, John Humberger, George Parkinson, David Thompson, Adam
Fisher, Adam Bogenwright. David Helser, John Fisher. Philip Crist,
David Sellers, William Stall, John Ortman, Samuel Henderson, Jacob
Crist, Christian Hoover, Joseph Cooper, Samuel Ortman, Joseph Bow-
man, Thomas Curry, Jonathan Roberts, John Fisher, Andrew Foster,
Israel. Penrod, Peter Cool, Jacob Long, Jacob Wiseman, Andrew
Cooperrider, Henry Baker, James Henderson, Joseph Good, Benjamin
Good, John Crist, William Fullerton, Eli Watson, Abram Sain, Peter
Rarick, John Henthorn, James Neal, Joseph Henderson, Joseph Wat-
kins, Jacob Hooper, Ezekiel Hooper, Henr\^ Foster, Luke Johnston,
John Brown, John McMullen, John Kendall, William Taylor, Edward
Cowley.
According to Dr. Scott's History of Fairfield County, published in
HISTORY OF PERRY C OUNTY. 3O9
1876, the following named persons wei*e all citizens and tax-payers in
Thorn township in 1806, and no doubt they were, for he took the names
from the official records. There is no telling how much territory Tliorn
embraced at that time, but many of the names are unmistakable
Thorn township names, as the township is constituted at present. Here
is the list of tax-payers in Thorn for 1806:
Edward Anderson, John Bartholmew, Joseph Barnes, David Brooks,
David Baker, James Black, Paul Bean, John Bearshore, John Binkley,
John Harris, Uriah Hall, Henry Humberger, David Heller, John Hum-
berger. Peter Humberger, James Henderson, Jacob Hooper, Daniel
Huber, Henr\' Neff, James Neel, Robert Orr, George Ogg, John Parr,
William Ream, John Ramse}^ Mathias Redingur, Mathias Ripple,
Henr}' Bowman, John Berry, Mordecai Chalfant. Joseph Cooper, Jacob
Cooper, William Claypool, John Dixon, M. Dean, Leonard Emrick,
John Fisher, Jr., John Fisher, Joseph Ferguson. Joseph Fickle, John /
Good, Widow Graham, Charles Howard, William Harris, Edward
Harris, George Huffman, Christian Hoover, John Johnston, WilHam
Johnston, John James, John King, Peter Livingston, Clelland Meek,
Mr. McMullen, Frederick Myers, Frederick Mclnturft, Andrew Myres,
George Mager, x\dam Myers, John Mvers. John McMullen, James
Mervin, Thomas McOwen, Jacob Ream, Ludwig Reddinger, Jolin
Reason, S. Stockberger, Joel Strawn, Jacob Stotts, William Starret,
Peter Starkee, William Skiner, Andrew Smith, Peter Sane, William
Taylor, Micliael Thoi-n, John Thompson, George Valentine, George
Weadman, Jacob Wiseman, John Weadman.
A large majority of the settlers who came to Thorn previous to 1820,
were Pennsylvania Germans ; and the German was. at tirst,the prevail-
ing lanmiaije in churches, schools and societv. There were English
speaking settlei"s, of course, but German was more spoken than Eng-
lish, for a long while, but its use has died out. The common schools
are all English, and the 3'outh, for a quarter of a century or more, have
■ been taught this language almost exclusiveh*.
The internal improvements of Thorn township, until 1871, consisted
of the common road onlv, but Millersport. in Fairfield county, is only a
short distance trom the northwest corner of the township, and is situated
on the canal, and it became the place where most of the wheat was
sold. Brooke & Lewis, Thorn township merchants (one from Thorn-
ville and the other from New Salem), built a warehouse on the canal a
little east of Millersport, and, for several 3'ears, purchased nearly all
the surplus wheat of tiie township, which, in the '30s, and up into the
'40S, was verv large, and the principal export, as the surplus .corn was
nearlv all sold to drovers, and fed on the ground ; for, until cattle were
shipped East b}' the cars, there were large numbers from Southern
Ohio, Kentucky, and Northern Indiana, driven through this township
on the way to tlie Eastern market.
The hrst mill was built on Jonathan's Creek, near where the old
Zanesville road crossed the stream. It was a small log building, with
one corner set on a stump. It was, lor a number of 3'ears, a noted
place on the road between Zanesville and Lancaster. It is related that
a traveler, being directed at Zanesville to go by Cooper's mill, he kept
inquiring for the place all along the road, and, which everybody seemed
310 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
to know. When he reached the noted mill he was very much disap-
pointed, and even disgusted, and expressed himself in very uncompli-
mentary language. He closed his remarks by sa3'ing he would go on
West ; he had no call to stop there. Yet Cooper's mill was a famous
place, in its day. Samuel Hite also erected a little spring run water-
mill, a sort of corn-cracker, where a fair article of corn meal was made.
He finally turned it into a churn-mill. There was also a horse or cattle
power mill on the Hooper place, that ground corn, and probably other
grain. Tiiomas Norris also erected a mill, of sirnilar character, on the
Townsend Reed farm, where good corn meal was made. The early
settlers were all fond of corn bread. One year, when the wheat was
killed by frost in May, and the corn also gave out, the people lived on
chickens and early potatoes for several weeks ; then roasting ears came,
and as soon as corn was hard enough to grate meal was grated, and
then corn cakes, milk, butter, and chickens made a meal good enough
for kings, and a very welcome one to the hard pressed pioneers.
There were many good sugar camps in Thorn, and the sugar-mak-
ing season was a memorable one. The sugar was, in fact, one of the
principal forest trees. The pioneer girls and boys had jolly times,
gathering and boiling sugar water, and " stirring ofltV The little sugar
camp in the woods was quite a feature in early times, in Thorn township.
Samuel Dixon brought the first colored person into the township.
He (Dixon) came from Virginia. "Peg" was a fine looking black
woman, of about twenty years of age. Next w^as the old man Perry
and his family, and Old Jerry. They were accustomed to attend prayer
meetings at New Salem church, where they often prayed in public,
fervently and devoutly, and in strains of intense earnestness, eliciting
many amens, and other tokens of approval, from the members of the
Church.
In 1832, the Asiatic cholera raged fearfully in the central-southern
part of the township, and a larg^ number of deaths occurred. George
Clum and William Friend, who lived in the cholera region, were about
the only grown male persons who did not take it ; and yet, as long as
the dreadful scourge raged there, these two men visited the sick, the
dying, and prepared the dead for burial, neither of them sleeping in a
bed lor several weeks, so constant and untiring were they engaged in
thoir self-sacrificing ministrations. Dr. William Trevitt then resided in
Thornville, distant five or six miles from the infected district. He w^as
a skillful phvsician, and saved every case he reached before the patient
got into a certain condition. He kept three horses constantly bridled
and saddled, and rode both day and night. Two of his horses dropped
dead under the spur. He saved one of his patients after his horse
fell dead, though he ran a considerable distance with his saddle-bags on
his arm. If he had arrived five minutes later, it is believed, his patient
would have died. After Henderson (tor that was the patient's name)
got well, he went to Trevitt's office and inquired for his bill. Trevitt
turned to his book, and told him the ordinary charge of only two or
three dollars. Henderson asked him what his horse was worth. Trev-
itt told him that he had paid eighty dollars for him, only a few days
before. Thereupon Henderson took out his pocket-book and counted
out eighty-five dollars, and offered the money to Trevitt, who declined
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 3II
to take any thing but his regular fee, which he took and put in his
pocket. Henderson then took out change so as to leave just eighty
dollars remaining, the price of the horse, which he left upon the counter,
with an emphatic remark, that that money belonged to Trevitt, and not
to him. The cholera raged fearfully for several weeks, and then disap-
peared as suddenly as it came. It was very bad in Newark, Licking
county, at the same time.
As rich and populous as Thorn is, it was, for a long time, desti-
tute of internal improvements, was off the main thoroughfares of travel
and commerce, and occupied a somewhat isolated position. Still, the
farmers managed to market their surplus products without an}- very
serious difficulty. There was the National pike only a few miles north,
and the Zanesville and Maysville pike, only a litde further south.
There was the Ohio Canal, with a warehouse at Millersport, just over
the township line, in Fairfield county ; and, with the one convenient
market, and the two other not distant outlets, the people managed to
get along comfortably and make money. There was an ever}^ other
day mail and hack line between Lancaster and Newark, passing by
way of Thorn ville ; so, after these two places obtained railroads, the
inhabitants of Thorn could get away without much difficulty, when they
wished to make a railroad journey to distant parts of the country. Pre-
vious to the railroad era, they were even better situated, comparatively,
for they could reach a through line of stages at Jacksontown, only a
few miles north, or at Somerset or Rushville, not much farther south.
There was, at one time, a turnpike projected to run from Lancaster to
Newark, by the way of Thornville, and engineers surveyed the line.
The undertaking received no great encouragement, however, and was
soon abandoned. It is said that Samuel Hite, the old pioneer, was the
only man, through whose land the line was run, who was friendly to
the enterprise.
There was, however, an ambition for a produce mart within the
limits of the township, and an effort was made to secure the same.
The Licking Summit Reservoir had been constructed as a feeder to
the Ohio Canal, by means of high artificial embankments. This con-
struction turned the three or four little natural lakes into one large body
of water, and also submerged much of the adjacent flat countr}'.
The " Licking Summit Reservoir Impro^^ement " was the name of
an enterprise that was expected to bring Thorn township into direct
connection witli the canal, and furnish a good home market for all sur-
plus farm products. In pursuance of this idea, a boatwa}^ was cut
through the Reservoir from the feeder, some three miles northeast of
Millersport, on the Ohio and Erie Canal, to a point at the southeastern
extremit}'^ of the Reservoir, about one mile from Thornville. A two-
horse tread-wheel boat was to tow canal boats to and fro along this boat-
way, a distance of several miles.
Thornport was laid out, a large hotel and warehouse were speedily
constructed, and quite a little town sprung up as if by magic. Things
went on swimmingly for a season, and the strange craft plied regularly
between Thornport and the Feeder, on the Ohio and Erie Canal, carry-
ing out the surplus grain products of the township and returning with
salt, groceries, hardware, dry goods, and other commodities. But just
312 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
as the only "seaport" of Perry promised to be a substantial success, if
not a " beauty and a joy forever," the wicked floods of adversity poured
in and quenched all the rising hopes of promise. One day as a canal-
boat was being towed in slowly through the delightful, placid waters,
and all earth and sky apparently as lovely and serene as the blue waters
of the lake itself, a storm suddenly loomed up in the northwestern sky,
and almost in a twinkling rain descended in torrents, forked lightnings
flashed, and the thunder rolled and jarred until even the big catfish at
the bottom of the lake were stunned. Worse than all for the hardy
seafarers, the winds blew a fearful hurricane, the waves of the agitated
lake tossed and rolled around as fearful as the waters of the Atlantic in
mid ocean. There could be but one result. The frail fleet was not
prepared to weadier such a gale, and the whole concern was wrecked,
the boatmen thankful that the}' had escaped a watery grave. It is
probable that the boatmen who encountered this "storm at sea" carried
exaggerated reports of it to the men of the Ohio and Erie Canal, and
it is certain that no captain or men would venture out into the Reservoir
again ; and thus ingloriously ended the inland navigation of Thorn
township, and the costly boat channel, scooped out with so much toil
and difficulty, became a desert waste of waters. Thornport went
quickly down as a consequence. The "banquet halls" of the big hotel
became deserted, and rats, weasels and minks played prisoners' base
in the commodious warehouse where had been safely stored thousands
of bushels of golden grain. If Oscar Wilde, who complains that this
American country has no ruins, could be led through the old hotel and
warehouse at Thornport, his ethereal, esthetic nature would be glad-
dened, and if his eyes could behold the wreck of the boats, he would
long to return to Europe no more.
Thorn was not destined, however, to remani forever without internal
improvements. The railroad era came to her directly. A road bed
was made through the township in 1853, but no road was actually
secured and cars run, until 1871, when the Newark, Somerset, &
Straitsville was opened, and Thornport — one mile from Thorn ville —
made a station. Thornport was not to sleep in ruins forever, and a
new town has sprung up there. The old hotel, warehouse, and other
old buildings remain to represent the place as it was before the disas-
trous wreck of boats ; but many new houses are near at hand to repre-
sent the new railroad town of to-day. The old and the new are there,
side by side, and the contrast is an impressive one. The Ohio Central
runs close along the western border of Thorn, and is nearer to many of
the inhabitants than the N. S. & S., which runs through the eastern
part of the township.
When the richness and fertility of the soil is considered, it is a little
wonderful that so large a number of inhabitants left at an early day for
the northwestern section of the State. The fact is, the population
greatly increased along from 1828 to 1838, and this, with a highly favora-
ble report of the region named, by those who knew it well, influenced
many to move where land was more plentiful, and the country less
thickly inhabited. Rev. Jacob Hooper, of Thorn, who, from 1820. to
1825 had been a missionar}' among the Wyandot Indians, brought
back such glowing accounts of the richness of the Sandusky region.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 313
that every year furnished its movers from Thorn to the ne\v«country.
Sandusky, Seneca, Hancock, Wyandot and Allen received the greater
part of the emigrants from I'horn. In Allen county, so many of the
Crists, Smiths, Stambaughs, Riebolts, Wisemans and others settled in
one part that they concluded to have a Thorn township named after the
old home in Perry. Near Fostoria are the Wisemans, Williamsons,
Hoopers, Foxes, Williamses, Norrises, Reeds, Stinchcombs and many
others, once all residents of Perry county. Honey Creek, Seneca
County, was also noted for its Thorn township people. The Cooleys,
Valentines, Steels, Stinchcombs, Reeds, Crists, Davises, Teals, Camps,
Gafields and many others are from old Thorn.
Some time in the Thirties there was a failure of crops in the San-
dusky country, and Thorn having furnished such a large percentage
of the early settlers, responded with alacrity, and the contributions in
corn and flour were quite large. Although the people of Thorn were
then hard run, they were not slow in bringing in their offerings for the
suffering people of the Sandusky region, ranging from one hundred
pounds of flour down to a quart of corn meal. The contributions had
to be hauled to Sandusky by wagons, Findlay being one of the princi-
pal distributing points. Man}^ a tear trickled down the cheeks of
the poorer class of people, as they brought in their little offerings of
meal, sincerely regretting that, by reason of their own pressing neces-
sities, they could be no larger.
Jacob Strawn,the Cattle King of Illinois, lived in early times a little
distance northeast of Thornville. He was successful, but sold his farm
there and started West, saying he would be the richest man in his State
or nothing. He made his word more than good, for he became the
largest land owner in Illinois, and the largest cattle owner in the United
States at the time of his death. Strawn was waylaid and killed near
his own home twenty or more years since. It is not a little singular
that another Perry county man, John W. Iliff" (Harrison township),
who died at Denver, Colorado, only a few years since, was, at his
death, the greatest cattle owner in the known world.
John Fisher, a Pennsylvanian, was an odd genius in his way, and
at one time aspired to become the largest land owner in the township,
and did, at one time, actually own five sections of land running across
the township, and had it all paid tor. He was carrying on negotiations
for the sixth section when the failure of a firm for whom he was a
heavy indorser, broke him up, and he was sold out by the sheriff'. The
old man gathered a little from the wreck, and went to Indiana, but he
was too much broken down to rise again as a heavy land owner. The
acres that he once owned in Thorn township would be a large fortune
in this day.
The politics of the township has always been Democratic, from the
days of Jackson to the present. The Democrats have usuall}- numbered
about three to one of other parties. The breaking up of the Whig, the
organization of the Republican party, and the civil war, made some
personal charges, but the relative strength of the Democratic party re-
mained about the same. It is also worthy of note, that the party ral-
lied to the support of Horace Greeley, when he was a candidate for
President, as strongly as it did for Jackson, Polk, Buchanan, Tilden
K
314 HIST01'-Y*0F PERRY COUNTY.
and Hancock. For more than fifty years it has been the same unyield-
ing, overwhehning Democratic township, though there are probably not
to exceed half a dozen men remaining there who voted for Jackson in
1828.
The Indians came into the township quite frequently in early times,
to hunt bear. The borders of the litde lakes, ponds and swamps,
were favorite haunts for that animal. There was a large swamp in the
Hooper region, where bears would congregate. When the Indians
would visit the neighborhood, to hunt bear, or for other purposes, they
would take possession more freely than was agreeable, but they never
disturbed anything but something to eat. There was an Indian trail
through the township, on the way to or from Washington, D. C, or
back and forth between the Indian towns on the Muskingum and Scioto.
The old Indian Spring, so called, was a little north of the house of
George Stinchcomb, Sr., and was walled up with split puncheon. The
Indians were fond of something good to eat, and did not confine their
diet to bear and dear meat. They could readily scent a bake-oven full
of pies, and when they were baked enough, they would take them out
and eat them after the style of some men of paler faces. They liked
to trade a sick dog for a well one ; and if the sick dog g'ot well, they
wanted him also. Some of the Indians were very kind and consid-
erate ; and when the fact is taken into consideration, that they mingled
freely with the early settlers and their families in Thorn, with no result-
ant tragedy, it goes far to establish the fact, that they w^ere not natural-
ly bloodthirsty wretches, but when waging war, carried it on as barba-
rians, which the}^ were.
The Reservoir has latterly become quite a place of public resort for
fishing, boating and gunning parties. Certain kinds of fish are plenti-
ful in the Reservoir, and quite a number of persons make a regular
business of fishing. Visitors to the Reservoir are chiefly from Newark,
Lancaster, New Lexington and intermediate points. Boats are kept to
hire out to visitors, with men to row them, when it is desired. Rowing
is pleasant enough when the waters are calm and smooth ; but when
the waves are rolling, the sport becomes unpleasant and even danger-
ous, and fatal accidents sometimes occur. Only a year or two since, a
party of several persons ventured out on a windy day, the boat capsized,
and three of them were drowned. The well known author, Emerson
Bennett, laid the plot of one of his famous Indian stories about the
original lakes here and neighborhood. How much actual truth, if any,
is contained in his romantic storj^ of this region, it would be difficult to
determine.
Bears were ver}^ numerous about the original lakes and swamps. In-
dians and whites alike made it a business to hunt and kill them. In
very early times, bears from other parts of the countr}' were chased into
the swamps and low lands, where the Reservoir now is. They could
not always be followed up successfully, and sometimes their capture had
to be given up. There were bear chases or hunts in this part of the
township, as late as 1826 or 1827 ; but, about that time, this wild animal
of the forest was exterminated.
The population of Thorn, including villages, was, in 1880, one thou-
sand nine hundred.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 315
Towns. — Thornville, first called Lebanon, was laid out by Joseph
McMullen and John . The record of the establishment of
this town is imperfect, there being no date given, but it was probably
about 181 1. The post office could not be called Lebanon on account of
the prior claim of Lebanon, Warren county ; and when this became
known, the name of the town was changed to Thornville. The village
grew slowh', but soon had a tavern, church, school-house, blacksmith
and other shops, and a dozen or more dwelling houses. It had, accord-
ing to the census of 1880, a population of two hundred and sixty-nine.
The town now has a post office, one newspaper, three churches (Luth-
eran, German Reform and Methodist), a union school house, two
ph3'sicians, one hotel, two dry goods stores, two hardware stores, two
drug stores, two livery stables, and the usual number of small shops for
a village of its size. Within the last few 3'ears, and since the building
of the railroad, four or five fine costly residences have been erected.
Some of these are among the costliest in the county. Thornville is de-
lightfully situated on a commanding eminence, overlooking a portion of
the Reservoir and much of the surrounding country. It is on the com-
mon road from Somerset to Newark, and from Lancaster to Newark.
It is about one mile distant from the line of the Newark, Somerset and
Straits ville Railway. In addition to the new structures, the old part of
the town has been repaired and painted up, within the last few j-ears,
and the place now presents a modern and neat appearance. Thornville
is surrounded by a ver^- rich country, and the business men of the town
have a large and profitable trade, which appears to be on the increase.
The population is also increasing.
Thornville is distinguished as being the burial place of Hon. Samuel
White of Newark, who died suddenly in 1844. He was the Whig can-
didate for Congress, and had acquired a State and national reputation.
He was making a warm canvass, and probably over-exerted himself in
a long, political speech, causing his death. He had been married to a
Miss Stoneman, daughter of Rev. Jesse Stoneman of Thorn township.
Mrs. White died, and her remains were interred by her kindred who
were buried in the M. E. Cemetery at Thornville. When her distin-
guished husband died, his remains were brought from Newark and laid
by her side. The long funeral procession that wound around the mar-
gin of the Reservoir, and up the Thornville hill, was the grandest pa-
geant ot the kind that, up to that time at least, had ever been witnessed
in the county. White's political friends fairly worshiped him, and his
political foes"^ hated and dreaded him. But all political asperities were
laid aside, when the grim messenger came and took the gifted young
orator and statesman beyond the reach of partisan warfare and political
honors. It is worthy of note, that the remains of the great Whig ora-
tor came to rest in a town and township so overwhelming!}' opposed to
him in politics. But the grave banished all resentments, and the ashes
of the distinguished statesman sleep quietl}' beneath the plain, white
marble stone, which stands at the highest point in the cemetery, adjacent
to the M. E. Church. In addition to name, date of birth and death, the
stone is inscribed with the following simple but impressive sentence:
"We all must tread the road to death."
Thornport was laid out by W. W. Talbott, in 1839. -^ large hotel,
3l6 HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
warehouse and other buildings, were erected; but when the "Licking
Summit Reservoir improvement" went down, they all went to decay,
and the place became a mere fishing point. Upon the completion of
the Newark, Somerset and Straitsville Railroad, in 1871, the town
brightened up again, and quite a number of new houses has been built.
The population by the census of 1880, was one hundred and twenty-
five. It is a station on the Newark, Somerset and Straitsville Railroad,
and is also situated along side of the Reservoir,
Thorn township is laid oft' into convenient school districts, has good,
comfortable, commodious school-houses, and school from six to eight
months of the year, and taught, as a general thing, by good, compe-
tent teachers. Public education receives very general attention.
Agriculture has now reached a high state of cultivation, and the
well-kept farms, houses, barns, etc., and the thrifty appearance of live
stock, all indicate an industrious, prosperous, and enterprising people.
The population of Thorn, including villages, in June, 1880, was 1,900.
Rev. Joseph Walmire, late ot this township, had an eventful expe-
rience in his very 3'oung days. His father and mother, with himself
and two little brothers, were on board a sailing vessel from the old
countr}^ destined for the United States of America. The trip was
long and tedious ; the father and mother of the little boys took sick,
died, were buried at sea, and the orphan children were sold to the
highest bidder, to pay passage and other expenses. The children were
all bought and taken charge of by separate persons, went to different
parts of the country, but all secured good homes, and only one of them
was called by the name ot their own parents. They knew nothing of
each other while children, but after they grew to be men, they sought
and found each other out, and henceforward were brothers, and stran-
gers to each other no more. Joseph Walmire became a local preacher
of the M. E. Church, another brother was a somewhat distinguished
and talented minister of the Lutheran Church, while the third was a
thrifty, industrious citizen, highly esteemed by all who knew him.
Rev. Walmire died only a few years since. Another of the brothers
was living not very long ago. Whether the third is living or dead, is
not known.
Churches. — Zion, or Ribel's Church, is the second oldest in the
county. In 1806, Matthias and Elizabeth Reinbold sold two and a-half
acres of land to Zion Church. The witnesses to the contract are Philip
Miller, Henr}^ Humbarger, and John King. The articles of organiza-
tion are dated June, 1806, in the hand-writing of John King, in Ger-
man, and the document is no\y in possession of George Daniel, who
kindly exhibited it tor inspection, and to whom the public is, therefore,
indebted for the facts established.
It appears that Rev. John King, of the Reform, and Rev. William
Foster, of the Lutheran Church, calling to their aid the brethren in their
respective connections, united in the purchase of church and cemetery
grounds, and in erecting a church edifice thereon, now known as
" RibeFs Church." The names signed to this document are in the
order following : William Foster, Preacher ; Peter Humbarger. Elder ;
Henry Humbarger, Peter Hedrick, Deacons ; Matthias Reinbold, John
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 317'
King — the writer, and also the representative of the Reform people-
Philip Miller, William wStahl, Jacob Reem, William Rehm, Michael
Sterner, Andrew Foster, Leonard Emrick, Paul Bean, Jacob Weiss-
man and Adolph Weissman. Rev. Henry King, of Baltimore,
Ohio, is a son «)f the Eev. John King, above named, and is still
living.
This record shows Rev. John King to be the first preacher of his
sect who settled in the county. He came as early as 1803-^4. He was,
so far as there is record proof, the first preacher that ever settled in
Peny county, and the Rev. William Foster was the next, and both
imited in the' work of the Christian to build one house for tw^o sects, and
their labor stands to this day, blessed and approved. Both congrega-
tions are strong, active, influential, and sustain regular religious ser-
vices.
The Regular Baptist Church in Thorn is on Section 17. Henry
Bowman, one of the very first settlers, gave one acre of ground. The
first person buried there was a child of one Israel Penrod. The senior
Baptist members were Adam Bogenwright, James Smith. Samuel P.
Hite, Stephen Smith. Rev. William Karr, Jacob Balsly, Rev. George
DeBolt and others. The first building was erected of hewn logs, near
1824, and the first preachers were Rev. Kauftman and Rev. Eli Ash-
brook. The church at present is a frame of commodious proportions,
and enjovs regular preaching.
The German Baptist Church of Thorn township. Perry county,
commonly called Dunkers, or Tunkers, which, in German, means
" to dip ; ^' hence the appellation of Tunkers, and later that of Dunkers.
Like all other churches in early times, the meetings were held in pri-
vate houses, in barns, and in the open groves, when weather permitted.
The names of Schofield, Gall, Plank, Hendricks, Snyder, Dennison,
Helser, Bosserman, Funderburg, Cover, and Froude are among those
of the earliest known in Perr}- county. The membership is large and
ver\' respectable in character. The preachers have no stipulated salary,
but" assistance is extended voluntaril}^ or when needed. No member
of the church is permitted to become a public charge. Help to the
needy is a duty enjoined. Faith and repentance prior to baptism are
essential to membership. The minister is called b3^vote of the majority
of the congregation. The preference of the voter is expressed pri-
vately, and the tally is kept by the elders. The church or council
meetings are held on Saturday prior to the Sunday meeting and preach-
ing. These are sometimes held quarterly, sometimes twice a month.
The Jonathan's Creek branch of the German Baptist Church com-
prises Perr}^ Fairfield, Licking and Muskingum counties. The organi-
zation of this branch of Christians dates back in German}- to 1708.
They have, here in Perry, no church record, or roll of members, and
this ma}^ be true elsewhere. The minister, when first elected, is on
probation, and in his first degree of advancement. If faithful, he may
be advanced to the second degree in the same way, and b}- the same
vote which first chose him, and in the same way they are advanced to
the third degree, or full ministry, ordained by the lajnng on of hands
of at least two ordained elders. When placed under oath they affirm ;
they are non-combatant in w-ar, w^hich they oppose : they seat them-
3l8 HISTORY OF PERRY COtJNTY.
selves around a table at sacrament of bread and wine after the supper,
the sexes at separate tables. The sick are also anointed with oil in the
name of the Lord. They believe in a change of heart prior to baptism,
and without which baptism is of no effect for salvation. The denomi-
nation has a good, commodious house of worship, situated in the east-
ern part ot Thorn township, on the common road leading from Som-
erset toThornville. Many Dunkers, or German Baptists, were among
the earliest pioneers of Thorn, and religious worship was held at
private houses at a very early day, no doubt previous to 1810. Daniel
Snider was a preacher and leader, and services were often held at his
house. Snider also preached in Fairfield, Muskingum and other coun-
ties, and was widely known, and everywhere venerated by the brethren
of the denomination to which he belonged. He died at the age of 93,
universally esteemed.
There are quite a number of Dunkers in some other parts of the
county, but there is no other public house of worship.
The Lutheran and Reform churches in Thornville were both organ-
ized at a very early date — from 1810 to 181 2. A little later the two
congregations united in the building of an edifice to be used jointly.
Rev. William Foster, the founder of the Lutheran Church in Perrv
county, was, no doubt, the principal officiating minister in the organiza-
tion of the Lutheran congregation, and Rev. Andrew Henkel came
along about that time or soon thereafter. The writer has seen a printed
certificate of baptism, signed by Rev. William Foster, of date A. D.
1806, the rite having been administered in Thorn township. Foster
died about 181 5 or 1816, and Rev. Andrew Henkel appears to' have
succeeded as pastor of nearly all of the Lutheran churches in Perry
county.
Rev. John King was, no doubt, the minister in charge when the
Reform congregation was organized. He came to what is now Perry
county in 1803 or 1804, and, according to the best information, was the
first minister of any denomination to settle in the county.
The Lutheran and Reform congregations continued in the joint
ownership and use of church property until about twenty years since,
when each society separately erected a large, commodious and costly
house of worship.
Both the Lutheran and Reform churches are strong and active, and
sustain stated preaching and Sabbath schools.
The Methodist Episcopal Church in Thornville was organized and
a church built at an early day. The edifice, which was of brick, was,
after a short time, reported unsafe, when it was torn down and a large
frame building erected in its stead, which continues to be used at the
present time. The Rev. Jesse Stoneman was, in his lifetime, a mem-
ber of this church, and his ashes repose in the cemetery adjacent. The
charge is attached to the Rushville Circuit, and secures its ministers by
appointment of the Ohio Conference. Regular preaching and other
church services, including Sabbath school, are sustained.
Friend's or Crist's Church (Methodist Episcopal), situated in the
southwestern part of Thorn township, though not strictly speaking a
pioneer church, is one that has been long established, and sustains
regular preaching and other religious services common to the denomina-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 319
tion with which it is connected. The society has a neat, comfortable
house of worship, and, in proportion to its numerical strength and
general ability, is zealous and liberal in church work and in contribution
to the various funds of the church. The regular ministers are ap-
pointed and sent by the Ohio Conference.
The Methodist Episcopal Church at New Salem is on the Perry
county side of the line. A church was organized and a log house of
worship built at an early day — about 18 18 to 1820. This was in use
until 1838 or 1840, when a neat, commodious frame edifice was erected
near the site of the old one, which has been occupied until the present
time. The society is tolerably strong in numbers, active, and preach-
ing and other church services, including Sabbath school, are regularly
sustained. Its ministers are appointed by the Ohio Conference.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 32 1
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
PERRY COUNTY.
AcHAUER, John Jacob, merchant, New Straitsville, Ohio, was born
September i. 1822, in the Kingdom of Wertumberg, Germany, son of
John Jacob and Regine Dorotha (Young) Achauer. At the age of
twelve years he emigrated, with his father, to America, who, landing
in. New York, came west and settled in Brush Creek township, Muskin-
gum count}^ Ohio, where he entered eighty acres of land, upon which
he lived to the time ol his death, June 30, 1858, aged sixty-three years,
nine months and twenty-nine days : his wife following him in death,
Februar}^ of 1879, ^S^^ eiglity-three years. Mr. Achauer, the subject
of this sketch, remained upon the farm with his father until he was fif-
teen 3'ears of age, at which time he employed with Jacob Brock, of
Zanesville, Ohio, who kept a tancy bakery and coffee-house, with whom
he remained for two years, during which tim§ he acquired some English
education at his leisure moments. At the expiration of this time he
employed as a clerk with the firm of Roff & Lesslie, who kept a gen-
eral merchandise store, it being the principal store of Zanesville, where
he remained one year, and on account of the embarrassment of the firm,
brought about by the panic of 1840, he returned home and worked from
spring till fall on the farm, when he employed with one Granger, at
Moxahala, this county, where he worked in a distillery until the follow-
ing spring, when he again returned home and engaged in farming for
over one year — from 1842, February, to 1843, June — and returned again
to Moxahala and finished the trade of a distiller in 1847, with Andrew
Graham. Having completed his trade, he bought thirty-three acres of
land at Blue Rock and opened business for himself, running a distillery
and sawmill, continuing until 1849, then selling out and buying a steam
sawmill about one-half mile up the creek, which he run for about nine-
teen years, at which time he sold out and came to this place, in 187 1,
and engaged in the grocery business, which he carried on until 1874,
when he suspended business on account of the miners' strike in that
"year, by which he lost $5,000. The strike began in April and he sus-
pended in July of the same year. In 1874 ^^^ ^^^ elected Mayor, to fill
a vacanc3^ of eight months ; was engaged in fire insurance and steam-
ship agencies, and was also notary public, and was again elected Mayor
in 1879, serving two years. Resumed business again in 188 1, where he
keeps a neat and well selected suppl}' of produce and dry goods. He
is now a member of the town Council, and was run tor County Repre-
sentative, on the Greenback ticket, in 1878. Was married Januar}'^ 28,
1845, to Miss Charlotte Molter, born November 26, 1826, in the Prov-
31
322 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
ince of the Rhine, in Bavaria ; daughter of Peter and Margaret (Young)
Molter. The}'- are the parents of thirteen children, viz. : Charles J.;
Louisa D., deceased; John G. ; Andrew G., deceased; Caroline C. ;
Augusta M. ; Julia; Lydia A., deceased; Albert L. ; Benjamin F. ;
Wilham P. ; Elizabeth, and Edwin F.
Acker, Prof. H. F., teacher of the High School, New Lexington,
Ohio. Professor Acker was born Januaiy 31, 1850, in the same house
in which his father was born. He is the son of Adam and Margaret
(Brown) Acker, both natives of Clayton township. His paternal an-
cestry is German, his maternal, Irish. Young Acker began teaching
in 1867, and taught four terms, then entered the Ohio University, at
Athens, and graduated in 1875. He came to this place in the fall of the
same year, when he took charge of the schools here as Superintendent
and teacher of the High School, which position he held for two years.
The following year he had charge of the Madison Academy, in this
county, since which time he has held his present position. Prof. Acker
was married July 5, 1876, to Miss Lizzie, daughter of Thomas and Ra-
chel (Wilson) Rhodes. They are the parents of one child; Mary Pau-
line, who died in infancy.
Adams, Charles, engineer, Shawnee, Ohio, was born January 27,
1861, in Morgan, Morgan county, West Virginia, son of Robert and
Ellen (Culbertson) Adams. Upon the breaking out of rebellion, and
about six months after his birth, his father moved to Pittsburgh, Penn-
sylvania, where he remained about five years, and in the following
places was engaged during the time that his son remained at home : St.
Louis, Missouri, three years ; Grand Tower, Illinois, one year ; Knights-
town, Indiana, two years; Ironton, Ohio, one year; Bellaire, Ohio,
seven months ; Ashland, Kentucky, four years, when and where Charles
began work at plate rolls in a rolling mill, remaining about two years,
from where he came to Shawnee, Ohio, where he engaged as a striker
at Fannie Furnace blacksmith shop for about one year, when he went
to Ashland, Kentucky, remaining about six weeks, and again returned
to Shawnee, and to the same shop, working about thirteen months, at
which time he engaged as fireman on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad,
running from Newark to Shawnee, where he remained about six months,
and then worked as top filler at the New York furnace about three
months, at which time he took his present position. He was married
December 30, j88o, to Mis5 Ella, daughter of George and Catharine
(Diller) Martzolff. They are the parents of one child, viz. : Robert
George.
Adams, Robert, farmer; postoffice, New Lexington, Clayton town-
ship ; born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1803 ; settled in
Perry county about the year 1827 ; a son of Joseph and Martha (Moore)
Adams; married, in 1825, to Miss Margaret McClelland, daughter of
James and Mary (McKinley) McClelland. They are the parents of
eight children, viz. : Mary J., deceased; Joseph ; James M. ; John ;
Margaret M., deceased; William, deceased; Samuel; Calvin, de-
ceased. Mr. Adams had five sons in the late war.
Adams, Robert, Manager of New York Furnace, Shawnee, Ohio,
was born November i, 1820, in Lanarkshire, near Glasgow, Scotland;
son of James and Margaret (Barclay) Adams. Mr. Adams was brought
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 323
up in a furnace region, and learned the trade of moulder, beginning at
the early age of ten years, and served seven 3'ears, at Schott's iron
works. After learning his trade he has been engaged as follows : Learn-
ing blast furnace trade, where he worked eight years and nine months
— at this place there were sixteen furnaces. At the expiration of this
time a Qiiaker iron company, of Northumberland county, Pennsylva-
nia, and situated on the Susquehanna River, induced him to emigrate to
America, and employed him as furnace keeper for sixteen months, at
Danville, Montour count3^ Pennsylvania, keeping furnace ; at Blooms-
burg, Columbia count}^ Pennsylvania, two years, keeping furnace for
the Paxton Iron Compan}^ ; this company then sent him to Bools' Falls,
Connecticut, where he blowed furnace one year ; atStockbridge Plains,
Massachusetts, where he blowed two furnaces one year for D. T. Perry,
at which time the work stopped ; at Prideville, Monongahela county,
Virginia, blowing two furnaces, three miles apart — one used charcoal
and the other used coke — for a Boston company, five years and six
months ; was at this place at the opening of the rebellion and when the
first gun was fired upon Fort Sumter, in 1861. Mr. Adams was at this
time captain of a militia company in this place, having been promoted
from first lieutenant, and was, by Governor Wise, ordered into the
service ; but not being willing to take up arms against the Government,
he went to Alleghany, Pennsylvania, where he blowed the American
Furnace three or four months for John Jamison, when he returned to his
home in Virginia, remaining about one year, blowing furnace six months
of the time at Independence, for George Hardman. At Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, blowing furnace for Mr. Loughlin three years and eight
months. He next superintended the building of two furnaces at Sune-
bar, which he afterward blowed two years and six months. At this
time, in 1868, the Boat Trade, near St. Louis, Missouri, sent for him to
come and start a furnace thev had built in 1862. where he was employed
eighteen months, and made the first iron that ever was run from coal in
Missouri. iVt this time he again returned to the moulding trade, and
was emplo3^ed at Grand Tower, one hundred and ten miles below St.
Louis, for six months, from where he went to Hillman's Furnace, Le-
green, to Ohio, and to Knightstown, Clay county, Indiana, where he
was employed, keeping furnace and moulding, about six months ; next
to Ironton, Ohio, remaining four years, moulding, running and keeping
furnace ; at Bellaire, Ohio, eight more, blowing furnace. While here
he was called to start the Stony Hollow furnace, near Steubenville, Ohio,
that had been chilled, taking from it twenty-six tons of iron ; at Ashland,
Kentuck3% two months, blowing furnace ; and again moulded for about
two years, when he came to Shawnee in June, 1877, where he has been
employed up to this time. Was married in August, of 1842, to Ellen,
daughter of Lewis and Ellen (Allen) Culbertson. They are the parents
of nine children : Robert, deceased ; Ellen ; Margaret ; William ; Ag-
nes ; James, deceased ; Charles : Mar}-, and Sarah.
Adams, Wm. Wallace, engineer, Shawnee, Ohio, was born June 23,
1855, ^" Bulls Falls, Connecticut ; son of Robert and Helen (Culbertson)
Adams. Mr. Adams lived with his father until 1870, which time found
him at Knightsville, Indiana, from where he went to Pittsburgh, Penn-
S3dvania, and engaged at Jones & Loughlin's mills, firing engine boilers
324 BIOORAPHICAL SKETCHES.
for three years, from whence he went to Ashland,- Boyd county, Ken-
tucky, where he remained up to the time of his coming to Shawnee.
During his stay at Ashhind he was married to Elizabeth M., daughter
of Joel and Mary (Mayhew) West, of Boyd county, Kentucky. They
are the parents of three children, viz. : Mabel C. ; Agnes C, and Rob-
ert Li. After coming to this place he has been engaged as follows :
Laying brick, three months ; night watch at New York and Straitsville
Coal and Iron Furnace, about seven months ; keeping furnace, two
years ; working about furnace until about June, 1880, when he employed
in his present vocation and which he has held during this time.
Adamson, Pius V., Shawnee, Ohio, merchant, was born September
26, 1856, in Muskingum county, Ohio ; son of Luther and Sarah (Dilts)
Adamson ; was raised in Zanesville, Ohio, and assisted his father in a
retail dry goods store of that place; was married Mav 11, 1878, to
Hester, daughter of William R. and Eva (Ball) Terr}, of Licking
county, Ohio. They are the parents of one child, whose name is Wate
T. Mr. Adamson left Zanesville, after having finished his course of
study as laid down by the public school system of that day, together
with a business course at the Zanesville Commercial College, in the fall
of 1874, when he took a berth for a short time on a boat plying on the
Muskingum, Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, from Zanesville, Ohio. After
this he was engaged in his father's dry goods store for eight months,
and at the end of this time he went to Shawnee, Ohio, where he en-
gaged in clerking for two years, and then went into business lor him-
self, where he has remained up to this present time, and has carried,
upon an average, a stock of about four thousand dollars' worth of goods
since he first opened his store of general merchandise, and has enjoyed
a good business, although in competition with company stores.
Aid, Maximin, retired boot and shoe manufacturer, New Lexing-
ton, Ohio; born, September 22, 1820, in Upper Rhine, Department
Alsace, France ; son of Francis Anthon}^ and Mariah (Miller) Aid.
Maximin came to America, November 15, 1831, and landed in New-
Orleans, Louisiana, where he remained about two 3^ears, then came to
Waverly, Pike county, Ohio, ten months ; then to Chillicothe, Ohio, in
1834, ^"^ ^o Logan, Ohio, in 1845, his father's famiW remaining at
Chillicothe ; and to Clarksville, Jackson township. Perry county, Ohio,
in 1848, and built the first house in that place. In 1852, to New
Holland, Pickaway county, Ohio ; in 1854, ^^ Rehoboth, Perr}- county,
Ohio, and, in 1856, came to New Lexington, Ohio, where he has re-
mained to the present time. Mr. Aid's father and brothers (four) were
all boot and shoe manufacturers. Mr. Aid was married, first, in 1846,
to Miss Mary, daughter of Joseph and Christena (Hoover) Krieg, of
Perry county, Ohio. They became the parents of nine children, viz. :
Christena Loretta, married to Thomas Henestofel ; Catharine Anne,
died in infancy ; Mar}- Anne V., married to John M. Smith ; Frank J.,
now County Surveyor of Perry county, Ohio, married June i, 1882, to
Miss Lillian F., daughter of William J. and Ellen (Dunbar) Cully, of
Hebron, Ohio ; Hellena ; Catharine F. : Emma ; and two died in infan-
cy, not named. Mrs. Aid died in July, 1861. Mr. Aid was married,
the second time, March 4, 1862, to Miss Lucinda Anne, daughter of
John and Martha (Gooden) Hartsell, of Perry county, Ohio. Joseph
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 325
Krieg, named in this sketch, was a nativ© of Alsace, France, and a
soldier with Napoleon, in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Germany, and at
the battle of Waterloo — serving nine years, in all. Francis Aid, father
of Maximin, was a native of Baden, Germany. After his apprentice-
ship was completed, he got a permit to travel in Germany ; but "tyran-
ny being so high, and wages so low," he determined to leave the coun-
try, and, by an odd stratagem, he succeeded in eluding the Government
vigilance officer. He arrived at Alsace, France, where he made his
home until he emigrated to America. Joseph Aid, brother of Maximin,
came to this county in 1868. He was married June 4, 1848, to Miss
Genevieve, daughter of Jacob Kellhofer. They are the parents of thir-
teen children, viz. : Joseph Lafayette, now in the United States Army,
Fifteenth Infantr^^ Regimental Band; EHzabeth, died in infancy;
Charles Theodore : William ; Annie, deceased ; George ; John J., died
in infanc}' ; Frederick ; Dora ; Lih^ and Minnie (twins) ; Harry, died
in infancy ; and Genevieve, died in childhood.
Allen, Samuel B.. tonsorial artist, Rendville, Ohio, was born a
slave, in Lewisburgh, Greenbrier county. Virginia, November 26, 1841,
son of Isaac and Mary Ann (Scott) Allen. He remained a slave until
the fall of 1861, when he took a "French furlough" and came to near
Rutland, Meigs count}', Ohio, and worked on a farm : then to Gallipo-
lis, Ohio, and worked in a Government hospital one year, and then
went aboard, on a Government boat, ''D. C. Horton," and acted as
porter one year, and for several years followed steamboating on the
Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. His last trip was as steward on the
"Granite State." Mr. Allen was married June 25, 1868, to Miss Rho-
da, daughter of James and Mary (Bell) Hogg, of Pomeroy, Ohio. They
are the parents of two children, namely: Isaac E., and May Blanch.
He first located his home at Middleport, Ohio, where he owns consider-
able property, and came with his famil}' to Rendville, Ohio, in 1881.
Mr. Allen began life for himself under the most unfavorable circum-
stances ; but, being possessed of more than ordinary intelligence and
business ability, has become master of liis trade, and has now secured
a comfortable home.
Allen, H. C, M.D., physician. New Straitsville, Ohio.
Allison, Willl\m D., farmer and pomologist. New Lexington,
Ohio, was born June 20, 1823, in Bearfield township, this county ; son of
Thomas and Elenor (House) Allison. He was raised a farmer, and has
made that the business of his life, together with pomology. He lived
in Bearfield township until he was nineteen years of age, when he
moved to this township, near Bristol, where he resided until three years
ago, when he moved to where he now makes his home, owning seven-
ty-nine acres at this place, and one hundred and five acres near Bristol.
At about the age of twenty years he began business for himself, renting
his father's farm, which he continued about three 5'ears, when he bought
fifty-six acres of his father's farm, and rented the remaining portion,
forty-nine acres, for seven successive years, at which time his father
deeded him the tbrty-nine acres and made his home with him the re-
mainder of his life. Mr. Allison's father came from Maryland to Ohio,
about 1807, where he entered and cleared land, and endured all the
hardships of frontier life ; was drafted in the last Indian war and served
326 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
about one month, v^ hen the war was closed. He used to trade with the
Indians when lie tirst came to this State. Wolves, bear, deer and tur-
key were in abundance, which he used to kill. Mr. Allison, the subject
of this sketch, was married July 27, 1870, to Miss Deaver, born Janua-
ry 16, 1839, daughter of Reuben and Aftadilla (Moody) Deaver. They
are the parents of three children, viz. : Granville P., Isadore, and Nel-
son C.
Anderson, Catharine C, Pike township, Maholm posloffice, Ohio ;
farmer's wife ; was boi^'n July 17, 1821, in German3^ daughter of Nicho-
las and Elizabeth (Coheart) Zahm. Mrs. Anderson lived in Germany
until she was eight years of age, when she came with her parents to
America, taking ship at Havre De Grace and landing in Philadelphia,
where the}^ bought a horse and wagon and drove to Wooster, Ohio, and
from thence to East Union, Wayne county, Ohio, where her father en-
tered eighty acres of land, upon which he lived for ten years, when he
moved to within five miles of Somerset, this county, where he bought
fifty acres of land find lived twenty-five years. At this time he went to
Indiana, where he spent about nine years with his sons, Peter, Jacob,
and George, after which he returned, and lived with Mrs. George Green
up to the time of his death, dying at the age of eighty-seven years,
and apon his birthday, near St. Joseph's Academy. Mrs. Anderson
was married, January 6, 1840, to William D., son of Daniel and Anna
(Hendrickson) Anderson, who was born March 5, 1819, in Pickaway
county, Ohio, but was living at St. Joseph's Academy at the time of his
marriage. After their marriage they lived for two years one mile south
of the above named Academy ; from thence they moved to Hocking
county, Ohio, where they liv^d six years, and again returned to about
the Same place they removed from, remaining this time about two years,
when they came to where Mrs. Anderson still lives, at Bristol Station,
in April of 1854, where he bought eighty acres of land, upon which he
made all the improvements ; supplanting the log house by a neat
frame dwelling, and gave most of his attention to farming. He, in his
life, gave considerable attention to the running of a saw mill, having
owned one about seventeen years ; and after running a portable mill
about five years, he sent it to Indiana, where his sons are now using it.
He also owned eighty acres east of the present home, but sold fort;;
acres of that tract, which leaves one hundred and twenty acres in all.
He was station agent on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and post-
master at Bristol Station, and kept a dry-good and grocery- store at the
same place and same time, up to the time of his death. Since his death
Mrs. Anderson has opened a grocery store at Bristol Station, in copart-
nership wth her daughter, Augusta Irene, who is, at this time, station
agent and postmaster at the above place. Sarah A. is assistant post-
master, and France A. C. is general assistant at both the store and
post-office. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson became the parents of thirteen
children, viz.: Philamon A., Mary E. (deceased), Adrian C, Daniel
S., Emily H. (deceased), Thomas Mc, Agnes P., Margaret A. (de-
ceased), Cecily C. (deceased), William N. (deceased), Augusta I,,
Sarah A., and France A. C.
Andrew, Thomas, Mine Boss at No. 3, Rendville, Ohio, was born
October 29, 1836, in Lancashire, England, son of William and Mary
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 327
(Stokes) Andrew. At the age of nine years he went into the mines of
England and worked about tive years. In 1850 he came to America
and located at St. Louis, Missouri, and mined there about three years ;
then went to California, and mined until 1858, when he located at Rock
Run, on the Monongahela River, Pennsylvania ; after which he mined
at Amesville and Alliens, Ohio. January 9, 1862, he enlisted in Com-
pany B, Fifty-third O. V. I., and served three years. He was taken
prisoner near Vicksburg, and held seven months, being confined in Mo-
bile, Atlanta, Morton, Libby, Belle Island, and Pembleton. After his
discharge he returned to the coal field in the Monongahela valley,
Pennsylvania, and remained one summer ; then he obtained the position
of Mine Boss at Leetonia, Ohio, where he remained until Jime, 1877,
when he came to Moxahala, this county, and to his present location in
1879. Mr. Andrew was married, July 4, 1865, to Miss Elizabeth Riley,
of Rock Run, Pennsylvania. They are the parents of three children,
viz. : William, George, and James.
Ansel, Joseph : post-oftice, Bucke3e Cottage, Clayton township ;
farmer ; born in Muskingum count}' in 1845 ; came to Perry county in
1870 ; son of Peter and Louisa (Stoneburner) Ansel. The latter died
in 1881. Mr. Ansel was married, in 1870, to Miss Esther T. Wilson,
daughter of Ezra and Elizabeth (Burgess) Wilson. They have four
children, viz.: Burgess C, Bertha L., Ezra B., and Cleopatra. Mr.
Ansel enlisted in the late war, in 1863,^ in Company B, Seventy-eighth
O. V. I., Arm}' of the Cumberland. He was in the following battles,
viz. : Kenesaw Mountain, Brush Mountain, Siege of Atlanta, etc. ; was
taken prisoner at Raleigh, North Carolina,
Ardrey, James R. ; farmer; Madison township; post-office, Mt.
Perry. He is a son of John and Hannah (Huston) Ardrey, and was
born August 7, 185 1, in this township, where he has since lived, follow-
ing his occupation. He now owns one hundred and fifty-six acres of
good land. He was married, November 10, 1875, to Edith Smith,
daughter of Edward and Harriet (Baird) Smith. Mr. and Mrs. Ar-
drey are the parents of four children : John C, Walter C, Randal C,
and Hattie Emma.
Arnold, William Wright, M. D., was born on the farm of his
father, George Arnold, near Pleasantville, Fairfield county, April 6th,
1817. George Arnold came from the State of Maryland, with his wife,
whose maiden name was Margaret Wright, on horseback, in the year
1815. She was a firm and faithful Presbyterian, while he remained
steadfastly an adherent of the Catholic church to the end of his life,
which was prolonged to the age of eighty-four years. It was their
habit to attend church in the same carriage — George visiting the Catho-
lic, and his wife visiting the Presbyterian church ; and this custom was
persevered in with the utmost harmony between them to the end of life's
journey.
The brothers of Dr. Arnold were Henr}-, George and David, all of
whom died in Fairfield county, leaving sons, and John Baldwin Arnold
of Van Buren county, Iowa. His sisters were, Mrs. Thomas Ewing of
Fairfield county, and Rachel, who died when a young lady.
After George Arnold was over eighty years old, he found three new
328 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
jaw teeth developed in the upper jaw, just through the gums, a fact
preserved here for the benefit of physiological science.
Dr. W. W. Arnold was married Sept. 23d, 1843, to Miss Caroline
Mitchell, a daughter of Randolph Mitchell, a merchant, and Lydia
Whitmore, a sister of the late venerable Peter Whitmore of Perry coun-
ty. Miss Caroline's grandmother was Sarah Alexander, born in Lon-
don, and reputed to belong to the wealthy families of Virginia. This
grandmother prided herself not only in the ancient wealth of her ances-
try, but also in the family tradition that the}' were descended from Alex-
ander, the Great. The children of this marriage are : Brezelius Mit-
chell Arnold, husband of Catharine, daughter of Daniel Baker of Craw-
ford count}'. Ills ; Lydia Rachel, wife of John McLaughlin, post office,
Thornville, O. : Elbridge Lee, husband of Alma, daughter of John
Church, post office, Somerset; Anthony Hayden, the early morning of
whose marriage to Miss Hannah Kerr Heck, the youngest daughter of
Alexander Heck, is clouded with sorrow by her death, in less than two
years after the celebration of her nuptials ; Return Lavaga, now a stu-
dent at the National Normal Universitv, Lebanon, Ohio ; William
Wright, a teacher of promise ; Mott Hunter, a student at the Wesley an
Ohio University, Delaware, Ohio ; George R. and Atlee Mitchell, both
at home, and yet minors. This family of children are of Irish extrac-
tion on the Arnold side and of English, on the Mitchell side. Their
mother lives in the same stately mansion erected by her father in 1828,
the same where she was married ; where her children were born and
reared ; where the first Methodist church of New Reading was organ-
ized ; where her parents lived and where they also died ; where, also,
for a quarter of a century or more, her honored husband shared her
joys and sorrows ; and where she at last smoothed the dying pillow oi
that husband and of her son, Randolph, who had, while yet an infant,
preceded his father to the land of rest ; and the same house, too, where
she saw all her sons become teachers as they grew to manhood, and
then take their places in the front rank of respectable citizenship, as
farmers and educators. Dr. Arnold began life on a farm, became a
student at Granville College and Greenfield Academy, distinguished
himself as a successful teacher, obtained a diploma from the Medical
College at Cleveland in 1848, began the practice of medicine in New
Reading, and, at his death in 1872, had won for his name and memory
the distinction of a first-class physician, successful farmer, honest citi-
zen and worthy Christian of the Reform Church. Besides the ancient
but still beautiful brick mansion in which he resided, and six acres of
town lots in New Reading, Dr. Arnold left one hundred and thirty-three
acres of land adjoining the town plat, and about five hundred acres im-
proved land for his sons in Crawford county, Illinois, all of which prop-
erty and lands vindicate the soundness of his judgment and the strength
of his sagacity as a financier. ^
AsHBAUGH, Wm. H., baker, Rendville, O., born March 14, 1850, in
Pike township, son of Simeon and Annie (Blair) Ashbaugh. His father
came to Fairfield county, O., from Pennsylvania, emigrating from there
to Perry county about sixty years ago. His mother's ancestors were
natives of Virginia. William H. was brought up on a farm until about
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
329
thirteen years of age, when he went to Zanesville to learn his trade.
After completing which he first established himself in business at Rich-
wood, Union county, then at Zanesville, and came to his present place
in February, 1881, where he is doing a good business.
AsHBROOK, Thos. M., was born August, 1847, in Fairfield county,
Ohio. His father is Edward P. Ashbi-ook. and his mother Margaret
Redmond, residents of Amanda township, Fairfield county. His
father's brothers are Wm., residing in Amanda township. Cedar Hill
P. O. ; Mahlon, in St. Joseph, Missouri ; Absalom, deceased. Amelia
Ashbrook, mother of Edward, and grandmothor of Thomas M., is now
(1881) eighty-nine years of age, in full possession of her faculties. Her
maiden name was Peters. Her sister, the wife of Aaron Ashbrook
(deceased), lived to the advanced age of ninety-three years. Thomas
was raised on a farm, and is one of three brothers and one sister; was
raised on a farm to the age of twenty-one years. He then engaged his
services in a grist mill in Pickawa}'^ county. After three years there he
came to Somerset, engaged in the same business, and afterwards started
a planing mill on the site now occupied by the Sn3'der Brothers. He
also engaged in the sale of mill machinery, and continues in the same
business. The Ashbrooks are of Scotch descent, and seem to have origi-
nated in Berkley county, Virginia, where six sons and one daughter
are recorded as follows : John had a family. He was killed by a horse
in his native count}-. Thomas, who emigrated to Washington county,
Pennsylvania, and had two~sons. He was killed by Indians, or in the
war. James, a noted law3^er, died in his native county. Moses, emi-
grated to Tennessee, and is doubtless the progenitor of those Ashbrooks
residing in Nashville and other parts of the South. Aaron, the fifth
son, emigrated to Hampshire County, Virginia ; had two sons and re-
moved to Kentucky. Levi, the sixth son of the Berkley count}^ Vir-
ginia, Ashbrooks, was a Baptist preacher ; removed to Hampshire
county, Virginia, and is the great-grandfather of Thomas M. He had
one son and three daughters by his first wife. His second wife was
Miss Chinnith. She had six sons and eight daughters. Levi, son of
the first wife, married itnd emigrated to Kentucky, accumulated large
wealth at or near Louisville, and then removed to St. Louis, Missouri,
where he became a stock man and pork packer. John, a son of the
second wife, married and emigrated to Kentucky. Absalom, another
son, moved to Kentucky, died there, and his familv moved back to
Virginia, and thence to Ohio. Aaron, another of the" six sons of Levi,
emigrated to Fairfield county after his. marriage to Miss Peters. His
family consisted of four sons, Tunis P., John M., James and E. P.
Ashbrook and four daughters. William, another of the six sons of
Levi, emigrated to Fairfield county, Ohio. He had five sons, in order
of age as follows: John, Absalom, Mahlon, Samuel, Edward, the
father of Thomas M., the subject of this sketch, and from whom these
facts are derived, and William. Also three daughters — Minerva, who
was married to Benjamin Dunnick ; Iva, married to Daniel K. Keller-
man ; Salicia, married to Benjamin Boman. Thomas, the fifth son of
Levi, emigrated to Pickaway county, Ohio, and by his first wife had
three sons and two daughters, by his second wife four sons, and in
1854 emigrated to Coles county, Illinois. Eli, the sixth son of Levi,
330 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
became a preacher in the same church as his father Levi, and is
better known as Elder Eli Ashbrook, born in Hampshire county, Vir-
ginia, from whence he emigrated to Pickaway count}', 1810, then to
Fairfield, and last to Johnstown, Licking county, and died January 24,
1877, aged ninet3'-six years. Thomas M. Ashbrook was married 1869
to Martha Griffith, of Fairfield county. They have two daughters,
Daisy and Minnie. He is a Universalist in religion, and Republican
in politics. He has interested himself largeh- in gathering geneolog-
ical facts relating to his family ancestry, and to him is due the above
record of a large connection, to whom the above facts are entirely
new.
AxLiNE, John D., M.D., Shawnee, Ohio, born January 22, 1842,
in Saltillo, Perry county, Ohio, son of Dr. Jonathan and Mary (Fan-
ley) Axline, of German descent. John D. worked on a farm when a
boy. In August, 1863, he enlisted in the Ninth O. V. C, and served
to "the close of the war. He followed the fortunes of Sherman's army
in their " March to the Sea." On his return from the army he entered
the Ohio University at Athens. He w<is graduated at the Medical Col-
lege of Ohio at Cincinnati, in 1869. His first professional practice was
in Muskingum county, and subsequently in Fairfield county, and in
Missouri and Illinois. He located in Shawnee in 1874. ^^'- Axline
was married, February 22, 1871, to Miss Laura E., daughter of Col.
William and Mary J. (Smith) Spencer, of English ancestry.
Bailey, Rowland A., is a son of John Bailey, and was born July
13, 1858, in Jefferson county, Pennsylvania. His mother is Mrs. Ann
Bailey, whose maiden name was Walker, born in England, and who
came with her parents to Jeflferson county, Pennsylvania, in the year
1843. She was there united in marriage with John Bailey, a lumber-
man, and is the mother of three sons: Miles, John Thomas, and Row-
land A. Bailey ; and two daughters, Mary Matilda, wife of William
Kanan, and Hannah, wife of Marcus King : all of Perry county. The
father of these children enlisted in the 211th Pennsylvania Infantry, 2d
Brigade, 3d Division, 9th Army Corps, and fell, mortally wounded, on
the 2d day of April, 1865. The children, then young, were placed in
the Orphan's School, Dayton, Pennsylvania, and came back to their
widowed mother as they, respectively, arrived at the age of sixteen
years. The mother, Ann Bailey, followed her parents to Perry county,
Ohio, in the year 1872, and immediatel}- took charge of her sick mother,
who needed the care of an affectionate daughter for five years prior to
her death, in 1877. After this event her father made a deed to Ann for
the ninety acres on which she resides, near Somerset. Her son, Row-
land A., now in the twent3--fourth ^ear of his age, lives with his mother
and cultivates this beautiful homestead, which has become, not only a
monument to the gratitude of her father, but, also, to her heroic attention
to a sick mother during a protracted illness, a reward she deserved but
was not expecting.
Baillie, John ; foreman XX (Double-ex) Mines, Shawnee, Ohio ;
was born, March i, 1847, in Newarthill, Scotland ; son of William and
Mary (McMurdo) Baillie. When about nine years of age John went
into the mines of Scotland, where he remained until he came to America,
in the spring of 1869, and located on the Allegheny River, near Cal-
HISTORY OF PERRY C 1UNTY. 33I
laning, Pennsylvania, where he remained about one ^ear, then located
at Pine Run, on the Monongahela River, Pennsylvania, and remained
there until he came to Shawnee, in the spring of 1872. Here he has
been quite successful, having, in connection with the family, a good,
pleasant home. Mr. Baillie was elected a member of the School Board
in 1879, and served two years as clerk, and is at present treasurer of
said board.
Baillie, James L. ; merchant, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born, Decem-
ber 15, 1848, in Newarthill, Lanarkshire, Scotland ; son of William and
Mary (McMurdo) Baillie. Mr. Baillie was taken to Wishaw at the
age of tvyo years, where he made his home until he was twenty 3"ears
of age, and was engaged as a mi^er until 1869, when he emigrated to
America, landing in New York, where he was detained one week on
account of a registered letter not being booked ; from there he went to
Calley, Alleghen}' county, Pennsylvania, and mined coal three years,
from whence he came to Shawnee, Ohio, when it was in its infancy,
and the mines had just been opened, where he was employed as a
miner in the XX Furnace mine, and turned the first room in Hill No.
3, in which mine he has been employed nearly all of the time to the
present. Mr. Baillie spent six months in mining in Kansas, in the win-
ter of 1876 and 1877, and again returned to Shawnee, Ohio. In Octo-
ber, 1880, he went to New York city and completed a course in phre-
nology with Fowler & Wells, and obtained a diploma as a phrenologist.
In partnership with Mr. William Dav}^, he purchased the general mer-
chandise store of P. V^. Adamson, Februar}- 15, 1882, where they keep
a general merchandise store on Main street. Mr. Baillie was married,
February 16, 1882, to Annie, daughter of Samuel and Jane (Sander-
son) Murdock, formerly of England, and residents of this place at this
time.
Baily, Archible ; carpenter; Shawnee, Ohio; was born, Juh' 14,
1851, in Muskingum county, Ohio; son of Archibald and Melvina
(Shirek) Baily. Mr. Bailv lived upon a farm until he was fourteen
years of age, when he was employed upon a steamboat and running
coal barges on the Muskingum River until he was twenty-four years of
age, when he came to Shawnee and engaged at carpentering, and with
which he divided his time with boating up to the time of his marriage,
September 10, 1878. to Mary, daughter of John and Martha (Hyatt)
Smith, of McConnellsville, Ohio. They are the parents of three chil-
dren, viz. : Edward, Harry, and Walter. Since his marriage he has
made his home in this place, and his business that of a contractor in
house carpentering up to the present.
Bair, Emanuel ; farmer; post-office, Chalfants ; born, in 1812, in
Fairfield county ; is a son of Joseph Bair, who emigrated to Ohio, from
Pennsylvania, in 1800, with his father. His father owned four hundred
acres of the Van Metre prairie. He remembers the Van Metres well,
often heard his mother say they were kind neighbors. Grandfather and
Grandmother Bair were both buried in the then Van Metre graveyard.
The land was divided among three children, among whom was a Mrs.
Lantz, John, and Joseph, the lather of Emanuel Bair and John Bair, of
Perry. In the hard times following the war of 181 2 Joseph broke up,
and finally, in 1827, moved his family to Hopewell, Perry. Mother
332 BIOGGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Bair, about this time, received one thousand dollars from her paternal
home in the East. Her name was Sherick. Her funds were put in
land, section 28, where Joseph died, in his sixty-seventh year, and his
widow only a few years ago in her eighty-second year, and was known
as the most lovable of her age and sex. Her other children were, Ja-
cob, who died very wealthy, near Edgewood, Illinois; John, farmer,
post-office, Somerset, and Joseph, who deceased young. Emanuel
was married, 1844, to Miss Comfort Chalfant, who lived as his wife only
six years, departing this life in 1850. Her children are, Jasper C,
present husband of Miss Mary Ramsey, daughter of Ellet ; Eliza, de-
ceased wife of Emanuel Spangler, and who left an infant son ; also one
child that died in infanc}', so that no child but Jasper C, (post-office,
Chalfants) now remains alive. Emanuel Bair started in life as an ap-
prentice to the hatter trade, in Somerset, and, at the end of five years'
service, he says it was fortunate for -him that silk hats came into fashion
and compelled him to quit the trade, and to break up some very bad
habits of gambhng and drinking and keeping late hours. When yet
only twenty years of age he began the life of a farmer, and succeeded
from the start. He rented land, worked about, and saved his earnings.
Eight years thus spent gave him some capital. He, therefore, bought
eighty' acres in Wood county, Ohio, in 1840, for $250, and exchanged
this land for land in section 22, Hopewell, at a valuation of $500, a few
weeks later. Sixteen years later he bought the Cowen farm at $3,400,
and eleven years later sold it for $6,400. The next purchase was the
Parks farm, section 35, one hundred and sixt}^ acres, at $4,000. which,
in one year after, he sold for $5,200. The next was in sections 13 and
24, where he now lives, two hundred acres for $1,200 The next was
the Sn^'der farm, section 11, one hundred and sixty acres, for which he
exchanged eighty acres in Effingham county, Illinois, that cost him
$800, and was put in at $-i ,600, with $1 ,900 cash. Jasper C, his son, also
bought ninety ^cres, near the home farm, and exchanged one hundred
and twenty acres in Indiana for one hundred and sixty acres in Hope-
well, allowing a cash difference of $800, and lending $1,600, secured
on the Indiana land. Thieves and robbers got the idea that Mr. Bair
had lots of money, and that, one night, three masked villains, among
them the famous Blackburn, laid siege to his casde, got some money,
and were themselves all sent to the penitentiary, for it was no use to
try to get away from a Bair, with such a grip and so much vigilance.
His head measures 22| inches in circumference ; his weight has varied
from 140 to 165 pounds, and his height is 5 feet 9 inches. His head is
round, rather than long, showing a fine intellectual lobe, with immense
development of acquisitiveness and cognate faculties. His health has
been uniformly good.
Baird, James T. ; farmer and stock dealer ; was born, February 15,
1841, in Perry county ; has lived on a farm all his life, and has been in
the stock business ever since fifteen years of age. In 1847 his father
moved to Hocking county, and lived there until the spring of 1869, then
returned to Perry county, and settled where what is now called New
Straitsville, which had scarcely been thought of at that time. He sold
his property there to Moss & Marshal, proprietors of the Bessie Fur-
nace, which is situated upon said property ; came to Junction City in
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. ^J^
iS'j'j, and has since resided there. Was married, November 27, 1867,
to Miss Sarah A., daughter ot" Frederick and Mary A. (Lyle) Wion ;
are the parents of seven children, viz. : Dora, Mary F., Julia A., Fred-
erick, Minnie M., William A.-, and Roy J.
Baker, Daniel, the voungest of the four sons of John Baker, was
born August 24, 1824, on the "Binckley Farm." next the county line.
His mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Wingard, her tirst husband
being Jacob Binckley, to whom she was married at the age of sixteen.
She lived in the city of Washington, on the opposite side of the same
street occupied by the "father of his country," whose face was, there-
fore, familiar to her youthful gaze. From the best data at hand, she
was born the same date that gave birth to American liberty. This
venerable ladv departed this life in 1867, over ninety years of age, the
survivor of two honored husbands. The date of her arrival and that of
her husband, Jacob Binckley, is not at hand, but this much is remem-
bered : they took shelter in a fence corner, covered with bark, until bet-
ter quarters could be pro\'ided : wolves howled around their tent at
night: she grated corn for bread, and regarded the breast of the wild
turkey a good substitute for the staff of life ; which facts would indicate
an early date of settlement. From her home in Perry county she rode
on horseback to Washington city, to visit her relatives, an undertaking
which, at this day, w^ould not only be received as proof of great physi-
cal endurance and heroism, but of strong affection for friends. By her
tirst husband she had three sons and three daughters, and by her sec-
ond husband, John Baker, she was the mother of four sons and tw^o
daughters. Her sons were Jacob, Jonas, Samuel and Daniel Baker ;
her daughters w^ere Catharine, former wife of William Combs, and Su-
san, wife of Isaiah Hampson. John Baker, when he became her sec-
ond husband, was not rich, for his property is described as consisting of
one gun which, when on his shoulder, carried the handkerchief which
contained his clothing. He had no money, but possessed a brave heart,
a strong arm, a good constitution, and an industry and economy which,
in twentv-five vears after his marriage, and at the date of his death, in
his fifty-third year, left over four hundred acres of the best lands, to be
divided among six children ; this was done wisely, by partition, among
the four brothers, two of the brothers making the division, and the other
two making" choice, while all agreed to pay the cash to their sisters
which they and their husbands agreed was right in amount and time of
payment. Hundreds of dollars were thus saved to the heirs, which, in
almost all other estates, distributed w^ithout will, are squandered in costs,
charges, fees, plots, and final ill-will and litigation. Daniel, the young-
est son, was married to Miss Sarah E. Franks, a native of Pennsylva-
nia and daughter of the late venerable Rezin Franks, of Thorn town-
ship, November 20, 1845. Mrs. Baker's mother carried her, when an
infant, on horseback, from Pennsylvania to Perry county, in the year
1825. Her grandfather, Peter Waltzer, presented the farm on which
Rezin Franks died, to the wife of that worthy gentleman and the
mother of Sarah E., his daughter. Peter Waltzer presented each of
his other daughters a like quantity of land, and to his onl}- son, Peter
Jr., the home farm in Pennsylvania, which he sold and followed his sis-
ters to Perry county. The children of Daniel Baker are: Susan, wife
334 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
of R. M. Barr, residing in Somerset ; Katharine, wife of Brezilius
Arnold, a farmer and stock dealer, near Oblong, Crawford county, Illi-
nois : Rezin F. Baker, a druggist, in Thornville, Ohio ; Martha, wife
of Robert Edmond Kerr, a dry goods merchant, of West Rushville,
Fairfield county, Ohio ; D. Wingard Baker, William E. Baker, and J.
Hunton Baker, younger sons, at home. The Bakers are of German
descent. Daniel is now one of the foremost farmers of his county, and
has added to the one hundred and twenty-one acres obtained by parti-
tion, and at first incumbered with one thousand dollars due his sisters,
one hundred and fifty acres of adjoining lands, and accumulated an es-
tate estimated at twenty-five thousand dollars in value. He was elected
Count}' Commissioner twice, and township trustee fifteen consecutive
years, filling these stations with honor and ability, at one time assuming
a personal responsibility amounting to five thousand dollars, on behalf
of his township, and stopping at no obstacle in the way of his public
trust as an officer.
Baker, Samuel, was born 1818, in Reading township, where he
still resides. He is a brother of Daniel, just alluded to in the forego-
ing sketch. Samuel was married December, 1842, to Miss Elizabeth
Jane Eyman, daughter of the late Henry Eyman, a prominent citizen
of Fairfield county. Their children are — G. H. Baker, husband of
Almeda, daughter of the venerable David Spece, who occupies the
Binckley homestead of his grandmother, famous for its fertility and
the beauty of its landscape; William J. Baker, husband of Mar}^
daughter of William Love, of Perry covmty ; Elizabeth Katharine,
wife of William Miller ; and Jacob A. Baker, single, and at home.
Samuel Baker began his married life with the ninety-six acres he
chose from his father's patrimony, but also encumbered, like the shares
of his brothers, with one thousand dollars due to his sisters, and the
maintenance of his mother, who resided with him to the period of
her death. That one thousand dollars debt was paid from the sale of
corn at twenty cents p.er bushel, and three-year old cattle, at eight dol-
lars per head, as his brothers had cause to remember. After the death
of his brother Jonas, 185 1, Samuel began that career of financial suc-
cess which added four hundred and twenty acres to his ninety-six acre
homestead, and raised his taxes from eight dollars to two hundred and
forty a year, and superadded a road tax of twenty dollarsT per annum
in a district free from town, city, or corporation taxes. Me is an
unbending Democrat in politics, liberal, and, like his brother Daniel,
unsectarian in his religious views. No family of brothers ever divided
an estate more peaceably among themselves, and lived on terms more
ajjreeable the balance of their lives.
Ball, William, miller, Rendville, Ohio, was born January 5,
1845, in Deerfield township, Morgan county, Ohio; son of James and
Adaline (Bradley) Ball. William was brought up on a farm, and
enlisted June 27, 1864, in the First Ohio Heavy Artillery. Was
engaged in several conflicts in the Army of the Cumberland, and served
until the close of the late war. Mr. Ball was married in 1867 to Miss
Caroline, daughter of George Wolf, then of Junction City. Mr. Ball's
father was a resident of Morgan county for fifty years.
Barker, William, farmer and stock raiser, P. O. New Lexington,
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 335
Perry county, Ohio. Born in New York in 1803, came to this state in
1809; son of John and Mar}'^ (Chamberlain) Barker, grandson of
Samuel and Mar}'^ (Fithen) Barker, grandson of John and Sophiah
(Mulford) Chamberlain, married in 182910 Miss Barbara Strait, daugh-
ter of William and Sophiah (Imel) Strait. They are the parents of
seven children, viz. : John H., Sophia (deceased), Samuel (deceased),
Mary, Elizabeth, two not named (deceased).
Barker, John, farmer, P. O. Rehoboth, Cla3^ton township. Perry
count}', Ohio. Born in New York in 1808, came to this county with
his parents in 1809; son of John and Mary (Chamberlain) Barker.
Married in 1830 to Miss Nancy Goodin, daughter of Colonel Samuel
and Jane (Skinner) Goodin. They are the parents of five children,
viz. : Jane (deceased), David C. (deceased), Rebecca, Mary A., Ellen.
Mr. Barker filled the office of Infirmary Director for six 3'ears.
Barker, John H., farmer; postoffice. New Lexington, Clayton
township, Perry county. Born in this county in 1830 ; son of William
and Barbara (Strait) Barker: grand-son of John and Mary (Chamber-
lain) Barker ; grand-son. of William and Sophiah (Imel) Strait ; mar-
ried, in 1857, to Miss Jemima Randolph, who died in 1857 ; married
again, in 1859, ^^ Miss Maria Shaw, daughter of John and Elizabeth
(Rinehart) Shaw. They are the parents of seven children, viz. : Car-
oline M. ; Harriet E. ; Sarah E., deceased ; W. T. S. ; James M. ; Perry
D., and Asbery F. Mr. Barker was elected School Director of Clay-
ton township in 1867, and has continued to serve in that capacity till
the present date. Mr. T. R. Shaw, a brother-in-law of Mr. Barker's,
enlisted in the late war in 1861, in Company K, 626. O. V. I., where he
made a good record for himself, serving his country till the close of the
war, in 1865.
Barr, R. M., attorney; postoffice, Somerset, Reading township.
Born December 7, 1845, in Fairfield count}^ At the age of twenty he
finished a collegiate course at Athens, and began the study of law. He
continued ten months, when sickness compelled him to abandon law,
being unable to do anything for eighteen months. He then gave up
the study of law and went to farming. He continued farming and
taught the home school in the winter until 1876, when he again began
the law. He removed to Somerset in 1877, and was admitted to the
bar January 29, 1879. ^^^ practices in all the courts of record in the
State, and has a large and growing practice. Mr. Barr was married
October 16, 1867, to Miss Susan E. Baker, daughter of Daniel Baker,
ex-Commissioner of Perry county. She was born March 23, 1848, in
this count}'. They are the parents of four children, viz. : Sarah M. ;
Anna L. ; Daniel M., and Mamie.
Barnes, Weaver, farmer; born, 181 2, in Maryland; only son of
Weaver Barnes, deceased, in Maryland. His mother was Phebe Jolly,
who was also the mother of Millie Barnes, wife of the late Jacob Petty ;
and of Susan Barnes, wife of the late Stephen Vanatta ; and also of
Priscilla Martin, (by a former husband), who became the wife of Asa
Dennison, who, about the year 1817, with his wife and her two half-sis-
ters, came to Perry county. One year later, Phebe, the mother of Wea-
ver, who was then the wife of Ezekiel Lewis, a Revolutionary soldier,
determined to come on horseback from Virginia to see her daughters,
23^ BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
and placing her son, then only six years old, on the horse behind her,
she encountered all the perils of such a journey and arrived safely. Few
mothers have ever shown a stronger affection for her children. She
returned to her home in Virginia, and about ten years later, after the
death of Mr. Lewis, she emigrated to Peny county, where she lived
until her decease, in 1855, aged seventy-six years. Mr. Barnes was
married, in 1837, ^^ Christena, only daughter of Aaron Vanatta, and
only sister of the late John Vanatta. The children of this union were :
Aaron, Priscilla, John, Jacob, Nathaniel, C3n-us, Ezekiel, Mar3% Cathar-
ine and Louisa, who, when a child, lost her hfe by falling into a well. In
1863, he was married to Mrs. Catharine Ruff, formerl}- Miss Durrh. Their
children by this marriage are : Weaver, Julia Ann, Charlotte and Eliz-
abeth. There are but few citizens who can boast of a household so nu-
merous, and who, from a destitute orphanage, has not only reared a
large family, but contributed to the support of the church and the State,
and who began with $2.25 of taxes, and has increased his valuation to
a tax of $50 per annum, while his doors stood wide open to welcome
his numerous friends with a generous hospitalitv.
Barrett, James, collier, Shawnee, Ohio, was born March 2, 1825,
in Westport, county Mayo, Ireland ; son of Richard and Ann (McMan-
nus) Barrett. Mr. Barrett was raised a farmer, and followed agricul-
tural pursuits until he was fifteen or sixteen 3^ears of age, when he went
to Worcestershire, England, where he remained employed at whatever
offered until he was twenty-five years of age, when he emigrated to
America, landing at New Orleans, where he remained five or six
months, and then was employed on a steamboat, plying on the Missis-
sippi River, for about fifteen months, after which he went to Louisville,
Kentucky, where he remained until 1856, employed at different kinds
of work. From the latter place he came to Cincinnati, Ohio, and thence
to Zanesville, where he remained about three years, employed on the
railroad most of the time. Next he moved to Roseville, where he lived
about twelve years, engaged at mining, from which place he came to
Perry county, and lived about one 3'^ear at Bristol Tunnel, and then
came to Shawnee, where he still lives and is engaged as a miner. Mr.
Barrett was married April 9, 1852, to Mar3', daughter of Michael and
Ann (O'Brien) Nockton, of Preston, Lancastershire, England, where
the3'' were married. They are the parents of nine children, viz. : Rich-
ard, Patrick, James, John, Walter, Frances, Anna V., Mar3^, and Eliz-
abeth, living, and five deceased, viz. : Ellen, Michael, and three died
in infancy.
Bastian, Philip, agent for the C, M. V. R. R. and iVdams Ex-
press Co., New Lexington, Ohio; was born October 10, 1814. in Hat-
ten, France ; son of Philip Henr3^ and Magdalena (Fridle) Bastian.
They, with their family, came to America in the 3^ear 1828, landing at
Baltimore, Mar3'land, and located in Perry township, Muskingum
county, seven miles east of Zanesville, where Philip kept store, and was
postmaster about eight years. From this place he removed his business
to Uniontown, nine miles west of Zanesville, where he remained about
one year, and came to this place, about the 3'ear 185 1, and "continued
merchandizing until 1859, when he took his present position, being the
first and only agent of the C, M. V. R. R. at this place. During the
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 337
late war he was sutler of the 114th Regiment O. V. I. Mr. Bastian
was first married to Miss Frances Ermin, who died, without children,
in about three years after marriage. He was married the second time
to Miss Mary Anne Schurtz, born February 22, 1816, in Muskingum
count\s Ohio, daughter of Captain Samuel and Mary Anne (Stoner)
Schurtz. Samuel Schurtz died March 14, i860, aged seventy-four
years and eleven days. Mr. and Mrs. Bastian are the parents of seven
children, viz.: Mary, married to James H.Rice; Frances, (now de-
ceased), married to Henr}' Foey ; Laura, married to E. T. Webster;
Annettie, married to Attorney Joseph G. Huffman ; Maggie, married to
Dr. Albert McLaughlin ; Rosie, and Emma.
Beard, Susan, Beartield township, Portersville postotfice. Her
husband, who is now deceased, was born in Maryland, in 1798. He
emigrated to this State in 1828, and settled in Belmont county ; came
to this county in 1846; located near Oakfield, and came to this town-
ship in 1854.' I^^ 1^25, he married Susan Tillett, of Virginia. They
are the parents of the following children, viz. : James E,, John, Stephen,
Annie, Charles, Samuel, Mary and Virginia.
Beaver, Elizabeth, born Ma}^ i, 1813, in Shenandoah county, Vir-
ginia, and came, with her parents, to Fairfield county in the fall of 1819.
They were met at Somerset by her father's brother. Christian Kaga}^
and her mother's brother, Frederick Siple. Her father, Rudolph Ka-
gay, converted a loom-house, belonging to Christian Kaga}', in Pleas-
ant township, into a winter's quarters. He rented a farm next spring,
in Walnut tow^nship, and next year, 182 1, bought the 160 acres in the
Hocking valley, three miles below Lancaster, since owned by Hon.
Thomas Ewing. Here father Kagay died, in 1828. In 1830, Elizabeth
w^as married to John Beaver, in Seneca count3^ Ohio, at the liome of
her sister, Barbara Seitz. In 1837, she came back to Fairfield county
to live with her bachelor brother, Jacob Kagay, bringing then her three
daughters, and leaving an onh' son, Noah, in Seneca county. At the
death of her brother Jacob, in 1867, the Probate Court allowed her
$2,000 for services rendered as housekeeper for her brother, covering a
period of thirty years, and to Noah Beaver an allowance of $300, for
services, was likewise allowed. With these funds, and some few hun-
dred dollars received from her daughter, Hannah Grubb, then a widow
also, she bought the home where she died, June, 1882, of hernia, or
rather, more truthtully. from a slip of the surgeon's knife, who operated
for the reduction of the hernia. She lived two weeks after this acci-
dent. She made her will, and died, as she had lived, in the Baptist be-
lief and unclouded faith of life everlasting. Pier children are : Amy
and Noah, unmarried; Lydia Ann, wife of Edw^ard Turner, and Han-
nah, widow of George Grubb, who lives with her two sons, Richard
and William, and her sister Amy, and brother, Noah Beaver, at the
home left them by mother Beaver, postoffice, Rushville, Ohio.
Beck, William G., Rendville, Ohio, was born in Jackson town-
sHiip, Perry county, Ohio, January nth, 1848, son of George and Maria
(Hiller}') Beck. William G. was brought up on a farm until he was
seventeen years of age, when he began teaching school, and taught un-
til he was twenty-two. He then engaged in general merchandising at
Middletown, Jackson township, where he continued to do business until
32
;^2S BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
1878, when he accepted a position in the store of Martin Ewing & Co.,
New Straitsville, Ohio, and in 1880 was employed as clerk in store, by
the Ohio Central Coal Co. In 1882, returned to New Straitsville, Ohio.
Mr. Beck was married September 19th, 1869, to Miss Margaret Adcock
of Jackson township. They are the parents of two children, namely,
Charles E. and George W.
Bell, Joseph, born in Ayershire, Scotland, on Christmas day,
1802. His first school was at home, where he advanced to reading the
Latin and Greek Testament a little ; he was taken to Kilmarnoch, and
then to Blackwater Military School. His father died when Joseph was
twelve, and at fifteen he was at Chatham, and at sixteen, at Windsor.
He got a cadet's commission on his scholarship, permitting him to join
the Royal Staff Corps of Engineers under Lord Greenock, at the age
of sixteen. Served in Spain ; fell out with Greenock in 182 1 ; was or-
dered under arrest, deserted with intention of aiding the Greeks, until
he came to Canada, where Sir Howard Douglas, the Governor, dis-
couraged his intention. He studied Spanish, and intended to go to
South America to take part against Spain, but the Governor again con-
trolled his purposes. At the age of twenty-two he weighed in Charles-
ton, South Carolina, one hundred and ninety-six pounds. His height
is five feet eight inches, and his head measures twenty-three and one-
half inches. He never saw a man that could throw a twenty-eight
pound weight farther than he could. He is proud of his native land,
and says : "Scotland is the salt of the earth, the mother of Hume, Rob-
inson, Buchanan, Basset, McCauley, Smollet, Beattie, Stewart, Black,
Abbercombie and Arbuthnot, Combe and a hundred other men equally
famous. She gave St. Patrick to Ireland, John Paul Jones to America,
and Lord Cochran to scourge the Turks."
England was called to apologize for Cochran's conduct toward Tur-
key. The reply was, " take him prisoner first." Now, at the age of
eighty, Mr. Bell is in possession of all his faculties, rich in mental
achievements beyond the common lot of men, a fact due to not wasting
his life in gathering gold as most men have done, but in mastering the
most abstruse problems, not only of mathematics but of political econo-
my and theology. Judge Henry C. Whitman, now of Cincinnati, for-
merly Common Pleas Judge of Fairfield, Perry and Hocking, and noted
for his judgment of men, declared to the writer that he never knew but
ofie man who was the superior or the equal of Joseph Bell in natural
mental capacity, and never knew his equal in the richness and abun-
dance of those mental stores which constitute the scholar, and which
were so surprisingly gathered from every field of knowledge and ripened
for use in the garners of thought and memory. Mr. Bell was married
to the daughter of a wealthy Virginian, now deceased. Though much
opposed to the war of the Rebellion, he lost one son, Samuel, in battle
foi the Union ; and another son, though but a boy when he enlisted,
served in the Sixth Army Corps in all its splendid battles and achieve-
ments, without a day's sickness or scratch from the enemy. This son,
John, now resides in Missouri. A daughter, Margaret Bell, after achiev-
ing distinction as ^ scholar and teacher, became the wife of a merchant
in Loveland, Ohio. Miss Lizzie Bell, since the death of her mother, a
few years ago, presides as the mistress of her father's home in Thorn-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
339
ville, and there her presence gilds the evening of his life, as the setting
sun gilds the evening sky with promise of a glorious rising on the
morrow.
Bennett, Robert, retired farmer. New Lexington, Ohio, was born
April 26th, 1821, in Gallia county, Ohio, son of Robert and Cecelia
Bennett. They emigrated from Lancashire, England, in 1819, and
located near Somerset. Perr}- county, about the year 1826. They
remained in Reading township about six years, then in Clavton live
years, and made their last remove to what is now Pleasant township,
where they died. Mr. Bennett, the subject of this sketch, was married
in 1848, to ]Miss Mary, daughter of Morris and Catharine (Collins)
O'Conner. Mrs. Bennett was born in Pennsylvania, but came to Bi-ush
Creek township, Muskingum count}-, when but two 3-ears old. She
was brought up and remained there until her marriage. Thev became
the parents of thirteen children, viz. : Catharine F., Cecilia A., mar-
ried to Peter Forquer, Mary Loretta, Lafayette J., Thomas W., Fran-
ces E., Ellen C, Robert E., Vincent Leo, and four died in infancy;
all born in Pleasant township. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett have spent their
lives, from infancy, in this part of the State. Thev grew up with the
country, and have seen it change from the virgin forest, the home of
the deer, wild turkey and bear, to the now broad fields of grain and
pasture, where the domestic herds quietly feed. Mr. Bennett has given
his attention to agriculture and husbandr}-. beginning in 1839 with forty'-
nine acres in the woods, but now has five hundred and thirty acres,
well improved and stocked. This he has obtained bv honest industry
and econom}^
Bennett, R. P., post office, Rehoboth — farmer and stock raiser,
Clayton township. Born in Gallia count^s Ohio, in 1824. Came to
Perr}- county with his father in 1825. Son of Robert and Cecilia
Bennett. The former died in 1842, the latter in 1855. ^^r. Ben-
net was married in 1853. to Miss Elizabeth McDonald, daughter of John
and Margaret McDonald. They had twelve children, viz. : Clara E.
(deceased). John C, Albert J., Margaret E., Clara E. (deceased),
George C, Elizabeth E.. James C, Mary (deceased), Emma E., Mary,
Richard.
Bennett, Albert R., Bearfield township, farmer, post office,
Rendville. Ohio, was born October 30th, 1859, ^^^ Pleasant township,
Perry county, Ohio, son of George and Anna (Carroll) Bennett, natives
of England, who came to America in 1S19. They came to Perrv coun-
ty, Ohio, about the year 1822, and located in Bearfield township in 1863.
The family consisted of eleven children, viz. : Thomas J., John R.,
married to Catharine Monahan : Margaret, married to Bernard Noon ;
Cecelia, married to Philip Rei ; Mary Ellen, married to Jacob Weiner ;
Philip P., married to Sarah E. Deaver : Albert R. : Josephine, married
to Philip Noon : Caroline, twin sister to Josephene : William A., and
George C. George Bennett, the father, named above, was born in
1818, and died in Januaiy, 1867.
Bennett. Philip P., farmer. Rendville, Ohio, was born March
2 1st, 1854, in Pike township. Perry county, Ohio. Son of George and
Ann (Carroll) Bennett. He was brought up on a farm and followed ag-
ricultural pursuits, excepting two years, during which time he was em-
340 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
ployed by W. P. Rend & Company ; also, merchandising under the
firm name of Bennett & Noon. Mr. Bennett was married January 27,
1880, to Miss Sarah, daughter of Tillman Deaver, deceased, who for-
merly lived in Monroe township. They are the parents of one child,
James P. Philip P. Bennet, the subject of this sketch, by adhearing
strictly to fair dealing and temperate habits, has secured a comfortable
home.
Betts, Boston, Mayor of New Straitsville, and Justice of the
Peace of Coal township. Perry county. Ohio. He was born January 12,
1837, in Jacobsport (now Plaintield), Coshocton county, Ohio. He is a
son of William C. and Hettie Betts, natives of Virginia. When sixteen
years of age, he learned the blacksmith trade, which business he has
followed ever since. In 1858 he was married to Miss Michel Baker,
native of Tyler county, West Virginia. He enlisted in Co. C, 97th
O. V. I., in 1862, serving three years in the Rebellion, enduring man^^
hardships, and undergoing dangers. His brother, Charles Betts, be-
longed to Co. F., ist Ohio Cavalry. His great-grandfather died a
soldier in the Continental army, under General Washington. His
father and two brothers served in the war of 1812. Mr. Betts located in
New Straitsville, in April, 1873, and with the assistance of a few others,
he organized a congregetion of Disciples in September of the same
year, which is now a prosperous societv, supporting a chinxh of their
own.
BiGRiGG. John, collier, Shawnee, Ohio, was born May 15, 1828,
in Cumberland county, England, son of John and Ann Bigrigg. Was
raised iu his native county, and lived there, engaged in mining, until
1870, when he emigrated to America, landing in New York, and went
to Sandy Creek, Pennsylvania, remaining three months mining, and
was employed as a miner at Syracuse, New York, for about two 3'ears,
when he came to Shawnee, Ohio, where he lived about eighteen
months, and moved to Straitsville, Ohio, where he mined about three
months, and from there he went to Conesville, Coshocton county, Ohio,
staying about four months, and then worked three years in Beach Hol-
low and Miami coal mines, near Coshocton, Ohio, when he again
returned to Shawnee, Ohio, and where he has remained up to this time,
mining for Manley Coal Company- about eighteen months, and the
remainder of the time in Shawnee Valley mine. Was married Dec.
15, 1849, to Anna, daughter of Arthur and Elizabeth (Bonstead) Mal-
kinson. They are the parents of ten children, viz. : Elizabeth, Jona-
than, Arthur, Annie, Jane, John, Julia, Henr}^ (deceased), William
(deceased), and one died in infancy. Mr. Bigrigg became a member
of the Baptist Church while in Coshocton, Ohio, but since coming to
this place has joined the Primitive Methodist Church.
BiNCKLEY, John, Thornville, Ohio, furniture merchant and
school teacher, was born in 1856, in Peny county. He is a
son of John Binckley, and grandson of Jacob Binckley, now
living in Thorn township, at the age of ninety-three years. He
puts the date of the settlement of his father, John Binckley, and his
brothers, the sons of John, Sr., viz. : William, John, Christian, and
Daniel Binckley, in 1801. The sisters of these sons were: Polly,
wife of Henry Beeker, who died in Allen county, Ohio : Betsy, wife of
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 34 1
Adan Anspach, who died in Perry county : Katy, wife of Jacob Over-
meyer — both died in New Reading, Perry county : Millie, wife of Jacob
Shrider, both living, P. O. Lafayette, Ohio ; Peggy, wife of Jacob
Custer — both died in Allen county, near Lafayette, Ohio ; Franey, wife
of George Shrider, Lafayette, Ohio ; Louisa, died in infancy. The
other twelve children all grew to mature life, were married, and some
are still living ; Sally, the youngest of eight daughters, became the
wife of Barney Hammer, died near Sego, Perr^^ county. John Binck-
ley, Jr., one of the sons of John, Sr., died in Allen county, Ohio;
William died in Tiffin, Ohio : Daniel died in Reading township ; Chris-
tian is living in Northern Ohio. These, with Jacob, above named,
were the live sons of John, Sr. The great ancestor of all the Binck-
leys was Christian, Sr., who came to Ohio a widower, his wife having
died near Hagerstown, Marvland. The sons of this Christian Binck-
ley, the patriarch of the famih*, were John, the father of Jacob, with
whom Christian made his home, section 31. Hopewell township. Then
there were Adam Binckley and Henry Binckley, brothers of John,
Sr., aforesaid, the three sons of the patriarch. Christian Binckley.
They all came to Pern^ in 1801. At the same time he brought with
him three daughters, to wit : Lizzie, wife of Jacob Foy ; Katharine,
wife of Adam Spoon : and Sarah, wife of Henry Musser, near Millers-
port. For each of these three sons and three daughters, the old wid-
ower patriarch provided a home in this new land of promise. Chris-
tian lived till 1831, and died after his son John, in whose house he lived,
now the Peter Shrider place. He was then in his ninety-seventh year.
After the death of his father (John, Sr.), in 1804 or 1805, Jacob and his
brother John bought the place — section 31, Hopewell, where this John
also died. When twenty-one years of age. Jacob married Martha
Downour. This was 1810. This marriage produced twelve children,
seven bovs and five girls — John, William, Jacob, Barney, Daniel,
David, and Levi (who died voung). Mary, Sarah, Lizzie, Peggy and
Louisa. In 1838 Jacob sold his farm and moved with his wife
to the farm where he lives with his daughter, Sarah Zartman,
in Thorn township. His wife died in 1848. John Binckley, the
furniture dealer of Thorn ville. has made a high reputation as a
teacher in the common schools. His mother's maiden name was
Katharine Stevens, who died when John was a babe. When seven
years of age he lost his father bv death. He had eight brothers and
three sisters. Seven of these brothers are still living. He lived in the-
family of D. C. Shellv, of Hopewell, eight and one-half years. He
taught fifteen 'terms of school. He worked by the month for Nathan
Plank and others. He attended school at Niount Perry, under the
tutilage of Prof. White : also at Delaware College. In 1S77 he became
the husband of ^Nliss Irene Orr. daughter of Albert Orr. Their chil-
dren are Arthur and Walter, now two years of age. He bought a
small farm in 1880, which he sold in 1882, and entered upon his pres-
ent business, to which he brings, besides some capital the same energy,
urbanitv, and integrity, which, added to his capacity and judgment,
warrants his success, and makes him a rival in the line of his choser
business.
BiRKiMER, John A., of the firm of Birkimer & Kishler, carriage
342 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
and wagon manufacturers, New Lexington, Ohio. Mr. Birkimer was
born April 3d, 1854, in Reading township, son of Edward and Louisa
(Beckweth) Birkimer. John A. went to his trade at eighteen, estab-
lishing his business first at Somerset. He came to this place in 1877,
and formed a partnership with SamuelH. Morgan, and conducted busi-
ness with him until the present firm was formed in the fall of 1881.
This firm is doing a good, active business, both in new work and repair-
ing. Mr. Birkimer was married, June 5th, 1878, to Miss Sarah, daugh-
ter of James and Mariah (Fowler) Davis. They are the parents of one
child, Earle.
Blair, Seldom W., tinner. New Lexington, Ohio, born June 19th,
1844, in Pike township, son of Thomas W. and Anna (Davis) Blair.
Seldon W. was brought up on a farm, where he. remained until about
twenty, when hewent to his trade, and worked journeyman work in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Wheeling, West Virginia, Indianapolis, In-
diana, and other cities. Came to this place in 1875. M*"- Blair was a
member of C ompan}' F, i6oth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served
four months. He was married in April, 1869, to Miss Sarah, daughter
of Sarah (Seals) Williams. She died early in the summer of 1882.
Blosser, Noah H., physician, Maxville, Ohio, was born in Mon-
day Creek township. Perry county, Ohio, October 26th, 1847 ; son of
Nicholas and Elizabeth (Hut^brd) Blosser. Spent his early days on a
farm, and attended school during the winter, until about seventeen years
of age, when he began teaching, and continued to teach for about eight
years. In 1873 he obtained the position of express agent of the C. &
M. V. division of the P. C. & St, L. Railway, at Junction City, Ohio,
in which position he remained until 1879, when he resigned to accept
the superintendency of the Junction City public schools. During the
period in which he was acting as express agent and teacher, he was
employing all his spare time in the study of medicine. And in the fall
of 1880, he entered the Pulte Homoeopathic Medical College at Cincin-
nati. In the spring of 1881, he located at Maxville, and began the
practice of medicine, in which profession he is rapidly attaining emi-
nence. Dr. Blosser was married, June 30Lh, 1870, to Miss Austirs
O., daughter of Samuel S. and Marj'^ (Black) Poling, of Monday
Creek township, formerly of Fairfield county, Ohio ; to whom were born
two children, Franklin El wood and Bertha Belle.
Blosser, Solomon L., dealer in hardware and tinware. Corning,
Ohio, was born October i, 185 1, in Rush Creek township, Fairfield
county, Ohio; son of Isaac and Margaret (Peble) Blosser. Solomon
L, was brought up in a village, and established his present business
here in July, 1880. Mr, Blosser was married, July 13, 1872, to Miss
Jennie, daughter of Jacob and Ellen Hinsman, of Marion township,
Hocking county, Ohio. They are the parents of three children, viz. :
Magdaline (deceased), Francis Milton, and Zettie Ellen.
Boies, Charles, farmer, Baird's Furnace, Ohio, was born Sep-
tember 21, 1850, in Muskingum county, Ohio ; son of Isaac and Eliza
(Knipe) Boies. Mr. Boies was brought up on a farm, and he has given
his attention to farming and stock raising up to this date. Stock rais-
ing is made a specialty by him, and he deals largely in thoroughbred
horses, hogs and sheep. He now owns three hundred and twenty acres
HISTORY OF PEKRY COUNTY. 343
of land, the best farm in the township, which is underlayed with both
coal and iron ore. He was married, September lo, 1872, to Jennie E.,
daughter of Hiram and Martha (Strawn) Wilson. This union was
blessed with three children, viz. : Isaac J., died at the age of nineteen
months, Wilbert Noble and John H.
Isaac Boies, father of Charles, was born November 27th, 1807, in
Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and came to Muskingum county when a
young man, where he was married to Eliza Knipe, March 8th, 1849,
who was born in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, November 29,
1818, and came to Ohio when a young woman. Seven years after
their marriage they moved to the Hocking River and remained three
years, from where they went to Muskingum county, Ohio, on the Chand-
lersville road, and lived two 3'ears and six months, and again to Mon-
day Creek township, on the Heine farm, where they both departed this
life ; Isaac d3'ing August 26, 1873, and Eliza, his wife, August 31, 1880.
They became the parents of four children, viz. : Charles, the subject
of this sketch ; James died at four years of age : Philip, and Margaret.
Philip and Margaret now live on the homestead. Mrs. Boies' parents,
Hiram and Martha (Strawn) Wilson, were born in Pike township, this
county. Mr. Wilson has departed this life, and Mrs. Wilson is now the
wife of John Nixon of Pike township, this county.
Boies, Philip, Monda}' Creek township, farmer, Winona, Ohio,
was born October 7th 1854, ^" Falls township, Hocking county, Ohio,
son of Isaac and Eliza (Knipe) Boies. Mr. Boies was raised a farmer,
and has made agricultural pursuits, with stock raising, the business of
his life, and with his sister occupies the homestead farm of three hun-
dred and fifty-seven acres, part of which is underlaid with a vein of
limestone nine feet thick, iron ore, and a vein of coal three feet thick.
BoLiNG, James H., farmer and school teacher, Mr. Boling also
read medicine. Post office. Buckeye Cottage, Clayton township, Perry
county, Ohio. Born in this county in 1847. Son of James and Jane
Boling. Married in 1875, to Miss Wilson, daughter of Ezra and Eliza-
beth (Burgess). They are the parents of two children, viz. : Ralph
W., Earl W. Mr. Boling enlisted in the late war in 1864, Company
G., Thirty-first O. V. I., Captain Stone, Army of the Cumberland. He
was in the battles of Recasa and Kenesaw Mountain. Mr. Boling has
been engaged in teaching about thirteen years.
Bowers, J. H., post office Crooksville, farmer and stock raiser.
Born in Muskingum county in 1813, came to Perry county in 1868.
Son of Joseph and Mahala (Horton) Bowers. Married in 1840, to Miss
Hannah Walters, daughter of John and Alice Walters. They are the
parents of eight children, viz. : Louisa J., Lewis S., Anna M. (de-
ceased), Manda, Armstead (deceased), Adelia, Maggie and H. C. One
child is married and living in Muskingum county.
Bowman, Joel, was born in 1827, and his occupation is, and has
been, that of a successful miller and farmer. His post-office is Somer-
set. He is a son of Bernard Bowman, and grandson of George Bow-
man, who settled, in 1802, on the farm in Reading township, where his
son Bernard died in 1863. Joel's mother was Mary Elizabeth (Poor-
man), and her father was Bernard Poorman. Both the Bowmans and
Poormans are of German descent, and Lutheran in religion. In 1848
344 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Joel Bowman became the husband of Miss Mary A. Binckley, daughter
of the late venerable Samuel Binckley, of Reading township, Perry
county. They have reared three sons and four daughters to manhood
and womanhood, and buried hve others prior to that period of life.
Joel purchased of his father the grist-mill and twenty-four acres of
land in 1863, and paid for it from the earnings of the mill alone in less
than two years' time. Twelve years since, he built a saw-mill, and
nine years since, attached to both grist and saw-mills a steam engine, so
they can now be run by water or steam power. In 1873 he added
eighty acres adjoining the mill property, and thus inside of twenty
years paid for a property estimated to be worth $16,000, besides invest-
ments in Wood county, Ohio, and rearing and educating his family
most respectably. He has also paid over $1,200 in bail mone}^ which
is an improvement on his father's record, who paid nearly $6,500 of
the same kind of cash and held the fort, but not without an effort that
is creditable to his great energy and the resources of a well balanced
mind and fruitful fields. Bernard, the father of Joel Bowman, stood
high in the esteem of his neighbors, and his history is full of instruc-
tion to those of his descendants, who have the power to imitate his
sterling virtues while thev resist the bonds held by bank collectors and
refuse to become the victims of commercial bank indorsers in blank.
Grandfather George Bowman generally landed where he started to go.
In 1802, on his road to Perr}- county, they tried to bribe him with lot
gifts if he would stay in Zanesville and work at blacksmithing. It was
no use ; his mind was fixed. Pie was not a hunter by trade or habit,
but on one occasion he brought in seven bear skins on his pony. On
one occasion his horse fell and broke his ankle as to make him a crip-
ple the balance of his life. Grandmother Bowman, whose maiden
name was Susannah Rugh, sister of Peter and Solomon Rugh, late of
Fairfield county, possessed the courage necessary for pioneer life. On
one occasion she loaded the rifle and shot a huge rattle snake that came
too near the cabin in the woods. So late as the year 1819, when the
first mill-dam was being built above the present site of Bowman's mill,
a 3^oung bear was caught and held by the hind legs, as it tried to scram-
ble up the steep bank, until other workmen dispatched the beast with
hand-spikes. About the same time, also, but more likely earlier in the
date, the Indians took George Bowman's pony. He followed with
one* companion and recaptured the animal at Foresman's old mill site
in Fairfield county, or near there.
BpwMAN, John W., Monday Creek township, farmer, Maxville,
Ohio, was born March 13, 1840, in Jackson township, this county; son
of John and Elizabeth (Strohl) Bowman; was brought up on a farm,
and at the age of eighteen years he engaged as an apprentice and
learned the shoemaker trade, which he followed in Bristol, Pike town-
ship, and in Jackson township, until 1870, when he went to farming.
In the fall of 1879 ^^^ came to this township and located on his present
farm. Mr. Bowman was married December 12, 1 861, to Rachel M.,
daughter of Benjamin and Ann Maria (Strubble) Griggs, both natives
of Sussex count}^. New Jersey. They were married in that State and
came to Perr^^ county in the year 1820, and Benjamin Griggs ever after
was a resident of Perry county until the date of his death, June 9th,
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 345
1879. -^^^ Maria Striibble died April 7th, 1877. John Bowman, Sen.,
died several years ago, but his wife, mother of the subject of this
sketch, is living with her son, Joseph D. Bowman, one of the principal
boot and shoe merchants of New Lexington. Benjamin Griggs served
as a drummer bo}^ in the war of 181 2, enlisting from his native State —
New Jersey. To John W. and wife were born the following children:
Edgar J., Madison B., Grant, William S., Isadora, Ann Maria, Maggie,
Myrtle M., Delila Blanche, and George E. ; all living except Edgar J.,
the oldest, who died at the earlv age of three years. Mr. B. owns one
hundred and sixty acres of the best mineral land in Monday Creek
township, underlaid with eight-feet veins of coal, and a vein of red-grey
iron ore, varying from ten to eighteen inches in thickness. The
Griggses were all prominent members of the Second Baptist Church,
and Mrs. Bowman's brother, Elias, is at present a prominent minister
in Mercer county. Mrs. Bowman connected herself with that church
in early maidenhood. The Bowmans were all prominent members of
the Lutheran Reform Church.
BoYD, William F., baggage master for B. & O. R. R., Shawnee'
Ohio, was born November 19, 1828, in County Antrim, Belfast, Ire-
land. Came to America August 3, 1847, and located at Newark, New
Jerse}-. Mr. Boyd was married in January, 1852, to Miss Catharine,
daughter of Michael and Mary Anne (Stephens) McDonald, of New-
ark, New Jersey. They became the parents of three children, viz. :
Mary Anne, married to Owen McKenna, of Newark, Ohio ; Adelaide
R., married to Frank W. Caflee, of Newark, Ohio; and McDonald,
who also resides at Newark, Ohio. Mr. Boyd resided at Newark,
New Jerse3% seven 3'^ears, working at carriage manufacturing. He
came to Newark, Ohio, in 1854, and remained until 1868, working at
his trade, carriage blacksmithing. He also lived at Coalport, -Coshoc-
ton county, Ohio, four ye^rs. Came to Shawnee in 18/2, and took his
present position in 1874. He was one of the charter members of the
Knights of Pythias, No. 117, Shawnee, Ohio, and has attended every
meeting of the Lodge, excepting one, then he was absent attending
Grand Lodge. Mrs. Boyd died March 4, 1861.
Bradley, Rev. Jerome B., Saltlick, Shawnee, Ohio, minister of
the gospel in the Methodist Episcopal Church, was born April 5,
1846, in Bourbon county, Kentuckv, the son of Washington and
Nancy (McDowell) Bradley. Rev. Bradley was raised a farmer, and
followed agricultural pursuits during the summer season, and school
teaching in the winter season, until the year 1870. In September of
1869 he was licensed by the Mount Olive Qiiarterly Conference to
preach, and in the following spring of 1870 he entered the traveling
connection of the Kentucky Annual Conference, preaching upon the
circuits of Carrolton, two years; Meade, one year; Somerset, a half
station, three years, where he went in March, and began a revival
meeting in August, where they had made a brush arbor for the pur-
pose. The work proved a decided success, and lasted during his pas-
torate stay, and resulted in the addition of three hundred good mem-
bers to the church, and a revival of religion all over Pulaski county,
Kentucky. Hand in hand goes religious feeling and religious work,
by which he was enabled also during his pastoral work to build up on
346 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
this circuit three new churches. One was three miles from Somerset, on
Pittman creek, and, to his honor, called Bradley Chapel ; one some
seven or eight miles from Somerset, on Buck creek, and christened
Wesley Chapel ; and a third one, a neat frame church, where the brush
arbor stood, and called Mount Zion ; this was near Science Hill, on the
Cincinnati Southern R. R. The church in Somerset was repaired,
also, and, upon the whole, the church property was increased from
$2,500 on appraisement in 1872, to $4,500, appraised in 1875, notwith-
standing the great decline in all kinds of property during this time.
Next he was sent to Sardis and Murpheysville, Mason county, Ken-
tucky, where he remained for two years, and had a revival meeting at
Sardis, thirty-five members being the accessions. After his mission
here he went next to Fallsboro circuit, Lewis county, Kentucky, where
he had some six churches under his charge, and had good revival meet-
ings at each church, resulting in the accession of fifty souls to the
church during his labor of two years upon this work. During his labor
at this place he was secretary of a camp meeting association of the
Maysville district, that bought and dedicated to camp meeting services
what is known as Ruggles camp meeting grounds. Now he is sent to
Vanceburg, county-seat of Lewis county, Kentucky, where his charge
was over a half station and three other appointments, laboring in this
connection one year, during which he took charge of the camp meet-
ing held at Ruggles camp meeting grounds. In 1880 he was trans-
ferred to the Ohio Conference, and stationed at Shawnee, Ohio, where
he had charge of the M. E. Church two years. Upon entering this
work he found thirty-five members, but during a revival meeting in
1881, the number was increased to one hundred and fift}^ full members,
and thirty-five on probation. During this year they have also built an
addition to the church that cost $735. At the first and only call for
money for this purpose, $862.50 was subscribed, and the work was soon
completed and paid for; in all, the church raised and paid, in 1881,
about $2,300. They also have purchased a neat frame parsonage, that
cost them $900, during 1881. This year of 1882 they increased the
salary of Rev. Bradley from $800 to $900, and still move on with the
work. During this winter tliey held another revival, which has resulted
in thirty-seven accessions to the church. Rev. Bradley was married
September 31, 1865, to Miss Barbara, daughter of J. B. and Matilda
(Maston) Insko, of Bracken county, Kentucky, who died July 20, 1875,
leaving him with three children, viz.: Lucy E., Joseph W., William
W., all now living and at home. He was married a second time De-
cember 2, 1876, to Miss Lucy Helen, daughter of Thomas and Serepta
(Owens) Galbraith, of Bracken county, Kentucky. The}'- are the
parents of two children, Ethan G. and Morley.
Bradshaw, John, born in Somerset, 1850, is a farmer, P. O. Glen-
ford, Ohio. He is a son of Joseph Bradshaw, who, with his wife, Ellen
Welch, were born in Ireland, and came to the United States in 1848.
After a short tarry at'Elyria, Ohio, they come to Somerset, Ohio, where
Joseph died in 1866, in his fifty-seventh year. Mother Bradshaw still
lives in Somerset, at the age of sixty-six years. She is the mother of
Patrick, P. O. Somerset; James, P. O. Dayton; and Miss Joanna, P.
O. Somerset. Her son John was married November 4, 1874, ^o Miss
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 347
Ann Katharine, the onl}^ daughter of the venerable Adam Ice, a native
of France, and now a resident of Hopewell, at whose house he boarded
when working as a day laborer at a saw mill near by, when, becoming
well acquainted, he became the husband of Miss Katharine. In 1881
he moved to the farm in section 3, Hopewell, comprising one hundred
and twenty acres. Their children are George, Murray and Mary
Olive. Mr. Bradshaw's example is that of a steady, sober young
man, not born to any fortune, but a strong physical constitution, atten-
tive to his duty as a day laborer, winning his way to the confidence of
the most respected society, and in after life maintaining his character
for frugalitv and attention to business. James was out in the three
months' service, Co. E, 17th Regiment; also, in the 31st Ohio, and
served to the end of the war. Patrick was also in the 31st Ohio, and
served till the close of the war. Both veteraned.
Bradshaw\ W. a., potter, P. O. Buckeye Cottage, Clayton
township. Born in this county in 1853. He is a son ot T. W.
and Lucinda (Petit) Bradshaw, grandson of Robert and Mary Brad-
shaw, and of William and Elizabeth (Hoke) Petit. He was married
in 1875 to Miss Edith P. Martin. The}- are the parents of three chil-
dren, viz. : Clara L., Albert F., and one not named. Mr. Bradshaw's
grandfather Bradshaw was in the war of 181 2.
Breece, James E., farmer, Bearfield township, Rendville P. O.
Born in this township in 1845, son of Jonathan and Sandusky A. (Trus-
sell) Breece. In 1867 he married Almira W. Skinner, daughter of
Amos and Margaret A. (Murray) Skinner, both natives of Virginia.
They emigrated to this county and settled in this township in an early
day. Mr. and Mrs. James E. Breece are the parents of five children,
viz. : Mary A., born April 26, 1868 ; Martha A., May 30, 1872 ; Deborah,
November 16, 1876; Charles A., November 2, 1878; and John W.,
Julys, 1881. •
Brewster, Johnson C, Monroe township, tarmer. Corning, Ohio,
was born July 14, 1848, in Muskingum county, Ohio ; son of Stephen
and Eliza (Brown) Brewster, and was brought up on a farm ; at eighteen
engaged in the milling business, which he followed until 1880, when he
engaged in agriculture. He came to Perry county in 1868, and to his
present residence in 1878. Mr. Brewster was married March 18, 1875,
to Miss Amy L., daughter of Joseph and Catharine (Smith) Rogers, of
Monroe township. Thev are the parents of two children, viz. : Bertrit
and lona Leore.
Brown, J. J., P. O. Crooksville, farmer. Born in Kent county,
Delaware, in 1816; settled in this county in 1846; son of WiUiam
and Susan (Black) Brown. Mr. Brown's father died in 1857, his
mother in 1862. They were of English and Scotch descent. Mr.
Brown has been twice married, first in 1839, ^^ Miss Jane Dills, who
died in 1854. This union was blessed with four children, viz. : Benja-
min, Richard, Jane (deceased), William. Married again in 1854, to
Mrs. Julia A. Triplet. Mrs. Triplet had three children, viz, : Margaret,
Susan and Mary. Mr, Brown had two sons in the late war.
Brown, David W., was born in Fairfield county, 1817, November
22d ; is a successful farmer ; the oldest of the name now living ; brother
of the late Judge William Brown and Robert Brown, old time officials
348 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
of Perry county. His post office is Thornville. His grandfather was
William Brown, who, with his wife, Sarah McMullen, then the mother
of one daughter, Rosannah, afterwards wife of Robin Walker, emi-
grated from Ireland. The children of this marriage were : William,
David and Robert, well remembered in Fairfield county ; Sally, Eliza-
beth and Margaret, all of whom came to Fairfield county, except Eliz-
abeth, wife of John, and Sarah, wife ot Abram Yost, who settled in
Perry. William, the father of David W., Robert and Judge Brown,
was married in Pennsylvania, to Miss Sarah McTeer, whose father was
a soldier, who fought with the butt of his gun in the trenches at Bunker
Hill, on the side of "liberty or death." They were the parents of the
sons named, and never had any other children. In 1835, ^^^^ family
came from Fairfield to Perry county, and settled in Thorn township.
Father Brown survived his wife six or eight years, and died at the age
of eighty-two, his wife in her sixty-ninth year. They were of the As-
sociate Reform Church, since the United Presbyterian. William, after
service as County Treasurer and Probate Judge, died near Somerset.
Robert, after service as a teacher for many years, and County Auditor
for a long time, died in the State of Missouri, whither he moved late in
life. David W. is therefore sole surviver ; was married in 1835, ^^ Miss
Eliza Cherr}', daughter of John Cherry of Fairfield. His children are,
John C, husband of Miss Harriet, daughter of George Mechling
of Thornville; Almonara, wife of John Yost, son of William, post
office, Linville, Ohio ; Elizabeth, now the widow of the late Dr. Allen
Whitmer ; Azuba, wife of J. P. Eversole, grocer, freight agent and
post master. North Berne, Fairfield count}^ Ohio ; Robert at home, and
David McGravv, in honor of a Kentuckian of this name, who nursed
his father, David Brown, when sick with cholera, on board a steamer
landed at Hannibal, Missouri, in 1849. Another son, Charles L., hus-
band of Miss Martha Franks, follows the trade of butchering in Thorn-
ville. David Brown lost his estimable wife in 1880, and is now a wid-
ower. The site of his farm of two hundred acres, is that of the first
few settled in Thorn township, and the same selected by Joseph Cooper,
whose name clings to a road laid out b}^ him, and who drove a team
and sled back to Penns3'lvania for provisions, in winter, leaving his
wife and children to hear the wolves lapping from the slop bucket out-
side the cabin door. Here the first water mill of this vicinity was erect-
ed, on a stream passing through the Brown homestead, the residence
of which is of brick, on an eminence overlooking a vast extent of coun-
try, fringed by hills and vocalized by passing trains and lowing herds.
It is a delightful landscape. Except the cloud cast upon the evening of
his life by the death of his wife, the achievements of David Brown's
career, shed lustre on the rewards of industry and the joys of rural life.
Brown, Ggorge W., born December 12th, 1834, ^" Muskingum
county, Ohio. He is now proprietor of a liver}^ stable, and is a horse
buyer. He is a son of Dixon Brown, late of Somerset, who was a lead-
ing dr}' goods merchant, railroad director, member of the Methodist
church, and citizen of large influence in society, and who had acquired
a large share of wealth, which was ever held subject to his hospitality,
his desire to advance the public good, and to assist his children and his
^riends. George's mother was Elizabeth Richard, a daughter of George
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
349
and Ellen Richard, both of whom died in sight of Somerset, where
their daughter also died. George's only brother, is J. Murray Brown
of Columbus, Ohio, and his only surviving sister is Mrs. Ella McCune
of Newark, Ohio. George W. was a willful lad, who cut loose from
parental moorings in Somerset, when only fourteen years of age, and
landed in Wheeling, Virginia, without a dollar in his pocket, but soon
applied to a Mr. Culberson for work in a tin shop, which he obtained ;
but his father soon heard of him and bound him as an apprentice to Mr.
Culberson, for three vears. George served his time and became a ijood
workman, and was more niclined afterwards to stay in sight of the pa-
ternal roof. After the death of his parents, assisted by the friends and
legal counsel, he rescued a handsome homestead from the wreck occa-
sioned by his father's weakness on his sick bed, and the evil disposed
who seemed to have his mind under their control. This was a great
triumph for George, and leaves him in comfortable circumstances. His
wife was Miss Emma Zane, daughter of Samuel Zane, and great-grand-
daughter of Colonel Ebenezer Zane, and of Elizabeth Bloomfield. The
name of Zane is linked with the earliest history of Ohio, and with the
heroism which defended the border of civilization against the attacks
of the savage. Her ancestors owned the sections where Zanesville,
Lancaster and part of Chillicothe now stand, and were of the highly
educated and polished movers in the progress of the past. Elizabeth
Zane, fresh trom school at Philadelphia, on her return to Wheeling,
soon found that place, (1782), under siege from Indians. The fort was
occupied by brave defenders, but the powder was nearl}^ exhausted, and
none nearer than Colonel Zane's house, forty rods distant. Elizabeth
Zane insisted on going there and returning with supplies. She was
told a man could go and come quicker, and, therefore, with less danger ;
but she replied, " a woman would not be missed so much as a man ;"
and after preparing herself for the greatest fleetness, she ran for the
powder, and arriving at the house, a table cloth was tied by two cor-
ners around her neck, while she held the other two corners in her hand,
and while her first trip was assailed onl^^ b}' the cr^^ of " squaw, squaw,"
her return was beset by whizzing bullets and savage 3-ells, but she got
back without a scratch, except holes through her clothing, and her
memory grows green on the page of history. She died in Belmont
county, Ohio, after two marriages — the first to Mr. McLaughlin, the
last to Mr. Clark, near Martinsville.
Brown, A. M., physician. Pleasant township, post office, Moxa-
hala. born in Pike township, August 17th, 1837. ^i^ parents are sup-
posed to be of Irish descent. He went to Illinois with his parents
when thirteen years old, remained there until he was twenty-one. He
then learned the shoemaking trade, and worked at his trade in Perry
county. In 1864 he began reading medicine with Dr. M. D. Huftbrd
of Straitsville, remained in his office two years, and then practiced with
him six months. He then went to Rendville and practiced there six
years, spending one winter in Indianapolis. Then practiced at Conners-
ville, Lafayette county, nine months ; at Gore, Hocking county, eight
months ; at Straitsville one year, and he then moved to Moxahala,
where he still practices, and is also a member of the firm of Noe
350 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
& Brown, druggists. Dr. Brown married Miss Susan Patton, Febru-
ary 2ist, 1 86 1 ; they are the parents of one child.
Brumage, W.' H., P. O. Roseville, Muskingum county. Born in
Perry county in 1822 ; son ot" A. W. and Elizabeth Brumage (Pember-
ton) ; grandson of John and Rebecca (Lashley) Brumage. Married
June 5, 1856, to Miss Elizabeth M. Guy, daughter of James and Eliza-
beth (Miller) Guy. They are the parents of two children, viz. :
Samuel G. and Ida G.
Brunner, Philip Melancthon, is a son of Jacob Brunner, and
was born December 31, 1841. His mother's maiden name was Rebecca
Souslin. His father came to Ohio from Pennsylvania, in 1818, a single
man ; passed through Somerset into Kentucky, and after several 3'ears
time spent elsewhere as a journeyman shoemaker, returned to Somer-
set, engaged in shoemaking,* and married his first wife, whose maiden
name was Margaret Trout, whose children were named Norman
L., Melvena, George, Clara, Louisa and Henry. He stood high in the
Lutheran Church, and in the esteem of his fellow-citizens, flourished in
his occupation, and at one time employed ten to fifteen hands in his
shoe factory. He outlived both his wives, and all his children, except
P. M., John, Norman, and Clara Robinson, at whose house he died
April 28, 1881, aged eighty-five years and twelve da3"S. Prior to this
he resided with his son, P. M., at Glenford, for some years, and then
retvu'ned to Cairo, Illinois, where his sun sank into the everlasting day
df eternity. His son Henry saw service in the 12th Illinois, 43d Ohio,
i6oth Ohio, and in the 114th Ohio Regiments; John in the 31st Ohio
for three years ; and P. M. in the 90th, Co. H., was taken prisoner at
Chickamauga, September 20, 1863, and remained such in Libby, Dan-
ville, Andersonviile, Charleston and Florence, for fifteen months.
Henr}^ died without heirs, John is married without issue, and P. M. was
married 1867 to Miss Margaret P., daughter of the venerable B. F.
Graves, of Somerset. After a few years' experience in Somerset, P.
M. established a shoe shop in Glenford, April, 1870, where he has
succeeded in his vocation, acquired a pleasant home, and in 1879 ^^^
elected justice of the peaceover a first-class Democratic competitor,
in a township largely Democratic, obtaining a handsome majority as
the Republican nominee, a circumstance which is mentioned as indica-
tive of the esteem in which an honest working mechanic is held by his
fellow-citizens, after an acquaintance of nine 3^ears. His children are
Mar}' L., James E., Charles Graves, Bertie Florence, and Emma A.
Brunner, each and all of whom maj^ dwell with pride upon their
achievements, if the^'^ happily attain the virtue, sobriety and respecta-
bility of their kind and affectionate parents.
Brunner, Danton O., attorney-at-law and Mayor of Somerset.
His great-grandfather was Henr^^ Brunner, who landed in Philadelphia
in 1773, from Wurtemburg, Germany, at the age of twenty -two, a
single man. His four sons were Henry, John, George, and Jacob, and
his three daughters were Christena Enminger, Barbara Crout, and
Susan, wife of Samuel Swineheart. Of these children, all remained
in Pennsylvania, except George, Jacob and Susan, who came to Perry
county in 1818 and 1819. Of these, George, the grandfather of Danton
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 35 1
O. Brunner, deceased September i, 1877, at the age of ninetv-two
years; and Jacob, the father of P.M. Brunner, April 28, 1881, at the
age of eighty-five years ; and Susan, the mother of Mrs. Hoyman, at
the age of seventy odd years. The children of George Brunner, Sr.,
and his wife, whose maiden name was Ann Maria Weaver, are :
George and Henry, Dayton, Ohio; Benjamin F., Newark, Ohio;
Jacob, Greenwood, Colorado; Morgan, Hannibal, Missouri; and
Caroline, wife of William Law, Bloomfield, Iowa. Three others died
young. David, the father of Danton O., was twice married. His first
wife was Katharine Rhodes, whose surviving children are: Nora E.,
Jacob H., and Elmira R. Brunner. His second wife was Mary L. Clair,
whose surviving children are: Danton O., Lena O. and Morgan T.
Brunner. David was only four years old in 18 18 when his father,
George Brunner, Sr.. settled in Somerset. He remembers the lot
where J. C. C. Myers now lives, when in the forest ; and chestnut
rails, made from a tree that grew there, still exist, after fifty years oj
use in the weather. The upper part of the brick house now owned by
N. Dennison, was used as a a puppet show room, and was built in 1817.
The first brick house in Somerset was built in 1813 or 1814, according
to the best data. David Brunner has a book that has been in the
family since 1772. He is also the legal heir to a set of pump tools, com-
prising five augers and an iron rod twelve feet long and one and one-
fourth inches in diameter, for making wooden pump stocks. While
his great ancestor, Henry Brunner, resided in Lancaster county, Penn-
sylvania, the British tax on tea was not the only tax the colonists
hated, but the tax on iron was also regarded as oppressive, and the
duty was avoided by smuggling. It, therefore, occurred to Henry to
get enough iron for pump tools, which he did, and these tools are now
in Somerset, well preserved, and faithful witnesses of British oppres-
sion, and the onlv defense an honest German could plead in 1774.
It will also appear that the Brunner family is venerable in age, and its
reputation for industry, sobriety, and thrift sheds honor on its gene-
alogy. The success of Danton O. Brunner in his chosen profession
has been so remarkable that he has not lost a single case since his
admission to the bar, in 1877, up to the present time.
Brush, David D., Probate Court Clerk, New Lexington, Ohio, was
born in Sparta, Morrow county, Ohio, August 11, 1845, son of Charles
T. and Cornelia (Acker) Brush of French ancestry. Charles T. Brush
located in Thorn township, this count}^ in 185 1. In 1862 he was elected
Treasurer of Perr}^ county, in the same year moving to New Lexing-
ton. He held the office of County Treasurer six years, viz. : From
1862 to 1864 and from 1866 to 1870. David D., the subject of this
sketch, was brought up on the farm where he remained until eighteen
years of age, when he began the painter's trade. He first came into his
present position in 1867 and has served in all about nine years. From
1872 to 1876, he was engaged in the book and stationery trade. He is
Secretary of the Perry Count}^ Agricultural Society and member
of the Board of Education of New Lexington. Mr. Brush was first
married December 29, 1870, to Miss Annie M., daughter of Judge John
H. and Anne C. (Poundstone) Kelly. They became the parents of
three children, viz. : Fannie Edna, Myrtle Grace and John Ewing, de-
352 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
ceased. Mrs. Brush died October 22, 1879. ^r. Brush was married
the second time June 9, 1881, to Bertha C, daughter of William and
Margaret (Forquer) Biddison.
Brush Edmond C, M. D., Corning, Ohio, was born October 22,
1852, in Zanesville, Ohio, son of Edmond and Alice S. (Cone) Brush.
Dr. Brush was educated at the public schools and at the Marietta Col-
lege, Ohio. He began the study of medicine in 187 1, and was gradu-
ated at Sterling Medical College, at Columbus, Ohio. After his gradu-
ation he was appointed assistant Medical Surgeon for the Ohio Peni-
tentiary and served three yeai's. In 1879 he was appointed Demonstra-
tor of Anatomy in Sterling Medical College and assistant physician of
the Central Insane Asylum. The Dr. located in this place in 1881.
Bryan, C. F., of the firm of Johnson & Bryan, attorneys at law
and notaries public, New Lexington, Ohio. Mr. Bryan was born Sep-
tember 17, 1848, in Granville, Licking county, Ohio, son of Dr. E. F.
and Julia (Peck) Bryan, of Scotch Irish ancestors, but a native of New
York State. C. F. was brought up and educated in his native village.
When about twenty-one years of age he began teaching school and
taught three years. Began reading law in the fall of 1873, and was
admitted to the Bar in the spring of 1876 and began practice in Licking
county, came to this place in March 1881 and formed the present firm.
Mr. Bryan was married the first time to Miss Ada McLaughlin, who died
in July, 1874. ^^s second marriage was February 22, 1876, to Miss
Ella, daughter of Lyman and Margaret (Cramer) Crabbe, of London,
Ohio. They are the parents of one child, Grace W. Bryan.
Burgess, Jonathan., farmer, Madison township, postoftice, Mt.
Perry. He was born June 24, 1848, in this township : is a son of Amos
and Mary (Reddick) Burgess. He was raised on a farm, and still fol-
lows agricultural pursuits, now owning about one hundred and fifty
acres of fertile land. He was married January 4, 1872, to Virginia
McCarty, daughter of John and Catharine (Eversole) McCarty. They
have two children : Edward G., and Daisy O.
Burgess, Levi J., attorney at law, Logan, Ohio. Among the
first settlers of Madison township. Perry county, (then belonging to
Muskingum.) were Joseph and Richard Burgess, brothers, who emi-
grated from Maryland about the year 1810. Richard, after serving in
the war of 1812, moved to Hocking county, Ohio, to the farm on which
stands the village of New Gore, and the noted Gore Furnace. From
him also a church took its name, and the " Burgess Meeting House "
was, for along time, a familiar name and place to hundreds of people
in Perry and Hocking counties. Joseph continued to live in Madison
township until 1856, when he died, leaving nine sons and one daughter,
some of whom had found homes in the far west, and all of whom are
yet living. Four sons and the daughter continue to reside in Perry
county, near their birth-place, where they have acquired comfortable
homes, and are among the leading and influential people of that locality.
A number of their children have long been known as being among the
leading scholars and educators in Perr}^ count}-, having aided largely
in establishing and maintaining Madison Academy, at Mt. Perry. Pro-
fessor E. J. Burgess, one of the descendants, is at present the President of
Ashland College. Perhaps the most prominent member of this old
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 353
pioneer family of Perry county, is Hon. Levi J. Burgess, of I/Ogan,
Hocking county, Ohio, a grandson of Joseph Burgess, and son of Jer-
emiah and Eliza (Evans) Burgess. He was born at Mt. Perry, Perry
county, Ohio, September 4, 1848, and received his education in Perry
county, with the exception of a short time at Muskingum College, New
Concord, Ohio. He began in 1870, the study of law with the Hon.
William E. Finck, at Somerset, and was admitted to the bar in the fall
of 1873. Before and during the time he was studying law, he was en-
gaged in teaching, and was one of the leading voung teachers of Perry
and Muskingum counties. In the spring of 1874, ^^^ located in New
Lexington and began the practice of law, forming a partnership with
Hon. L. J. Jackson. His rise was rapid, and in the fall of 1879 ^^^ ^'^^
nominated b}^ a overwhelming majority over all competitors tor the office
of Prosecuting Attorne}-. Shortly afterwards Hon. John S. Friesner, of
Logan, was nominated and elected to the office of Common Pleas Judge,
and Col. Burgess declined the nomination of Prosecutor, and moved to
Logan where he succeeded to the large and extensive practice of Judge
Friesner. He is at present the attorney tor the Columbus, Hocking
Vallev & Toledo Railwa^'^Companv, and also lor a number of the lead-
ing coal and iron companies in the Hocking Valley region. He was a
prominent candidate before the Democratic State Convention of 1881,
for the office of x\ttornev General and though not seeking it, came near
receiving the nomination. He was, the same year, honored with the
Chairmanship of the Congressional Convention of his district, and also
of the Senatorial Convention, composed of the counties of Fairfield,
Hocking and Athens, and although a resident of his county less than
two years, was unanimously tendered the nomination for State Senator,
which he declined to accept. As a lawyer, advocate and political
speaker. Col. Burgess stands in the front rank of the yo\nig men of
Ohio. He is popular wherever known, and numbers among his acquaint-
ances and friends, manv of the leading men of the State and Nation.
His successful course reflects honor upon himself, credit upon the family
name and serves to make him a conspicuous figure among the prom-
inent men of Perry county, who have achieved a reputation at home
and abroad, and of whom the countv may justly be proud. He was
married December nth. 1870, to Rebecca A., daughter of Jacob
and Mary (Fulton) Weller. They have three children, Lulu, Alma, and
Levi J., Jr., living, and two, Annie and Fannie, deceased.
BuRGOON, Isidore, farmer, Jackson township ; post office. Junction
City ; born April 5th, 1829, in Clavton township ; son of Levi and Ann
(Lilly) Burgoon, who were among the first settlers of Perry coimty.
Mr. Burgoon was broiight up on a farm, and has been following farm-
ing ever since. He moved to his present residence, in Jackson, in 185 1.
He married, in October, 1857, Miss Nancy Clark, daughter of Hugh
and Rose (Conely) Clark. The}' have seven children, viz. : Rose A.,
Hugh J., Patrick H., Margaret, Mary, James J., John I. Rose A.,
Mary and James J. are deceased. Mr. Burgoon has a farm of two hun-
dred and sixty-five acres of choice land, and deals largelv in thorough-
bred cattle.
Burley, Lazilere, farmer : post office, Crooksville. Born in
Greene county, Pennsylvania in 1804. Came to Perry county with his
38
354 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
parents in 1815. John Burley, his father, died in this county in 1842.
Hannah (Lazilere), his mother, also died in Perry county in 1844. Mar-
ried in 1832, to Miss Rachel Ilift', daughter of John and Anna Iliff, who
died in 1873. They had nine children, viz. : Jan, John, Rebecca,
James, Hannah, Harriet, Nute, Thomas, (deceased), Mary E.
Burley, W. N., merchant; post office, Crooksville ; born in Perry
county in 1846; son of Lazilere and Rachel (Iliff) Burley; mtirried
August 20th, 1872, to Miss Maggie McKeever, daughter of Samuel and
Hannah McKeever. They are the parents of four children, viz. : John
G., Samuel V., Zane W. and Wilson L. Mr. Burley enlisted three
different times in- the army; first, in 1863, in Company K, One Hun-
dred and Twenty-ninth Regiment; second, in 1863, One Hundred
and Sixtieth Regiment, Company H ; third and lastly, in 1864, in First
Ohio Heavy Artillery. Was in several engagements during his time of
service.
Burns, George M., physician, Maxville, Ohio, was born in But-
ler count}^ Pennsylvania, January 21st, 1838; son of David and Eliza-
beth (McCaslin) Burns. Brought up on a farm and began teaching at
the early age of sixteen years, and for four years continued to teach in
Butler and Allegheny counties. He then went to McLean county, Illi-
nois, and taught one term, but not being contented, returned to Penn-
sylvania, and continued teaching until the spring of 1862. In August,
of the same year, he enlisted in the One Hundred and Thirty-fourth
Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry, and served in the Army of the Po-
tomac until honorably discharged from service, June, 1863. In 1859
he began the study of medicine, aud studied at intervals, but after re-
tiring from the army, he gave his chosen profession his entire attention.
In November, 1863, he entered the Homoeopathic College at Cleve-
land Ohio, and graduated from the same in February, 1865, and began
the practice of medicine in Detroit, Michigan ; but in a short time re-
moved to Mitchell, Indiana, and thence to Vincennes, Indiana ; and in
October, 1866, located in Maxville, Ohio, and remained for two years.
He then returned to Pennsylvania and practiced in Allegheny City,
Pennsylvania, until 1870, when he returned to Maxville, Ohio, where
he has ever since resided. Dr. Burns was married August 6th, 1866,
to Mary, daughter of Amos and Harriet (Harper) Manton3'a, of Gran-
ville, Ohio. Dr. Burns has an extensive practice, and is considered
one of the first physicians in this part of the State.
Burrell, a. H. and Son, proprietorsof Premium Marble Works,
New Lexington, Ohio. A. H. Burrell was born September i8th, 1809,
in Newport, Penobscot county, Maine ; son of Nathaniel and Rachel
(Springer) Burrell. Mr. Burrell with his parents emigrated to Ohio in
the spring of 1838, and located in Athens county, where he was en-
gaged on a farm, which occupation he followed until 1840, when he be-
gan teaching school, which he followed several years ; three years of
which he taught in Athens. During the time he taught school, he
studied medicine with Dr. Blackstone, and began its practice in the fall
of 1846, in Nelsonville, Ohio. In the spring of 1847 he went to Ames-
ville, Ohio, where he practiced eighteen months and returned to Nel-
sonville, remaining until the spring of 1868, when he came to New
Lexington, Ohio. In 1863 he retired from the practice of medicine on
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 355
account of his eyesight failing him, and in 1868 he engaged in his pres-
ent business. Dr. Burrell was married the first time, March 28, 1832,
to Miss Almira, daughter of John and Maria (Shaw) Wilson, of New-
port. They became the parents of two children, viz. : Wilson H. and
John O. Mrs. Burrell died June 21, 1839. He was married the second
time, November 22, 1842, to Isabella, daughter of Thomas and Mary
Jane (Blatch) Claxton. The}' are the parents of four children, viz. :
Maria L., married to H. H. Miles of Racine, Meigs county, Ohio;
Emma B., married to Josiah Wilson of Nelsonville, Ohio; Frank C.
and Almond Rochester, whose sketch is also here given. Almond R.
was born March 21, 1848, in Amestown, Athens county, Ohio; came
to Nev^ Lexington in February of 1868, and opened in business in the
south end of town, in one of the primitive log buildings on the corner
of Main and Walnut streets, which is now occupied by a brick building.
In September of the same year they bought and removed to their pres-
ent place of business. Almond Rochester was married July nth,
1 88 1, to Miss Anna N., daughter of S. S. and Deborah (Graham)
Smith, of Washington county, Ohio. They are the parents of one
child, viz, : Maine Burrell. January 5th, 1864, he enlisted in Company
G, Eighteenth Regiment, O. V. V. I., and served until October 23d,
1865, when he was honorably discharged. Mr. Nathaniel Burrell,
father of A. H., and grandfather of Almond R., was engaged in the
Revolutionary war ; was at General Burgoyne's surrender, and helped to
guard the Hessian prisoners at Albany. Died October i8th, 1842, in
Athens, Ohio.
Burton, Nathan, Pleasant township, blacksmith at Oakfield, born
in Muskingum county, July 20, 181 7 ; son of Isaac and Mary (Fill-
brooks) Burton, both natives of Maine, and came to Muskingum coun-
ty in 1815. Worked with his father until seventeen years of age, and
then learned his trade at Roseville, Muskingum county ; located in
Oakfield in 1845, and went to Logan, Hocking county, in 1846, and
blacksmithed there twenty years. He returned to Oakfield in 1881.
In 1843 he married Nancy Poe — her father was a nephew of Andrew
and Adam Poe, who distinguished themselves fighting Indians in Vir-
ginia. They are the parents of the following named children : Sarah,
Ida, Bell, Benjamin, Clarence, Edgar.
Butler, John, family grocer. Main street, New Lexington, Ohio,
was born July 10, 1862, in this place; son of attorney at law Reuben
and Jane (Frantz) Butler. Mr. B. established his present business,
November 15, 1880, in which he is very successful.
Butts, Mechach, deceased, was born October 5th, 1819, in Mus-
kingum county, Ohio, son of Overton and Sarah (Kirbv) Butts. Mr.
Butts was brought up on a farm, until he was sixteen years of age,
when he began the wagon makers' trade with Joshua Cites, with whom
he remained about six months, and went to Mt. Sterling, Ohio, and en-
gaged with Joshua O. Hook, serving in all about five years appentice-
ship, after which he was employed as follows : Springfield, Ohio, short
time ; Zanesville, Ohio ; again with Joshua Cites ; and then was mar-
ried to Phoebe, daughter of Absalom and Mary (Campbell) Burley of
this county. They are the parents of nine children, viz. : Elizabeth,
James L., Emery A., William H., Eliza Jane, John, Mary Ann, de-
356 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
ceased ; Amanda, deceased, and Abi, deceased. After his marriage,
he was employed as follows: At Mt. Sterling one year, with J. O.
Cook ; Perry county, near Roseville, farmed one year ; Morgan coun-
ty, farming about two years ; Perry county, cropping one season ; Mt.
Sterling, with J. O. Hook, until 1862 ; Morgan county, farming two
years ; thence to Portersville, Perry county ; and in January, 1864, en-
listed as a mechanic in the government service, from which he was dis-
charged June 17, 1864, by reason of sunstroke ; and in the fall of 1864,
he volunteered as a recruit from Malta township, Morgan county, Ohio,
and remained in the service until the close of the war. Was on Sher-
man's March to the Sea, and was sent to Ltttle Rock, Arkansas. After
receiving his discharge, returned home, and was engaged at his trade
until seven years ago, in June, 1874, when he came to Shawnee, where
he followed his trade and undertaking until September of 1881, at which
time he went to Hemlock, Ohio, where he was engaged in furniture
dealing and undertaking, until his death, October 5, 1882.
Butts, Emery A., furniture dealer, Shawnee, Ohio, was born
December 18, 1840, in Mount Sterling, Muskingum county, Ohio ; son
of Mechach and Phoebe (Burley) Butts. Mr. Butts was raised in the
towns of Mount Sterling and Portersville, Perry county, Ohio, to the
age of fifteen years, when he employed to work on a farm with Daniel
Sayer, and spent about four years farming : three years with Sayer,
five months in Franklin county, Ohio, and four months near Wilming-
ton, Clinton county, Ohio, and again in Franklin county, Ohio. He
also worked some seven years upon a portable saw mill, in Morgan and
Perry counties, Ohio. Upon leaving the farm the second time he was
in Franklin county, he came to Shawnee, Ohio, and engaged in wagon
making about four years, and then went into the present business of
furniture and undertaking, with George Martzolft\ in April of 1881.
Mr. Butts was married September 2. 1876, to Margaret J., daughter of
George and Catharine (Diller) Martzolft', of this township. The}^ are
the parents of two children, viz. : George C. and Alta Beldon.
Butts, James L., furnaceman, Shawnee, Ohio, was born January
23, 1845, in Morgan county, Ohio ; son of Mechach and Phoebe (Bur-
ley) Butts. Was brought up, to the age of seventeen, in Mount Ster-
ling, Muskingum county, Ohio, and moved back to Morgan county,
Ohio, with his father, in 1862, where he enlisted, in August of that
year, in Co. D, 30th Regiment O. V. I., for three years, or during
the war, and served in the Army of the Potomac up to January, 1863,
and the Western Army the balance of the time. Fought in the battles
of South Mountain, Antietam, Second Bull Run, in Army of the Poto-
mac ; in battles of Arkansas Post, Black River, Walnut Blufts, and in the
charge upon Vicksburg, charging Stockade Fort, at which place he
was wounded in the hip and thigh, permanently injuring him, so that
he is now unable to obtain a livelihood by his labor. After receiving
his wound he came home November 27th, and stayed until next March,
when he returned to his regiment, and remained to the close of the
war. Was in Atlanta campaign and " Sherman's March to the Sea."
After receiving an honorable discharge he came home and engaged in
agricultural pursuits until 1874, when he employed as a miner at New
Straitsville, Ohio, working one year, and then came to Shawnee, Ohio,
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 357
continuing in the same business for about two years. Then employed
at N. Y. furnace until the spring of 1881 ; engaging then with the
Fannie furnace, where he has been, top tilling, watching furnace, and
attending hot blast, up to this time. Was married March 28, 1868, to
Elizabeth, daughter of Francis and Margaret (Stoneburner) Hane, of
Morgan county, Ohio. Their children are Scott Monroe, Delia
Isabelle, Nellie France, Mechach and Mettie.
Butts, William H., blacksmith, Shawnee, Ohio, was born Janu-
ary 10, 185 1, in Mount Sterling, Muskingum county, Ohio; son of
Mechach and Phoebe (Burle}^) Butts. Remained in his native town
until 1861, when, with his father, he went to Morgan county, Ohio, and
worked on a farm until he was eighteen years of age, when he went to
his trade with Edward Addison, near Porterville, Morgan county, Ohio,
and remained one year, when he went to Portersville, Perry county,
Ohio, where he worked with his brother-in-law, Mr. Brock, with whom
he completed his trade. During this time he worked three years at
four dollars per month, after which he went to Deavertown, Morgan
county, Ohio, with his brother-in-law, where he remained for six
months, when he came to Shawnee and worked for Finley B. McGrew
three 3'ears, going from there to the Fanny furnace, and took his pres-
ent position. Mr. Butts was married November 14, 1877, to Harriet
Pettet, daughter of Thomas and Jane Pettet, of Perr}^ county, near
Porterville, Ohio. The}^ are the parents of one child, viz. : Delmer
Clyde, deceased.
Butt, Samuel W., mine boss N. Y. Straitsville Coal and Iron Co.,
Shawnee, Ohio, was born October 26, 1842, in New Philadelphia,
Tuscarawas county, Ohio ; son of Samuel and Emma (McCune) Butt,
Samuel W. was brought up on a farm until ten years of age. His
father died when Samuel W. was five years of age. In 1852 the widow,
with her family, moved to Nelsonville, Athens county, Ohio. Mr.
Butt came to this place in 1872, and in a few weeks assumed his pres-
ent duties. August 7, 1861, Mr. Butt enlisted in Co. D, O. V. I.,
and served to the close of the war. During his service he was Orderly
Sergeant, and was commissioned First Lieutenant of Company H,
same regiment. He also served as Mayor of Nelsonville, Ohio. Lieut.
Butt was married to Miss Ruth J., daughter of Robert and Lydia
(Orme) Kinney, formerly of Athens county, Ohio. They are the
parents of three children, viz. : Emma M.. George C. and William J.
Caine, Alexander C, commercial traveler, was born in the
year 1849, ^^ Somerset, Ohio. His father, Isaiah Caine, was born
in the same township, and had three brothers, John, Lewis and James.
His grandfather, John Caine,' deceased at Zaleski, Ohio, at the
advanced age of eighty years. His mother's maiden name was
Campbell, a sister of Samuel C. Campbell, of Effingham, Illinois,
deceased in 1880, leaving Alexander C, Samuel, John L., Frank
and Wallace, and an onlv sister, Cora. John L. is united in marriage
to Miss Emma Law, and resides in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and Samuel
to Sophia Exner, and resides in Somerset. The other brothers and
sister are single. A brother, Henry B., was wounded at Mission
Ridge, and died at Nashville, in January, 1863. Alexander C,
at the age of twelve years, went with Captain L. Jackson, of the 31st
358 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Regiment, O. V. I., and afterwards went with his uncle, Samuel C.
Campbell, who was sutler of the 90th Regiment. After six months
service there he returned home, and entered the union school of his
native town. He afterward entered the drug store of F. Moeller, in
Somerset, where he remained three years. He then clerked for H. C.
Filler, dry goods merchant, of Somerset, and from here he went to
Indianapolis, Indiana, where he served as clerk for the firm of William
Glenn & Co. From there he went to Pekin, Illinois, where he served
as clerk in a hotel, and after one year's service, went to Butler, Bates
county, Missouri, and took the management of the store of W. T.
Smith & Co., where he remained four years. From there he went to
Kansas City, Missouri, and became commercial traveler for J. M.
Shelly & Co., in which capacity he served eighteen months. He then
returned to Ohio in 1874, '"^^^^ clerked for Thomas Drake, dry goods,
Somerset ; afterwards for Benjamin Whitmer, grocer, and from here
he went to Shawnee, Ohio, where he took charge of the mercantile
business of William Shields & Co., afterward J. C. Hamilton & Co.,
making all purchases, and carrying a business amounting to as high as
$150,000 a year, and in this capacity the business flourished for
over five years. He is now connected as commercial traveler for the
wholesale house of Miller & Hustons, Columbus, Ohio. His political
career was marked with eminent success as a manager of campaigns.
He was chairman of the Republican convention which first nominated
John H. Kelly for Probate Judge, and Henry Martin for Sherifl", both
successful in a county which had been giving six hundred Democratic
majorities. He was a delegate to the state convention that first nomi-
nated Charles Foster for Governor. He was the only Blaine delegate
to the state convention from the Twelfth Congressional District, against
a bitter and powerful opposition. He nominated W. T. Shriver, first
and last, for Treasurer of the county, and H. C. Greiner, the last time
he was elected, in 1881, for Representative. All these acts exhibited
his keen sagacity as a Republican leader, the majority of the opposing
party sinking as his tactics advanced to the front.
Caldwell, J. W., blacksmith, Shawnee, Ohio, was born Sept. 10,
1856, in Perry township, Licking county, Ohio ; son of Thomas and
Margaret (Legg) Caldwell. Was raised in Brownsville, his native
county, and learned the blacksmith trade with his father. In 1875 he
began business for himself, working for two years for E. P. Evans, of
Elizabethtown, Licking county, Ohio ; two years for Rufus Swinehart,
at Newark, Ohio, when he returned to Brownsville and formed a co-
partnership with his father, which continued one year, at which time he
came to Shawnee, March, 1881, and was engaged six months with J.
D. Davis, after which he went into partnership with Finley B. McGrew,
of this place, where he is engaged at his trade at this time, and where
they enjoy a good business.
Call, Edward, collier. New Straitsville. He was born in Philadel-
phia, January 5th, 1849 ; is a son of Edward and Mary (Sweeney) Call,
natives of Donegal county, Ireland, and who came to Philadelphia in
1844. They resided there ten years, and then moved to Perry county,
Ohio, where Mr. Call died May 27th, 1878, and where Mrs. Call is yet
living. June 16, 1873, Edward, Jr., was married to Dora, daughter of
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 359
Thomas and Emily Sherraden, natives of Ohio, but who now reside in
IlHnois. Mr. and Mrs. Call have three children, twin bo3'^s, born in
Illinois, August 3, 1874, and a third child born October 9, 1875, in the
same State.
Cannon, Wm. A., Clayton township, postoffice,Rehobeth. Farm-
er and stock raiser. Born in Delaware, in 181 1. Settled in Perr}'^
county, Ohio, in 1817. Son of Isaac and Katharine (Lyons) Cannon.
They both died about the year 1845. The subject of this sketch was
married in 1832, to Miss Mary A. Scofield, daughter of John and Jane
(Moore) Scofield. They have eleven children, viz. : Harriet O. (de-
ceased), Katharine, Isaac J., Jasper, (deceased), Wm. H., Lucy,
David, Mary J., James, Wesley, Matilda. All married.
Carney, Michael, Jackson township, farmer. New Lexington
postoffice. Born June 30, 1841, in Reading township, this county.
Son of John and Rose (Kating) Carney, who came to this country from
Ireland in 1818, and settled in Reading township, Perry county, Ohio.
Mr. Carney was brought up on a farm, and still continued until he en-
listed in the Sixty-first ~0. V. V. I., Company G, under Captain
Gruart}'. He first went to Virginia, and there served under McClellan
in the army of the Potomac, and also under Mead, and Hooker, when
he was transferred to Tennessee, under Sherman, and served the remaind-
er of his time under him. In the battle of Lookout Mountain, he was
wounded in the foot and laid in the hospital until the close of the war,
when he was discharged. He was married June 12, 1869, to Miss
Susan Wommaker,daughterof Ose and Christina (Stroble) Wommaker.
They have seven children, viz. : Francis D., Albert, Mary M., Joseph,
Catherine, Daniel, Rose A.
Carroll, H., lumber merchant, McLuney postoffice. Born in
1842. Settled in this county in 1878. Son ofM. A. and Anna (King)
Carroll. Grand-son of George and Hannah Carroll. Married in 1875
to Miss Nancy Cooper, daughter of Wesley and Cynthia Cooper. They
have three children, viz. : Bertha, Carrie and Millie. Mr. Carroll
volunteered in the late war in 1862, Company H, Captain Beachley,
Twenty- sixth Regiment, Indiana Infantry. Participated in the follow-
ing engagements : Springfield, Missouri, Vicksburg, Morganza Bay,
Mobile, Alabama.
Carter, Charles, Pleasant township, Moxahala postoffice, farmer.
Born in Hampshire, England, April, 182 1 ; emigrated to this country
when fifteen years of age. He served an apprenticeship at carpentering
in Putnam ; followed the trade but a few years and then began farming
in this township, and he has resided here ever since. April 16, 1840
he married Rachel Sharp, of this township. They are the parents of
the following named children : Mary, born August 20, 1846 ; Margaret,
born March 30, 1848 ; George, born August 20, 1846 ; James, born
December 29, 1849; Charles, born November 10, 185 1 ; William, born
January 2, 1854; Thomas, January 10, 1856. Mrs. Carter died in 1859.
In 1861 he married Mary A. Berry. Their children are Jerome,
born March 21, 1863 ; Martha E., born February 18, 1869, ^^^^ Sep-
tember 18, 1873 ; Culley M., born June 6, 1870. Two of the daughters
reside in the west.
Cartlich, Rev. Abraham, was born 1807, in Fauquier county,
360 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Virginia, and when yet an infant his parents arrived in Clayton town-
ship, Perry county, Ohio. After a brief residence here, they lived in
Kentucky nine years, and returned to Perry county, Ohio. Abraham
engaged in business as a saddler and harness maker, which he pursued
very successfully for ten years, at Adelphia, Ross county, Ohio. From
this forth for thirty-seven years he preached as an intinerant in the
Methodist Episcopal connection. His ministry was attended with great
success, and at least three thousand members were added to the church
under his pastorship. During three 3^ears of his pastorate, one of which
was 1850, he added at the rate of three hundred members per year.
Sincerit}^ and earnestness, combined with a purit}' of character which
was maintained through life without a stain, added to his perseverance
and fortitude, were the elements of his ministeral success. At the age
of twenty-four, he was united in marriage to Miss Lucinda Will. This
estimable lady departed this life in 1852. The children by this mar-
riage are George W. of Creston Iowa, a merchant who landed there
with $40, in 1855, and is now estimated at $40,000 ; Jesse, now of Har-
lan, Iowa, a physician, who went from Ohio in 1865. Both these sons
were in service of the war department during the late Rebellion. The
only daughter living is Clara Tway, now of London, Ohio. Mr. Cart-
lich w^as always a small eater, and the proverbial "yellow-legged chick-
en," set apart for the preacher, could not tempt him from his code of
prudence. As for tobacco and spirits, he never used either, and has
managed to arrive now to a ripe old age of seventy-five years, in good
health, without them. His father, Jesse Cartlich, though chronically
feeble, by observance of the same temperate habits, lived to the age of
eighty-three years, and died in Minnesota, about the 3'ear i860. The
second and present wife of Rev. Abraham Cartlich, was Miss Jane \^an
Gundy, of Ross county, whom he married in 1854. ^^^' father was
Rev. John Van Gundy, who labored as a minister in the Methodist
Episcopal Church for thirty years, and after removal from Ross county,
Ohio, where he possessed large landed estates, died in Atchison count}',
Missouri. He settled in Ohio in 1806, and served in the War of 181 2.
Her grand-father was also named John Van Gundy. Her mother's
name was Margaret Search, whose father was Thomas Search. Mar-
garet died on one of her husband's farms near Chillicothe, in 1833,
when Jane was in her seventh year. Her bi'others, all of whom are
prosperous, are Jonas, St. Joseph's, Missouri; and James, John, Wil-
liam and Samuel, near Milton, Atchison county, Missouri. Tradition,
which seems well founded, ascribed to the ancestry of this Van Gundy
family close official relations to the Crown of Prussia, and a rupture of
these relations which sent it to Pennsylvania, and thence to Ohio. The
sisters of Mrs. Cartlich are Sarah Scarlet, who, when only seventeen,
was successfully courted by a widower with three children, and she has
never regretted her youthful resolution. The other sister is Rachel
Williams, and both have the same postoffice address, as the brothers al-
ready named. Jane Cartlich is remarkable for her business like meth-
ods, economy, hospitality and kindness to the poor. Though the
daughter of a Methodist minister, and for twenty-six years the wife of
a Methodist minister, she preserves a commendable liberality and
charity for others. She refers to the preservation of an aunt given up
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 36 1
to die and yet living to rear a useful family, while her mother was
taken from life in sound health, by cholera, in the same house and at
the same time of her aunt's illness, as a remarkable dispensation of
Providence. The same fact applies to her step-daughter, Mrs. Tway,
who, when yet a child, seemed affected beyond possibilit}- of recovery,
and 3^et she grew to womanhood, and is now the mother of five children.
Mrs. Cartlich, though in easy circumstances, labors as if she derived
comfort, health and pleasure from exercise. Her husband, too, has a
fine income, which secures ease and comfort, and they live alone, with
no household dependents.
Cassel, Samuel, born November lo, 1814, in Reading township ;
served apprenticeship of four years in Newark at the tinning and cop-
persmith trade, in i824-'5 lived in Lancaster, Ohio, where he saw Gen-
eral Andrew Jackson ; in 1835 foi'med a partnership with John Beck-
with, as tinner and coppersmith, continuing in this ten years. July i,
1841 he was united in marriage to Susan A. Maines, daughter of the
late venerable Frederick Maines, of Somerset ; moved to the family
homestead in 1846; bought out the other heirs: had it all paid for
but two hundred and fifty dollars. He had property at this time in
Somerset worth four hundred and fifty dollars. Henry K. Cassell,
a brother, then residing on the same farm, finding that cropping
in partnership was not remunerative, proposed that Samuel, being
able to borrow, should get four hundred and sixty dollars for him and
let him go to California, the gold fever then first beginning to rage.
This was done. Henry K. returned in about two years, unable to
repay the borrowed money, and Samuel paid out over thirteen hundred
dollars before that debt was finally discharged. So much for generosity,
debt making, and the California fever. Samuel's grandfather Cassell
came from Holland, where he had an aunt, Ann Cassell, and w-hile
residing in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, he received a letter
from said Ann, saying she had made her will and he, the grand-
father aforesaid, was about doing so when he took sick and died. Sub-
sequent efforts, through Christian L. Griener of Somerset, a Baltimore
merchant, and a Kentucky lawyer, were made to recover the large
estate said to have been willed to Samuel Cassell's grandi'ather by his
aunt Ann as stated, but up to this time without avail. Samuel's father,
John, came from Middletown, Pennsylvania, to what is now Perry
county, in 1808. The other sons of John, living, are William of Lan-
caster, and Henry King Cassell, near Mt. Vernon. Christian, Abram
and Reuben died after marriage, leaving heirs ; the sisters are Elizabeth
Pitcher, afterwards France , Isabel Beckwith, Catharine Ann Brock,
now of Columbus, Ohio. He has living tour sons, John, Edward, Wil-
liam and George, and three daughters, Almeda, single ; Sarah, married
to George Berkheimer ; and Kate, single, and one granddaughter,
Nettie. Samuel Cassell, being the seventh son, when only four years
old, had a call from a man who spent a small farm in trying to be
cured of king's evil, or scrofula. The lad retreated under the bed for
safety, but was coaxed out by the gift of a penknife. The suffering pa-
tient placed the lad's hand on the sore neck, came a second and a third
.time, and twenty years after, told a brother of the young doctor, that he
was cured by the rubbing thus obtained from the seventh son of his
362 BIOGRAPHICAL SKE'^CHES.
mother, Mrs. John Cassell. From that day to this, Samuel Cassell, of
Somerset, has been called on by hundreds of patients and has been
called away to visit others many miles from home, and his success has
been unquestioned, but he refers this success, not to his being the
seventh son, or to any magic art, but tb the influence of electricity,
now advancing to the front as a curative agent. He sa3^s he never
failed on neuralgia ; treats rheumatism, goiter, tumors and other dis-
eases, and never failed on those nervous diseases akin to St. Vitus'
dance. Mr. Cassell does not seek practice as a doctor, but is ever
ready to lend his aid when called upon. He attends a large garden,
and, in 1880, from the twentieth part of an acre, he raised eighty bush-
els of ripe tomatoes.
Charles, Owen D., mine boss, New Straitsville, Ohio, was born
April 2, 1846, in Llenlly, Carmarthanshire, Wales, son of David and
Margaret (Morgan) Charles. Was raised a miner, and in Wales was
employed in a mine owned by his father, and known as the Furnace
mines. His father also was superintendent of mines for Sims, Wil-
liams, Neville & Co., and employed one thousand hands at this one
mine. Mr. Charles emigrated to America, landing August 6, 1867, in
New York, from where he went to Indiana and engaged in mining at
that place for one year, and since has been emplo3'ed at the following
places : Pennsvlvania, one j^ear, mining ; Missouri, six months ; Indi-
ana, one y^ar, and then took a trip to Pomeroy, Ohio, Rockwood,
Tennessee, through the States of Georgia and Alabama, returning via
Memphis, Tennessee, to Illinois, and thenc6 to this place, landing
about 187 1, and engaging with the Walga Lancaster Coal Co., mining
two months, when he went to Shawnee, and opened the Shields mine,
making three openings, which required him six months to complete.
He again returned to this place, and has been employed as follows :
Mine boss at Plummer Hill, one year ; opened the Central mine,
requiring him eight months, at the expiration of which time he em-
ployed with the then Troy mine, now the Thomas Coal Co., where he
mined one year, and then opened the new mouth by contract, finishing
the work April 4, 1881, at which time he was employed as mine boss
at this place, which position he now holds, and there is now three hun-
dred and twelve hands employed at this mine. Mr. Charles was mar-
ried November 13, 1872, to Miss Blanche Loyd, who was born August
27, 1854, ^" Myrthatydvil, Wales, daughter of David and Mary (Jones)
Loyd, and lived in this place at the time of her marriage. They are
the parents of five children, viz, : Mary, who died at seven years of
age ; David, died in infancy ; David now living ; Owen Artie and
Harriet.
Chenoweth, John, Pike township, New Lexington, Ohio, farmer;
was born October 11, I809, in Hampshire county, Virginia; son of
Elias and Nancy (Carlon) Chenoweth. Mr. Chenoweth came to this
county with his father in 18 14, and has been a resident of it since that
time, with the exception of eighteen months that he lived in Franklin
county, Ohio. He was raised a farmer, and has followed agricultural
pursuits up to the time of this writing. His first postoffice was at Som-
erset, this county, although he lived in Clayton township. In those
times they went to Zanesville to mill, and afterward the horse mill was
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 363
introduced for grinding their breadstuff'. Mr, Chenoweth was married
May 22, 1834, to Marjor}^ daughter of Joseph and Mary (McBride)
Gates, of Hampshire county, Virginia, who came to Perry county,
Ohio, with her father, in 1824, of which she has been a resident up to
the present time. They are the parents of twelve chtldren, viz. : Julia
A., Mary E., Nancy, Sarah J., Mahalah, Rachel, Harriet, Margaret
M., Angeline, William, John and Thomas, of whom three are de-
ceased, viz. : John, Sarah J., and Margaret M.
Christman, Daniel, farmer, Pike township. New Lexington, Ohio,
was born July 14, 1832, in Bucks county, Pennsylvania ; son of Daniel
and Hannah (Sullivan) Christman. Was raised a farmer, and has fol-
lowed agriculture up to the present time. Mr. Christman came to Ohio
with his parents in 1836, who settled in Belmont county, where they
lived eleven years, when they moved to Harrison county and lived three
or four years, and again moving, went to Morgan county, where they
bought forty acres of land, where his father lived up to the time of his
death, in April of 1857. Within one 3^ear after his death, Mrs.
Christman and her son Jacob both died of t3^phoid fever : a daughter
Hannah died in 1857. Mr. Christman, the subject of this sketch,
lived with his father up to the time of his death, and took charge of the
farm at that instance. In 1862 he buried his sister, Mary G., and in
the spring of 188 1 also buried his youngest sister, Isabelle, and the
youngest of his father's family. After the estate was disposed of by
an administrator, he lived with a man by the name of Lynn, remaining
with him until 1861, when he enlisted in Co. H, 17th Regiment, O. V. L,
for three months, and served four months ; was discharged by reason
of expiration of term of enlistment; returning home, and in the fall of
1861 re-enlisted in Co. E, 78th Regiment, O. V. L, for three years, or
during the war, serving nearly three 3^ears ; was again discharged, by
reason of veteranizing for three 3'ears, serving during the siege at
Vicksburg, Tennessee, and until the close of the war in 1865, when
he was discharged the third time from the service. During his service
he was upon detached duty the most of the time, serving upon recon-
noitering expeditions, and was one of the number who ran the blockade
at VickslDurg to Warranton Grand Gulf, on the night of the 21st of
April, 1863, with transports. After receiving his last discharge, he re-
turned home and spent the year from the winter of 1866 to the winter
of 1867, in Fayette count}^ Illinois. Returning to Ohio he lived in
Morgan county until the fall of 1873, when he moved to this county,
where he has since lived, two years near Rendville, and two years near
Sulphur Springs, and then came to the farm he now lives on, and where
he owns forty acres of land. Was married July 30, 1868, to Miss
Maggie J. Patterson, born May 5, 1840, daughter of Clark and Rebecca
J. (McCurdy) Patterson, of Deerfield township, Morgan county, Ohio.
They are the parents of five children, viz. : Daniel C, Charles W. T.,
Julia E., Jennie E. and Robert Worley.
Church, David, born September 28th, 1832, in Somerset, Ohio, is a
prosperous farmer ; postoffice, Somerset. His father was the late David
Church, who came to Somerset in :8i8, a blacksmith by trade, with only
fifty cents in his purse. He was a native of Chenango county. New York,
born near the town of Oxford. He had a brother, Bradford, near Lee
364 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Center, Illinois, and a sister — Ficha McNeil — who died in New York.
His half brothers were John, William and Sylvester. He was married at
the age of twenty- four to Miss Mar}^ Mohler, daughter of Solomon, who
died on the farm near the east toll-gate, near Somerset. Depending
solely on his strong arm and anvil, David Church, Sr., became a man of
wealth in his neighborhood, and helped all his children to good homes.
The sons are John and David, farmers, postoffice, Somerset; Sylvester,
postoffice Salem, O. ; and Thomas, postoffice Pleasantville, O. The
daughters who survived infancy are Mary, wife of Thomas Watson,
Philadelphia, Pa. ; Emil}"-, wife of William Love, a very noted farmer
near Somerset ; Sarah, wife of James Derolph, near Pleasantville ; and
Martha, wife of Eli Rousculp, near Somerset. He died in 1868 in his
seventy-first year. His widow still lives in her eighty-second year.
The successful example of David Church, Sr., to poor but industrious
and virtuous young men is worth}'^ of record. He was a Whig in
politics, a Methodist in religion, and a thrifty, urbane man in social life.
David, Jr., was married in 1859 ^° Miss Elizabeth Rutter, and settled
on the fertile aud beautiful farm where he now lives in the enjoyment
of thrifty agricultural and social life. His is a home of hospitable
welcome to its friends. There are two children only — Ira L. and Miss
Bertha S., who not only has learned the art of cookery from her mother,
but the art of music and entertainment of friends. Mrs. Church is of
the German Baptist belief, but David is not a member of an}^ sect.
His farm comprises one hundred and eleven acres, and its quality vindi-
cates the judgment of the Church name in selecting lands. Ninety-five*
dollars per acre has been indignantly refused for it, and now since new
buildings are erected — well, it is not for sale.
Clark, P. F., Shawnee, Ohio, was born September 29, 1837, ^"
county of Durham, England ; son of Francis and Catharine (McKin-
nach) Clark. His parents were born in county of Tyrone, Ireland.
Mr. Clark's grandmother, Donahew, lived to be one hundred and
sixteen years old, and died onl}- about six years ago. His progenitors
were wealthy, and he is the first of several generations who labored for
a livelihood, the cause being that of his mother's disinheritance upon
the occasion of her marriage against her father's wishes. At the age
of seven years he went into the mines to labor, and was therebv de-
prived of an education. He remained in mines until he was nineteen
years of age, when he emigrated to America, landing in New York,
from where he went to Pomeroy, Meigs count}^ Ohio, and remained
about two years engaged in mining, and has been engaged as follows :
Baton Rogue, La., as mine boss, three years ; Hadenville, three years ;
Kanawha county, Va., eleven months, opening coal mine ; Reeves Sta-
tion, St. Clair county, Ills., about nine months, sinking shaft; at Car-
bondale, working iron coal-digger at $125.00 per month for about two
years ; when he came to Shawnee, where he has made his home to this
time. Since coming here he has visited Wyoming, Dakota, New
Mexico, California, and Washington Territory. Mr. Clark was mar-
ried October i. 1854, ^^ Margaret, daughter of James and Mary
Daily, of county of Durham, England. They became the parents
of four children, viz. : Mary, Frank, James and Catharine. Mrs.
Clark died February 2d, 1862. After her death Mr. Clark Hved a
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 365
widower seven 3^ears, when he was married to Anna, daughter of Jabez
and Hannah (Scragg) Foster. They are the parents of six children,
viz. : Patrick Henr}', Ella, Michael, Charles, Thomas, and John. Mr.
Clark's grandfather was in the British army, and was the highest non-
commissioned officer of his regiment, and was engaged in the battle of
Waterloo. Since Mr. Clark's marriage he obtained the education he
has Irom his little daughter after she started to school and learned her
letters.
Clark, W. D., farmer and coal operator. Pike township, Maholm
post office, Ohio ; was born Februar}' 21, 1845, in Monda}' Creek town-
ship, this county ; son of John and Eleanor (Robinson) Clark. Was
raised a farmer, and has given his attention to agriculture principally
during his life. Mr. Clark's parents were born and raised in Washing-
ton count}^ Pennsylvania, and came to Ohio in November, 1829, settling
in Reading township, this count3% where the}' rented land for two years,
when his father bought eighty acres of land in Monda}^ Creek township,
where he lived twentj^-one years. He then bought the farm where
William D. now lives. While in Monday Creek township, he bought
and owned four hundred acres of land, which he sold, and purchased
one hundred and sixty acres, as above stated, and also one hundred and
sixtv acres one mile north of this place, which he owned at the time of
his death. His son, and the subject of this sketch, now owns two hun-
dred and eighty acres of land where he now lives. In August of 1880
he entered into the coal business, which he continues to this time, ship-
ping nearly all the coal he mines. Principally all of his land has some
three different coal veins, and also Black Band iron ore, which has been
worked to a small extent. Mr. Clark was married November 14, 1871,
to Maggie, daughter of Peter and Ann (Walpool) Carroll, ot Morgan
county, Ohio. They are the parents of the following children: Nel-
lie. Annie, Laura, John, James, Peter J., and Lydia.
Clark, Daniel, Infirmary Superintendent, Pike township, New
Lexington, Ohio, was born May 16, 1836, in this township, and son of
James and Mary (Gordon) Clark ; was raised a farmer, and has made
that his business up to the present time. He was married January 15th,
1861, to Rose, daughter of Thomas and Celia (Kelton) McBennett, of
his native township. They are the parents of eight children, viz. :
Elizabeth, Celia, Mar}^ E., Amanda, James, Rosellia, Thomas, and
William Francis, living, and one deceased, viz. : John. Mr. Clark was
employed by the infirmar}^ directors of Perry county, Ohio, and took
charge of the infirmary March 26th, 1878, where he has remained
up to the present time, and has been again employed b}' them for
the ensuing year. He has, at the instance of the directors, been
buying ready baked bread during the last year, and finds it to be a sav-
ing of fifty-four dollars per quarter, or three months, without consider-
ing any labor, which would make a still greater difference. There are
now about ninety inmates, and the last 3^ear's average has been the least
since Mr. Clark took charge of the place. In previous years the aver-
age has been from one hundred and ten to one hundred and fifteen in-
mates. The oldest inmate is eighty-nine years of age, and was one of
the early settlers of this count}^ and known as H. H. Chappelear. The
product of the farm are as follows : About one thousand five hundred
366 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
bushels of corn, from three hundred to four hundred bushels of wheat,
about twenty-five head of cattle, and a goodly number of hogs, and con-
siderable of a hay crop usually.
Clark, Alexander, farmer, Jackson township ; post office, Junc-
tion city ; born January 29, 1822, in Jackson township ; son of Alexan-
der and Mary (McElvoy) Clark, who came to this country from Ireland,
and settled in Kentucky ; sta3'^ed there a short time and removed to Jack-
son township. Perry county, Ohio, where they resided till they died.
Mr. Clark still resides where his parents first settled, but does not work
much any more, and spends most of his time in reading.
Clark, James B., farmer, Monroe township, ; post office, Corning,
Ohio; was born Dec. 30th, 1843, in Pleasant township. Perry county,
Ohio ; son of James A. and Catharine (Gaver) Clark. Mr. Clark has
given his entire attention to agriculture, in which he has been success-
ful. Mr. Clark was married April 3d, 1872, to Miss Mary, daughter
of Joseph and Catharine (Smith) Rogers, of Monroe township. They
are the parents of one child, Walter Alvie.
Clemson, George W., M. D., Glenford, was born in the village of
Thornville, and is therefore a native of Perry county. He is the only sur-
viving son ot Joseph Clemson, who was a native of Baltimore, Maryland.
Emigrated to Ohio in 1840, and departed this life in the year 1878 ; twen-
ty-one years after the death of his wife, who was Miss Elizabeth Clem-
ens, daughter of Samuel Clemens of Lima, Michigan, or near there ;
where he owned extensive landed estate, and where he died. Both the
Clemson and the Clemens families were of English Presbyterian
stock. Dr. George W. Clemson worked his way up from boyhood to a
respectable education, taught school, read medicine, and finally gradu-
ated in Starling Medical College in 1874, ^"^ began practice as the
first physician who had ever attempted Glenford as a permanent loca-
tion, and in the fall of the same year, was united in wedlock to Miss
Almeda, daughter of Dr. Allen Whitmore of Thornville, Ohio. For
the last eight years, theretore, Dr. Clemson has devoted himself to his
profession and his librar}'^, until the range of his practice has grown
with his growth in years, and until his presence in the midst of his
chosen friends, as a physician, is regarded by many of them as indis-
pensable to their welfare. He and his amiable wife belong to the M.
E. chuixh, and two sons and one daughter have blessed their married
life. They have a beautiful cottage, erected on an eminence overlook-
ing the valley of Jonathan's Creek, and affording a fine view of a de-
lightful landscape. He is Democratic in politics, but liberal and gen-
erous in his political opinions.
Clumb, Carlisle, post office, Somerset, Ohio ; born August 3d,
1829; is a son of William Clumb, who came to Perry county in 1828,
from Fairfield, where he lived near Foresman's mill property, and from
Maryland to Fairfield in 1808. His mother was Nancy, daughter of
Adam Binckley. His brothers are Allen, Adam, William, Benjamin
and George. His sisters are Matilda, wife of G. W. Swartz ; Mary J.,
wife of George Shrider ; Margaret, wife of H. King; Sarah Elizabeth,
wife of James Dupler ; Nancy Catharine, wife of Andrew Batson.
Carhsle was first married April 22d, 1849, ^^ Miss Sarah, daughter of
Isaac Drum. The children by this union were : Nancy J., wife of Lewis
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 367
Winegardner, and Isaac, husband of Martha Drum, daughter of Jacob.
After five years of bereavement, he married Miss Ellen, daughter of
Moses Drum, February ioth,i859. The children by this marriage are :
Margaret Emil}^ wife of William Perry ; John Henry, William Allen,
Adam, deceased; Mary Ellen and Preston Carlisle Clumb. Mr. Clumb
is an excellent carpenter and farmer, and for some time ran a saw mill.
His first Republican vote for President was in 1856, prior to which he
voted Democratic. He and his wife are Lutherans. His first annual
tax was twent}^ cents, paid in Fairfield county. His tax now averages
about sixty dollars a year on his farm of one hundred and thirteen acres,
here, and on western land. His dwelling is a model of convenience,
workmanship and comfort wherein the laws of health are admirably
recognized. His reading is extensive, comprising political, religious
and scientific subjects ; while the training of his children to habits of study
and labor, and to practices of moralit}^ is regarded as an imperative
duty. His land increases in fertility and his skill as an architect is vin-
dicated in every effort.
Cochran, Henry D., of the firm of Cochran & Retallic, attor-
neys-at-law, New Lexington, Ohio, was born January 10, 185 1, in
Jackson township ; son of Ira and Mary (Cohagan) Cochran. Henry
D.'s grandfather was one of the pioneers of Jackson township. Young
Cochran began teaching school when sixteen years of age, and taught
eleven terms. Mr. Cochran's preceptors in the law were attorneys
Jackson and Ferguson. He was admitted to practice at the bar in
August, 1876. In November of the same year, the present firm was
formed, and November 2d of same year he was married to Miss Maria,'
daughter of William and Elizabeth (Brown) Larimer, They are the
parents of two children, viz. : Edmond B. and William W.
Colborn, Ephraim S., editor ; son of John and Elizabeth Colborn ;
was born near New Lexington, Ohio, December 7, 1828. He attended
the village school, summer and winter, for several years, and afterward
in the winter months only, working on the farm in summer. At the
age of twenty he became a teacher, taught three terms of select school
in New Lexington, and three terms of public school at Selby's school-
house, three miles east of New Lexington, reading law at intervals
most of the time while teaching. In June, 185 1, he left his law books
to become editor, business manager, and part owner of the Peny
County Democrat, a newspaper published at Somerset. From that
time until the present, with but brief intermissions, he has, in some
way or other, been connected with the publication of newspapers. He
served as a member of the Board of Education, both at Somerset and
New Lexington, aggregating fifteen or sixteen years of such service.
Upon the death of William A. Brown, in November, 1873, Mr. Colborn
was appointed to succeed him as Superintendent of the New Lexington
schools, and served until the close of the school 3'ear, a period of six
months. He was appointed postmaster at New Lexington by the Lin-
coln Administration, in May, 1861, and served in that office until Octo-
ber, 1866, when, being required to indorse the " my policy " of Presi-
dent Johnson, he asked to be excused, and sent in his resignation,
which was accepted, and a successor appointed, of different political
opinions. Mr. Colborn was brought up a Democrat, and through
368 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
the years i85i-'52-'53, voted with that party, but on the organization
of the Repubhcan party in 1854, identified himself with it, and remained
therein until 1872, when he supported Horace Greeley for President,
and, since that time, has generally voted the Democratic ticket, though
not approving all the measures of the party, either State or National.
He was admitted to the bar by the District Court, sitting at New Lex-
ington, in September, 1857, but never engaged in the practice of the
profession. He was married October 18, 1853. to Miss Martha J.
Overmyer, of Somerset. Perry county, Ohio. His wife d3'ing in 1857,
he was married May 29, i860, to Miss Mary A. Humbarger, also of
Somerset. There are two sons, William J. and Otto D., by the first,
and five daughters, Imie L., TilHe A., Mattie G., May E. and R.
Blanche, by the last marriage. The oldest daughter, Imie, died in
March, 1876, in the fifteenth year of her age.
Combs, William H., son of James and grandson of John Combs,
who settled in Perry county on the farm now occupied b}- William H.,
his mother, who was a Miss Mar}^ Ann Stoker, and his sister, Miss
Kate Combs. The family is Baptist in belief, though Mother Combs,
now living, is a member of the U. B. Church. She is the mother of
Lewis, George, Levi, Rebecca, wife of D. Brown, John, Thomas, of
Lamar, Missouri ; Ellen, wife of Dr. R. B. Woodward, and William
and Miss Kate Combs — all residing in Fairfield and Perry, except
Thomas ; were all born at the homestead of their great ancestor, John
Combs, on the pike, two miles east of Rushville. The family has main-
tained a name for integrity, and as the descendants of an honorable an-
cestry, rank among the foremost in all that pertains to honorable conduct
and purity of character. All are married except William and Kate.
CoNAWAY, James, born in Virginia in 1818, died July 23, 1881. Mr.
Conaway was three times married ; first, in 1835, to Miss Mary Baugh-
man ; second, in 1853, to Miss Addaline George ; third, to Miss Kate
Alexander, who still survives him, and lives on the homestead with her
two children, Josephine and Ollie.
Conaway, R. H., post office McLuney, farmer and stock raiser ; a
native of Perry county, Ohio; born in 1846, son of James and Mary
(Baughman) Conaway ; married in 1872 to Miss Mary S. Watt, daugh-
ter of Israel and Rebecca Watt. They are the parents of four chil-
dren, viz. : T. I., Mary R., James L., and William E.
CoNLY, John J., of the firm of Conl}^ & Hull, druggists. New Lex-
ington, Ohio, was born September 4, 1850, in Jackson township. Perry
county, Ohio ; son of Hugh and Margaret (Scalley) Conly. Hugh
Conly was born in the county Antrim, Ireland, and came to America
when a ^^outh, and located in Pike township, Perry county, Ohio.
Margaret Scalley was also born in Ireland, and came to America when
a young woman. They are both deceased. The old gentleman died
October 10, 1871, and the old lady, July 7, 1876. John J. established
his present business in July, 1876 ; the present firm was formed in the
spring of 1882. Mr. Conly, the subject of this sketch, was married
October 9, 1875, to Miss Mary L., daughter of James J. and Mary L.
(Griffin) Fink. The Finks are of German, and the Griffins of Irish
ancestry. Mr. and Mrs. Conly are the parents of two children, viz. :
Arthur James and Hugh Cuthbert.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 369
CoNLY, James F., Prosecuting Attorney of Perry county, Ohio, and
of the firm of Jackson & Conly, attorney s-at-hiw, New Lexington,
Ohio, was born September 15, 1852, in Jackson township, Perry
county, Ohio, son of Hugh and Margaret (Scalley) Conly. James F.,
in 1874, entered the olHce of Butler & Hutiman, as a law student, and
was admitted to practice in April, 1878. Immediately thereafter the
present tirm was formed. Attorney Conly was elected to his present
office in 1879, ^^^ re-elected in 1881.
Cook. Raphael E., carman. New Straitsville, was born June 7,
1832. in Cuvaiioga county. Ohio: son of Elias and Almira (Brookins)
Cook ; was raised on the water, and was employed at boating from
Nelsonyille, Ohio, to Columbus. Ohio, Circleville, Ohio, and Chilli-
cothe, Ohio, until 1859 • ^^'om Portsmouth, Ohio, to Waverly and Cleve-
land for about two years for Emmet & Dayis ; excepting four years,
during which time he \yas employed with P. Hagans, he was boating
for himself up to 1859. ^^^ 1861 he enlisted in the service of his country
in Compan}- E, Eighteenth Regiment O. V. I. for three years or during
the war, and served three years, four months and thirteen days, and
was engaged in the following battles : Chickamauga, Stone River, Elk
River, Davis' Cross Roads, Bowling Green, LaVergne, Rossville, and
Pulaski. At Bowling Green he took sick with lung fever and was in
the hospital, at that place, about one month, when he again joined his
regiment at Huntsville. Alabama, and remained with it until the time
of his discharge at Camp Chase, Ohio, November 9, 1864, by reason of
expiration of enlistment. After being discharged he returned home and
engaged, for a short time, with one Brooks, of Nelsonville, Ohio, trim-
ming coal-cars. Remained in the above place about six 3'ears, during
the remainder of the time was employed by J. H. Summers, in hauling
coal about three-quarters of a mile on a tram railway. Came to New
Straitsville, Ohio, in 187 1. and has been employed as follows: Hard-
ing railroad cars for J. D. Clark, about three years ; at Plummer Hill
two years and six months, and the remainder of time, five years, has
been with the Thomas Coal Company. Was married November 19,
1865, to Miss Mary M. Spurrier, born March 7, 1842, in Morgan
county, Ohio, daughter of William G. and Eleanor (Shelton) Spurrier.
They are the parents of six children, viz. : Silvern Parker, William
Eankford. Harley Dallis. Samantha Eleanor, Robert Edward and John
Henry.
Cooper. I. W., Beartield to\vnship. Porterville postoffice. farmer,
born in Clayton tov.nship. March 6, 1839, ^^^^ ^^ Ruel H. and Rachel
(Burkey) Cooper. His lather was a native of this county, and his an-
cesters came from New Jersev. Mr. I. W. Cooper enlisted October 13,
1861, in the Sixty-second O. V. 1., served all through the war, and was
honorably discharged July, 1865. He received a gun-shot wound in his
leg, near Richmond. Since the close of the war he has lived in this
township, and moved on the farm where he now resides in 1869. Sep-
tember 19, 1867, he married Hester A. Holcomb, of this township, and
of New England ancestry. Tney are the parents of three children:
Minnie L., born September 18, 1868, deceased: Howard B., born
October 10, 1870, and Mary E., born May 16, 1881.
CoTTERMAN, Amos, Mouda}' Creek township, tarmer, Maxville,
34
370 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Ohio. Was born December 23, 1839, ^^ ^^^^ township, son of Daniel
and EHzabeth (Garison) Cotterman. He was raised a farmer, which
he has made the business of his Hfe,and moved to the farm of 120 acres,
which he owns and lives upon, in 1869. It has the best limestone to be
found in the township, of which he opened a quarry at the time Baird's
furnace first went into blast, and from it has accumulated a handsome
fortune, with the assistance of what farming he has done. He was
elected township trustee in 1877 and served several years. Mr. Cot-
terman was married September 8, 1859, ^^ Elizabeth, daughter of Hiram
and Nancy (Tucker) Wilson. To them were born six children, viz. :
John W., James T., who died at twent}'' months of age ; Nanc}^ Sarah
M., Laurettie and George. Daniel Cotterman, father of Amos, was
born in Pennsylvania, and brought to Ohio, when a boy, by his parents,
who settled in Reading township in the early part of this century, when
this country was all woods. In 1838 he moved to Monday Creek
township, where he has since resided, and is now one of the oldest men
in the township. Mrs. Cotterman, his wife, was a native of Perry
county, Ohio, and died February 28, 1880, and is buried in St. John's
cemetery, this township. Unto them were born ten children, viz. :
Israel, Rachel, Samuel, Amos, Elizabeth, James W., Margaret J.,
John H., Mariah E., and Salome C. Daniel is a shoemaker by trade,
which he has given his attention. Hiram Wilson, father of Mrs Cot-
terman, was born in 1808, in Virginia, and came to Ohio a few years
after his marriage to Elizabeth Garison, who was born in 1814 in Mont-
gomer}^ county, Virginia. To them were born nine children, viz. :
Fletcher, Eli, Sarah J., Mary B., Olive E., EHzabeth A., Rachel E.,
Nancy E. and John F.
CoYLE, James, mine boss, New Straitsville, Ohio. Was born July
22, 1838, in Bearfield township, this county, son of Neil and Ann (Feal-
ty) Coyle. He was raised a farmer, and followed farming until he was
twenty-one years of age. At this time he began mining, which he fol-
lowed about one year, when he enlisted in Company I, One Hundred and
Fourteenth Regiment, O. V. I., August 14. 1862, forthree years, or
during the war, and serving out his time he was honorably discharged
at Huston, Texas, July 31, 1865. Was engaged in the following bat-
tles: Chickasaw Bluffs, Arkansas Post, Thompson's Hill, Siege qf
Vicksburg, Champion Hill, Charge of Fort Blakely, Black River
Bridge and Siege of Mobile, Alabama. During the entire time of ser-
vice he was only off of duty about ten days. After receiving his dis-
charge he returned home and engaged in mining from that time up to
the holidays of 1865 and 1866 ; and was married January 9, 1866, to
Miss Rebecca Miller, born April 5, 1846, in Noble county, Ohio,
daughter of Adam and Sarah (Allbaugh) Miller. They are the parents
of six children, viz.: Charlie (deceased), Charles H., George W.,
Francis M., John (deceased), and James. After his marriage he went
to Hocking county, Ohio, where he engaged in mining until 1871, when
he came to this place and engaged in mining until 1876, at which time
he took charge of the Straitsville Coal and Iron Company's mine, re-
maining in that position about two years, and in November of 1878,
took his present position with the Straitsville Coal Compan}^ He has
served as Countv Commissioner since October of 1876, having been re-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 371
elected October, 1879; a^so, has served as township trustee three
years of Coal township, and was a member of the school board of this
place four years, during which time he was treasurer.
CoYLE, Patrick, Sliawnee, Ohio. Was born January 28, 1844, in
Beartield to^aiship, this county, son of Cornelius and Annie (Fealty)
Coyle. Mr. Coyle was raised a farmer to the age of sixteen years,
when he went to coal mining at Tunnel Hill, this county, where he re-
mained abovit three or four years, and he has been engaged at mining
in Pennsylvania six months ; Iowa four or tive months ; Missouri, Hock-
ing Valley and Shawnee until 1874. Was marshal in this place three
years, when he resigned his position, and drove delivery wagon for
Hamilton's store for about five 3^ears, and then went into business for
himself. Mr. Coyle was married April 5, 1869, to Mary A., daughter
of Charles and Annie (Fealty) Noon. Thev are the parents of three
children, viz. : Willie, Albert and Annie.
Crawford, Wm. Jno., collier, Shawnee, Ohio. Was born August
5, 1855, in Perry county, Ohio, son of William and Eliza (Neil)
Crawford.' Mr. Crawford was raised a farmer, and lived on a farm un-
til he was nineteen years of age, when he engaged in business for him-
self, and was employed by the Central Coal Mining Company, of New
Straitsville, Ohio, for about one year, at which time he came to Shaw-
nee, Ohio, where he lias remained up to this time, and with the e -
ception of three 3'ears he worked at the furnace, has been engaged in
mining. Was married November 22, 1877, to Mary, daughter of Dan-
iel and Mary (Hazleton) Harbaugh. They are the parents of one
child, viz. : Charley. Mr. Crawford's parents were born, raised, and
married, in Ireland, but emigrated to America in alter years.
Crist, John, Thorn township, Peny county. Ohio, was born Feb-
ruary 2, 1826. His father was Jacob Crist, and his mother's maiden
name was Katharine Concle, both natives of Pennsylvania, and came
to Thorn township as early as 1808. Father Crist died at the age of
seventy-three, and mother Crist in her seventv-sixth vear, in Thorn
township. The brothers of John Crist were. George (deceased), Dan-
iel and Frederick, (deceased). His sister was Elizabeth, deceased wife
of Absalom Winegardner. John Crist was married October 24. 1846,
in his twenty-tirst year, to Miss Mary, daughter of John Miller. They
have eight living, and three deceased children. Those living are Kath-
arine, wife of William Poulton ; Leonard, husband of Lucv Spoon ;
Andrew, husband of a Miss Ortman : Isabel, wife of Frank Diltz ; Jesse
husband of a Miss Myers : Alice, wife of W. H. Shrider ; Miss Ida and
John C. Crist, at home. John Crist began life as a renter. He was
strong, healthy and industrious, and his success in farming may be
judged by the fact that within a few years after his marriage he sold
eight hundred bushels of wheat to one James Culbertson, and his forti-
tude may also be judged bv the fact that he never got his pay for one
bushel of it, and 3'et rallied like a brave man to new effort, not only as
a farmer, but in a few years later as a shipper of stock to foreign mark-
ets. Judge, then, of his success by the following facts : He has 155
acres where he lives, 85 acres in another tract, 1 10 acres in a third farm,
154 acres in a fourth and 70 acres in a fifth farm. The Crist ancestry
were Lutherans in belief. Democrats in politics, but in 1854 thev became
372 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
opposed to the party of this name, and generally act with the party op-
posed to the Democracy, John Crist's taxes have gone as high as
$352 in a single year. His care of horses and his goodness of heart
may both be judged bv the fact that a few years after his marriage, he
became the owner of a grey mare, which he kept and used on the farm
until she was thirty-six years old, and this is proof of the .care he took
of his property, and may be a hint to young men who read this, point-
ing to wealth and success in life. John Crist never abused a horse, and
the facts prove that he got more service out of one mare than man}'
men get out of two or three. People were never fearful to buv a horse
of him because they suspected bad usage, and the consequences of bad
usage — disease and debility.
Crocker, Wm. W., railroad engineer. Corning, Ohio, was born
July 15, 1847. in Cainan, Connecticut; son of Israel and Elizabeth
(Nobles) Crocker. When about fourteen, began work as a machinist.
At the age of nineteen took charge of a passenger engine on the P., Ft.
W. & C. R. R. He has worked in the railroad shops at Ft. Wayne,
Indiana, and was foreman of the O. C. mechanical shops. at Corning
one year. He can build an engine " from the ground up." Mr.
Crocker was married July 16, 187 1, to Miss L3''dia C, daughter of Sam-
uel and Julia A. (Stuck) Slagle of Crawford county-, Ohio. They are
the parents of four children, viz. : Grace E,, Bertha. Ralph and Arthur
John. Mr. Crocker came to Corning in March. 1881. at which place
he now resides.
Crook, J. E., station agent on the C. & M. V. road: post office,
Crooksville ; born in Muskingum county in 1825 ; came to Perry county
in 1868; son of Jacob and Nancy (Bowers) Crook: grandson of
Thomas and Anna (Carter) Crook ; grandson of Andrew and Mary
Bowers. Married in 1846 to Miss Mary A. Palmer, daughter of John
and Mary Palmer ; the latter was born in Washington, D. C. They
have seven children, viz. : Angaline (deceased), Olivia. Victoria,
Anna, Dide, Susanah, Guy U. Mr. Crook served three years as Jus-
tice of the Peace of Springfield township, Muskingum county, Ohio.
Has been station agent at Crooksville, on the C. & M. V. road, some
seven years. He was also engaged in the mercantile business some
five years at Crooksville. Mr. Crook was also instrumental in ijettino-
the postoffice located at Crooksville.
Crosbie, Michael. Sheriff of Perry county, Ohio, was born March
I, 1840, in Jackson township; son of Gilbert and Anne (Tempany)
Crosbie. Sheriff Crosbie was brought up on a farm, and followed that
occupation until October. 1880, when he was elected to his present
office. He was married May 26, 1874, ^^ Miss Elizabeth, daughter of
David and Margaret (Huston) Bowland, of Jackson township. They
are the parents of three children, viz. : Maggie Ellen, Annie Violet
and David William.
Crosson, John, farmer ; postoffice. Somerset : born in 1815, in Don-
egal county, Ireland ; is a son of Edward and Catharine (Cunningham)
Crosson. Edward first came to America in 181 7, returned to Ireland,
sold his possessions there, and set sail for America with his family, Neil
and John, (the latter only three years old), and four sisters, and settled
where his son John now resides, in 1820, after spending several years
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 373
in Baltimore, and first taking counsel from the late Rev. Dominic
Young. Here, in Perry, the family was joined by Neil Crosson, an
uncle of John, who died in Perry a bachelor. Neil came to Philadel-
phia in 1800, and after serving faithfully as a day laborer in the employ
of John Davis, an English contractor, who built the first water works of
the " Quaker City," took Neil with him to Baltimore in the same busi-
ness. Neil soon made himself so indispensable that his wages were
raised to $1,200 a year ; and he helped on the first pike and on the first
waterworks ever erected in the United States. John, his nephew, also
served as director of the Newark, Somerset and Straitsville Railroad,
while Neil, the uncle, helped to build the Zanesville and Maysville turn-
pike. The name of Crosson is thus honorably connected with the first
water works and pike of the East, and the first railroad and pike through
the town of Somerset. John's father, after settling his family comfort-
ably, died in 1823, but his mother lived to the great age of eighty-five,
dying near the year 1862. The death of his uncle and his brother, Neil,
after that of his father, left John sole manager of the homestead. His
maiden sisters are Fanny, Anna and Catharine, who reside upon a farm
of their own ; post office. Junction City, Ohio, near where another sis-
ter, Peggy, wife of Samuel Crosson, also resides. In 1841, John was
married to Miss Susan Slavin, a daughter of Tully Slavin, and a sister
of James and John Slavin, former residents of Perry, and afterward
the famous wholesale merchants of this name in Louisville, Cincinnati,
St. Eouis and New York, having as many as three wholesale houses at
one time. Her surviving children are : Neil, post office. Somerset, and
a thriving farmer ; James, a commercial traveler, who represents a New
York house in Texas, and has also extended his sales far into the Re-
public of Mexico. There are also two daughters, Rosa and Anna,
both students at the Academy of the Sacred Heart, Somerset, Ohio ;
each in turn remaining at home to take charge of their father's house-
hold. Mrs. Crosson died in 18S0, at the age of fifty-seven. Her
husband, John Crosson, though often importuned and amply qualified,
was never a candidate for any office. He built a beautiful and elegant
brick residence in T840, enjoys the society of friends and the life of a
farmer.
Crossan, David, farmer, Madison township ; post office, Mt. Perr\'.
He was born in Somerset county. Penns3'lvania, December 22, 1824.
His parents were Isaac and Elizabeth (Philips) Crossan. He has al-
ways been a farmer and stock raiser, and now owns an extensive and
excellent farm. He moved to this township May ist, 1849. ^"^ ^^^^
since made it his residence. He was in the one Inmdred davs' service
as first corporal of Company H. One Hundred and Sixtieth Regiment.
Mr. Crossan was married April 19, 1849. to Elizabeth Weaver, daugh-
ter of Benjamin and Margaret Weaver. They are the parents of the
following children: William A.. Hanner. Ida (deceased), Rachel A.,
Laura C, Charles H., Isaac O. and Thomas E.
CuRRAN, Robert, Justice of the Peace ; son of Michael and Mary
(Robinson) Curran ; was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in
November 6i;h, 1819. Came to Ohio with his parents in 1820, and set-
tled at Blotzleysville, Wayne county, Ohio ; lived there until 1830,
when they came to Jackson township, Perrv countv : stayed till 1842,
374 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
then went to Hocking county, and worked in a wholesale tobacco store
till 1851. Then purchased a farm and followed farming till 1872, and
was then elected slieriff, and held the office four years. In the winter
of 1876, he established a cigar manufactor^^ and retail store of the
same and tobacco, till 1880 ; then came to Junction City, and was
unanimously elected Justice of the Peace in 1881, and still holds the
office. Was married in 1851, to Miss Arabella W., daughter of Eli and
Elizabeth (Sholts) Barker ; are the parents of the following children,
viz. : Mollie E., Emma I., Clara, Ella, Eddie, Michael. Mr. Curran's
parents were of Irish descent ; his wife's parents were of German descent.
Had one brother who .served during the late war ; was wounded in both
arms at battle of Gettysburg. Mr. C. has been interested, more or le'ss,
in public affairs all his life.
CuRRAN, J. C, born 1835, post office, Somerset, O., occupation jewel-
er and watchmaker. With his own rude tools, while yet a bo}^ on the farm,
he began mending and cleaning watches, and achieving such wonders
in the art that in 1863 he began business in Somerset, and since then has
not only sustained it against severe and educated competition, until
now, when local effort, though often attempted, has entirely withdrawn
from the contest. J. C. is a son of Samuel Curran, County Surveyor,
Justice of the Peace, and who for more than half a century, beginning
in 1818, resided on the same farm, section 10, Clay township. The mother
of J. C. was Miss Lucy Cartlich, a sister of the Rev. Abraham Cart-
lich of Somerset. She is still living at the age of 73, but her husband,
after a long and honorable life, passed away in 1877, in his seventy-eighth
year. The grandfather of J. C. was Robert Curran, who died on the
Curran homestead, in Clayton, a few years after his settlement there in
1818, from Pennsylvania. He was born in Ireland, was sent by his father
with a cargo of goods for sale in America. The ship was seized by
pirates, and young Robert found himself at the age of seventeen,
though robust and large in size, a pauper in property but a patriot in
politics. He joined the army of Washington, and it was his boast
through life that he could put his hand on the rump of the General's
white horse at the battle of Princeton, when that officer exclaimed,
" Come on my brave lads, follow me." After the war he married Miss
Nancy Chilcote, a first cousin of the late venerable Enzer Chilcote, all
pious and devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. While
the name of Curran was fighting for independence, J. C.'s great an-
cestor, a slave baron of Southern Virginia, Major Charles Cartlich,
was fighting for the king. His son Jesse, afterwards Reverend Jesse,
and father of Rev. Abraham Cartlich, now of Somerset, refused
to take charge, or accept ownership in the slaves of the father, which
resulted not only in the loss of paternal good will but of patrimony also.
He died in the ministry after living to see the triumph of his sentiments
against human bondage, and the end of African slavery in his native
land. He was educated in Bordeaux, France, well versed in the science
of medicine, and preferred his convictions of right to all the wealth he
might have enjoyed by disobedience to those convictions. J. C. Curran
was married Christmas, 1859, ^^ Miss Margaret Jane, daughter of James
Collin, and granddaughter of Thomas Beard, an early settler in Perry,
and also ancestor of the " Billy Beard," who was an old time stage
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 375
contractor. Their children are, James E., William E., and Miss Jesse
Aurilla. Mr. Curran may be said to have been successful in business,
and his deposits are estimated at $15,000 in the banks of Hocking
county, located in sections 30 and 36 of Ward and Falls. The vaults
there contain coal fourteen teet thick on one shelf and eight feet on
another; clay, white as chalk, fourteen feet thick; thirty-five per cent,
of one hundred and eighty acres of timber ; limestone in immense
thickness, and sandstone in layers, fine grit, used for grindstones, good
for window sills and caps. These deposits are held under recognized
consignments, and far more certain to respond to drafts than ordinary
banks of discount. The Baltimore & Ohio extension line runs through,
and passes the door of these famous banks, and these princely deposits.
Curran, William, Monroe township, farmer, post office, Corning,
O., was born February 22, 1840, in Monroe township, son of Peter and
Mary (Townsend) Curran. Peter Curran was a native of Ireland, but
settled in Perry county, Ohio, when there were but five or six families
within an area of ten miles distance. Mary Townsend was a native of
New York State. They raised a tamily of five sons, of whom William,
named above, is the third. He has been quite successful, having given
his entire attention to farming. Mr. Curran was married May 6, 1861 , to
Miss Mary, daughter of Anthony and Annie (Mulrine) Kilkenney, of
Morgan county, O. Her parents were natives of Ireland. They are the
parents of four children, viz. : Geo. T., Annie L., Mary J., and Frances.
Dambach, Philip Jacob, tinner, Shawnee, Ohio, was born Novem-
ber 28, 1848, in Lancaster, Fairfield county, Ohio, son of Daniel and
Catharine (Shoeman) Dambach. Mr. Dambach was raised in his na-
tive town, where he lived until 1867, and where he learned his trade,
serving an apprenticeship of three years from March 21, 1864 to March
21, 1867, with John Work & Son, and has since been employed at the
following places: Chillicothe, O., Portsmouth, O., Washington C. H.,
Fayette County, O., stamping tin ware for M. S. Sager, six months ;
again in Lancaster, one year; New Lexington, O., Logan, O. ; again
at home sick for about eight months, and upon his recovery again went
to New Lexington, O., with Morehead & Whipps about one year,
where he was married in October, 1870, to Catharine Loretta, daugh-
of Michael J. and Grace (Kinner) Braddock. of Logan, O. They are
the parents of five children, viz. : Gracie Catharine, Mary Elizabeth,
Osais William, Ellen Gertrude, and Clara Louisa. After his marriage
he has been employed at the following places : Lancaster, until the
spring of 1871 ; Bremen, three months; New Lexington, about one
year in his own shop ; Straitsville, O. ; Shawnee, that fall and moved
to Iron Point, and into Shawnee the following tall, soon after which
came the great miner's strike and he moved to Lancaster, staying nine
months, and again setup in business in New Lexington, O., in partner-
ship with his brother-in-law, M. R. Braddock, and in about four momhs
broke up and made tin ware without the assistance of machines and by
that obtained a livelihood for the winter that was upon them ; again
moved to Shawnee and since has made this his home. Has paid up
all he owed, and now owns a business house on Main street, and a com-
fortable dwelling in this place.
Daniel, George, born August 5, 1811, in Hopewell township, on
376 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
the farm of his uncle John Daniel, who died in 1848. George is the
only son of J. George Daniel, who came from Northumberland county,
Pennsylvania, in the same year his son was born. The mother of
George Daniel was Saloma Seitz. Two sisters of George, and elder
than he, were born in Pennsylvania. These were Katharine and Sar
loma. Another sister, younger than George Daniel, was born in Perry
county ; her name was Lydia. The father soon moved his family' to
Somerset and here carried on the carpenter trade, but he must have
stayed in Hopewell township until after i8i5,for it was while living there
that he made the coffin in which the Rev. William Foster was buried in
that same year. After a residence in Somerset, up to 1820, four or five
years perhaps, father J. George Daniel bought the southeast one-fourth
section 22, Thorn, Perry count}-. Grandfather Daniel died in
Pennsylvania, at the advance age of ninety-four. It was this grand-
father Daniel that was the brother of grandmother Foster, wife of Rev.
William Foster. J. George, who made the coffin for Rev. William,
was theretbre a full cousin of grandmother Foster, by blood. This
makes their children second cousins, and old Uncle Ben. Foster and
his brothers and sisters were second cousins to the present George Dan-
iel and his brothers and sisters, and the children of these are third
cousins. In 1820 there were only thirty acres deadened on the farm.
It had no buildings. The father of the present George Daniel lived on
the farm fort}^ years, and died in i860. His wife died before that date,
and her maiden name being Seitz, may interest others of the same
name in Fairfield count}^ and elsewhere. The first marriage of George
Daniel was in 1833, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Andrew, and sistet ■
of the present venerable George Smitii, of Hopewell. By this marriage
there were four sons and two daughters ; one son died when a child.
Jacob became the husband of Sophrona Dorris, Thorn ville post office ;
Samuel, the husband of Eliza Chaney, Fredonia post office ; Levi, the
husband of Martha From, Thorn ville post office ; Mary Elizabeth, be-
came the wife of Samuel Rarick, farmer. Middleportpost office. Van
Wert county, Ohio, and Miss Leah at home. The second marriage of
George Daniel, was to Miss Elizabeth Troup, in 1848, December 12th,
a daughter of Adam Trovip and a sister of the present Israel Troup, of
Hopewell. The children by this marriage are two sons — Noah, who be-
came the husband of Miss Martha, daughter of Harrison Lyle, of Thorn.
He is a farmer, and his post office is Thornville. The other son, George
W., became the husband of Miss Mary K. Lyle, a sister of Martha, the
above name. To go back to 185 1, or 1852, the present venerable George
Daniel, bought the then home farm of his father, who, with his aged
wife, retired to a small farm oi forty acres, in the same neighborhood.
The price agreed was $4,000, one thousand down, five hundred in one
year and two hundred dollars a year until paid, and one-third the crop
during his father's life time, making about $6,000, as it turned out.
The head of Mr. Daniel is twenty-two inches ; height, five feet and sev-
en inches ; weight, one hundred and sixty-five and up to one hundred
and eighty-four pounds. He holds the original papers, dated 1805, or-
ganizing Zion Church, and from him were obtained many interesting
particulars, which appear under the head of Church History. He is Re-
form in belief, and Democrat in politics.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 377
Danison, Hiram, born 1829, a farmer, Glenford post office, Ohio,
is a son of the late venerable James Danison, who came to Hopewell
township from Maryland in 181 2, when his father, Jared Danison, set-
tled on section fifteen. The sons of this old pioneer were William.
Jared, Asa, Elisha and James, the father of Hiram Danison. The
daughters were Elizabeth, wife of John Ward, and a Mrs. Petty. As
late as the year 1830, James, in partnership with two brothers, purchased
one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 16, forty of which fell to
James, and is the same land on which he afterwards lived and died.
Tradition, derived from the mother of Hiram, asserts that James worked
on the National pike, and thereby earned the money with which to buy
and pay for this first forty acres of land, the price of which was then
$1.25 per acre, due perhaps to its rocky surface and the date of its pur-
chase, and the fift}^ cents per day earned by labor. James Danison died
in 1864, owning- one hundred acres of land, leaving his widows whose
maiden name was Dorcus Wilson, an aunt of Jeremiah Wilson, residing on
section 21, Hopewell, with one son, Hiram, and one daughter, Mrs.
Harriet Walser, wife of Jefferson Walser, Glenford post office, Ohio.
Hiram has added twenty acres to the old homestead, comprising two
hundred acres, of which his sister obtained seventy-five acres, leaving
him one hundred and twenty-five acres at this time. His first wife,
and also the mother of all his children, was Miss Rebecca Wilson,
daughter of John Wilson, w^ho died in 1865. Her children are Clara-
rissa, widow of Ezra Plane, (killed by accident) ; Allie, wife of John
Plane, Chalfants post office ; Martha, wife of E. W. Cooperider,Thornyille
post office ; Jane, wife of John Beard, Mount Perry post office, and Miss
Ida. Hiram Danison married a second wife, Miss Huldah Heck,
daughter of Henry Heck, late of Reading township. Mr. Danison has
just returned from a visit to Richmond, Virginia, to inspect some of the
wonderful bargains in land, and houses advertised in that vicinity of
Virginia since the Rebellion. He professes himself well pleased with
the prospects for capital invested and says if he moves there he wishes
to take as much of old Perry with him as he can.
Danison, Jefferson, Monday Creek township, farmer, Maxville,
Ohio, was born April 8, 1853, in Monday Creek township, son of Jared
and Elizabeth (Ward) Danison. Mr. Danison was raised a farmer,
and has made agricultural pursuits the business of his life to this time.
Was married October 19, 1876, to Matilda, daughter of Thomas and
Sophia (Huston) Kennedy. They are the parents of two children,
viz. : Sophia Bell and Elsie M. Mr. Danison was elected trustee of
the township in the spring of 1882.
Darst & Ream, hardware. Began the business in 1879, '" ^'^^
room across the street. They now occupy the old Leavitt building on
the south side of Main street, west of the square. They deal in hard-
ware, agricultural implements, buggies, lumber, etc.
Daugherty, John, Pike township, farmer, Maholm post office,
Ohio, was born December 24, 1816, in the city ot" Baltimore, Maryland,
son of Constantine and Bridget (Porter) Daughert3^ Was raised a
farmer, and has made agricultural pursuits the business of his life to the
present time. Mr. Daugherty came to Ohio with his father at the age
of seven years, who settled in Jackson township, this count^s where he
378 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
purchased a farrri that adjoins the one now owned by John, his son, and
subject of this sketch where he lived to the time of his death, which occur-
red in April of i860. Mr. Daugherty's parents were born in Ireland, where
they were married, and after which they emigrated to America in the
year 181 1, landing in Baltimore, Maryland, where they lived seven
years, and in all, lived twelve years in Maryland. After coming to
Ohio his lather gave all attention to agricultural pursuits. Mr. Daugh-
erty, the subject of this sketch, lived with his father, taking charge of
the home farm until he was thirty-two years of age, when his father
gave him eighty acres of land of the home place, where he built a house
and where he lived twenty-one years, when he purchased the Mac-
Gahan farm, and moved into the house where Janarius A. McGahan,
author of "Campaign on the Oxus," "The Fall ofKihva" and "Under
the Northern Lights," was born, where he now lives. He owns two
hundred and live acres of land in range 15, in section 19, one hundred
and twenty-four and one-half acres, and eighty acres in section 30,
Pike township. Mr. Daugherty was township clerk in Jackson town-
ship five years, and assessor of same township four years, and in 1875
was candidate for County Representative before the Democratic con-
vention. Was married April 26, 1846, to Miss Ann McGreevy, born
November 10, 1819, in Washington county, Pennsylvania, daughter of
James and Elizabeth (Carroll) McGreevy. They are the parents ot
eight children, viz. : James, born April 22, 1847, and married to Cath-
arine Goodwin ; Bridget, born July 26, 1848, and married to Henry
Robbin : Elizabeth, born August 5, 1850, and died November 3, 1877 ;
Mary, born September 23, 1852, and died May 4, 1876 ; Sarah A., born
December 24, 1854, married to Patrick Hennesy ; Philip, born March 6,
1857, coal operator at Bristol Station, this county ; John J., born Feb-
ruary 17, 1859, ^t home, and Constantine T., born December 19, 1861,
at home. When Mr. Daugherty first came to this county, it was prin-
cipally a woodland, and southward there was no dwelling for six miles
distant. There was plenty of deer, wolves and turkey, and those were
the days of buckskin pantaloons and moccasins.
Davis, G. R., Pike township, New Lexington, Ohio, carpenter,was
born Januarv 2, 1821, in Maryland, son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Es-
secks) Davis. Mr. Davis was raised a farmer, and followed agricul-
tural pursuits for some ten or twelve years after he become of age. He
was married March 24, 1842, to Rebecca, daughter of John and Ann
(Guinn) Whips, of Perry county, Ohio. They are the parents of eight
children, who are living, viz. : Ann, Jane, John,Letha, Lydia, Susan,
Thomas J., and Sarah Ellen, and four dead, viz.: Martha, Elizabeth,
Mary and William. Mr. Davis came to Belmont county, Ohio, in
1827, and ten years later to Perry county, of which he has remained a
resident up to the present time, at first farming, and afterward running
an engine of his own from 1852 to 1856, and afterward one at Sulphur
Spring grist mill for three years, from that he took up the carpenter
trade, working one year, when he went to Athens, Ohio, where he run
an engine until the breaking out of the Rebellion of 1861, at this time
enlisting in Company H, Twenty-second Regiment O. V. L, serving
three months, when he re-enlisted in Company G, Eighteenth Regi-
ment, O. V. L, of which Company he was Fourth Sergeant. He re-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 379
mained in the service about sixteen months, and was discharged because
of disability by heart disease. He now Hves in New Lexington, and
owns, besides the house he Hves in, three acres in northwestern part of
Real Estate addition.
Davey, William, Mayor, Shawnee, Ohio, was born December 2,
1841, in the Parish of St. Neots, Cornwall county, England; son of
Joseph and Anne (Skewes) Davey. He served about five years in
the British Navy. Three years of this service was on the west coast of
Africa. When about twenty-three years of age he came to America,
and located in Athens county, Ohio, where he made his home until
about 1868. He enlisted in 1864 in the i8th O. V. I., and served to
the close of the war. He was elected Mayor of Shawnee, Ohio, in
April, 1876, and is now serving his third consecutive term. Mayor
Davey was elected Justice of the Peace in the fall of 1877, ^"^ is now
serving his second term. He was married December 25, 1867, to Miss
Cecelia, daughter of William E. and Elizabeth Roberts, of Jackson
county, Ohio.
Davis, David E., collier, Shawnee, Ohio, was born February 10,
1828, in Carmarthenshire, Wales ; son of Samuel and Margaret (Old-
ham) Davis. Mr. Davis was raised in Carmarthenshire, and remained
there until he was about fifteen years of age, when he went to Glamor-
ganshire, where he learned the puddler trade, or what in Amrica is
called boiler in rolling mill, where he remained about eight years, at
which time he was chosen foreman of a rolling mill at Llandaft', remain-
ing three years, and afterward of a rolling mill at Workington for two
years, from where he went to Aberdare, running a coal shaft engine for
three years. Emigrated to America, and landed in New York, Octo-
ber 6, 1857, going directly to Covington, Kentucky, where he was em-
ployed at his trade for a few months, and has been engaged as follows :
Minersville, Meigs county, Ohio, mining coal, sixteen years, from
which place he came to Shawnee, Ohio, in April of 1875, where he has
remained up to this time, and has been engaged as a miner, except two
years he was check-weighman. Mr. Davis was married August, 1850,
to Elizabeth, daughter of Robert and Margaret (Pugh) Lloyd, of
Glamorganshire, Wales. They are the parents of two children, now
living, viz. : Samuel E. and John L., and six deceased, viz. : Robert,
William, David, Thomas, Mary Jane and Maggie. While living in
Meigs county he was school director twelve years, and is at this time
township trustee and cemetery trustee of this place.
Davis, David, superintendent Ore mines, Shawnee, Ohio, was born
in April, 1840, in Llanboidy, Carmarthenshire, Wales ; son of John
and Mary (Davis) Davis. Was raised in his native shire to the age of
twelve years, when he went to the coal regions at Aberdare, Glamor-
ganshire, and was employed as a driver in the mines until i860. At
this time he emigrated to America, leaving Liverpool in February, and
landing in New York April 3, i860. From New York he went direct
to Coshocton, Ohio, and engaged as miner, and was mine boss for four
3'^ears at his uncle James Davis' coal mine. In 1864 he began boating
on the Ohio canal, running from Newark, Ohio, to Clev^eland, Ohio,
which he continued eight years, and owned the boat called the " Three
Brothers." At the end of this time he came to Shawnee, in August of
380 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
1872, where he has been employed as follows: Hauling coal out of
Shawnee Valley coal mine, one year ; superintendent of drivers for
Newark Coal Company, until September, 1876, and at that time he, in
partnership with T. J. Davis, of Newark, Ohio, contracted to deliver
twenty thousand tons of iron ore from Iron Point to the XX furnace,
which contract they completed in eighteen months from the date of com-
mencement. At this time, December of 1873, he was employed as
superintendent of the iron ore mines at Iron Point, by the XX Coal and
Iron Ore Company, which position he s^ill holds. He owns eighty-six
acres of land in Trimble township, Athens county, Ohio, with twelve
feet vein of coal, and a three feet vein of iron ore, the dwelling in which
he lives, and one-half interest in the new Upson Coal Company store
building. He has been a member of the school board for the past three
years in this place. Mr. Davis was married in December of 1855 ^^
Anna Davis, of Carmarthenshire, Wales. He was married in Aber-
dare, Wales. They became the parents of the following children, viz. :
Benjamin John, James Howard, William, Mary Jane, Sarah Ann,
Dora, Belle and Thomas (deceased). Mrs. Davis departed this life
Februar}^ 3, 1882, and is buried in Shawnee cemetery.
Davis, J. W., grocer, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born December 8, 185 1,
in Morgan county, Ohio ; son of Samuel and MarA^ (Keever) Davis.
Mr. Davis was brought up on a farm, and followed agricultural pursuits
up to 1874, at which time he came to Shawnee, Ohio, where he engaged
as a teamster, following that occupation for about two 3^ears, and tlien
began t.o dray, and followed that for about five years, when an acci-
dent occurred by which he broke his ankle, which so disabled him
that he was obliged to abandon that business, and has established
himself in a retail family grocery store, where he is in business at this
time. Was married April 13, 1S69, to Mar\^ J., daughter of James
Devit, of Morgan county, Ohio. They are the parents of three chil-
dren, viz. : Madgie, Charles C, and Bertie Estella.
Davis, Samuel E., contractor, Shawnee, Ohio, was born April 13,
1852, in Monmouthshire, Wales ; son of David E. and Elizabeth (Loyd)
Davis. His father lived about three or tour years in Aberdiaire, Eng-
land, previous to coming to America. Emigrated June 10, 1859, land-
ing in New York, whence he went to Minersville, Meigs count}',
Ohio, where Samuel E., the subject of this sketch, made his home for
thirteen 3^ears. and has been engaged as follows : While in Minersville,
mining and driving in mines ; Jackson Company, at Star furnace, three
months ; returned home ; Johnstown, Pennsylvania, three months, min-
ing ; Raymond City, West Virginia, thirty days, mining ; returned
home and went to Ironton, Ohio, in a skiff with three other men, a dis-
tance of seventy miles, where he employed in a boiler yard six months ;
Ironton tunnef, three months, driving in mine and mining ; again at
home, and next came to Shawnee, Ohio, where has made his home to
the present time. Since coming here he made a trip West into Illinois ;
was also at Coshocton about two months, mining. He is engaged at
this time bv a contract with the New York Furnace Company, deliver-
ing: coal for its use, which he has followed for the last three vears, and
previous to this laid track in mine, clerked thirteen months, and owned
a grocer}^ store at one time in this place. He now owns the property
HISTORY OF PERRY COUMY. 3S1
in which he Hves, at 132 Ehn street. He is u member of the town
Council, and is Past Worthy Chief of Good Templars Lodge in this
place; clerk of Fire Department; and recording secretary, trustee
and treasurer of the Welch Congregational Church of this place.
Was married January i, 1873,10 Catharine, daughter of David and
Mar\' (Reese) Reese. They are the parents of four children, yiz. :
Mary Elizabeth, Margaret, David S. and Rachel.
Davy, George C, merchant, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born Septem-
ber 16. 1847, in Zanesville, Ohio; son of William C. and Sarah J. (Al-
lan) Davy. Mr. Dav^^'s father was a merchant in Zanesville, Ohio, for
about two years, and from there he went to Brownsville, Licking coun-
ty, Ohio, where he engaged in the same business, and remained in it
some three or four years, at which time he engaged in the hotel business,
in which he continued up to the breaking out of the late war, when he
enlisted and served in his countr3"'s cause. Upon his i^eturn from said
service, he again entered the hotel business, in which he has continued
up to the present time. Mr. Davy, the subject of this sketch, at the
age" of tifteen years, engaged as a clerk with his uncle in Roseville,
Muskingum county, Ohio, where he remained employed for about two
years, when he returned to Brownsville, where he clerked for one
Brown, who was engaged in mercantile business ; also for one Bell, in
the same kind of business, remaining with both for some length of time.
Next he went to Hebron, Licking county, Ohio, remaining about one
year, when he again returned to Brownsville. Concluding to better his
business education, he now takes a course of study at the Zanesville
Commercial College, after which he went to Shawnee and employed
as a clerk with the tirm of Alf. & All. Krumm, where he remained
about three years : at the end of this time buying out the tirm with
\^ hom he was engaged, and went into business for himself, where he has
remained up to this time, and is enjoying a good general merchandise
business. Mr. Davy was married December 29, 1878, to Miss Clara,
daughter of P. P. and Rose Comisford of Licking county, Ohio.
They are the parents of two childrsn, viz. : Nellie and Blanche.
Deaver, Jonas B., retired farmer, Rendville, Ohio; was born Oc-
tober 23, 1816, in Muskingum county, Ohio ; son of Jonas and Susanna
(Hoover) Deaver, a native of Maryland. His paternal ancestr\^ is
• English and French : his maternal, German. Mr. Deaver, the subject
of this sketch, was brought up on a farm, but in earl}^ life learned the
tanner's trade, which he followed about twenty-five years. Also taught
school a number of terms. In more mature life preached the gospel.
He also is a chairmaker. Mr. Deaver was married October 27, 1836,
to Miss Sarah, daughter of Michael and Catharine (O'Harrah) Long-
streth of Deavertown, Perry county. Ohio. They are the parents of
ten children, viz. : Henr}' H., mortally wounded at the battle of Chat-
tanooga. I'ennessee, September 19, 1863, and died on the 26th of the
same month ; Michael L., married to Margaret Talbott : David Felton,
died in infancy; Catharine E., married to William P. Weaver; Jonas
N., married to Hester Shotwell : Francis G., married first to Sarah E.
Keeran, and second to Amanda E. Sherick ; Erastus M., died when a
child; Thomas E., married to Harriett Groves; Sarah J,, married to
George E. Murphy, deceased ; and John W. F. Mr. Deaver is an old
382 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
pioneer of Monroe township, having Hved forty-six years in his present
residence. About the year 1832 his father-in-law entered the land where
Rendville is located. Mr. Weaver subsequentl}- became owner of the
farm. He began for himself in life with no financial aid, but by faith-
ful, honest industry, he obtained an ample competence for himself and
family by an intelligent and moral life, exerted an influence of great
good in his community.
Deaver, Uriah H., Buckingham, Ohio, was born January 9th,
185 1, in Morgan county, Ohio ; son of David H. and Sarah Jane (Vest)
Deaver, of English ancestry. The doctor was brought up on a farm ;
began teaching school at twenty-two, and taught seven terms ; began
the study of medicine in 1880, and attended the Starling Medical Col-
lege at Columbus. He, with Dr. Kochenderfer, began practice at Buck-
ingham, Ohio, in the spring of 1882. Dr. Deaver was married July 3,
1873, to Miss Jane, daughter of Ephraim and Eliza (McKeever) Koontz,
of Bearfield township. They are the parents of three children, viz. :
Leotha, Emma L., and Beulah J.
Deaver, William E., farmer. Pleasant township ; post office, Mox-
ahala ; son of Abraham and Esther (McCaslon) Deaver His paternal
ancestors were Welsh, and his maternal ancestors were Irish. His pa-
rents came to Morgan county in 1831, and located near Deavertown,
that town being named after the Deavers. His father resides there now ;
his mother died in 1864. The subject of this sketch left home when
twenty-one years of age, took a trip West and returned and learned the
carriage making trade. He next moved on the farm, one hundred and
sixty acres, where he now resides. He married Evaline Rose of Bear-
field township. They are the parents of the following named children :
Charles, deceased; Ellsworth, Willie, Carrie, Esther and Millie.
Delong, J. B., farmer; post oflSce, Crooksville ; born in this coun-
ty in 1817 ; son of Isaac and Nancy (Bowers) Delong ; married in 1841,
to Miss Sarah J. Taylor, daughter of Thomas and Mary A. Taylor.
They are the parents of twelve children, viz. : Susan, Nancy, J. Wm.,
deceased; Mary R., George, James F., Sarah, Catharine, Isaac, de-
ceased ; Francis, deceased ; Thomas, deceased ; John, deceased. Mr.
Delong is notary public at present. He served as County Commis-
sioner some twelve years, and as Justice of the Peace about twenty
3'^ears.
Delong, T. J., farmer and carpenter ; postoflSce, Rehoboth ; born
in Ohio, in 1818 ; settled in this county about the year 1833; son
of Edward and Rachel (Baker) Delong. The former died about
the year 1846, the latter in 1855. Mr. Delong's parents are of French
and Irish descent. Grandson of George and Jane (Ward) Delong;
grandson of Tilman and Mary (McName) Barker. Mr. Delong
was married in 1847, to Miss Secalia Snider, daughter of Jacob and
Elizabeth Snider. They are the parents of eight children, viz. : Jacob,
deceased ; Francis, deceased ; Elizabeth, deceased ; William, deceased ;
Albert, Liddie, Lil.
Delong, Philip B., farmer and stock raiser, Clayton township ;
post ofiice. Buckeye Cottage ; born in Perry county in 1833 ; son of
Isaac and Nancy (Bower) Delong. The former was born December
22d, 1779, the latter April 5th, 1788. The former died April 6th, 1842,
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 383
the latter in 1864. The parents of the subject of this sketch were mar-
ried April 17th, 1808. Mr. Delong's father entered the land now
owned by the subject of this sketch, in 1823. The subject of this sketch
is the youngest of a family of eight children, two of whom are still liv-
ing. He purchased the homestead in 1865.
Denny, Isaac, New Lexington, Clayton township, Ohio ; farmer ;
was born March 20, 1817, in Bedford county, Pennsylvania; son of
Isaac and Ester (Gordon) Denny. Mr. Denny lived in his native
State until 1854, when he came to Perry county, Ohio, where he now
lives. While in Pennsylvania he was engaged in wagoning and stage
coach driving, but upon coming to Ohio he engaged in agricultural
pursuits, which he has followed up to this present time. He was mar-
ried July I7,«i837, to Mary Jane, daughter of Jacob and Nancy (Mc-
Donald) Richards, of Somerset county, Pennsylvania, who departed
this life July 6, 1881, aged sixty-one years. They are the parents of
nine children, of whom Robert, William. Charlotte, Ella, Jacob, and
John are living, and Isaac Newton, Jennie and infant are deceased.
Mr. Denny is nicely situated upon his own farm, and has a full suf-
ficiency for an old age, which he bids fair to see. Few in life are so
prosperous who are dependent, as was he, upon their own efforts.
Denny, W. B. ; post office, Rehoboth ; farmer and stock raiser;
boi-n in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, in 1845 ; came to Perry
county in the year 1855 ' ^^^ ^^ Isaac and Mary J. (Richards) Denny ;
grandson of Isaac and Ester Denny, and of Jacob and Agnes
(McDonald) Richards ; married in 1867 to Miss Anna S. Ogborn,
daughter of Joseph and Susan (Usher) Ogborn. They are the parents
of three children, viz. : Rosa K., Emma J., and James N. Mr. Denny
enlisted in the army in the fall of 1861, in Company C, Sixty-second
O.V.I. Mr. Denny's regiment was in the following engagements:
Winchester, Port Republic, Black Water, Morris Island, Fort Wagner,
Petersburg, Walthall Junction, Virginia, Deep-Bottom, Deep Run, and
Darby town.
Dew, Andrew J., Monroe township ; farmer ; post office. Corning,
Ohio ; was born in Bearfield township. Perry county, Ohio, August
28th, 1842 ; son of Andrew and Mary Ann (Getty) Dew. Mr. Dew
was brought up on a farm until eighteen years of age, when he volun-
teered, August 4th, 1861, in Company A, Thirty-first O. V. I., and did
duty with his regiment until September 19th, 1863, when he received a
musket wound in the leg at the battle of Chickamauga. This wound
caused amputation of the leg a necessity. Mr. Dew was married Sep-
tember 25th, 1870, to Miss Nancy Jane, daughter of Jesse A. Wilson,
Hartleyville, Athens county. They became the parents of one child —
Elton lona. Mrs. Dew died July 28th, 1872. Mr. Dew was married
the second time April ist, 1875, to Mary Jane Latta. They are the
parents of four children, namely: Devine Dudley, Silvia S., Odis O.,
and Roe Roy.
Dick, S. C, born April 27, 1817 ; married to Sarah Jones, January
22, 1843 ; died May 20, 1876. After his marriage he lived entirely in
Reading township. Perry County, Ohio, except nine years that he re-
sided in Clayton township. Began his married life with only a small
portion of this world's goods, but by teaching for twenty-seven winters
384 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
and farming in the summer he accumulated a property estimated to be
worth $15,000 in hind and chattels, free of all debts, which he was never
hasty to incur. His married children are Mattie, married to David T.
Shaw, near Bremen, Fairfield county, a farmer, and Sarah, married to
James A. Biggs, near Junction, in Perry county. The single children
are John Weslev. the executor of his father's will ; Jehu Brook Jones,
Grafton Findley, Thomas Wilson, and Hattie E., all of whom reside
with their mother at the family homestead, Stephen C. Dick's example
and sviccess in life, working on the farm in summer, and teaching
twenty-seven winters, prove that all the great, and good, and useful
men are not bred to professions, or selected to make and execute the
laws. He repeatedly sat down in the morning, and before closing his
eyes to sleep, had the Clayton township assessor's book ready for the
Count}'^ Auditor the next day. Mrs. Dick's memory, like her physical
frame, is strong and healthful. In 1824 her father emplo3^ed one Karsh-
ner to hew puncheons for the kitchen floor. Karshner employed Wil-
liam Williams, afterwards esteemed the richest man in Perr}' count}-,
to assist at 37 cents per da^^ The floor wore smooth and soon became
not only useful but even beautiful.
Dickson, Alexander, born March 23, 1826, farmer and carpenter,
post office, Rushville, O., son of David Dickson, and grandson of Mar-
tin Dickson, who was a native of county Kent, Ireland, and came to
America late in the eighteenth century, after which his marriage to a
German wife gave to their descendants an Irish-German parentage.
David, the father of Alexander Dickson, and his wife Mary Ann Cover,
cousin of John and Lawrence Cover, came with their family to Ohio in
1830 from Fayette county, Pennsylvania. Beside David and his wife,
there came with them their sons, Alexander, Samuel A.. James H.,
and David Dickson, and their daughters, Margaret and Mary Ann,
wife of Levi Downhour, all now residents of Reading township, post
office, Avelon. Alexander was married in 1852 to Miss Ann Elizabeth
Bryson, a sister to Dr. Bryson, of Millersport. The Dicksons all be-
long to the Brethren church except Margaret, who is a Presbyterian,
and David, who is a Methodist. One brother, Martin, remained in
Pennsylvania, and one, Searight, moved to Holt county. Missouri. On
the death of father Dixon, his large farm was divided among his child-
ren by partition, and this arrangement gave pleasant but not extensive
farms to the heirs, and is believed to be far better for them than a sale
and subsequent investment in cash at that time.
DiLTZ, Milton, was born January 10. 1830, in Fairfield county,
Ohio, post office, Thorn ville ; is by occupation a farmer, but being gen-
erally ingenious he works with the anvil, the plane, at edge tools, and
other mechanical pursuits. His son Charles seems to have inherited
these mechanical gifts and has produced some useful and very beautiful
articles of furnitiu'e for use at home, and an elder son, Frank, now mar-
ried, also manifested the same genius in wood working. These sons
were reared (as all boys should be), to the use of tools, and inherit the
skill and adaptabilit}^ of their maternal grandfather ^ Benjamin Foster,
and also of their father, Mr. Diltz. George Foster, uncle of Mrs. Diltz,
also was distinguished for his mechanical skill. On the Diltz side also
this same natural adaptation to mechanics not onl)- exists, but there is
HISTORY OI* PERRY COUNTY. . 385
added thereto a disposition to read, investigate, criticise, and tind truths
in art, science, mechanics and philosophy in general. " Let us inquire,"
is the motto. Nothing is taken tor truth that will not stand the test of
reason and of criticism. Milton's father was Cornelius, and his grand-
father was George Diltz, and is of Scotch, German, French and Eng-
lish extraction. His grandmother's maiden name was Sarah Crell,
whose brotlier, George Crell, then a lawyer, was one of the thirteen pall
bearers at the funeral of the great George Washington, the father of his
country. Tlie pall bearers were all of the name of George, and their
number corresponded to the thirteen colonies. His motlier's maiden
name was Jaques (Jakes), whose father was John Milton Jaques, who
lost his life bv accidental drowning while going to or coming from a
school he was teaching. His mother died at the age of twenty-nine,
when Milton, her son, was only nine years of age, and she w^as buried
in Salem. Milton was married February, 1856 to Miss Eliza A., daugh-
ter of the late venerable Benjamin Foster, who was the last surviving
child of Rev. William Foster, of Perry count}^, and who died in
1815. Except a residence of six years in Whitley county, Indiana, they
have lived in Thorn township, section 28, where the}^ have ever since
resided. Their children are Frank, married to a daughter of John
Christ ; Charles, and Miss Lizzie at home. He has land in Tama county,
Iowa ; has built him a beautitul new house, from which a steeple two
and a half miles distant from Thornville can be seen, and northward
"the high lands of Licking bound the horizon. His head is twenty-three
inches in circumference ; his weight, one hundred and sixt}^ pounds :
height, live feet nine inches ; his hair is auburn ; his speech slow and
deliberate, and in hospitality, inteiligence, and solid virtues of good citi-
zenship he has no superior and few equals. On section 27, Thorn,
upon the great ridge dividing the waters of Rush creek, Walnut creek
and Honey creek, a well was sunk thirty-two feet in depth, when a ce-
dar or pine trunk of a sapling was found. It is in possession of Milton
Diltz, section 28 ; is three and one-half inches in diameter, retains the
bark, shows the heart, and the knots running into it plainly. The well
was farther sunk to the depth of tifty-six feet without fmding any more
fossils, and was again filled up for lack of water found in it. Mr. Diltz
witnessed a falling of meteors, November 14, 1868, an account of which
he read before a society, and which is reproduced in this volume.
DiMOND Daniel, Jackson township, Maholm post office, Ohio ; far-
mer and stone mason ; was born November 20, 18:2. in Cambria
county, Pennsylvania ; son of John and Elizabeth (Dempsey) Dimond.
Was raised upon a farm to the age of 14 3'ears, when he went to the
stone mason trade, which he followed for 30 years. During the sum-
mer season, and during the winter season, was engaged in farm work,
and since the expiration of the 30 3'ears has given much attention to
agricultural pursuits, but still worked some at his trade. Came to Ohio
in April of 1834, with his father, who lived in Thorn township one ^^ear,
Jackson township one year, Pike township three years, Clayton town-
ship one year, and again moved into Jackson township, where he con-
tinued his residence up to the time of his death, which occurred
in December, 1844. Daniel lived with his father until he was twenty
years of age, when he began business for himself', and has been engaged
35
386 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
at the following places : Marietta, three months on river dam ; Hock-
ing canal, abowt three months on locks ; Zanesville, three months on
Catholic church ; in vicinity of New Lexington, tive or six years in all
and at different times ; on Catholic church in Jackson township, one
summer ; at St, Joseph's College, one summer ; Catholic church at Mc-
Luney, one summer ; Catholic church in Somerset, one summer ; court
house in New Lexington, one summer ; Knox county, Ohio, on bridges,
one season ; remainder of mason work was done principally in Pike
and Jackson townships. In 1848 he bought a farm of forty acres, a part
of which Dicksonton is now built upon, which he sold in 1852 and pur-
chased the farm he now lives upon, containing eighty acres, which had
a hewed log house upon it, and which he has supplanted by a fine brick
mansion, in which he now lives. Was married May 24, 1842, to Mary
McGahan, born December i, 1822, in Pike township, this county,
daughter of James and Francis (Brown) McGahan. They are the
parents of eleven children, viz. : Frances, now in Knox county, Ohio ;
John, married to Julia Ward ; Sarah, married to John Minaugh ; James,
married to Margaret Ankney ; Mary, now in New Mexico ; Patrick,
married to Sarah Cochran ; Mathias, in New Mexico with Mary ;
Catharine, in Knox county, Ohio ; William, in Knox county, Ohio;
Daniel and Monica at home. Mr. Dimond's grandfathers Dimond and
Dempsey were early settlers in America, and lived to good, ripe years.
Mrs. Dimond can remember when deer were plenty, and the wolves
chased the dogs around the house at night time, and knew of a lady, by
the name of Hite, shooting a panther from the window of her dwelling.
Mrs. Dimond is a half sister to Janarius A. McGahan, author of
the " Campaign on the Oxus," " The Fall of Khiva," and " Under the
Northern Lights."
DiTTOE, Peter, deceased ; born July i8th, 1793, in Maryland ; died
Julv 30th, 1868, at Moimt Harrison, near Somerset. Came to Ohio in
1802; served as a volunteer in the war of 1812; was a leading and
successful merchant in Somerset, from 1813 to 1839; married July 4th,
1817, to Miss Ann Spurk, daughter of Peter Spurk, of Chillicothe,
Ohio. They had eleven children, of whom eight survive. He was
recorder of the county, postmaster under John Qiiincy Adams, Jack-
son and Van Buren ; though a staunch Whig, and the devoted
friend of Clay and Ewing. Without ever having seen an or-
gan, and unaided, except from the books, he constructed an
organ for the Catholic church in Somerset, over fift}' years ago, which
is still used there, and which sounded the solemn requiem at his
funeral. He was a close student, a great reader, possessed of ster-
ling integrity, a devout Catholic, an esteemed citizen, a kind parent,
and valued friend. When he and his wife had lived happily for fifty
years, their golden wedding was celebrated at Mount Harrison, the
building on which was erected in 1839. The eight surviving children
are : Elizabeth, married, first, to Joseph Elder, of Emmitsburg, Mary-
land, one son ; second, to Bernard Wagner, lawyer, Evansville, Indi-
ana, one son ; Cecelia, married to Martin F. Scott, merchant, of Somer-
set; Francis R., married, farmer, died in Jackson county, Iowa, leav-
one son and one daughter; Lewis H., married, owner stock ranch,
Idaho, one son ; George M., editor, five sons and one daughter, New-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 387
port, Kentucky; William T., married, lawyer, Davenport, Iowa;
Gertrude, marrfed to E. D. Wiseman, Peoria, Illinois, merchant, one son ;
Peter, Jr., married, farmer, residing at the old homestead, Movmt Har-
rison.
Peter Dittoe, Jr., raised a farmer, left home at the age of nine-
teen, learned telegraphing ; took position in St. Louis as tuner and
repairer of pianos and organs, afterwards in Cincinnati in the same
position, and aiter four 3'ears thus spent, he began business on his own
account. After trying his business in Covington and Baltimore, he
settled in Evansville, Indiana, in 1872, where he became eminently
successful, and in 1879 ^^ returned to Mount Harrison, saved it from
going into the hands of strangers, and is making it his home. Novem-
ber 2ist, 1867, he was united in marriage to Mary Aloysia Zinn, daugh-
ter of Peter Zinn, of Wheeling, West Virginia. It seldom happens
that so young a rnan, starting out in life when only nineteen, succeeds
in achieving sufficient means to purchase so fine an estate, and retiring
so earl}' from active life, surrounded with so many of its real comforts
and means of happiness.
Dittoe, Frank A., born May 9th, 1849, merchant, Somerset, Ohio.
On his birth day, 1882, was married to Miss Mary E., daughter of Hon.
W. E. Finck, of Somerset. His father was Jacob Dittoe, a native of
Lancaster county, Penns3'lvania, who came to Somerset with Frank's
grandfather, Joseph Dittoe, in 1813. The great grandfather, whose
name was also Joseph, came from Alsace, France, where the name is
spelled De Toe. Jacob Dittoe had an uncle John, who went to the
State of New York, — Francis, who died in Pickaway county, Ohio ;
Anthony, who died in Perry county, Ohio ; Peter, who lived and died
in Virginia, — all of whom were brothers of Joseph Dittoe, the grand-
father of Frank. The mother of Jacob, and grandmother of Frank,
was, in her maiden days, a Miss Helen Grimm. The uncles of Frank
A. Dittoe were: John, a farmer of Perry, who died up in ninety years
of age. in Perry count}^ Ohio ; Michael, a carpenter, who died single,
in New Orleans, about the year 1829; Joseph, who was drowned in the
Mississippi River a few years prior to the death of Micheal, and Anthony
Dittoe, the youngest brother of Jacob, who died in Edgar county, Illi-
nois. Frank's father, Jacob Dittoe, was married in 1826 to Miss Sarah
Cain, by Rev. N. D. Young. The daughters born to this wedlock
were: Sarah and Mary, of Washington, D. C, where the latter de-
ceased ; Miss Lizzie and Eugenia, of Somerset, Ohio ; Margaret, wife
of William Dittoe, a lawyer of Davenport, Iowa; and Cecelia, wife of
Hon. T. P. Cox, of Lancaster, Ohio. The sons were: Frank A., the
subject of this sketch, John, and William, who died at the family home-
stead, in Somerset, sole and unmarried, and M. J. Dittoe, who went to
the City of New York nearly thirty years ago, engaged as carpenter
and architect, never married, and amassed a large fortune, which he
divides liberally with his only surviving brother, Frank A., and the
kindred of his household. In 1879 ^^^ writer obtained the following
facts from the lips of Jacob Dittoe, then in his seventy-eighth year :
There was not a house on Columbus street, Somerset, in 1813,
and not one brick house in all the town. It had two taverns, and one
dry goods store. Then, too, there was not a house in Zanesville from
388 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
the present site of the court house there to the river bank — all commons,
cow pasture, etc. Then Lancaster had but two dr}^ goods stores, and
the "Ohio Eagle" newspaper, St. Joseph's being the first Catholic
church in Ohio. There came thither, not only the sons and daughters
of the church to worship, but to enter the holy bonds of wedlock. Then,
as now, no loyal daughter of the church would marry Catholic or
Protestant husband who refused to be united in wedlock by a priest of
Mother Church. Here the elder Thomas Ewing, afterwards the great
jurist, lawer, and statesman, of Lancaster, came to marry his wife, a
Catholic daughter of Hugh Boyle, Clerk of Fairfield Common Pleas
Court. Mr. Ewing had no notion of doing without a beautiful and
charming wife because of such exacting rules of his wife's church, since
these did not bind him to become a Catholic, but only the husband of a
Catholic wife, which latter was agreeable to his preferences. It is a
singular fact that the same priest, Rev. N. D. Young, who performed
the marriage service, also performed the funeral service of^ this well
known man.
Donaldson, Wm. A., of the firm of Tussing & Donaldson, attor-
neys-at-law. New Lexington, Ohio, was born December 21, 1853, in
Hocking county, Ohio, son of Joshua and Catharine (Marlow) Donald-
son. Young Donaldson was graduated at Denison University, at
Granville, Ohio, in 1876. He began teaching school when about seven-
teen, and taught three terms. In the spring of 1877 began reading law,
and was admitted to the bar in the fall of 1878. Began practice with
A. W. Scott, firm name, Scott & Donaldson, which was dissolved in
September, 1880, when the present firm was formed.
Donnelly, J. J., Justice of the Peace, Monroe township, Corning,
Ohio; born December 21, 1831, in Reading township, Perry county,
Ohio ; son of Hugh and Susannah (Galley) Donnelly. Hugh Donnelly
is a native of county Tyrone, Ireland ; was born February 22, 1794,
came to America in 182 1, and is now living in Perry county, Ohio.
Susannah Galley was born in Maryland, of German ancestors. They
became the parents often children, viz. : Mar3^ married to LeviSisler ;
twins, died not named ; Susannah ; Joseph Patrick, married to Rose
McGonnagle ; John Joseph, the subject of this sketch: Owen, died in
childhood ; Catharine, married first to Patrick Daugherty, and second
to David Webster ; Eliza, died in infancy ; Elizabeth, married to Elijah
Blizzard. John Joseph, named before, was brought up on a farm, began
teaching school at eighteen years of age, and taught thirt3'-nine terms.
Has resided in Pike, Bearfield, Pleasant and Monroe townships. Perry
county, Ohio, and one year in Miami county, Ohio. He enlisted May
4, 1864, in Co. B, 1 60th Regt., O. N. G., and served four months. In
1880 Mr. Donnelly discovered the greatest deposit of iron ore in
Perry county, Ohio, one mile south of Oakfield, Pleasant township. He
also has made several discoveries of valuable deposits of iron ore since.
Mr. Donnelly was elected Justice of the Peace of Monroe township, this
county, in May, 1881. Esquire Donnelly was married August 31,
1858, to Miss Elizabeth Caroline, daughter of Patrick and Mary Ann
(O'Ferry) Toole. They are the parents of five living children, viz. :
Annie Isabel, Hugh Dessadarius, Philip A., Loretto Susannah, and
John Sylvester. Patrick Toole was a native of the city of Cork, Ire-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 389
land. Mary Ann O'Ferry was a native of County Donegal, Ireland.
Drake, J. M., Monroe township, carpenter, Corning, Ohio; was
born March 24, 1847, in Pennsville, Morgan county, Ohio; son of C.
D. and Hannah (Rusk) Drake. Mr. Drake was brought up from four
years of age to his twenty-first year in Ringold, Morgan county, Ohio,
where he learned his trade, and' at the age of twenty-one years he went
into business for himself. Was married January 7, 1869, to Miss Sarah
E. Shell, who was born June 15, 1852, in Morgansville, Morgan county,
Ohio; daiighter of John and Mary (Dawson) Shell. They are the
parents of four children, viz. : Ara Ellen, Hannah Louisa, Patience
Elizabeth and Austin Hermon. After his marriage he lived in Morgan
count}', Ohio, for eleven 3^ears, when he moved to where he now lives
May II, 1880. Mr. Drake's father was born in Alexandria county,
Virginia, and came to Ohio at an early day and settled on Wolf creek,
Morgan countv, where he lived up to the time of his death, September
18, 1879. His mother, Hannah Rusk, was born in Perry count}-, Ohio,
and moved into Morgan county when a child, where she lived to the
time of her death, October 3,"^ 1875. ^^'- C. D. and Hannah Rusk
Drake became the parents of ten children, viz. : Rachel D., married to
Franklin Amos ; Sarah, died October 25, 1874, ^^^ married to Richard
Williams : Matilda, luarried to John Hanesworth ; George E., died in
Andersonville prison, August 12, 1864; H. D., died June 10, 1882, jn
Corning ; J. M., the subject of this sketch ; Elizabeth J., first married
to Asbury Kirkbridge, who died April 5, 1874; married the second time
to Thomas Hamilton ; Lucy E., married to Charles Scott ; William C,
died November 30, 1878, and Mary C, died September 2, 1875.
Driver, Esther, Shawnee, Ohio, was born June 29, 1831, in Car-
marthenshire, Wales; daughter of John and Ann (Hopkins) Jenkins.
Mrs. Driver came to America in September of 185/, landing in New
York and going thence via Syracuse to Meigs county, Ohio, where
she joined her husband, James Driver, who had preceded her in emi-
gration some four years. Mr. Driver had been a collier in Wales, and
was engaged in mining at this place, which remained their home for
fifteen years. Upon the breaking out of the Rebellioii he enlisted in
Company A, Fourth Regiment, Va. V. L, servinghis full time, and was
honorably discharged, returning home and moving to Shawnee in
August of 1872, living here until February, 1875, when he departed
this life, and was buried in the Shawnee cemetery. There were few
houses in this place upon their coming, and they were obliged to take
shelter in a barn, but now enjov a good frame dwelling for their home.
Mrs. Driver was married May 30, 185 1, to James, son of James and
Margaret (Bassett) Driver. Thev became the parents of six children,
now living, viz. : Ann, Mary J., James, William, Elizabeth and Esther,
and two who are deceased, Margaret and John. A peculiarity of the
family is that only two of the children can see sufficiently to read. Some
of the girls have been educated in the Blind Asylum, and have become
proficient musicians, and give concerts, by which they are enabled to
assist in obtaining a livelihood.
Droege, Edward T., was born March 22, i8i7,in the city of Dub-
lin, L^eland. His father was of German descent, and landed in Ireland
as a soldier. Edward, at a tender age, came to America with two
SgO BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
brothers and a sister, married to Lawrence Gill, who died in Philadel-
phia. His father's name was Hardwick Droege, and his brothers were
William, deceased in Philadelpeia ; John, who also died in Philadel-
phia, after his discharge from service in the army. He has two sons
living. At the age of seventeen Edward went to the saddler trade,
and served over three years as an apprentice. Soon after he followed
his brother John to New Orleans, on board a mail ship, starting Decem-
ber 23, 1838, and found the climate, after getting into the gulf stream,
extremely pleasant, and the voyage very agreeable, lasting twent3'-one
days. He found his brother there as if by accident, and both being of
the same trade, found their way back to Cincinnati, where they found
an old shopmate of the same trade, by the name of Thornhill. They
finally arrived in Somerset, and both obtained work ; John with Thomas
Wiles, Edward with George M. Houser and John Poorman, now of
Tiffin, Ohio, whose shops were located on the Dittoe corner, where Gen-
eral Law had carried on the same business. At that date, February,
1839, there were five saddler shops in Somerset, some of these em-
ploying six workmen, of which H. C. Filler was one. Somerset then
enjoyed the entire trade in saddler}^ for the whole county, and 'Squire
McDonald, of Monroe township, was a customer. Edward Droege
went to Zanesville to find the trunks he had left at Cincinnati, intend-
ing to go on to Philadelphia, but the fact of not finding them brought
him back to Somerset, where he has remained ever since. Four or
five months afterward Peter Smith found the trunks at Newark by
accident, and they were then hauled to Somerset. Much trade then
went by wagon to Newark from Perry county. Edward worked as
a journeyman saddler to the year 1845. He was married November
22, 1840, to Cecelia R. Finck. They have living eight children —
Mary ; Maria, married to Samuel Eder, residence Somerset ; Charles,
married to Ellen McEntire, residence Indianapolis, Indiana ; Agnes ;
Julia, married to John Slinger, residence Bogstown, Indiana; Edward,
married to Emma Migga, Indianapolis, Indiana : Lucy, married to
Edward Droege, residence Indianapolis ; Cecelia. Mr. Droege is
a man of high character and persevering industry, and as an evi-
dence of his sterling integrity, he has served nineteen years as
township treasurer, and for many years also as town and school district
treasurer, which offices he is still holding. He is found every day at
his saddler shop, where the business is carried on under the firm and
style of Droege & Frymute. No man in Somerset works more days in
a year, or relies more exclusively on his labor for a livelihood, than
Edward Droege.
Duckworth, Ralph, collier, Shawnee, O. ; was born February 7,
1856, in Steubenville, Ohio ; son of James and Ann Duckworth. Was
removed from his native city during his infancy to Syracuse, Meigs
county, Ohio, remaining with his father in that place until he was twen-
ty years of age, from where he came to Shawnee, and where he has
remained up to this time, with the exception of three months, when he
took a trip to Niagara Falls, Buffalo, New York, and Saginaw, Michigan,
from whence he made a seven weeks' trip on the lake, and from Sagi-
naw returned home. Has been employed at different kinds of work in
the mines since coming to the place. Mr. Duckworth was married De-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 39I
cember 7th, 1876, to Isabel, daughter of Robert and Dorothy Kirton, of
Missouri, near St. Louis, whose home, at the time of her marriage,
was in Shawnee, Ohio. The}^ are the parents of one child living, viz. :
James, and two deceased ; Daisy, and one who died in infancy.
Duffy, Peter, was born in Madison county. New York, January
8th, 1837 ; moved to Chapel Hill, Perry county, Ohio, in 1841 ; taught
school in Monroe township from 1859 ^^ 1863. Was married in i860
to Lydia S. Tinker. Moved to New Lexington in 1864, and engaged
in the mercantile business with Ogle, Yeoman & Co., until 1866. Was
elected to the office of Clerk of Courts in November, 1866, and filled
that office until February, 1876. Soon after his election to this office,
he bought an interest in the New Lexington Herald, and was one of
the proprietors eight years ; first, under the firm name of Butler, Duffy
& Meloy, afterwards Duffy, Green & Meloy ; and still later, Duffy &
Meloy. After leaving the office of Clerk, he sold his interest in the
Herald and engaged in mercantile business, in which he has been en-
gaged ever since. He has been an active and influential worker in the
Democratic party.
DuNLAP, John, born June 28th, 1834, ^^ Muskingum county, Ohio;
a working man, whose post office is Somerset, Ohio. His father, Adam
Dunlap, a native of Virginia, died at Point Pleasant, Virginia, at the
age of fift3^-eight years, a member of Compau}^ C, Thirteenth Virginia
Infantr}^. The mother of John Dunlap was Lydia Bozman, eldest
daughter of Benjamin and Priscilla Bozman, whose maiden name was
Brady, and whose sister is the wife of Benjamin Norrisof New Lexing-
ton. The grandfather of John was Josiah Dunlap, whose wife was
Sarah Cox. The ancestry is Scotch-L"ish. John Dunlap enlisted in
Company G, Fourth Regiment of West Virgfinia, afterward consoli-
dated with the Second Veteran Virginia Infantr}-. He taught school in
1856, andyvas married January r4th, 1858, to Miss Elmira, daughter of
Thomas and Martha Davis, a native of Muskingum county, Ohio.
Her parents went back to Virginia, when she was quite young. She
has five sisters and two brothers. Mr. and Mrs. Dunlap have four
children, all of whom are deceased. They have an adopted son, Wil-
liam Benton Dunlap, whom they took at the age of two years. He is
now past sixteen. A former playmate of Mr. Dunlap, Mr. John Laugh-
lin, whose wife and three children are deceased, finds a welcome and
happy home with the friend of his childhood. John Dunlap, who has been
in twenty-seven battles for the Union, owes his life to his wife's presence
when sick in hospital ; where she also was taken sick, sent home on a
free pass from Colonel Lightburn, after which she renewed her devotion
to the Union cause by attendance on the sick. John Dunlap was taken
prisoner by Mosby, and with twenty-one others drew lots to decide
which of these were to die. He was an inmate of Libby prison, and
had the good luck to capture the rebel guerrilla. Captain Mobly. This
Mobly had seven men, who would dress in blue uniform, assume duty
on our picket lines and fix themselves for all kinds of mischief. This
Mobly was the son of a widow whose residence overlooked the valley
before, and sat at the foot of a mountain behind. Private John Dunlap
was sent out to capture Mobly by strategy, a task to which he seems to
have been fully equal, for he marched Mobly into camp at the point of
392 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
the bayonet. The full particulars of this capture are extremely thril-
ling, and exemplify the daring and address of the soldier and his cap-
tive, but too lengthy for insertion here. He is always hospitable, and has
a Virginia welcome to his visitors. His head is tv^entv-two and a fourth
inches ; weight, one hundred and sixty-five to one hundred and ninety
pounds : height, Hve feet, eleven and one-half inches.
Dunn, John V., of the firm of Dunn & McTeague, druggists,
Rendville, Ohio, was born Ma}^ 14, 1855, in Pike township. Perry
county, Ohio; son of James and Elizabeth (Ward) Dunn, of Irish de-
scent. John V. was brought up on the farm and taught school five
years. In the spring of 1880, began the drug business at Junction City,
Ohio, and established the present firm in the spring of 1882.
DuNWOODY, Jacob, born 1818, in Lancaster county, Pennsyl-
vania; post office, Thornville ; occupation, for forty years, shoe
and boot maker. Son of James Dunwoody, a native of Ireland, and
who married a Miss Margaret Sponhauer, a native of Pennsylvania,
and of German descent. Both parents died in Pennsylvania. He had
three brothers — one Levi, still living ; post office, Bareville, Pennsylva-
nia ; John, who died near Pleasantville in 1839, and one who died young.
He had an only sister, who also died young. Father James died at the
age of fifty-eight years, after being a widower several years. Both pa-
rents were Lutherns in belief^ Had he voted in 1840, the year he came
to Ohio, Jacob would then have cast his ballot for General Harrison, be-
lieving Van Buren to have been extravagant, as charged. In 1850 he
was married to Miss Emsey, daughter of the late venerable Thomas
Smith, a native of Virginia, and who was one of the earl}^ settlers in
Somerset, Ohio. But two of the seven children of this marriage are
now living, the others having died while 3^et in tender years. I'he sur-
viving son is Thomas Dunwoody, for many years a clerk in the drv
goods house of Seth Johnson, Glenfbrd, Ohio, for several years, and
now the clerk of Hopewell township, and the husband of Nelia Graves,
daughter of B. F. Graves of Somerset, a Virginian by birth, and, like
the father of her husband, a shoemaker by occupation. The surviving
daughter is Miss Anna, who is mistress of the homestead since the
death of her mother in i860, since when her father has remained a wid-
ower, carrying on a prosperous business in Thornville. Jacob Dun-
woody has served his township as Justice of the Peace, Treasurer, etc.,
and no more faithful servant in these stations ever honored them by ac-
ceptance and service. He never used strong drink except in modera-
tion, never used tobacco, and for some years past drinks wine and cider
of his own manufacture. While his weight is only one hundred and
thirty povmds, his head measures twent3'-three and five-eights inches
around, and his heighth five feet eight inches. He is a member of no
church, and his views are liberal and conservative.
DuPLER, Gilbert W., formerly marshal of New Lexington, Ohio,
was born August 16, 1854, i" Millville, Hocking county, Ohio; son of
Noah and Elizabeth (Williams) Dupler. His father's ancestors were
German, iiis mother's English. At the age of twelve he came to this
place, and began the carpenter trade at the age of fifteen, and followed
it three years. Then he took the mail contract on route No. 21,243,
from this place to Chancey, and held the place four years. He was
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 393
elected to his present office April 5, 1880. Marshal Dupler was mar-
ried April 16, 1878, to Miss Almeda M., daughter of Lyman and Eliza-
beth (Rambo) Richards. They are the parents of three children, viz. :
Burt F, and Roy, F. (twins), born March 19, 1879, ^"^ now, Decem-
ber, 1881, their weights are equal ; and Mort E., born August 15, 1881.
Marshal Dupler is a member of Compan}- A, Seventeenth O. N. G.,
having enlisted in this company in March, 1878.
Dupler, Thomas, merchant, Pleasant township ; post office, Mox-
ahala ; born in Athens count}', August 14, 1846; son of Samuel and
Elizabeth (Edwards) Dupler. His father was of Irish descent, and his
mother of English ; both were natives of Pennsylvania, and came to the
State in 1835. ^^^^ father was a shoemaker, resided in this county, and
died in Athens county. Thomas Dupler enlisted in 1863, in the One
Hundred and Twenty-ninth O. V. I., and remained in the service until
the close of the war in 1865. He was sergeant. After the close of the
war, he farmed until 1872, when he went into the drug business at Mox-
ahala. He is also proprietor of a dry goods store at Moxahala, and a
wholesale liquor store atRendville. He is postmaster at Moxahala. He
is married to Sarah Biddison of Athens county. They are the parents
of four children, viz. : Clarence, Harley, Fred and William.
DusENBURY, J. W., editor, publisher and proprietor of the Inde-
pendent, New Lexington, Ohio, was born June 22, 1858, in Harrison
township, Perry county, Ohio ; son of A. J. and Sarah (Hitchcock)
Dusenbury. At the close of the late civil war Mrs. Dusenbury, with
her children then at home, moved to New Lexington, where she has
since resided, and where J. W. spent his boyhood days in attending
school at the public school of this place, making such rapid strides in his
studies that at the early age of sixteen years he graduated with the first
graduating class of this place. Soon after graduating he became a
teacher, and with good success taught in several parts of the county,
the last year of his teaching being in the grammar school department
of his own village. In 1880 he was emplo3'ed by a Chicago publishing
house as general agent, and for them traveled over the States of West
Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio, remaining with them until
the fall of 1881, when he returned to New Lexington, and in partnership
with Mr. A. F. Moore founded the newspaper known as the Independent,
which, by diligent and faithful effort upon their part, soon became one
of the leading and most prosperous journals in the county, of which
its widespread circulation is convincing evidence. In 1882, A. F. Moore
retiring from the newspaper business, Mr, Dusenbury became sole pro-
prietor, which he successfully manages, in connection with his school
teaching. A business so aptly managed, by one so 3"Oung, certainly
points to better things in the future, as well as being an evidence of
prosperity at the present. Mr. Dnsenbur}' is one of a family of four
children, viz. : Josie, married aud living near Beverl3^ Washington
county, Ohio ; Jemima, who resides with her husband, Mr. Columbus
Pletcher, of Junction City, Ohio; and William J., who, having grad-
uated at the head of his class in the New Lexington High School at the
age of only fifteen years, is at present teaching. Mr. Dusenbury's
great grandfather, John Dusenbury, came to Perry county in 1802,
and settled on Bear Run, in Bearfield township. His grandfather,
394 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Benjamin Dusenbury, was also one of the oldest settlers, and here
passed through the ordeal of a pioneer life, which is so well told else-
where in this history. Mr. Dusenbury's father was among the first
to take up arms in defense of his country in the time of the late
Rebellion, having enlisted in 1861, and served over three years with the
famous Thirtieth O. V. I., participating in all its battles, and at last
laid down his life to fill a soldier's grave. His memory is perpetuated
with those of fallen comrades by the monument reared in New Lexing-
ton by the then surviving members of the regiment. Mr. Dusenbury's
ancestors, upon his mother's side of the house, were of English descent.
His grandfather, Wesley Hitchcock, came, when a boy, from Mary-
land to Ohio wath his father, who, on account of his anti-slavery prin-
ciples, left that State and came to what was then the frontier, having
freed all his slaves before starting, prefering to endure the hardships of
the Western wilds to the wealth and affluence of a wrong-doing, slave-
driving State. J. W. is at present residing with his mother in New
Lexington.
Ebert, J. M., post ofiice, McLuney, hotel proprietor and liveryman.
Born in Morgan county, Ohio, in 1842. Came to Perry count}^ in 1880 ;
married in September, 1866, to Miss Anna E. Brown, daughter of Wil-
liam M. and Amanda (Pickro}-) Brown. They are the parents of two
children, viz. : Minnie E., and John D. Mr. Ebert enlisted in the war
of the Rebellion in 1862, in Company I, 114th O. V. L, and was en-
gaged in the following battles : Chickasaw Bluft', Arkansas Post, Black
River Bridge, Champion Hill, Siege of Vicksburg, Fort Blakely, and
Alexandria.
Edwards, William, collier, Shawnee, Ohio. Was born May 18,
1826, in Tredegar, Monmouthshire, Wales, son of John and Mary
(Davis) Edwards. Mr. Edwards was raised a collier, and lived in
Tredegar, except one year he spent at Aberdare, Glanmorganshire,
and followed his business in that country until 1862, when he came to
America, landing in New York, from where he went to Broad Top,
Pennsylvania, where he spent about five months, and was engaged in
Kanawha, West Virginia, and Ironton, Ohio, about ten months, when
he returned to his native home, where he remained about six 3'ears, and
again emigrated to America, and returned to Broad Top, Pennsylva-
nia, and to Trusco, Pennsylvania, where he remained about three months,
and as follows: Mason City, W. Va., one year; Ironton, Ohio, about
two years ; and from whence he came to Shawnee, Ohio, where he has
remained to this time, and is comfortably situated in his own dwelling,
having lived here about eight years. Mr. Edwards has property in
Wales, willed to him by his father, that in 1854 was valued at 900 pounds.
His father died in 1856, but the property has not yet come into his pos-
session. While in West Virginia, and just after the breaking out of
the war he was arrested in going to Kanawha, W. Va., but was passed
through and made his hazardous trip between the fire of two armies.
Mr. Edwards was married October 10, 1848, to Catharine, daughter of
David and Mary (Davis) Williams, of Carmarthenshire, Wales. They
are the parents of six children, viz. : Mar}^ married to Benjamin M,
Morgan ; John, William, Catharine, married to Evan E. Evans ; David,
and Lizzie A.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 395
Edwards, David W., collier, Shawnee, Ohio. Was born June 17,
1842, in Cardiganshire, South Wales, son of John and Jane (Rowlands)
Edwards. When David W. was two years old he lost his father, and at
nine years of age he lost his mother, at which time he went to li\'e with
his uncle, brother of his father, who attempted to compel Edward, when
he was twelve years of age, to go to the shoemaker's trade, when he
left his uncle and went to his grandfather, with whom he stayed one
year, and then went to a second cousin, and herded sheep for him on
Plinlimmon Mountains for six months, after which he lived with a farmer
by the name of Moganes, working one year, and hired with another
farmer by the name of Owens and worked six months, and returned to
his birthplace and lived with his sister, working in coal mines two years
and six months ; again hired to work on a farm for eighteen months
with Morgan Davis, and went to the Deliv}'^ mines where he remained"
four months ; then to Lancashire, England ; St. Ellen mines a short
time, and then to Brimbo miijes, Denbigshire, North Wales, and
returned to Deliv}- mines, sta3nng a short time ; he then began
railroading in Murraysville, North Wales working about four months.
Emigrated to America, landing in New York, September 12, 1863,
and went direct to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, staying until July, 1864,
at which time he enlisted in the Pennsylvania National Guard, one
hundred days service, and served four months in INIaryland and
Pennsylvania. After receiving his discharge in November, 1864, he
went to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where he re-enlisted, but did
not go into service because of the close of the war. In Jul}^ 1865, he
returned to Pittsburgh, remaining until July, 1868, when he went to
Irondale, Jefferson county, Ohio, and went to Canton, Stark county
Ohio, then to Coshocton, Ohio, sta3nng but a short time in each place,
and from there went to Bristol, this county, working one year on tun-
nel; in April, 1871, came to Shawnee, Ohio, where he has made his
home to this time excepting four months he was in Hocking Valley as
a mine boss. In February, 1882, he went to southwest Missouri, where
he bought a farm, and returned in March of the same year. Mr. Ed-
wards was married, December, 1865, to Maggie, daughter of David
and Margaret (Jones) Davis. They are the parents of six living child-
ren, viz. : David J., Jennie Y., Horace G., Rebecca, William, and
Annie.
Edwards, Josrph, Rendville, Ohio, was born March 5, 1849, in
Lancashire, England, son of Robert and Grace (Hall) Edwards. Mr.
Edwards was reared and lived in the place of his nativity until May 7th,
1870, when he came to America, taking shipping at Liverpool and land-
ing at Qiiebec, from where he went to Leetonia, Columbiana county,
Ohio, and remained until 1879, and on March nth moved to Moxahala,
whence he moved to Millertown on the i6th day of June in the
same year ; on the July following became toRendsville, Ohio, where he
has remained up to this time, January, 1883. Mr. Edwards was mar-
ried Jul}' 12, 1873, at Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, to Miss Frances,
daughter of George and Alice (Moores) Chadwick, of Lancashire,
England. While living in England he was engaged at the age of nine
years in the Waterloo Limes Coalery, where he was employed until
November, 1869, when he met with an accident as he was engaged
396 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
upon an incline, catching his right arm between a train of ten loaded
cars and a pulley, completely crushing it so that amputation was ren-
dered necessary, which was performed in seventeen days afterward, a
loss he has severely felt. In Leetonia he was employed in the Cherry
Valley mines by Mr. Zachariah Tetlow, where he hitched cars at the
bottom of a slope. Was employed in a mine while at Moxahala. During
his stay at Millertown he peddled jewelry and notions, and upon coming
to Rendville he opened his present business.
Elder, Levi, was born 1825 in Perr^^ count}^. He is a son of Rob-
ert Elder and Susannah (Haines), who came to Ohio in 1818. Robert
died in 1867, in his eighty-first year, and Susannah followed him No-
vember 20, 1881, in her eighty-ninth year. Their children were Sarah
Kelsey, Joel, Mary Middaugh, Levi, Asbury, Charlotte Durrh, Simeon
and Cyrus, who was last heard from in Arkansas some seven years
since. The children of Levi and his wife, who was Miss Amy R.
Rutherford, are Artamesa, Samantha Ellen, and Eva May. Their two
sons died of diptheria. His daughter Artamesa is married to Mr.
George W. Zartman. Levi never had a law suit, never was a juryman,
and was but twice called as a witness, and is opposed to capital
punishment. The famil^^ is of Scotch-German descent, including Rob-
ert and his two brothers, William and John, who came with Robert to
Ohio. The Elder family, now extensive, is generally distinguished for
its thrift, its Protestant piety, its industry, and its success in business
life. Levi has added to the one hundred and seventy-three ancestral
acres, where he resides, one hundred and sixty acres in Jackson town-
ship, and pays nearl}^ $100 of State taxes annuall}-.
Elder, Asbury. born Februar}^ 10, 1827, in Reading township.
Farmer and grazer. April 13, 1848 was married to Charlotte Durrh.
Bought the farm of two hundred and seven acres v/here he now resides
in 1854, for the sum of $5,175. His children are Levi Ellis Elder, hus-
band of Hannah, daughter of Thomas Middaugh ; Jacob Elder, hus-
band of Martha, daughter of C. Henrv, whose wife was Rachel Hodge ;
A. P. Elder, husband of Emma, daughter of Adam Householder; Mis-
souri, wife of David, son of Tobias Ream ; Minnesota, Matilda, Iowa,
Mary Eliza, Hannah Loucevia, Melzena, Callie Barbara, and John
Durrh Porter Elder. Mr. Elder is a brother of Levi, of Reading town-
ship. His first tax receipt was as low down as $2 to $3. paid to General
John Lidey. Since then they have run to $100 and over. He was in
the one hundred da3's' service. Plis wife died April 7, 1880. His
house is of brick, and is two-story, well finished and very comfortable.
The inside finish of his dwelling cost $1,000, and no house in Perry
county extends more freely a generous hospitality to its friends and visi-
tors. He is of the Brethren church belief, opposed to secret societies ;
a Republican in politics ; a peace maker in the neighborhood and church
affairs ; a true friend and a generous foe.
Elder, D. R., Shawnee, Ohio, proprietor of the American House,
was born August 15, 1832, in Fairfield county, Ohio, and is the son of
Jesse and Isabelle (Pugh) Elder. Mr. Elder was raised a farmer. At
the age of sixteen years he went to Delaware, Ohio, and attended the
Ohio Wesleyan University about one year, when the college was sus-
pended on account of the cholera in the fall of 1852, which obliged him
HISTORY OF PERRY C ")UNTY. 397
to seek some other quarters, when he went to Sugar Grove, Fairheld
county, Ohio, and engaged in school teaching up to 1862, after which
he went into the mercantile business, keeping a line of general mer-
chandise, and he was so successful in this line that in the year of 1864
his business reached the sum of thirty-seven thousand dollars. He
continued in business in this place up to 1873, when he went to Logan,
Hocking countv, Ohio, where he was again engaged in mercantile
business up to 1875. In April of 1877 ^^^ moved to Shawnee, Ohio,
and entered the hotel business, where he has remained up to this
present time. From 1863 to 1873 he was post master at Sugar Grove ;
was township clerk eight years, and mayor two y.ears, at Sugar Grove,
also. Mr. Elder was married March 25, 1855, ^^ Martha, daughter of
Enoch and Amanda (Powell) Van Dyke, of Svigar Grove. They are
the parents of nine children, viz. : Eliza J., Charles Cyrus, James
Madison, Clara Isabelle. Edward Ellsworth, Rosa Ellen, David Rees,
Joseph Ray and Franklin. Of these David Rees is deceased ; Eliza
Jane is married to Arthur McGarey, of Floodwood. Athens county,
Ohio. Mr. Elder's father was born in Frederick county, Maryland,
and his mother in Westmoreland county, Virginia. His grandfather
came to Perrv county, Ohio, in 1816, from the slave states, having lib-
erated his slaves ; but four of them would come with him, for whose
good behavior he was obliged to give security upon entering into Ohio.
He was a farmer, and settled in Somerset, Ohio.
Elder, Joseph P., overseer at Fannie furnace, Shawnee, Ohio, was
born May 6, 1845, in Seneca county, Ohio ; son of Thomas and Ellen
(McGoghin) Elder. Mr. Elder was raised to the age of eight or nine
years upon a farm, when his father bought a grist mill near Thorn ville,
where he moved, and lived from about 1854 ^^ 1861. At this time
he moved to near St. Joseph's Church, and built a grist mill, -which he
run until about 1868. In 1865, Joseph P., the subject of this sketch,
went into business for himself, running an engine and sawing lumber,
and also grinding. In 1868 he began farming, which he followed for
about sixteen months, near Somerset, this county, and, changing farms,
remained the next place about one year, when he moved to Shawnee,
where he has remained up to this time, and has been engaged as
follows : kept a boarding-house three years ; at this time he moved
into his own property, where he still lives, keeping boarding-hoiise
and mining at N. Y. mines about three months, where he was injured
by the falling of a soapstone rock upon his foot. After his recovery he
assisted in grading the foundation of the XX Iron Furnace, and until
the furnace was completed, when he became top filler, w^orking onh^
about five or six weeks, when he was badl}^ burned b}^ a stip-slip in the
furnace, which disabled him for about two months. After recovering
he was again employed by the same company, and in all continued
with them about eighteen months after the furnace started, and about
two years altogether. At this time he was elected street commissioner,
and served two years, when he again mined six or seven months, at N.
Y. mine, after which he ran a saw mill and hauled water from the mine
about six months ; drove team for Finlev B. McGrew about two months,
and then engaged with the Fannie Furnace Company as top filler,
working three or four months, and at New York top filling about two
398 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
months, when he returned to Fannie furnace as overseer of laboring
hands, which position he still holds. He was married April 25, 1865,
to Miss Mary, daughter of Patrick and Mary (McElroy) O'Brien.
They are the parents of seven children, viz.: Thomas H., Sarah C,
Mary Ellen, Emily B., Charles Pius, Martha Cecelia, and John
Francis.
Elder, J. C, coal dealer. New Lexington, Ohio ; born October 31,
1837, ^n Somerset, Perry county ; son of James and Mary (Linch)
Elder. The former was a native of Maryland, and was brought in
1814 to Reading township by his parents, who located within one mile
of the present town of Somerset, and brought up a family of seven or
eight children. J. C.'s mother was a daughter of John Linch, of Zanes-
ville, a native of Ireland. J. C.'s grandfather Elder was one of the
emigrants who came with Lord Baltimore, and settled in Maryland.
The subject of this sketch was brought up in Cla3'ton township, where
his father was proprietor of a flour and saw mill, and died at the age
of eighty-two years, and by his request was buried at St. Joseph's, on
a spot of ground cleared by his own hands many years before. J. C.
was engaged in the coal business from 1859 ^° 1868, under the firm
name of Elder & Sons. He established a furniture and undertaking
business in this place in 1870, which he followed until 1881. Mr. Elder
was married in 1862 to Miss Catharine, daughter of James "and Mar-
garet (Fealt}') Meenan. They became the parents of six children, viz. :
William, James, Annie Rose, Katie (deceased), Frances V., and Char-
les J. (deceased). Mrs. Elder died August 15, 1880.
Elder, Daniel N., brick mason and contractor. New Lexington,
Ohio ; born May 2, 1845, in Tiffin, Seneca county, Ohio, son of Thomas
and Ellen (McGlaughhn) Elder. John Elder is a native of America;
Ellen McJ^aughlin, of L'eland. Daniel N. Elder began business for
himself by running a portable saw mill, and followed it four years, when
he went to his present trade. Mr. Elder was married February 3, 1879,
to Miss Rosa, sister of John J. and James F. Conly, of New Lexington,
Mr. Elder has been contractor and builder of some of the best buildings
in Perry county, Ohio.
Emery, Dr. Glen A., phvsician and surgeon, Rendville, Ohio ; was
born December 18, 1850, in Limerick Square, Montgomery county,
Pennsylvania, son of Jacob and Mary (Razor) Emery. Dr. Emery's
father moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he lived for nine
years when he removed to Brookville, Pennsylvania. In the above
places Dr. Emery was brought up and remained in the latter place un-
til 1879. Dnring his stay at that place he studied medicine with Drs.
C. M. and W. F. Watson. He attended lectures at Columbus, Medi-
cal College of Ohio, and received a diploma of graduation in the spring
of 1879. After receiving his diploma he went to Crestline, Ohio, where
he entered the practice of medicine and surgery, in copartnership with
Dr. C. W. Jenner of that place, and remained there eighteen months,
at the end of which tin\e they dissolved partnership, and Dr. Emery
came to this place one year and six months ago and began his present
practice, in which he has been signally successful. In surgery he has
performed some very difficult operations, viz. : Two of trepanning, one
provmg successful ; six successful amputations, and quite a number of
* HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 399
fractures have come under his successful treatment. As a young phy-
sician, Dr. Emery certainly has had a very large experience ; and of
such a nature has it been, as to test his ability in his chosen field of use-
fulness, and surely few have been so eminently successful. Dr. Emerj'-
was married June i6, 1869, to Olive B., daughter of the Hon. R. J. and
Anna (Anderson) Nicholson, of Brookville, Pennsylvania. This union
has been blessed by two children, viz. : Robert and Etta.
Essex, Calvin, grocer, baker and undertaker. New Straitsville,
Ohio ; was born August 5, 1848, in Noble county, Ohio, son of Nathan
H. and Elizabeth J. (Morris) Essex. Mr. Essex was raised a farmer,
and followed agricultural pursuits until he was twenty years of age. At
this date he began mining coal at what is known as Lick Run, doing
the first work at the mine, of which Jno. G. Edwards was President;
remaining there until February of 1871, at which time he came to this
place, where he has been emplo3'ed as follows : Contracting with
and moving the coal for the Straitsville Coal and Iron Company, fur-
nishing teams until 1874, '^''^^ ^^^^ mining during this time. Closing his
contract with the aforesaid company, he engaged with the Patterson
Coal Mining Company, opening and starting that mine, which required
his attention until May of 1877, at which time he opened a feed store in
this place, and in the following fall he added to his business a grocery
and bakery, and again in 1880 he added that of undertaking, all of
which he still continues up to this time. Mr. Essex served as council-
man of this place from 1878 to 1880. Was married December 22, 1871,
to Miss Evaleen Stalter, born April 20, 1850, in Logan county, Ohio,
daughter of Wm. and Jane (Rose) Stalter. They are the parents of
three children, viz. : Zelda Llewella, Charles Summerbell and Mabel
Ehzabeth.
EssiNGTON, George, farmer, Rehoboth post office, Clayton town-
ship ; born in Perry county, Ohio, in 1837, ^^^ o^ William and Edith
(McConnell) Essington. The former died in 1874; the latter in 1866.
They were natives of Pennsylvania, and came here about the year 1830.
Mr. Essington was married in 1875, to Miss Durenda Frampton. Mr.
Essington enlisted in the late war in 1861, in Compan}- G, Thirty-fourth
Regiment, Lyman J. Jackson, Captian ; engaged in the battles of Stone
River, Corinth and Chickamauga.
Essington, William, farmer, Rehoboth post office ; born in Perry-
county, Ohio, in 1838, son of William and Edith (McConnell) Essing-
ton. The former died in 1874 '•> ^^"^^ latter in 1866. They were natives
of Penns3'lvania. Mr. Essington was married in 1865 to Miss Acta
Fowler, of New Lexington, Ohio. They are the parents of two chil-
dren, viz. : William C. and Josie.
Eversole, John, farmer. Mount Perry post office ; born in 1808, on
Baldwin's Run, Fairfield county, Ohio, son of Peter, a native of Lan-
caster county, Pennsylvania, wlio emigrated to Ohio a few years prior
to the birth of his son, John. Peter came to Hopewell township. Perry
county when John was six years old, and settled on sections one and
twelve, in 1814. John has therefore lived longer on one farm than any
other citizen of Hopewell township, except, perhaps, John Fullerton.
He found near his new home only the wild beasts, but further
away were the families of Plank, Schofield, Nye, Reichle}^ averaging
400
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
perhaps one cabin to a section of land. Peter Eversole left a Bible to
his son that is now one hundred and fifty years old. It is printed in
German, and is nearly two feet long by one foot in width, and about
eight inches in thickness. He died at the age of eighty-seven, his wife
having preceded him to the land of rest at the age of sixty-nine years.
They were German Baptists in belief. John was married at the age of
twenty-tour, to Miss Jane Spencer, a daughter of Thomas, who was a
brother of William Spencer, Sr., and uncle of William, Jr., now the fath-
er of Henry Spencer, of Reading township. Thomas King, afterwards
the first Representative of Perr}^ county, was married to a sister of
Thomas Spencer, and his wife, who reared a family of other people's
children, chiefly because she was affectionate and benevolent, and part-
ly because she had no children of her own, was the aunt of Mrs. Ever-
sole. The children of John Eversole, and his wife Jane Spencer, were
five living and two dead ; Sarah Ellen at the age of fourteen, and George
when an infant. Those living are Louisa, wife of William Williams,
third, deceased, and now the wife of Mr. Van Fossen of Zanesville,
Ohio ; John, husband of Emma Cochrell, merchant ; David,'farmer, hus-
band of Mar\% daughter of Abraham Bowser ; Peter, farmer, husband
of Matilda, sister of Samuel Cochran ; and Emma Jane, wife of Frank
Johnson, farmer, son of Harvey ; all of whom have the post office ad-
dress Mount Perry, Ohio. The mother of Mrs. Eversole was Margaret
Spencer, who made herself useful as a mid-wife over twenty-five years,
mounting her horse day or night, in storm or sunshine, asserting the
right of her sex to that office, and died much regretted at the age of
sixty-five. William Spencer, Sr., was a Universalist in belief, a faith
that still lingers in the Spencer family. John Eversole and his wife are
of the Christian Church. They are both readers of sacred books and
patronize learning and the means of knowledge.
Feebler, Firdnan, manager of Upson Coal Company's store,
Shawnee, Ohio ; was born February 8, 1850, in Somerset, Ohio ; son of
Jacob and Elizabeth (Lentz) Feedler. When Firdnan was two years
of age, his father moved to Cardington, Morrow county, Ohio, where
he was brought up, and clerked in a dry goods store five years, for W.
Shunk & Co. ; and at Delaware, Ohio, clerked for Z. L. White two
years. He returned to Cardington, and entered into partnership with
his twin brother in the grocery business, remaining two years, when he
sold his interest and went to Richwood. and clerked for J. Cratty & Co.,
in dry goods store, about two years, when he moved with the same firm
to Ashland, Ohio, where they remained about eight months and then
moved to Shawnee. Mr. Feedler remained with this firm in all about
three years, when he went in partnership with his brother, under the
firm name of Feedler Brothers. They went into general merchandise
business, which they continued about eighteen months, when the firm
was dissolved, his brother going home and dying within about one
month. Mr. Feedler then engaged as clerk for E. M. McGilen & Co.,
Cleveland, Ohio, where he remained two years and one month, and
then returned to Shawnee, Ohio, April ist, 1881, and took his present
position. He was married November 28, 1876, to Aldia, daughter of
Simeon F. Kern of Burbank, Wayne county, Ohio. They are the pa-
rents of two children, viz. : Geo. Rodney and Carrie Belle, deceased.
HtSTORY OF PERrV COttN'l'V; 40I
Ferguson, John, of the tirm of Ferguson & Nooil, Attorneys at
Law, New Lexington, Ohio; was born February 3, 1846, in Jackson
son township ; son of Terence and Bridget (Nangle) Ferguson. At
the age of nineteen, young Ferguson began teaching school, and taught
about six ^-ears. In 1868 he began reading law with Colonel Lyman J.
Jackson of this place, and was admitted to practice in August, 187 1.
After practicing alone a short time, he formed a partnership with his
preceptor, which continued until the f^ll of 1877. In 1878 the present
firm was formed. Attorney Ferguson was married April 6th, 1875, to
Miss Lizzie, daughter of David and Susan (Gordon) Hewitt, of Somer-
set, this county. The}' are the parents of three children : Zuleme,
Charles and Genevieve.
Ferguson, Arthur B., shoemaker, Shawnee, Ohio; was born
March 28th, 1846, in Scotland, county of Lanark, in Lanarkhall ; son
of John and Elizabeth (Browning) Ferguson. Mr. Ferguson was raised
in his native town, where he lived to the age of twenty years, during
which time he learned his trade with his father, and is the fifth genera-
tion of his family who has successfully followed that business. From
the age oi seventeen years, he worked at journey work, which he con-
tined about two years, when he employed on the railroad as brakeman,
and where he had his leg mashed, which left him a permanent cripple,
having followed the railroad about one year at the time of the accident.
After his recovery he again found employment at his trade for about
two years, in the counties of Ayr, Renfrew and Lanark. At this time
he emigrated to America, arriving at New York, January 21, 1867, and
from thence he went to Maryland, Alleghany county, where he was
employed at his trade and mining, for about two years, when he returned
to the place of his nativity, remaining during the winter of 1868 and
1869, when he again returned to America, landing in New York, April
23, 1869, and again went to Maryland, to Illinois and Pennsvlvania, re-
maining about six months in each of these States, when he spent an-
other summer in Maryland, from whence he went to the Hocking val-
ley of Ohio, and remained about six months, when he was married,
January 24, 1872, to Amanda L., daughter of James and Martha (Zar-
lie) LoFollet, of Vinton county, Ohio, but lived in Athens county at the
time of her marriage. They are the parents of three children, viz. :
John LeFollet, Maud Agnes and Archibald Boyd, wnd one deceased,
Arthur Morton. After his marriage he lived in the Hocking valley
about five years, when he came to Shawnee, Ohio, where he has since
lived, and engaged in mining until about four years ago, when he was
obliged to quit mining on account of his health. Since then he has
been weighmaster at the New York furnace. Mr. Ferguson was cor-
poration clerk for two 3'ears, and lor the past six years has been town-
ship clerk; and in the spring of 1882, was elected Mayor of this
place.
Fink, Joel A., farmer, Jackson township; post office. Junction
City; son of Joseph and Magdalene (Dittoe) Fink; was born August
17, 1816, in this township ; has since lived in the countv, and alwa3^s
led a farmer's life from boyhood. He was married in 1840, to Miss
Margaret, daughter of Thomas and Margaret (Doran) Ryan. Thev
are the parents of five children, viz. : Joseph, Sarah, Mary, William
86
402 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
and Charles. His parents were of German descent. Mr. Fink's
father came to Somerset in 1805. His grandfather, John Fink, assisted
in laying out the town of Somerset.
FiNCK, William E., lawyer, Somerset; was born in Somerset, in
the year 1822. His father was Anthony Finck, and his mother's maiden
name was Mary Spurk. His grandfather was John Finck, an early
settler, if not the first, in Somerset. His wife was Cecelia Garaghty
of Lancaster, Ohio. Their sons are, William E., Jr., and Michael G.
Finck ; the latter a grocer and the former a lawyer. Their daughters
are Mary, now wife of F. A, Dittoe, merchant of Somerset, and Miss
Martha. Mr. Finck is of French-German extraction. He studied law
and was admitted to practice in Somerset when only twenty-one years
of age. His first position was that of Clerk of the Perry County Com-
mon Pleas and Supreme Courts, under the old Constitution. In his
twenty-eighth year he was the Whig candidate for Congress, in a district
counting six hundred Democratic majority, and was defeated by only
forty-six votes, by Hon. James M. Gaylord of McConnelsville. He was
elected to the Senate of Ohio in 1851, and in 1852 was a delegate to the
National Convention which nominated General Winfield Scott for the
Presidency ; was an elector on the Scott ticket in Ohio ; joined the
Democratic party in 1854, when Know-Nothingism swept the Whig
party out of being; was elected to the Senate of Ohio in 1861, defeat-
ing the Hon. T. J. Maginnis of Zanesvillein a hotly contested canvass ;
was elected to Congress in 1862, defeating the Hon. C. A. Trimble of
Chillicothe ; was re-elected to Congress in 1864, defeating the Hon. Job
E. Stephenson of Chillicothe ; was again elected to Congress to fill the
unexpired term of Hon. Hugh J. Jewett of Columbus. He has twice
been a candidate upon the Democratic State ticket, once for Attorney
General, and once for Supreme Judge. He has repeatedly refused a
candidacy for Common Pleas Judge, preferring his law practice, which
has secured for him a large amount of lands in Missouri and Iowa, a
handsome property in and around Somerset, several farms in Perry,
and though he cannot be ^gaged at the usual fee of young attorneys,
his practice is still very remunerative and engages all his time. No
man was ever more systematic in keeping his accounts, truer to the
faith which he professes to believe, or more honest toward his fellow^
men.
Finck, Judge James E., carpenter and builder; post office, Som-
erset. He was born in 1825 ; son of John, Jr., and grandson of
John, Sr., who was the first of the Finck name in Perry county, and
who cut much of the road for his wagon from Zanesville to Lancaster,
and who a year later came back to where Somerset now stands, which
town he laid out into lots and built a hotel where the public schools are
now located, on the hill above the east railroad depot. Judge Finck's
father was eighteen 3^ears of age when his grandfather, John, came to
Ohio. His mother was Elizabeth Walker, a native of Maryland. She
was born in the year 1800, and lived into her seventy-second year.
Her children were Mary, deceased ; Cecelia, wife of Edward Droege ;
and Sarah, wife of William Blakeney ; Amanda, wife of Joseph Kir-
cher ; Miss Emily, and James E., all of whom have Somerset, Ohio, as
their post office address ; also William, carbuilder, Zanesville, Ohio ;
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 4O3
Jacob, deceased, and Miles, engaged in mercantile life in Cincinnati.
James was married in 1847, to Miss Catharine Foncannon, and on the
same day his cousin, Hon. W. E. Fink was also married ; 'neither know-
ing of the other's intention. Her father was an early settler of Perry,
where he died in his seventy-eighth year. Her brothers married and
went West, so that at this writing she has neither sister nor brother liv-
ing in Perry. The children of this marriage are Ida, wife of Conrad
Letsinger; post office, Somerset; Elva, wife of Mark Heffley, Omaha,
Nebraska ; Miss Blanche, Endora and Alberta ; Fabian, a carpenter of
Terre Haute, Indiana; Hydalius, Urban and Edgar. Judge James E.
Finck ranks in general esteem as a iirst-class carpenter and builder.
St. Joseph's, McLuney, South Fork and Holy Trinity Church edifices,
stand as monuments of his skill ; but the recent convent building at St.
Joseph's crowns all with a taste, a beauty and elegance but seldom
equaled, and rarely, if ever, excelled. He aided the building of St.
Patrick's Church edifice, and is now engaged as the superintending car-
penter and architect of Sacred Heart Convent, Somerset. He put up
the spire of the Reform Church edifices in Thornville and Somerset,
and it has not fallen to the lot of any man in Perry to build more
churches, or finer ones. In the fall of 1872, he was made the Demo-
cratic nominee for Probate Judge by the popular vote against a field of
candidates who ranked high in popular favor, such as Henry McLaugh-
lin, his cousin, A. A. Fink, Peter King and Charles F. Brush, ex-Treas-
urer. He was afterwards twice elected, and served the customary two
terms with credit to himself and the public. Since his retirement he has
again devoted himself to his favorite occupation of carpentering.
His rural home nestles beautifully among the coal hills of Perry ;
and here his garden and fruit culture occupy his leisure hours. His
head measures twenty-two and one-half inches ; is also high and long ;
his health is excellent and his disposition cheerful. Height, five feet
eight inches. Weight, one hundred and seventy-five pounds.
Finck, Austin A., was born in 1829 in Somerset ; son of Anthony
and grandson of John Finck, the grand progenitor of this family in Perry
county. The sons of this ancient pioneer were Jacob, Joseph, George,
Anthony, John, Adam, and David Finck ; the daughters were Mrs.
Sarah Johnson, Mrs. Elizabeth McDonald, Mrs. Frances Hewett, and
Mrs. Mary McGowen. Austin A. was educated in Perry county and
drilled in the duties of a dry goods clerk. In May, 1854, he was mar-
ried to Miss Caroline Lewis, of Rushville. Their children are William
B. Finck, Miss Cai-rie and Miss Ellie Finck. Austin A. Finck runs
far ahead of his ticket for clerk of his township, which office, as also
that of village clerk, he is now filling, as for a long time since, to the
satisfaction of the public. His great capacity as a dry goods clerk,
ripened also by experience as a merchant on his own account, has
secured for him a situation in the famous store-rooms of F. A. Dittoe,
Esq., of Somerset. Here his urbanity, honesty and attentiveness to
customers are winning a large trade for that celebrated establishment.
The store-room was built by Mr. Mike Dittoe, an architect of thirty
years experience in New York City, which was presented to his brother,
F. A. Dittoe, and is equal to the best in Ohio in finish and adaptation
304 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
to its present use, and for many coming years will stand as a model of
architectural taste.
Fink, David, tarmer : post office, Somerset, Ohio. He was born
in 1830, and is a son of Joseph and grandson of John Finck, the great
ancestor of all the Fincks in Reading township, and who is the father
of Somerset, having settled where the Union school-house of that town
now stands in 1804 or 1805. His house, which served for a tavern, was
the first ever erected in the town, of which John Finck and one Miller
became the original proprietors. He owned the famous " Finck's
Spring," now the property of his grandson, Hon. William E. Finck.
No Catholic name antedates that of John Finck and his wife, whose
maiden name was Mary Sneeringer. This venerable pair, with their
family, were themselves numerous and devoted enough to form
the nucleus of the first Catholic church not only in Perr}^ count}' but in
the State of Ohio. David Fink's mother was, prior to her marriage,
in 1815, Miss Magdalena Dittoe, daughter of Jacob, Sr.. and sister of
Jacob, Jr., who deceased in Somerset in 1880. The brothers of David
are Joel A., post office Junction City, Ohio ; James J., post office New
Lexington, Ohio ; and his sisters are Sarah, wife of Thomas Largey,
post office Altoona, Iowa ; Elizabeth, wife of Daniel Riffle, Lancaster,
Ohio. David Fink was first married in 1853 to Miss Bridget Dittoe,
who died April 29th, 1856. His second marriage was to Miss Lizzie
O'Brien, February, 1861, who is the mother of Emerantia, Imelda S.,
Margaret L., Oscar M., Mary Nora, Helen C, and Estella C. Fink.
David obtained his farm by deed from his father, who died in 1870, at
the age of seventy-nine years, his mother having died in 1863. This
delightful homestead is in sight of St. Joseph's ; contains the nearest
coal vein to Somerset; is well adapted to fruit and small grain. Four
hundred gallons of lona and Concord wine, the vintage of 1881, testify
its capacity for fruit growing. Like his ancestors, he is a devoted and
sincere Catholic ; has also served in various official stations, by the favor
of his fellow citizens, and is by no means among the hindmost in the
march of progress.
Flanigan, John, tarmer and stock raiser, post office Rehoboth ;
born in Westmoreland count}-, Pennsylvania, in 1820. From there he
came to Wheeling, West Virginia, where he remained two years ; from
there he came to Perry county about the year 1824 ; son of Edward
and Cecelia (Katon) Flanigan. The former died in 1823, the latter in
1874. Married in 1844 to Miss Rachel Beaver, daughter of George
and Elizabeth (Bridge) Beaver. They have three children, viz. :
Katharine S., deceased, Mary E. and Thomas E.
Flautt, George, was born in 1799: died in 1862. His father,
Joseph, and his mother, were born, reared and married in one of
the Rhinish provinces of France. Grandfather Joseph Flautt and his
wife came to America and settled in Canawaga county, Maryland,
where all their children were born. These children were Deborah.
Hannah, Jacob, Joseph and George Flautt. All lived to be over eighty.
Hannah married William Mooney, who became a justice of the peace,
and member of the Legislature of Maryland. Jacob was twice mar-
ried. Joseph was married and one of his sons was a devoted Catholic
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 405
priest. They all lived and died in Maryland, except George, who was
twice married. His first wife was Miss Mooney, the mother of six
children— William, Patrick, James, John, Mary and Nancy Flautt. Of
these, William taught school, read medicine, practiced his profession
forty years, and died in Hocking county, Ohio ; Patrick still lives in
the same county, a justice of the peace, a chair maker and painter hy
trade ; James also was a physician for thirty years, and died in Reads-
burg, Sauk county, Wisconsin: John came to Ohio in 1834: in 1836
went to Texas on horseback, served in the wars there, and in 1848 set-
tled in Hocking county, where he married Miss Ellen White, daughter
of Alexander White ; was elected Sherifl" of the county, served several
months of his second term, when he met his death by accident of a
runaway team. He was a Mason and an Odd Fellow. Mary married
Willam Burns, and moved to Richland county, Ohio; Nancy's second
husband is Isaac Koons. She lives in Maryland. Her deceased hus-
band was John Harman, by whom she had two children. The second
marriage of George Flautt was to Margaret Harbaugh. This marriage
also occurred in Maryland, several years after the death of his first
wife. The children of this marriage"^are : Ambrose, a successful mer-
chant of Amanda, Fairfield county, Ohio; Juliana, deceased, wife of
Edward Kellv, a stone mason of Somerset, leaving two children ; Joseph,
a cooper, a farmer, a clerk of the township, and assessor. He was also
trustee of the township for some years. His wife was Mary McDon-
ald. They have had ten children, tour daughters and six sons. Three
of the daughters are married. The next son of George Flautt is
Henry, a man of sterling judgment as a farmer. He married Catha-
rine Sanderson, and they have seven children. Sebastian is a cooper
and farmer, and lives on the Flautt homestead, in Reading township.
He married Ellen Mooter, and they have two children. Jerome Flautt,
like his father, learned the cooper trade and the gunsmithing trade.
He was successively elected clerk of the town for some years. He
writes an excellent "^hand, and takes much delight in rearing the best
fruits and poultry. He spent nearl}^ two years near Mobile, Alabama,
experimenting in gardening early vegetables for the Northern markets.
He married Sarah Freeman, and they have five children — Leta, Fanna,
Kata, Ferdinand and Murray. George Flautt, the youngest son, is
also a cooper, making the Flautt churn, invented by his father, and for
man}^ years past the leading churn. He has built three new houses,
and for many years was clerk of the township. He married Cecelia
-Divit, and they have four children, Elizabeth is the wife of John Mc-
Donald, of Nelsonville, Ohio, a brick mason, and a soldier who served in
the Union army with faithfulness to the end. They have six children.
Margaret married L. P. Guisinger, a native of Perry, a teacher, a
farmer, a plasterer, an agent, and a genius in mechanics. They have
seven children. His post office is Challants, Perry county.
Flowers, Thqs., farmer and stock raiser, post office New Lexington,
Clayton township, Peny county; born in Muskingum county in 1814;
came to Perry countv in 1820 ; son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Ambrose)
Flowers, The former died January 17, 1867, the latter in 1864. Mr.
Flowers was married in 1837" to Mis"^s Mary Daugherty. They are the
parents of ten children, viz. : Elizabeth C., Rebecca S., Simon H.,
406 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
William, deceased, John J., Anna A., George, Andrew G., Emanuel
F., Charles V., two of whom are married. Mr. Flowers had two sons
in the late war, viz. : William and Simon. They enlisted in Company
K, One Hundred and Twenty-sixth O. V. I., Captain Lampton. They
were engaged in the battle of the Wilderness, where it is supposed
William lost his life, as he was never heard of afterwards. Simon was
wounded in that engagement. Simon was also engaged in the following
additional battles, viz. : Martinsburg, Locust Grove, Mine Run, Siege
of Charleston, Winchester, Cedar Creek, Fisher's Hill, Middletown.
Flowers, Jefferson, mechanic, foreman in Bent Works of Brin-
gardner & Company, Junction City, Ohio ; son of Mathias and Mary
(Elder) Flowers; was born December 5, 1845, in this county, and has
since lived in the county. His boyhood days were spent on a farm
until he was nineteen years of age. He then went to the carpenter
trade, and worked at it till 1879, then went into the bent works. He
was married in 1870 to Miss Mary, daughter of Joel A. and Margaret
(Ryan) Fink. They are the parents of two children, viz. : Teresea C.
and Maggie L. His parents are of German and Irish descent.
Forquer, William, Pleasant township, Moxahala post office. He
was born in Butler county, Pennsylvania, October 25, 1822 ; son of
William and Rose (Dugan) Forquer, who were both natives of Ireland.
They emigrated to this country in 1795 ; stayed in Philadelphia about
three years, and then moved to Butler county, Pennsylvania. They
came to Pike township in 1823, and both died on the farm he entered
there. William Forquer married Catharine Donahoe, in 1845 ; she is a
native of this township. After his marriage he moved to the farm
where he now resides. Her pa:rents were born in Ireland, and both
died in the United States. His children are George, who married
Mary Bennett, and resides in this township ; Peter, married Celia Ben-
nett, and resides in this township: Mary A., married F. B. Bennett,
resides in this township ; Sarah, married John A. McDonagle, who is
now elected Clerk of the Court of this county, and resides in New
Lexington ; Rose, married Thomas Bennett ; she died in New Lexing-
ton ; William is at home ; Loretta deceased, and Loretta living.
Foster, Emanuel, born 1823, on the farm where he now resides.
Post office, Thornville. His mother's maiden name was Maria Mech-
ling. His father, Andrew Foster, died in his sixty-ninth year, in 1849,
and Mother Foster in her sixty-ninth year in 1858. It is not certain
when the Rev. William Foster, the father of Andrew, arrived with his
family in Perry county, then Fairfield, but from a document signed
by him in 1805, organizing Zion's church, which document is now in
possession of the venerable George Daniels, it must have been prior to
1805. The wife of Rev. Foster was a Daniels, and thus the connec-
tion between the Fosters and the Daniels name in Thorn township.
Grandfather Foster came to Thorn township, when the low flat lands
were avoided and more rolling lands were in demand. He died in
181 5, the first preacher of the Lutheran faith who settled in Perry
county. The sons of Rev. William Foster were William, Daniel, An-
drew, Henry, George, Christian, Samuel, Benjamin and John. The
daughters were Magdalena, wife of John Walters ; Mrs. John Fox, and
Mrs. Jacob Mechling, of Fairfield county. Mrs. Fox's only daughter.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 4Q7
that ever lived in Perry or Fairiield counties, married Peter Custer, of
Fairfield count3% The mother of these nine sons and three daughters
was Magdalena Daniels, who died in 1823, her husband. Rev. Wil-
liam Foster, having preceded her to the grave some eight years be-
fore. Of these twelve children, John is the only one who never mar-
ried, and he is supposed to have lost his life on a trip to New Orleans.
All got from their father one hundred and sixty acres of land, and the
quarter section bought for John went to the other heirs. Thus it re-
quired no less than three sections or nineteen hundred and twenty acres
to reach round to all the children. To return to Andrew, the father of
Emanuel Foster. Ot ten children only the following grew to mature
age: Jacob, deceased, whose wife was Elizabeth Holt; Joseph, de-
ceased, whose wife was Elizabeth Suit ; Mary, deceased wife of James
Clifton ; Elijah, of whom more hereafter ; Mahala, wife of Peter W.
Sprinkle, post office, Holden, Johnson county, Missouri, and Emanuel
who was married to Susan E. Franks, daughter of Rezin Franks, late of
Thorn township, a noted and very successful stock dealer and farmer.
The children of Emanuel Foster and his wife Susan, are Benton C. ;
Maria Edith ; William E. ; Martha May, and Aaron Harlan, now eleven
years of age. Mr. Foster has two farms in Thorn township and eighty
acres in Van Wert county, Ohio, is a firm Democrat in politics, and
Lutheran in religion, and enjoys the confidence of all for honesty and
his moral worth.
Foster, Elijah, born November 30, 1820, son of Andrew and
brother of Emanuel Foster. In 1849 Elijah was married to Miss Jane
Turner, who after bearing him one son, Charles Foster, of Pickering-
ton, Ohio, died in May, 1852. He then went to California, and after a
protracted stay of fourteen years in the mountains of California, Ore-
gon, Idaho, Utah and Montana, prospecting as a miner and undergoing
all the hardships of camp and frontier life, in 1869 returned home and
was married to a Miss Katharine Anderson, daughter of Thomas An-
derson, an early settler of Fairfield county who shares with him the
joys and comforts of their beautiful and fruitful home in the suburbs of
Thornville. There are no children by this last marriage. Mr. Foster
is a benevolent, kind and generous citizen, modest, and retiring tor
pleasure to the precincts of home, and seeking the abodes of the needy
only to gratify his exalted benevolence and humanity. He has followed
the elk waist deep in snow The Gallatin valley is the w^armest he saw,
and it has frost high up every month in the year, and snow in sight all
the time. Up toward the sources of the streams named, the whole year
round the snow^ line is in sight. Mr. Foster is six feet one inch tall,
weighs one hundred and sixty pounds, and when in California his weight
ran up toone hundred and ninety pounds. There is a volume of the most
thrilling adventure, instructive facts, and profitable experience in his four-
teen 3-ears of mountain lile as a miner, a gardener, a lumberman, and
a hunter.
Foster, James, was born where he now lives in Thorn township,
Perry county, in 1833, on section twenty, the homestead of his father,
George Foster, and of his grandfather, "Rev. William Foster, who died
in i8r5, and whose tomb is on the same farm. The maiden name of
James Foster's mother was Christena Bean, and that of his grandmother
40S BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
was Magdalena Daniels. His brothers were Samuel, deceased, in Van
Wert county, Ohio, who left two sons and three daughters ; Simon, the
husband of Susan Fisher; and John, deceased, leaving one son and
two daughters, all of Van Wert county, Ohio. His sisters were Mary,
wife of Henry Cover ; Elizabeth, wife of Charles Denman ; and Salo-
ma, wile of John Aver}^ all of Van Wert count}-, Ohio. These with
James are four sons and three daughters. The father of this family,
George Foster, died in 1858, in his sixty-ninth year, and the mother in
1857, in her sixty-third year. The 3'ear prior to the latter event James
Foster was married to Miss Diana, daughter of Henry Boyer, Jr., and
granddaughter of Henry Boyer, Sr. It will be observed that he was
one of seven heirs to the homestead, and after the death ot his father,
the law^ distributed the estate. It was valued in i860 at $5,530,
each share being estimated at $790, at wdiich price James became the
purchaser of the home -farm, comprising one hundred and sixty acres,
more or less. He not only paid for it, but has now erected a splendid
dwelling house, and spacious barns, and the entire farm presents the
marks of thrift and comfort. His children are six in number, five sons
and one daughter, Leoh Katharine, the eldest, being the wife of Joseph
Beck, post office, Thornville. The sons are all at home. Their names
are Charles Allen, Henry Lee, William Edward, James Albert, and
George Simon, now^ three .years old. He and his wife are of the Lu-
theran faith. The first draft in 1862 took James Foster, and he paid
James Richey, of Somerset, $375 to go as his substitute. It is sup-
posed his farm was first occupied by grandfather Foster in 1803, but
other recollections put it anywhere between that and 1807. James
weighs one hundred and sixty-five pounds, is five feet ten inches tall.
His father was six feet one inch, and weighed two hundred pounds.
He was no hunter, like Uncle Ben Foster. He related the fine appear-
ance of Kentucky soldiers who passed through northward in the war
of 1812. They were all six-footers. James was administrator of his
father's estate, and executor of his father-in-law^'s ; owns two hundred
acres of land, and is a living witness to the fact that farming pays, and
that industry and economy win the prize.
Fowler, David C, farmer and tanner. New Lexington, Ohio, was
born October 18, 1822, upon the quarter section w^iere he now lives.
He is a son of John and Sarah (Brown) Fowler. Mr. Fowler w^as raised
on a farm, and at the age of nineteen years went to the tanner's trade
with John H. Stewart, of New Lexington, Ohio, remaining tw'O 3^ears
with him when he went to Baltimore city, Maryland, and finished his
trade in fourteen months with William Jenkins & Sons, of No. 4 Water
street. After learning his trade he returned to this place and opened a
tanyard of his own, where he continued as a tanner until January, 1883 ;
in all thirty-six years. Having sold out to John A. Armstrong, of
Athens county, Ohio, he gave his entire attention to farming, and
the running of a stationary steam saw-mill, which he has been running
for the past thirteen 3^ears. During the above time he bought eighty-
four acres of land, most of wdiich is a part of his father's homestead,
and has farmed more or less for ten or twelve years past. In 1864 he
went into the army as Captain of Co. F, One Hundred and Sixtieth
Regiment, Ohio National Guards, and served four months, receiving
HISTORY OF PERKY COUKtV. 409
an honorable discharge, and reUirned home in September. He also
had four brothers in the service, viz. : Isaac, John W., Benjamin and
William, two of whom were captains, John and Benjamin, serving in
the Thirtieth Regiment, Ohio Vokinteer Infantry, three years' service,
and were both wounded, partially disabling each of them for life.
Benjamin veteranized, and was engaged in eleven battles, and was on
Sherman's march to the sea. Isaac died while in the army. In all the
tive brothers served about twelve years in their country's defense, and
their father was a soldier in the war of 1812. Mr. Fowler has, upon
his father's side of the house, a great aunt, Ann Fowler, who is ninety-
six years old, living in Maryland ; and upon his mother's side of the
house, a great uncle. Rev. Mathew Brown, of Wood county, Ohio,
who is ninetv-six years of age. Patriotism and longevity is seldom so
marked as in the Fowler family, and their ancestors. Mary Fowler,
the oldest sister of D. C. Fowler, saw her great grandmother, on her
mother's side of the house, married at the age of eighty years to a man
by the name of Goodin, aged eighty-one years, who after their mar-
riage kept house ten 3ears, when they became so feeble that in after
life they lived W'ith their children, she living to be ninety-six years old.
Mr. Fowler's father, John Fowler, was born July 18, 1786, in Bal-
timore county, Maryland, came to Ohio in 181 1, and was the first settler
in Pike township, Mr. Brown became the father of twenty children by
two marriages, all of w^hom he raised to manhood and womanhood.
The oldest, Sarah Brown, was born Jul}' 17, 1796, in Hampshire county,
Virginia, came to Ohio at an early day and was married to John Fow-
ler, September 12, 1816. They became the parents of eleven children,
viz.: Mary A., Susannah, Richard, David C, Eliza, Isaac, John
W,, Mariah, Cyrus, Benjamin, and William H.. of whom David C,
is the subject of this sketch. Father Fowler died in March, 1874, at
the age of eight3'-seven years. Mother Fowler died in March, 1863,
aged sixty-seven years. Mr. Fowler, the subject of this sketch, was
married March 26, 1846, to Miss Cornelia S., daughter of Vincent and
Ellen (Hogland) Smith, of Washington county, Ohio, They are the
parents of five children, viz. : Acta C, now Essington, living in this
county; James C, Superintendent oi the New Lexington Union
Schools at this time ; Alice C, now Kennen, of Licking county, Ohio ;
one daughter who died in infancy ; and Lucellie. now Morgan, living
in New Lexington, Ohio. Mrs. Fowler's parents came to Washington
county, Ohio, from Connecticut at an early day, Mr. Fowler is now
one of Perry county's oldest citizens, having been born and raised
here; has enjoyed remarkably good health, and never saw^ a person
shake with ague.
FoM'LER, William H., farmer, Pike township. New Lexington,
Ohio ; was born February 3, 1837, ^^ ^^^^^ township, son of John and
Sarah (Brown) Fowler; was raised a farmer, and has followed agricul-
tural pursuits to the present time, and made his home with his father
up to the time of his death some eight years ago. He is the 3^oungest
member of the family of eleven children, and became the support of his
father in his declining years. He now lives upon the first land entered
by his father in 1811, and where his father died. At the time of his en-
try there w^as but little timber cut between here and the Ohio River,
87
-J.IO BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
consequently he was obliged to clear out his farm of o'ne hundred and six-
ty acres, by the assistance of his sons. Game of all kinds was plenty,
and he traded four acres of land, a part of the present site of New Lex-
ington, for a gun that was valued at $40. Mr. Fowler, the subject of
this sketch, was married November 5, 1859, ^^ Miss Harriet, daughter
of William and Rachel (Skinner) Davis. They became the parents of
two children, viz. : Albert and Cora. Mrs. Fowler departed this life
in March, 1874. ^^ ^^^ married the second time, Nov. 3, 1875, ^^
Martha, daughter of John and Sarah (Strawn) Davis. They became
the parents of one child, Wilbert Franklin. Mr. Fowler enlisted
in Compan}^ G, One Hundred and Fourteenth Regiment, O. V. I.,
August, 1862, for three years, or during the war, and served just to the
close of the war, and his term of enlistment, and was engaged in the
following battles : Mobile, Alabama ; Graham's Plantation ; Chicka-
saw Bluffs, and Vicksburg. Held the office of Corporal, and also had
four brothers in the army, three of whom were Captains, viz. : John,
Benjamin and David, and his father served in the was of 1812.
Fow^LE-R, Prof. J. C, Superintendent of New Lexington public
schools, born November 4, 1852, in this place ; son of D. C. and Cor-
nelia S. (Smith) Fowler. Young Fowler was educated in the public
schools of his native town and by self culture he has become a thorough
English scholar. At the age of seventeen. Professor Fowler began
teaching, and has been constantly in the profession up to the present
time. He took his present position in 1877.
Fox, George, butcher. Corning, Ohio, was born February 23,
1857, near Logan, Hocking count3% Oliio, son of John G. and Cath-
arine (Weiland) Fox. George was brought up on the farm w^here his
father now lives. At the age of fourteen he went to the blacksmith
trade and worked one 3'ear. Then he went to New Lexington, Ohio,
and worked in a butcher-shop for his brother-in-law, Weiland, until
1876, when he went to Columbus and worked in a meat shop one sea-
son. He then traveled about one year, and worked in a number of
places until he located at Logan, and carried on a butcher shop until
March, 1881, when he came to his present place. Mr. Fox was mar-
ried in March, 1880, to Margaret, daughter of Anthony and Catharine
(Rectenwald) Steden. They are the parents of one child, Annie Cath-
arine Fox.
Fox, Frank E., formerly of the firm of Huston & Fox, family gro-
ceries, New Lexington. Mr. Fox was born May 26,1861, in Logan, Hock-
ing county, Ohio ; son of John and Catherine Fox. Young Fox came to
this place in 1872, and attended school four years, then entered a gro-
cery store as clerk, where he remained until the present firm was form-
ed, January 21, 1880. He has since sold his interest and now does
business in Corning.
Francis, Erastus F., contractor, Shawnee, Ohio, was born Feb-
ruary 16, 1830, in Licking county, Ohio, son of WilHam and Lavina
(Boilen) Francis. Mr. Francis was brought up on a farm and followed
agricultural pursuits up to 185 1, at which time he went as an apprentice
to learn the distiller's trade, serving one year, and then followed the busi-
ness about seven years in Peru, Miami county, Indiana. Again he re-
turned to agricultural pursuits, in Indiana, for three years, and for
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 4II
twelve years in Licking county, Ohio, upon his brother's farm, and two
years upon the Shawnee Valley Coal Company's farm in this county.
After this he engaged with the Straitsville Cannel Coal Company of
New York, for five years, as long as it existed, and then employed with
the Ohio Central Coal Company of Corning, and has remained with
them up to this time as a contractor and otherwise. Mr. Francis was
married June i, 1856, to Mary, daughter of James and Elizabeth
Davis, of Miami county, Indiana. They are the parents of two child-
ren, viz. : Charles and Walter. He was married a second time, De-
cember 6, 1869, to Mariah, daughter of Courtney and Margaret De-
bevoise. They are the parents of seven children, viz.: Three living,
Milton, Annie and William, and four dead, Hester, infant, Lovina and
Edward. Mr. Francis was enlisted in Company E, One Hundred and
Thirty-fifth Regiment, O. N. G., and served in the army of the Potom-
ac four months, and was in an engagement at John Brown's school
house. Was drafted while in the service and again, soon after re-
turned into the service and remained until the war was over, and served
five years in the State service.
Franklin, R. H., butcher. Junction City, Ohio, was born in Car-
roll county, Mar3dand, June 16, 1836; is a son of Nathan and Susan
(Demit) Franklin ; lived on the farm until 1865, then went to his present
business in Centerville, Carroll county, Maryland ; came to Junction
City in 1873, following the same business. Was married in 1857, to
Miss Ann M., daughter of Joshua and Martha (Porter) Barnes. They
are the parents of four sons and one daughter, viz. : Nathan G., Au-
gustus, Catharine, Joseph Ellsworth and Joshua Edward.
Free, John W., attorney, New Lexington; son of Dr. John and
Catharine Free, was born in York county, Pennsylvania, August 8,
1830. His mother's maiden name was Catharine Newman. She was
of English descent, and nearly related to the Newmans who were the
first settlers of Richland county, Ohio. Dr. Free, the father, was of Ger-
man descent, and an Evangelical (Albrecks) preacher, as well as a phy-
sician. When John W., was about one year old, the family moved to
Mansfield, Ohio, and in 1841, to the neighborhood of McCutchenville,
Wyandot county, in the same State. Here, for several years, he divid-
ed his time between attending school in the winter and working on the
farm, and at the plastering trade in the summer. He taught school for
a number of terms, commencing when only sixteen ^^ears of age. He
also attended two sessions at Heidleberg College, Tiffin. Ohio. In the
year 1856, he came to New Lexington, Perry county, Ohio, and en-
gaged in the mercantile business. He was engaged in Straitsville in
the same business, when, August i. 1861, he received an order from
Governor Dennison to raise a company of three years troops. The men
were raised in a ver}- few days, and August 7th, he reported to Gover-
nor Dennison with one hundred and ten men, and was commissioned
Captain of Company A, Thirty-first Regiment, O. V. L This was the
first three years men enlisted in the covmty. February 28, 1862, Cap-
tain John W. Free was promoted to Major of the regiment. He follow-
ed the fortunes of the regiment, and was engaged in most all the im-
portant battles of the Army of the Cumberland, to which department
the regiment belonged. After, being mustered out of the Militarv ser-
412 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
AHce, December 21. 1864, Major Free resumed mercantile pursuits at
New Lexington, and also read law in the office of Butler & Jackson,
During the winter of 1867-68, he attended a course of lectures at the
Cincinnati Law College, and graduated there in the spring of 1868,
since which time he has practiced his profession at New Lexington.
Major Free is a Republican in politics, and has generally taken an ac-
tive part in political atlairs, but always declined office. Mr. Free was
married April i, 1858, to Miss Catharine Frantz, daughter of Solomon
Frantz, of the neighborhood of New Lexington. His first wife died
April 14, 1865, and he was again married, Februar}- 2, 1866, to Miss
Martha Moore, daughter of Andrew Moore, then of Hocking county,
now of Perrv. His second wife died in 1873, and in 1876, he \a as mar-
ried to Mrs. Laura E. Watkins, of Washington, C. H., Ohio. He is the
father of four children, two being dead.
FucHS, N., butcher. New Straitsville. He was born October 25, 1828,
in Venningen Rheinbegern, Germany ; is a son of Jacob and Mary ( Val-
inger) Fuchs, natives of the same place. He came to America in 1853,
and settled in Cincinnati, where he followed the trade of a barber. Ten
years after, he returned to Germany and married Clementine Englert.
Mr. Fuchs remained in Germany several years, keeping hotel. Two
sons, Charles and Euguene, were born there. In 1868 he returned to
America, and located in Lancaster, Fairfield county, where he remained
until 1872, keeping a grocery. Here his son, Frank, was born. Mr.
Fuchs next moved to New Straitsville, where he kept a general assort-
ment of goods, three or four years, since which time he has been carry-
ing on a good business as a butcher. Four children were born here,
viz. : Christ, August, Lee and Anna.
FuLLERTON, WiLLiAM, merchant and postmaster, Mount Perry.
He was born June 9, 1845, in Hopewell township, this county ; is a son
of John and Matilda (Crawford) Fullerton. He was brought up on a
farm, where he resided until 1878, when he came to Mount Perry and
established his present business. He carries a general stock of dry
goods, groceries, and such articles as are needed in stores in small
towns, and has an excellent trade. He was married March 13, 1877, to
Amanda, daughter of Henr^^ and Sarah Jones. They have two child-
ren, Martin P., and Annie May.
FuNDERBURG, NoAH, farmer, post office, Somerset ; born 1827 ; is a
son of Jacob Funderburg and his wife, who was Priscella Henthorn,
grandson of Noah Funderburg, who, with his wife, emigrated from Ger-
many to Frederick count}-, Maryland, where Jacob was born in 1785, and
who, with father, mother, one brother, and six sisters, came to Perry
county, in a six-horse and one-horse wagon. He bought a half section of
land near Somerset, and soon found half of it was only a tax title, and
the other half no better. He must thus have lost nearly $1,500, and he
gathered up his effects, and with money still left, bought one hundred
and sixty acres in section three. Thorn township, where he lived and
died a few years afterwards. His widow died at the hmise ot" one of
her daughters, in Jackson township, some years later, at the age of
ninety. Jacob became the owner of the Thorn township farm, on
which he lived to the date of his death, in 1878, and in his eighty-fifth
vear. Noah is of Enjjlish-Welsh extraction on the maternal side, and
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 413
thus his mother tongue is English. October, 1851, he was married to
Miss Phebe Skinner, daughter of WilHam, who came to Perry county
in 1808, and whose hrst wife and her infant were drowned in Kent's Run
while returning on horsebacl>: from Zanesville. Her maiden name was
Sarah Jones, and her only surviving child became the second wife of
Judge George Kishler, of Perry. Mr. and Mrs. Funderburg own and
reside where she was born, and in the same brick house erected by her
father, about 1820, and which preserves all its tine appearance, without
any sign of deca}'. after sixty odd years of exposure.. This farm, with
additions, now comprises one hundred and seventy-five acres. Like all
good farmers, his land grows better and not poorer. He prefers wheat
to wool-growing, and has, for five years averaged $125 per acre from
a vineyard lot. His first tax was tifty-four cents, and has since risen to
as many dollars. The care of her atfiicted mother, the second wife of
her father, William Skinner, who was, prior 10 her marriage, Miss
Mary Oatley, fell upon Mrs. Fundenburg, and to this task, of some
3'ears duration, was added the care, also, of her husband's uncle,
" Sammy " Funderburg, who suffered from his seventh year a mental
disease, caused by scarletina, so that he was placed under guardianship,
which office was kindly and taithfully performed by Mr. and Mrs.
Funderburg, who, like her ancestors, is an O. S. Baptist, and like them,
also, distinguished for her kindness and hospitality. Their children
are: Mary E., George C, Laura C, Minerva B., William T., Jacob
R., Rachel C, John H.. and Noah E.
Gallagher, Peter, mine boss, Sheldon, Ohio. Was born Febru-
ary 15, 1845, in Athens county, Ohio, son of Peter and Bridget (Farrie)
Gallagher. Was raised on a farm, and followed agricultural pursuits
until 1861, at which time he enlisted in Company A, Sixty-third Regi-
ment, O. V. L, under Captain Nathan Picket, for three years, or dur-
the war, and was engaged in the capture of Island Number Ten, bom-
bardment of Fort Pillow, and under hot fire at New Madrid, serving-
eleven months, when he was discharged by reason of disability, caused
by measles, whooping-cough and cold. After receiving his discharge he
was unable, for two 3'ears, to engage in an}' kind of business : at this
time he again engaged in farming, which he continued for about two
years, since which he has been engaged as follows: Grading on Hock-
ing Valley Railroad, taking charge of a squad of men for three or four
months ; laying track about six months ; took charge of gravel train two
months ; foreman of laying iron three months ; then took charge of
railroad switch for the Straitsville Great Vein Coal and Iron Company
for one year, at whice time he gave up that position on account of the
many miners' strikes, and mined lor two years, when he went into
grocery and provision store, continuing until the panic of 1872 and
1873, which obliged him to close up business, having largely credited
customers ; again engaged in mining for about one year, when he was
elected Marshal of New Straitsville, serving three years, during which
time he also was constable. Resigning his office at this time, he ac-
cepted the position of guard at Ohio Penitentiar}^ remaining about two
years. Returning at this time, and engaged with the Consolidated
Coal and Coke Company, which had charge of the Great Vein Coal and
Iron Company's mine, at track laying, mining, and check w^eighman. for
414
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
one year. He was then appointed to his present position, mine boss.
He was married November lo, 1874, to Miss Rosa McChiin, born May
18, 1850, in Monday Creek township, this connty, daughter of Alex-
ander and Mary (Hoy) McClain, They are the parents of four chil-
dren, viz. : James F., Charles L., Sarah T., and Maggie.
Gallagher, M. J., proprietor American House, Somerset. Born
September 28, 1858, in Reading township. His father, Charles ^.,
was born in 1836, in St. Johns, New Brunswick. ^He came to this
county in 1842. He was married November, 1857, to Miss Mary
Dumoit, of Hocking county. She was born in 183'^. They were the
parents of eight children, six of whom are living. M. J. is the
eldest. He and his sister came into the hotel November 22, 1880. In
December the old people came to live with their children in the hotel.
The father of the subject of this sketch died January 29, 1881. The
hotel is still being run by M. J. Gallagher. His grandfather, Francis
Gallagher, died March 25, 1881.
Garry, Jacob, postmaster, Maxville, Ohio. Was born in Reading
township. Perry county, Ohio, November 11, 1835 '■> son of Charles and
Mar}- (Hontz) Garry. Brought up on a farm, and at the age of
eighteen was apprenticed to the trade of shoemaker. Came to Maxville,
Ohio, in 1862, where he has ever since resided. Enlisted May, 1864.
in Company F, One Hundred and Sixtieth Regiment, O. N. G.,
and was honorably discharged from^ the same in September of the same
year. Was appointed postmaster April 23, 1879, which position he has
ever since filled with credit. Mr. Garry was married December, 1852,
to Malinda, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Strohl) Bowman, to whom
were born six children : Caramay, Ida Elizabeth, Amanda C, William
E., Harvey F,, Elmer E., the two oldest of whom have passed to the
" bright beyond." Mr. Garry is one of the substantial citizens of Max-
ville, and can ever be found busy at the bench, plying his trade, in that
village.
Gibson, Mathew, track layer. New Straitsville Ohio, Was born
January 17, 1849, in Northumberland, England ; son of Mathew and Isa-
belle (Mason) Gibson. Was raised in a mining region, and began work
about a mine at the age of nine years, and has given his attention to
that business up to the present time. Emigrated to America in 1856,
with his father, who, landing in New York, went to Mason City, Vir-
ginia, where he still lives, and has been engaged in mining. Mathew
remained with his father until he was nineteen years of age, and was
employed at Mason City about ten years, three months of which was for
himself. Since that time he has been employed at the following places :
Galva, Illinois, two months; again at Mason City about two 3'^ears ;
Coalton, Kentucky, about eight months ; returned to Mason City, and
in September of 187 1 went to Nelsonville, Athens county, Ohio, remain-
ing only about two weeks ; Lick Run about nineteen months. During
his stay here he was married. May 19, 1872, to Miss Mary Ann Parker,
who was boi^n September 7, 1853, in Peach Orchard, on Big Sandy
river near Catlettsburgh, Bo^^d county, daughter of Michael and Ador-
tha (Natress) Parker. They are the parents of three children, viz. :
John William, Ellen and Margaret. After his marriage he moved to
Shawnee, Ohio, where he lived about five years, when he moved to
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 415
Knightsville, Indiana, remaining about six months, and returned to
Shawnee, from where he moved in six months afterward, September,
1879, ^° ^^^^^ place, where he has remained up to this time and become
a permanent citizen, owning his present place of abode, and upon which
he has erected a neat cottage dwelling. Mr. Gibson is at this time a
member of the Town Council. While living in Shawnee he held the
office of Township Trustee for one term, and served as Street Commis-
sioner also in that place. He is now Past Grand of the Kincaid Lodge
of Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Shawnee, Ohio.
GooDLivE, Henry, deceased ; was born July 8, 1808, in Switzer-
land, and died December i, 1867. Mr. Goodlive was raised a farmer,
and followed that business during his life. He was married October
8, 1830, to Elizabeth, daughter of Jacob and Catharine Good, who was
born in January, 181 2, They became the parents of twelve children,
viz. : Martha, Catharine, Mary A., Jacob, George, Sarah A., Abraham,
Elizabeth, Julia A., deceased, Matilda, Amanda and David L. In
1839 ^^'' Goodlive came to Monday Creek township, which he after-
ward made his home up to the time of his death, and where his family
still reside, upon a farm of eighty acres.
Goodlive, Adam, Monday Creek township, farmer, Maxville, Ohio ;
was born August 3, 1841, in this towmship ; son of Abraham and
Christina (Bear) Goodlive. Mr. Goodlive was raised on a farm, and
has followed farming pursuits up to this time, except time spent in the
military service. In October of 1861, he enlisted in Compan}^ C,
Sixty-second Regiment, O. V. I., and participated in all the engage-
ments of the Army of the Potomac. He retired from active service
in July, 1862, and returned home. He was married December 24,
1865, to Miss Martha Nunemaker, born April i, 1840, daughter of
Peter and Catharine (Hammer) Nunemaker, of Hocking county, Ohio,
to whom were born four children, viz. : Charley, William H., Thomas
H. and John S., all of whom are living.
Gordon, Josephus, post office Rehoboth, farmer and stock raiser ;
born in Perry county in 1835 5 ^^n of Samuel and Doroth}' (Wells)
Gordon, who emigrated here from Greene county, Pennsylvania, about
the year 1834. ^^^^7 ^^'^ ^^ German and Irish parentage. The sub-
ject of this sketch was married in 1859 to Miss Harriet J. Kelly, daugh-
ter of James and Elizabeth (Shaw) Kelly. They are the parents of
ten children, viz.: John E., Samuel C, George V., Mary E., Emma
W., Maggie K., Joe M., Paul, Earl, James, deceased.
Gordon, P. A., M. D., physician and surgeon. Junction City, Ohio,
was born March 7, 1853, in Perry county; son of Basil and Margaret
(Keeman) Gordon. His boyhood days were spent on a farm until the
age of nineteen years ; then taught school and attended normal school
until twenty-five years of age, after which he took a course at the Ohio
Medical College, Cincinnati. Mr. Gordon located in Junction Citv in
the spring of 1880, and at present writing has established a good
practice. He was married April 6, 1880, to Miss Kate, daughter of
Michael and Rebecca (Beckwith) Forquer. This union has been
blessed with one child, viz. : Earl Augustine, born January- 26, 1881.
Mr. Gordon is employed by the B. & O. Relief Association, for med-
ical and surgical assistance.
jj.l6 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
GoRMLKY, John E., book-keeper, New Straitsville, Ohio, was boni
April 9, 1850, in St. John's, New I5runswick ; son of Patrick and Mar-
garet (Denny) Gormley. While living at home his father moved to
Boston, Massachusetts, in 1852, where they lived until John E. was
fifteen years of age, when they moved to Columbus, Ohio, where John
E. lived twelve years and engaged in business at the early age of six-
teen 3'-ears, with Miller, Green & Joyce, with whom he remained nine
years, first a chore boy and assistant clerk, after which he was appointed
entry clerk, book-keeper and cashier successively. He was next em-
ployed as book-keeper for the New York & Ohio Coal Company, witli
whom he remained one year, when he came to this place and took his
present position. Mr. Gormley was married March 2, 1875, to Miss
Belle M. Cushman, daughter of George W. and Belinda (Mitchell)
Cushman. Thev are the parents of three children, viz. : Harry,
Blanche and Grace. Mr. Gormley's Either, Patrick Gormley, was
born in 1816, in County Tyrone, Ireland, and emigrated to America in
1837, settling at St. John's, New Brunswick, where his family was born
as above mentioned. But all;er living in Columbus for some length
of time, he returned to Boston, Massachusetts, where he now lives.
His mother, Margaret Denn3^ was born and raised in Londonderry,
Ireland; was married in 1837, ^and ^^^^ '" Columbus, Ohio, February,
1870, where she is buried.
GouLDiNG, Jabez, miner, New Straitsville. He was born in Gurn-
diftath, near Pontypool, Monmouthshire, in 1837 5 ^s a son of Samuel
and Mary Goulding, natives of Gloucestershire, who settled in Gurn-
ditfath early in life, and raised nine children, six sons and three daugh-
ters. Mr. Goulding married Ruth Randall, July 27, 1866. and the
same year moved to Glamorganshire, South Wales, where he was em-
ployed bv the Greenhill, Church & Pentre Company to open a new mine
called the Chvuxh mines, on the number three vein. He was employed
by this company till 1869. In March, 1869, he started for America,
arriving in New York, March 28th. He was first employed in the Poto-
mac mines, on George Creek, Maryland. After four months work here
he came to Jackson county, Ohio, wdiere he located and sent for his
family in South Wales. They arrived in this country in 1872, and
after residing in Jackson county for eight years they moved to New
Straitsville, where he engaged in the mining business, and success has
attended him.
Granger, George A., proprietor ot the Merchant and Custom
Mill, New Lexington, Ohio, was born Januarj^ 25, 1842, in Suffield,
Hartford county, Connecticut ; son of Aratus K. and Cordelia M.
(Hathaway) Granger. George A. wras brought up on the farm, where
he remained until he was twenty-one years of age, when he engaged
in his present business. He came to this place in 1863 ; he expected
his present mill building in 1879. ^^^'' Granger was married June 16,
1868, to Miss Josephine E., daughter of Abner M. and Margaret C.
(Chapalier) Wiiite. They are the parents of one child — Joan, de-
ceased. Mr. Granger's mill grinds about one hundred and fifty bush-
els of wheat per day the entire year.
Grant, John A., farmer. Saltlick township; P. O., Shawnee, O. ;
was born August 15, 1828, in Fauquier county, Virginia : son of Samuel
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. '4^7
and Mariu (Hitch) Grant. Mr. Grant was raised a farmer, and has
followed agricultural pursuits to the present time. Was brought to
Ohio by his father in 1828, who first settled in Muskingum count}', where
he remained until 1835, when he came to Perry county, and settled up-
on the farm of one hundred and twenty acres, where Mr. Grant now
resides. It was bought from Alvah Buckingham, who entered it.
When he came, he had to build his cabin and clear the land, it being an
entire wilderness. Here he lived until his death in September, 1861.
By will of the father, John A. became owner of the farm by pa3nng the
stipulated sum of $900. John A. has added one hundred and twenty
acres to his farm, and erected a fine frame dwelling. After the death
of his father, John A. took care of his mother until her death in 1875.
Mr. Grant served as Justice of the Peace of this township for eight
years, and resigned one year before the closing of his last term. Was
township clerk one ^^ear, and land appraiser in 1880. Mr. Grant was
married October 13, 1853, to Margaret M., daughter of Robert and
Margaret (McClelland) Adams of Clayton township, this count}^ They
became the parents of two children, viz. : Robert F., married, and
lives in Nebraska, and Samuel R. Mrs. Grant died December 21st,
1858. Mr. Grant was married the second time, January 10, 1861, to
Jemima, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Watlin) Rockhold of Harri-
son township, Perry count}-, Ohio. They are the parents of six living
children, viz. : Iva, Joshua T., Maria E., Earl C., Roscoe Conklin,
and Mandie M., and one, deceased, Joseph Madison, died March 2d,
1875, aged eleven years and six months, with inflammation of brain and
lungs. This was an exemplary boy, who was fond of the words of God,
and became familiar with many passages ; he was a regular church and
Sunday school attendant ; said he was going to Jesus, and prayed for his
parents, brothers and sisters. His interest in the welfare of others was
more than ordinary, even remarkable ; his knowledge and manners
would have adorned one of riper years, and will ever be a pleasant re-
membrance to his friends. Mr. Grant enlisted February 7, 1864, in
Company A, Thirty-first O. V. I., for three years, or during the war,
and served to the close of the war. Was engaged in the battles of Re-
saca, Buzzard Roost, Peachtree Creek, where he became disabled.
Was sent to Louisville, Kentucky, where he was recruited and dis-
charged, on his way to rejoin his regiment.
Griggs, Samuel, born in New Jersey, November 19th, 1794; was
a son of Daniel Griggs, and brother of John, Christopher and Joacum,
the first and last named having died in Pennsylvania, while Christopher,
when last heard from, was in Iowa. Samuel sent a substitute into the
war of 1812, and in 1833, came in a two-horse wagon with his wife,
who was Debby Fields, and their two children, John and Elizabeth, to
Somerset, where they rested until they purchased the Henry Bowan
farm, a few miles west of Somerset, now known as the Miles Dittoe
larm, which he sold in less than three years ; and after visiting Indiana,
Illinois, Missouri and Kentucky, in search of another home, and find-
ing no place that suited him, purchased the farm where he afterwards
lived until his death, and where his only son, John Griggs, now resides,
in the south-west corner of Reading township. Debby Fields, the wife
38
4l8 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
ol" Samuel Griggs, is a full cousin of the famous Cyrus W. Fields,
thus connecting the name of Griggs with that of Fields.
Griggs, John, was born 1819, in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania,
and was therefore only fourteen years old when he came to Ohio, and
seventeen when he began life where he now resides. He was united
in marriage to Miss Mary Lechrone, in March, 1843. Their children
are Katharine E., wife of John Kerr, deceased, and w^ho ended her
w'idowhood by marriage to Joseph Newton Eyman. William Griggs
was married to Miss Josephena D. E^-man, daughter of Br3^an Eyman,
Esq., and departed this life in 1881, leaving his wife, one son, and three
daughters. Henry W. Griggs was married to Miss Ida Phillips, daugh-
ter of Mr. Reuben Phillips, and resides in Walnut township, Fairfield
county ; post office, Millersport. Watson Griggs was marrisd to Mima
M. Neely, daughter of John Neely, and resides on the home farm.
The family is Scotch on the Griggs side, and English on the Fields
side of its ancestry. Here lives John Griggs, independent as a sover-
eign, his gentle wife and aged mother comprising the household — that
aged mother whose memor}^ yet sparkles with gems of recollection, and
whose dark eye flashes with thought. Her son John has added to his
possessions the celebrated Lyde}^ Rock farm, just one mile up the Wag-
ner valley, from the Newark, S. & S. R. R., which contains a strong
magnesian, chalybeate spring, three feet of iron ore, and a landscape
wild and picturesque.
Grimes, F. M., farmer. Pleasant township ; post oflice, Moxahala ;
he was born April 7, 1844; son of David and Nancy (Hollingshead)
Grimes, both natives of this State. His grandparents were natives of
Pennsylvania. Mr. F. M. Grimes was born on the farm on which he
now resides, and his farm contains two hundred and twelve acres. He
married Miss M. E. Buxton February 6, 1873 ; she was of Monroe
township. They became the parents of three children, viz. ; Burt,
born Dec. 12, 1873 ; John, September 16, 1877 ; Grace, June 21, 1879.
' Grimes, H. C, dentist. Somerset; he was born in 1828 in Som-
erset. His father and mother were both born in Wurtemburg,
Germany. The subject of this sketch went West in 1850, and came
back in 1853, being inside that time one year in Dakota. He went into
the army, Thirty-first O. V. I., in 1861 ; he enlisted as Lieutenant, and
was promoted to a Captaincy. He resigned in 1863. He remained at
home six months on account of sickness. He enlisted as Captain in
the spring of 1864, and came back in fall of 1864. The last time he
was under General Thomas. Mr. Grimes was elected to the State Leg-
islature in 1879. ^^® ^^ ^^^^ author of the famous " Hawk Bill." He
learned his profession since the war. He was married to Miss Mar}'"
P. Rankin of Brownsville, Licking county, Ohio. She was born in
Muskingum county, Ohio. They are the parents of three children,
two of whom are living: Caddie, Willie, (dead) ; John D.
Hadden, Samuel, proprietor planing mill. New Lexington, Ohio.
Mr. Hadden was born Februar}^ 14, 1842, in Union township, Muskin-
gum county, Ohio ; son of Samuel M. and Ann (Lorimer) Hadden.
They were the parents of twelve children — nine sons and three daugh-
ters. Four of the sons served in the late war, two of whom lost their
lives on the battlefield. Samuel was brought up on the farm, where he
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 4I9
remained until twenty-two years of age. He came to this county in
1868, and in the following year came to this place, and engaged in his
present business, with a partner the greater part of the time. In the
meantime Mr. Hadden traveled in the West, one year, in the interest
of a mining company. He is now sole proprietor of an active business
in this line. Mr. Hadden was married October 8, 1867, to Almira,
daughter of Dr. J. W. and Sarah (McConnell) Law, of Tuscarawas
county, Ohio. They are the parents of six children, viz, : William,
Francis, Charles, Samuel, Annetta and John.
Hamilton, Thomas H., New Lexington, Ohio, was born September
14, 1859, in New Lexington, Ohio ; son of Thomas and Helen (John-
son) Hamilton. Thomas Hamilton was a native of Virginia, and Helen
Johnson, of Perry county, Ohio. Mr. Hamilton, the subject of this
sketch, was married November 24, 1881, to Miss Libbie, daughter of
William Haines, of Somerset, Ohio.
Hammitt, Samuel, farmer, Madison township ; post office, Mt.
Perry. He was born April 3, 1823, in Madison township. Perry county.
He is a son of George and Jane (Bergrin) Hammitt. He was brought
up as a farmer, which occupation he has since followed. Mr. H. en-
listed in Company H, i6oth Regiment O.V. L, and served four months
as a corporal. He was married December 22, 1850, to Mary J. Ford,
daughter of Charles and Harriet Ford. His second marriage was to
Mary J. Danison, daughter of Edward and Aletha Danison. Mr. and
Mrs. H. are the parents of eight children, viz. : William R., Charles N.,
Clarissa J., Andrew J., Jacob L. (deceased), John B., Adelaide R., and
George W.
Hammond, John, the venerable ancestor of the very respectable
family which bears his name, was born in county of Donegal, L^eland,
from whence he and his brother Thomas came to Dauphin county,
Pennsylvania, where John was married to Miss Rebecca James. On
the first day of November, 1805, he and his wife, with her mother and
father, and his brother Thomas, arrived in a four-horse wagon at a spot
near where Trinity Church now stands in Somerset. Here they began
cutting a wagon road toward their destination, and were soon discovered
by Jacob Finck, who at once offered his aid, and who, by his natural
kind heartedness, won' the friendship of the Hammonds, which was
ardently reciprocated to the end of their long and worthy lives. Ar-
rived at last on the half section they had selected for their future homes,
they erected a tent around a dogwood tree, yet standing as a living wit-
ness, near the Sulphur spring, on the south side of the farm. Under
this temporary shelter grandmother James, most probably wearied by
the long journey just completed, took sick and died, November 17th,
1805. Her venerable husband followed her a few years later, and they
are most probably the first aged pair whose death may be recorded in
the county. John Hammond and his devoted wife, now deprived of
the affectionate support of her parents, bravely adhered to the purpose
of hewing a home out of the frowning forest for themselves and their
children. In this purpose they were also effectively assisted by Thomas,
who- made his home with them until June 30th, 1852, when he departed
this life, at the age of seventy-seven years, but not until his aim at suc-
cess and independence had been realized. He was a soldier in the
420 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
War of 18:2. It was no uncommon thing for this famil}^ and others
scattered here and there, to go as far as Chilhcothe or Zanesville for
grain grinding, and often the brave wife of John Hammond was left
alone in her cabin home, with her little ones, to answer the demands of
the roving Indian for salt or bread, and to defend her home against the
intrusions of wild beasts. The life of John Hammond was prolonged
to the age of eighty-eight years and that of his wife to eighty-nine
years. They lived to behold the fruitful fields which their firrnness and
industry had rescued from a forest waste, and to see their children grow
to the estate of womanhood and manhood and take rank among the fore-
most in useful life and in the esteem of society. Their children were
Thomas, husband of Miss Olive Spencer, and who, about eighteen
years since, removed from Perry county to McLane county, Illinois ;
John, who died in East Rushville in 1832; Nancy, who preserves her
maiden name, and resides with her sister, Mrs. Stewart ; Mary Ann
Cowen, wife of the late George Cowen, of Hopewell ; James, who died
in California, and whose wife was Miss Eliza Hukel, vet living with
her sons in Iowa.
Hammond, Jesse, is the only survivor of all the sons of John and
Rebecca Hammond, and to whom descended a share of the ancestral
acres, and all of the manhood and social character of his ancestr^^
He is the husband of Miss Elizabeth Cowen, with whom he spent many
years of a happy life, hrst clouded by her departure from it, a few
years since. He is supported in his irreparable bereavement and in his
declining years by the kind offices of a niece to his departed wife.
Next in age to Jesse was Cyrus, who died on his farm in sight of Som-
erset. Elijah and William died before coming of age ; and next is
Rebecca, wife of Mr. John Stewart, who occupies the homestead, hal-
lowed by all the holy remembrances of childhood, and blessed with a
daughter, now sixteen, the only prospective heir to all the patrimonial
domain, and a husband, whose skill as a farmer and success as a hus-
bandman have added beauty, as well as acres, to the old home, where
there ever has been, as there is now, an unaffected welcome to its kin-
dred and its friends. The maiden name of Mr. Stewart's mother was
Nancy Meldrem, whom, with all his brothers, he left in county Done-
gal, Ireland. His father was James Stewart. His marriage ceremony
was pronounced by Rev. P. V. Ferree, in 1862.
Hanley, Edward, proprietor of restaurant, New Straitsville. He
was born May 5, 1830, in Glasgow\ Scotland ; a son of P. Hanley, a
native of Ireland, who moved to Scotland when Edward was young.
His parents had four children, two of whom are yet living. While the
children were yet young, Mr. Hanley lost his life in a coal mine. Ed-
ward began work in the mines when but seven years and eight months
old. At the age of fifteen he was a contractor, and at the age of twenty
was married to Elizabeth Holmes, a native of Ireland. Mr. and Mrs.
Hanle}^ became the parents of seven children, all born in Scotland, five
of whom are still living. In 1866 they came to America, and four
months after Mrs. Hanley died. Mr. Hanley began mining in the
Kanawha River region, in Virginia, where he worked eleven days with
a " pick and drill," and had charge of two hundred men. In 1870
Mr. Hanley married Margaret Croal, a native of Ireland, and daugh-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 42I
ter of Edward and Catharine Croal. She had two brothers — James
and Francis — both of whom were killed in the late war, the former at
Spottsylvania Court House, the latter at the White House Road, two
miles from "Old Church," on the 13th of June, 1863. In 1871, Mr.
and Mrs. Hanley came to New Straitsville, where he took charge of
the Tro}^ mines until 1874. ^^^' ^^^^ excellent work in this mine he re-
ceived well merited praise from Andrew Roy, State Inspecter of Mines.
Mr. Hanley now conducts an excellent restaurant.
Hannon, John Sylvester, Rector of St. Mary's Catholic Church,
Shawnee, Ohio, was born October 28, 185 1, in Steubenville, Ohio, son
of Bernard and Rose (O'Harra) Hannari. He received his preparatory
education at Mt. St. Mary's of the West, then entered St. Alo3'sius
Seminary, and completed his philosophical and theological education,
at Columbus, Ohio. He was ordained November 7, 1879, ^y Arch-
bishop Purcell, at St. Francis Church, at Cincinnati, Ohio. After his
ordination he was stationed at St. Joseph's Cathedral, and had charge
of the surrounding missions attached to the cathedral. At the same
time he was chaplain to the Ohio State Penitentiary. From these du-
ties he was transferred to Athens, Ohio, and had charge at St. Paul's
Church about three months. He came to his present charge May i,
1880. Before his appointment here this congregation was attended
once a month from Straitsville. During his labors here he has built
the present church building, and the congregation is steadily increasing.
Hansberger, Joel J., proprietor of Park House, and lumberman
and contractor, Corning, Ohio, was born September 14, 1840, in Amanda
township, Fairfield county, Ohio, son of Joel and Elizabeth (Loose)
Hansberger. Joel was brought up on the farm. At the age of twenty
he enlisted in Company K, Seventeenth O. V. I., and veteranized, serv-
ing four years, and never was absent from his regiment on, account of
sickness, and was engaged in thirty-two different battles. During his
service he was commissary sergeant eighteen months. At the close of
the war he engaged as dry goods clerk ; subsequently was drug clerk.
He conducted a hardware store about six months ; after selling this out
he engaged in general merchandizing, which he has conducted for the
last eleven years. At this time he owns a store at Baltimore, Fairfield
county, Ohio. In the fall of 1881 he established his business here, and
opened his hotel in the spring of 1882. Mr. Hansberger was married
February 14, 1867, to Miss Caroline, daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth
Tschopp, of Pleasant township, Fairfield county, Ohio. They are the
parents of six children, viz. : Ulysses Franklin, Harry Grant, William
C, Carrie Clementine, Ernest Eugene, and Arthur Garfield.
' Harbaugh, Daniel, farmer, Shawnee, Ohio, was born December
4, 1818, in Somerset coimty, Pennsylvania, and son of John and Rox-
ana (Wymer) Harbaugh. Mr. Harbaugh was raised a farmer, and
has followed agricultural pursuits pretty much all his life. He lived to
the age of seventeen years in Penns3'lvania, when he came to Ohio
with his father and settled in Perry county, Ohio, and of which county
he has been a resident up to this present time. He was married Feb-
ruary 14, 1845, to Mary, daughter of John and Jane (Travars) Hazel-
ton. They are the parents of nine children, viz. : John, Henry, James,
Gabriel, Sarah Jane, Barbara Ellen, Hannah Lydia. Mary, Louisa, and
422
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
William T. S., all living but one — Louisa. All who are living are mar-
ried, with but one exception, that of Willie, who is at home. Mr. Har-
baugh has, at this time, twenty-five grandchildren, and is quite vigor-
ous of his age. He helped to roll logs, in the days of yore, where now
are the present sites of Shawnee and Straitsville, and has seen the
farms change from $io and $12 per acre to $60, $70, $100, $150, and
up to $300 per acre, all upon the account of developed mineral wealth,
which was opened to commerce by the building of the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad branch that reached this point, the first meeting of which
he attended at Newark, Ohio, and which brought a copious shower of
wealth into his community. He has been, and at the present time is,
one of the reliable citizens of this county, and has tilled the offices of
township treasurer and trusted for several years. He also has held all
the society official positions of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Shaw-
nee, Ohio. He now owns two hundred and thirty-four acres of land at
McCuneville, two miles from Shawnee, the coal of which is leased to a
New York coal company, at ten cents per ton. His statement as to
how Shawnee came by its name is as follows : In an early day, when
the country was sparsely settled, and there were no Sunday schools and
but few churches, the youngsters were accustomed to grow up almost
uncultivated, and with but little literary culture. During a winter term
of school it so happened that some difficult}-^ arose between the master
(Stephen Wise) and a scholar by the name of James Small, and it hap-
pened that the master attempted to correct the scholar, who proposed,
by pugilistic force, to resist the punishment, and thus ensued the tussle
for predominance ; but the master — perhaps being the better of the two,
and undoubtedh^ in the right — came off' conqueror. Of course, the
thing became news and took wings, flying from ear to ear, and came
to the hearing of an elderly gentleman of the community — Mr. Henry
Hazelton — who had served in the Indian wars ; upon which he re-
marked that they (the boys of that community) reminded him of the
Shawnees, meaning the tribe of Shawnee Indians ; from which it be-
came a title of the boys, and later the creek they lived upon, and still
later to the mining town of that name.
Hardy, David, farmer, Maxville, Ohio ; born in Fairfield county,
Ohio, July 2, 1829; son of Thomas and Jane (Huston) Hardy. At
the age of three j^ears he, with his father, came to Perry county and
located in Monday Creek township, where he has ever since resided.
His boyhood was spent on his father's farm, and he has continued to till
the soil through his entire life. He was married October 25, 1852, to
Lucretia R., daughter of Ralph and Sarah (Gunder) Webb, to whom
were born six children — Sarah, Jane, Margaret, John R., Thomas W.
and Gustavus A., all living in Monday Creek township, except Mar-
garet and John, who died several years since. Mr. Hardy is a sub-
stantial farmer, owning one hundred and twenty acres in Monday
Creek township, and enjoys the respect of all who "know him.
Harlan, B. F., post office Somerset, Ohio, was born in tlie State
of Delaware, May 5, 1831. His father was William Harlan, who died
in Pennsylvania, in 1850, in the sixtieth year of his age. He was a
good mechanic in all kinds of wood work. His mother was Miss Sarah
Hewlet, who died in 1865, in her seventy-third year. She was the
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 423
mother of three sons and three daughters, who grew to manhood and
womanhood. Of these, one sister, Mrs. Sarah Tague, wife of John Tague,
post office Rehoboth, resides in this county. The family is of EngHsh
descent on both sides. Its religion was of those Baptists known as
Christians, or Campbellites. Mr. Harlan and his wife are Lutherans.
In politics he was always Whig or Republican. He was married No-
vember 31, 1827, to Miss Mary Smitley, daughter of the venerable
John Smitley, near Newtonville, Ohio. They lived in Muskingum and
Licking counties until 1861, when they came to Perry. His occupation
being that of a miller caused several removals, until 1874, ^^ bought
the farm on which he now resides. He has been successful as a miller,
and still pursues this occupation. His sons are John William and
Joel. His daughters are Sarah Louisa and Elizabeth Ann, both single.
Inheriting no patrimon}^ but honesty, industry, and a reasonable
degree of health, Mr. Harlan and his wife have attained to circum-
stances of comparative independence, while much of the time he nursed
his health, and qualified himself for his avocation of a first-class miller.
A close student of passing events, he has gained a competence by the
stern virtues of industry, economy, perseverance and temperance.
Harsh, Jacob H., merchant, Rendville, Ohio; born June 25, 1844,
in Franklin county, Pennsylvania ; son of Jacob and Mary (Gantz)
Harsh. Jacob Harsh was a native of Virginia, and Mary Gantz a
native of Washington count}^ Pennsylvania, of German ancestry. Jacob
H. was brought up on a farm until about twenty years of age, when he
emigrated to Russellville, Kentucky, and clerked in a store about four
years. From there he went to Owensboro, on the Ohio River, and
engaged in the manufacture of brooms, in which employment he con-
tinued about three yeai's. He then taught school one year, after which
he returned to this State and located at Columbus. His first employ-
ment in that city was to clerk in a dry goods house, which he followed
for five years. He came to Rendville, his present abode, in August,
1879. ^^ ^^^^ married September 30, 1879, to Miss Leanna, daughter
of Thomas and Penelope (McFarland) Barron, of Owensboro, Ken-
lucky. Thev are the parents of one child, Thomas Barron Harsh.
Hartsough, Daniel F., minister of the gospel, Maxville, Ohio,
was born April 10, 1826, in Fairfield county, Ohio ; son of Daniel and
Catharine (Fulcarth) Hartsough. He was brought up on a farm, and
came to this township soon after his marriage, where he remained one
and one-half years, and then went to Indiana and remained about
thirteen years and six months in Huntington and Kosciusko counties.
At the end of this time he again returned to this township, where he
has since resided. His father was a German Baptist in religion, and
he, at the age of twenty-one years, united with the same church, and at
twenty-four years of age became deacon of the same, and at thirty
years of age entered the ministry of that church, and at this time holds
the second degree in that relation. He is now pastor on the Rush
Creek District, and officiates at Bremen, Marion, and Durban Run.
Rev. Hartsough was married March 8, 1849, ^^ Susannah, daughter of
George and Elizabeth (Fink) Henricks. They are the parents of six
children, viz. : George, Isaac, Aaron, John, Elizabeth C. and Ira C.
Harvey, Humphrey, grocer and baker, Shawnee, Ohio, was born
424
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
in 1829, in county Cornwall, England ; son of John and Thomasine
(Cornish) Harvey. He came to America in 1850, and located in New
York City, and worked in a bakery two years. He then went to Alle-
ghany county, Maryland, and remained about twenty years. Mr. Har-
vey was married in 1850 to Miss Jane, daughter of Henry Bishop, of
county Cornwall, England. They became the pfirents of one child,
viz. : John. Mrs. Harvey died in 1856, and Mr. Harvey was again
married in 1858 to Miss Lucinda Jane, daughter of Travis and Blanche
(McCoy) Coppage, of Maryland. They are the parents of eight chil-
dren, viz. : Thomasine Blanche, married to John Ritz, Lucinda Jane,
William Alfred, George Travis, Henry James, Thomas Humphrey,
Hattie May and Iva Grant. Mr. Harvey's is the oldest business house
in Shawnee, and is succeeding well.
Hatfield, John, miller, Monroe township, Corning, Ohio, was
born February 17, 1820, in Pennsylvania; son of William and Mar}^
Ann (Miller) Hatfield. Mr. Hatfield was brougnt up on a farm, and
followed agricultural pursuits and running threshing machines for
twenty-four years, until about twent}^ years ago, when he engaged in
his present business of running a saw mill, which he is now about to
change into a flouring mill. He also hits managed threshing machines
since he quit farming. Mr. Hatfield came to Ohio with his parents at
an early da}^ who settled in Richland township, Muskingum county,
and afterward moved to Indiana, where they lived about one year,
when they returned to Fairfield county, Ohio, where they lived up to
the time of their deaths. His father was a soldier in the War of 181 2,
serving two six months terms. His grandfather, Edward Hatfield,
was married in England to Miss Mary Lee, and emigrated to America
during the Revolutionary War ; became a soldier for freedom and
right ; endured the hardships and cruelties of war, but was encouraged
by a brave wife, who continued with him during the campaign, and
where their first child, Edward, was born, and afterward the}^ became
the parents of William, father of the subject of this sketch, and Samuel.
John Hatfield lived with his father until he was past twenty-two years
of age, when he was married to Miss Alice C. Darnell, born January
13, 1822, in Culpepper county, Virginia, daughter of Jeremiah and
Narcissa Frances (Coppage) Darnell. They are the parents of nine
children, viz. : Harriet Ann, married to James Moore ; Eliza Jane,
married to Joseph Bougie ; Narcissa Frances, married to John Eberts ;
Lewis, married to Elizabeth Irwin ; J. M., married to Cynthia J. Post;
Mar}?^ Alice, married to John W. Roberts ; John Wesle}^, married to
Frances Maxwell; Charles Calvert and Maggie E., at home. Mrs.
Hatfield's parents came to Ohio when she was a small girl, where they
lived up to the time of their deaths. Mr. Darnell died in Morgan
county, and Mrs. Darnell in Licking county, each living to a good, ripe
age.
Hays, George L., post ofiice clerk. New Lexington, Ohio, was
born December 14, 1840, in Jackson township ; son of John and Zelda
(Rinehart) Hays. Young Hays was brought up on a farm, where he
remained until 1867, when he came to this place and established a pro-
vision grocery, which he conducted till 1872, after which he clerked in
a store and taught school until 1877, when he took his present position.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNtV. 425
Mr. Hays w£is married January 19, 1864, to Miss Barbara E., daughter
of Isaac and Susan Baily. They are the parents of three children,
viz. : Susanna E., George FrankHn and Isaac Arthur (twins).
Hazelton, Henry, fai;mer. Saltlick township, Shawnee, Ohio ;
was born in this tov\aiship ; son of John and Jane (Traverse) Hazelton.
Mr. Hazelton was brought up a farmer, and has made farming the busi-
ness of his life. Having all his life been a citizen of Saltlick township,
he is now the second oldest citizen in it. Was married Ma}^ 20, i860,
to Lois x\manda,. daughter of Joseph and Susan (Raymer) Woodruff',
of Orange county. New York. They are the parents of three children,
viz. : Ulysses S. Grant, John M. and Mar\^ Jane, who are living, and
one that died in infancy. Mr. Hazelton's "father came from Pennsyl-
vania to Ohio at an early day, and settled on Congress land at $1.25
per acre ; the same land is now considered worth $100 per acre, and
some in the neighborhood has sold as high as $300 per acre. The land
here, as farming land, ^nelds about fort}- bushels of corn per acre;
wheat, about twenty bushels per acre. By good management Mr.
Hazelton raises fifty bushels of corn per acre, and twenty-five bushels
of wheat per acre. He now owns one hundred and sixtyacres in Pike
township, and four hundred and ninety acres in this township.
That in Pike township, and eighty acres in this township, are
optioned as mineral land. He enlisted in September of 1861, in Com-
pany H, Sixt^'-second Regiment, O. V. L, as Second Lieutenant for
three years, or during the war, but was discharged in May, 1864, by
reason of disabillity, caused by a wound received at Fort Wagner,
South Carolina, in the attempt to carry the fort. Upon that
charge the regiment lost three hundred and fitty men, killed and
wounded, and every officer but one was killed or wounded. The Brig-
ade Commander was also killed. Mr. Hazelton enlisted in the ser-
vice as Second Lieutenant, and was discharged as First Lieutenant.
His wound has made him a permanant cripple.
Hazelton, James P., teacher, Straitsville, Ohio; born in Saklick,
township, Perry county, Ohio, May 7, i860 ; son of Harrison and Lou-
vina ( Mario w) Hazelton ; brought up on his father's farm, and attend-
ed school at vStraitsville, and began teaching at the age of twenty years,
in the grammar department of the Straitsville Public Schools. United with
the Baptist Church at Old Straitsville, at the age of fifteen years, and at
the early age of seventeen years became superintendent of the Baptist
Sabbath school at that place, in which honored position he remainefl
for three years. At eighteen years of age he was chosen clerk of the
Baptist Church and has continued to perform the duties of that office
ever since. Mr. Hazelton is a young man whose future is bright. In
the spring of 1882 he entered the Penmanship Department of the Ohio
Wesleyan Universary, at Delaware, Ohio, and graduated in plain and
ornamental penmanship at the Art Hall, under the instruction of Prof
G. W. Michael.
Heck, A. R., born March 7, 1815, on the farm where he now lives,
near Somerset, Ohio ; a successful and prosperous farmer. His father
was Judge John Heck, born in 1790, who came with his father, Frederick
Heck, from Franklin county, Pennsylvania, to Ohio in 1796, and to
Perry count}' in 1802. Frederick's sons were Judge John, of Perry
39 J O J J
^26 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
county, and George Heck, of Seneca count}', Ohio ; his daughters were
Susan, wife of Jacob Pence ; Margeret, wife of Peter Middaugh ; Eliza-
beth, wife of WilHam McCormick ; Katharine, wife of Isaac Pence, and
Maria, single. Frederick Heck, on his arrival in Perry, purchased the
splendid tract of three hundred and twent}- acres where his descendants
vet reside. The father of A. R. Heck was married in 1811, to Peggy
Sanderson, a sister of the late venerable General George Anderson, of
Lancaster, Ohio. Their sons were George and Alexander R ; their
daughters, Elizabeth, wife of Henr^' Brehm, and Huldah, wife of Hiram
Dennison. George resided and died in Iowa, and of two sons, one fell
in the battle of Franklin, Tennessee. Alexander R. Heck was united
in marriage, June 25, 1833, to Rachel Linville, daughter of Solomon,
who was the brother of Joseph and Benjamin Linville, of Fairheld
county, Ohio. They had six daughters : Margaret, wife of Isaac Brook-
hart, who has two daughters ; Elizabeth, wife of George L. Brehm, who
has one son and one daughter , Katharine, wife of Ra3^mond J. Dittoe,
who has one son and one daughter ; Susan, wife of Clinton S. Dorris,
who has one son, and Hannah, wife- of Hayden Arnold, died 1881.
Alexander A. Heck, is a church member, conservative independent in
politics, a good, if not a superior specimen of American citizenship, and
the last of his name now living in the countv. His taxes in 1881, were
$140.
Henry, Franklin L., farmer, Ferrara, Perry county, Ohio; was
born August 5, 1849, in Monroe township, Perry county, Ohio; son of
Cyrus and Abigail (Dye) Henry. Cyrus Henr}- was born in Carroll
county, Ohio, and came to Monroe township with his father, John
Henr}', who entered a farm in the township about the year 1837. Abi-
gail Dye was brought up near Cla^^'s Monument, about five miles east
of Wheeling, West Virginia. Franklin L.. Henry was brought up on a
farm. Began teaching school in 1869 ; taught first in the Dougan school
Monroe township; taught, in all, about six terms. He received a pre-
paratorv education at the Lebanon Academy. He entered the Ohio
University at Athens, in the fall of 1871, and w'as graduated in the
spring of 1876. In 1879 ^^^ formed one of a surveying part}^ under the
supervision of Major J. W. Free and E. N. Maxwell. They first visited
Fort Griffin and Fort Worth, Texas. On his return to the frontier he
w^as taken with typhoid fever, compelling him to abandon the enter-
prise and return to Albany, Texas, where he lay fourteen weeks, a part
of the time at the very point of death. When he became convalescent
he returned to his native home, where he has remained up to the pres-
ent time.
Henricks, Daniel, farmer, Maxville, Ohio ; w^as born in Monday
Creek township, November 2, 1832 ;son of George and Elizabeth (Fink)
Henricks. He was brought up on a farm ; in 185 1 he was elected town-
ship clerk ; in 1856 he moved to L3'on county, Kansas, where he lived
fourteen years, and served as Justice of the Peace seven years, resign-
ing the office when he left there. In 1870 he moved to the Indian Ter-
ritory, where he remained three years ; in 1873 he moved to Texas,
stopping in the northern part, where he resided four years, and return-
ed to Monday Creek township in 1877, and located on his present farm.
Mr. Henricks was married the first time February 15, 185 1, to Nancy
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 427
daughter of James P. and Austis (Sherwood) Black, who died Feb-
ruary 28, 1875. They became the parents of three children, viz. : John
W., Elizabeth J. and James C. He was married the second time April
10, 1879, to Annie, daughter of Thomas and Jane (Huston) Hardy.
Mr. Henricks' grandfather, John Henricks, was a native of Germany,
and emigrated to America shortly after the Revolutionary War, and
settled in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, but in 1809, moved with his
son, George, to Ohio and settled in Perry county, where he built the
first grist mill on Jonathan's Creek. Mr. Henricks' father, George
Henricks, moved into Monday Creek township in 1826.
Heppell, James W., engineer, Sha-wnee, Ohio; was born Novem-
ber 30, 1844, ^" Northumberland, England ; son of James and Hannah
(Brodee) Heppell ; was brought up in the country, and worked in a
coal mine up to 1863, beginning at the age of nine years ; was engaged
as fireman on the railroad for nine years, and then on a ship for one
year as engineer, running from England to France. He came to
America in 1873, landing in New York, and has been employed at the
following business since his arrival : At Dennison, Summit county,
Ohio, one year ; Shawnee, Ohio, as a miner nine months ; on the Balti-
more & Ohio Railroad, fireing engine fifteen -months ; as engineer at
the XX furnace, where he has remained up to this time. Mr. Heppell
was married July 7, 1864, to Miss Barbra, daughter of George and
Elizabeth (Miller) Campbell; they are the parents of six children living,
viz. : Elizabeth, Christena, George, Barbra, Fannie and Mary, and six
dead, viz. : George, James, Hannah, Walter, Thomas and Edward.
Mr. Heppell has passed some narrow escapes of his life ; at one time he
was forty-eight hours bound in a coal mine, in England, whose shafr
was one thousand and seven hundred feet deep. This shaft was sunk
in 1799, and is still running coal. It is the mine in which Stevenson
first proved his elevator engine to be a success, by which he amassed a
fortune.
HiGGiNS, James, was born in 1816, in Pennsylvania ; son of Arthur
and Mary (Brown) Higgins ; he was brought up on a farm, and fol-
lowed farming all his life, and was very successful. He came
to Ohio at the age of fourteen 3^ears, with his father, who settled upon
the farm now owned by the family of the subject of this sketch. Mr.
Higgins was married June 8, 1847, to Miss Ellen McMenomy, born
November i, 1822, in the northern part of Ireland, daughter of Roger
and Marjory (McGinley) McMenomy. They became the parents of
eight children, viz. : Arthur, John, James, Mar}^ (deceased), Elizabeth,
Francis, Stephen and Thomas, deceased. Mr. Higgins departed this
life May 13, 1874. His wife, who still survives him, was brought to
America when a child, whose paients settled in New York State ; at
the age often years her uncle. Judge McGinley, brought her to Ohio,
where she has since resided.
Hill, Robert, farmer, born in 1843, in Thorn township, Perry
county, Ohio ; post office, Rushville. In 1867 he was married to Miss
Levina Lehman, a daughter of Christian Lehman, whose wife was the
daughter of Frederick Siple of Fairfield county, Ohio. The father of
Robert, was James Hill, deceased, in Perry county, Ohio ; and his grand-
father was Robert Hill, deceased, in Virginia. His mother's maiden
428 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
name was Margaret Tailor, and that of his grandmother was Sarah
White, a native of Maryland, and deceased near Thornville. The
children of Robert and Levina Hill are : George, John Richard, Mar-
tha, Rezella, Ann. Robert served his country in Company L, Fourth
U. S. Artillery', six years in the regular army ; was discharged in March,
and married in May, 1867. His tirst lieutenant was a son of Henry
Ward Beecher. This eminent divine was visiting his son and saw a
soldier shot down by the rebels while carr3nng sugar suspended from
one end of a stick and coffee at the other, the slick being swung over
his neck. The sight of this event, and the carelessness of the soldiery
which seemed to border on indifference, made a deep impression on the
manner and conversation of their distinguished visitor. Mr. Hill's wife
is a descendent of that Rev. Adam Lehman, whose name is connected
with the first United Brethren Conference ever held in America ; a
name that will live in history while letters preserve its records. Her
grandfather, Jacob Adam Lehman, was also a preacher in the same
church.
HiLLERY, Marshall, was born in Virginia, March 2d, 1827.
Emigrated with his parents to Ohio in 1830, and located on a farm near
Lancaster, Ohio. After remaining a few years in Fairfield count}-, he
removed with his parents to Monda}' Creek township, where he has re-
sided ever since. His father, Elijah Hillery, was a native of Virginia.
He served in the War of 181 2, and was a great friend of the Union
cause during the late troubles. He died October 9th, 1873. Marshall
Hillery is a farmer by occupation ; although not largely engaged in
farming, yet he maintains his position as one of the progressive farmers
of the community. He w^as married to Sarah Martin, October 30th,
1850. She was born August 18, 1827. She is the daughter of Elli-
son Martin, of Logan, Hocking count}-. Mr. Martin was a prominent
man in his party and society; holding, at the time of his death, the
offices of County Auditor, Justice of the Peace and Postmaster. He
died November 3, 1839. Marshall and Sarah Hillery are the parents
of five children. The first, a son, died in his infancy; Elizabeth J.,
born September 20, 1854, died April 12, 1856; John M., born Sep-
tember 30, 1857; Charles E., born July 16, 1861 ; Laura May, born
July 2, 1865, died February 25, 1870. John M., a teacher by pro-
fession, is engaged in teaching in the county of which he is a resident.
Charles E. is a clerk in a dry goods establishment.
HiLLis. Edward, farmer. Pike township. New Lexington, Ohio;
was born May 31, 1833, ^^^ Jackson township, this county; son of Eli-
jah and Elizabeth (Freshour) Hillis. Mr, Hillis was raised a farmer,
and has followed agricultural pursuits up to the present time. Mr. Hillis
remained at home until the date of his marriage, October 26, 1852, to
Miss Ellis Ferguson, born in December, 1837, daughter of Patrick and
Margaret (McCabe) Ferguson. They are the parents oi six children,
viz. : Richard, John, deceased : Mary, married to Clestin Mattingly ;
George, Edward and Charles. Mr. Hillis' father came to Ohio at an
early day, and after some time he entered eighty acres of land near
what is now known as Nortli Ferrara, but soon after he was killed
at a house raising about one mile south of where the Moxahala furnace
now stands, on the Vanwev farm, leaving a wife and ten children. Af-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 429
ter her husband's death, Mrs. Hillis still remained upon the farm, and
her sons cleared it up and farmed it. Mrs. Hillis was again married in
two or three years, to John Haughran, who lived with the Hillis
family until the time of his death, which occurred in December, 1847,
at which time Edward, the subject of this sketch, took charge of the
farm. Haughran, after his marriage to Mrs. Hillis, bought the eighty
acres she lived upon, and also purchased eighty acres that Mr. Hillis
now lives upon ; and upon the occasion of his death, the property w^ent
into an admiinistrator's hands, when Mrs. Haughran bought the eighty
acres she lived upon at the time of her last marriage, which her two
sons, Edward and Thomas, assisted her in pa3'ing for, but was after-
ward allowed the amount of their assistance in the purchase in partner-
ship of this same eighty acres of land. She also bought eighty-three
acres at the same time, which she sold to her two sons, James and
Washington. Two years after the partnership purchase by Edward
and Thomas, Edward bought the share belonging to Thomas. At the
administrator's sale, David, her oldest son, bought the eighty acres en-
tered by Mr. Hillis, with whom sJie made her home until she died.
James bought out Washington ; and Edward, after the death of James,
bought out his heirs in 1879 '■> ^^^ upon the death of his brother, David,
who was killed at a railroad bridge raising, on the O. C. R. R., bought
out his heirs also ; and owns a house and three lots in the Third ward,
Zanesville, O. He acted as administrator for his brother David's es-
tate. He also purchased in the spring of 1882, seventy acres of the
John Riley farm. All of the original Hillis family were natural me-
chanics. Edward does all of his own work, such as blacksmithing,
wagon Quaking, carpentering, etc. In connection with his other work,
he ran a threshing machine lifteen years. His health has been remark-
ably good, as there has never been a physician called to see him yet.
When he was a boy, deer were so plenty that they had to guard the
wheat held, having seen as many as twenty-tive or thirty in one herd.
Hitchcock, Colonel N. F., was born December 29, 1832, in Perry
county, which has since been his home ; boyhood was spent on farm ; at
the age of eighteen he commenced teaching ; followed it ten 3^ears,
then organized a compan}- of militia and went to the army as Captain ;
was promoted to rank of Lieutenant Colonel ; served three years ; was
in the following battles: Richmond, Perryville, Stone River, Chicka-
mauga, Chattanooga, Resaca, Rome, Jonesborough, Atlanta, Nashville,
Franklin. Was married March 6th, 1854, ^*^ Miss Gemia, daughter of
John F. and Rosanna (Kelh^) Angle ; are the parents of nine children,
living, viz. : John H., Mary, Rosanna, James H., S. Clinton, E. Ross,
Harvey F., Alice J., Lyda U. Mr. Hitchcock's parents are of English
and Irish descent ; has two brothers who were in the arm}-, one being-
Captain. Mr. Hitchcock's grandfather on his father's side, Isaac H.,
was one of the first pioneers.
HiTE, C. E., M. D.. was born 1845, in Lancaster, Ohio ; is the onh'
son of Jacob Hite, an old and highly respected citizen of Lancaster,
and a grandson of John Hite, a Baptist minister of the old school. Dr.
Hite's mother was iVTargaret Guseman. His sisters are Miss Mar}- and
Miss Ella Hite of Lancaster. He was educated in the excellent free
schools of his native city ; read medicine in the office and under the
430 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
tuition of Dr. G. W. Boerstler, long celebrated as the foremost in his
profession in Lancaster ; graduated in Cleveland Medical College in
1868 ; located in Rushville, where he became acquainted with and mar-
ried Miss Sue Lewis, daughter of the late venerable W. B. Lewis, of
that village. In 187 1 he changed his location to Thornville, and a few
months later became a partner of the late Dr. Allen Whitmer, who then,
and to the day of his death in 1881, enjoyed a very lucrative practice.
By the death of this faithful physician and very excellent citizen. Dr. C.
E. Hite succeeded to the very large practice theretofore enjoyed by the
firm of Hite&Whitmer. Hehas been Master of Lodge 521, F. and A.M.,
since its organization in 1879; a member of the L O. O. F., and in all
respects a useful citizen, an ardent Democrat, and a thrifty man of af-
fairs. He has two sons — Charles, the eldest, and Harry, now three years
of age. Jacob Hite, his father, has been in business for nearly a half
century as a merchant tailor in Lancaster, and such is the general con-
fidence in his integrity and capacity that he has served as executor,
without bond, at the request of the testator.
Holmes, Capt. James M., former cashier of the Perry County
Bank, New Lexington, Ohio ; was born June 15, 1837, ^^^ Liberty town-
ship, Fairfield count}', Ohio ; son of Eli and Catharine (Brown) Holmes.
James M. was brought up on the farm, where he remained until twenty-
six years of age, when he enlisted in Company B, One Hundred and
Thirty-fifth Regiment O. V. L, and served about one year. When he
came out of the service he engaged in the grocery business at Terre
Haute, Indiana, and remained about one year, after which he came to
Zanesville, Ohio, and engaged in the coal business, which he followed
until 1873, when he came to this place and engaged in the Peri-^ Coun-
tv Bank as book-keeper, and was elected cashier in 1878. February 22,
1 88 1, he was elected Captain of Company A, Seventeenth Regiment
O. N. G., having previously held the office of Lieutenant of the com-
pany. He commanded the squad of the company which suppressed
the miners' riot at Corning in 1880. Captain Holmes was married No-
vember 9, 1862, to Miss Frances, daughter of James and Fannie (Stolts)
Turner. They became the parents of three children, viz. : Hattie A.,
Fannie K., and Mary E. Mr. Holmes is now a clerk in the Pension
Department at Washington City.
Householder, Adam, was born in Reading township, in 1816 ; is a
farmer by occupation, his postoffice being Avion, on the county line.
His father was Adam Householder, Sr., and his mother was Christina
Siniff, who came to Ohio, in 1802, on horseback, carrying her eldest
son, Philip, while her husband accompanied her on foot, carrying his
trusty rifle, until they reached her father's (Philip Siniff ) house, where
the Wagner farm now is. The brothers of Adam Householder, Jr.,
were, Philip, John, Andrew, George, and Levi ; and his sisters were,
Polly, wife of Levi Hodge ; Bets}', wife of John Griggs ; Margaret
Ann, wife of John Hiles : Christina, wife of George Griggs, and Nancy,
wife of John M. Johnson. Adam Householder, Jr., first married Miss
Margaret Lehman, daughter of Warner Lehman. The only son living
by this marriage is Thomas Lehman, whose occupation is that of a
farmer, and whose postoffice is Avion, Ohio. His second marriage
was to Efizabeth, daughter of John Lehman, about the year 1847. The
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 43 1
sons of this marriage are, Lewis, Balser, and D. F. ; all married, and
postoffice, Avion, Ohio, and all living near t\\e paternal homestead in
homes of their own. The daughters were, Margaret Ann, wife of
Abanus Purvis ; Caroline, wife of Earney Purvis ; Emma, wife of Tur-
ner Elder, and Levina, yet at home. The Householders were of
Dutch Reform parentage, but are now generally of the Brethren
Church and of the Republican faith. Adam Householder, Jr., start-
ing in life, as a married man where he was born and reared, about
the year 1840, depending alone upon his industry and good health
for success, and rearing to manhood and to womanhood four sons
and four daughters, that rank in society with honorable names and
encouraging portions, illustrate the benignity of American institutions,
and the thrift, as well as respectability, of the Householder name in
the county of its adoption and its birth.
HovvDYSHELL, MiCHAEL, farmer, Monday Creek township, P. O.,
Webb Summit, O. ; born May 4, 1810, in Rockingham county, Virginia,
son of Jacob and Mary (Miller) Howdyshell. He was brought up a
farmer, and has made that the business of his life. In 18 14 his father
came to Ohio and located in Fairfield county, remaining about two
years, when he moved to Hocking countv, Ohio, and from there he
went to Indiana, where both he and his wife died — Jacob at eighty-five
years of age and Mary at ninety-five years of age. Michael came to
this township about 1842, and located upon and entered the farm where
he now lives. At the time of his coming that part of the county
was a wilderness, and he cleared up his own land. When his father
lived in Hocking county, Logan was unknown, there being but one
log cabin at that place, occupied by a man by the name of Rhodes.
They packed their wheat to Lancaster on horseback, and had to go to
Zanesville for salt, which cost one dollar per bushel, and it required
about four days to make the trip. When a boy, Michael used to ac-
company his father, who made hunting his special business. At one
time his father killed three bears without moving from his position.
Wild turkeys were plentiful ; deer and wild animals were a daily sight.
Michael's early school days were spent in a log cabin schoolhouse with
puncheon floor, a split log for a seat, greased paper for window lights,
clapboard door, and a split stick chimney that would take in a backlog
nine feet long. He is one of a family of twelve children, seven of
whom were boys. As a citizen, he has had but one lawsuit, and that
before a Justice of the Peace. He was married, in 183 1. His wife,
Sarah, came with her parents to Ohio from Virginia. Mrs. Howdy-
shell died May 14, 1877. They became the parents of seven children,
viz. : Silas, Delilah, Frances, William H., died at nine 3^ears of age;
Samuel S., Catharine, and Jerome, who died at the age of thirt}- years.
Ho\VDYSHELL, IsAAC, farmer, Monday Creek township, P.O., Max-
ville, O. ; born January 13, 1845, in this township, son of Samuel and
Sylvy (Geiger) Howdyshell; was brought up on a farm, and attended
common school m the winter season. At the age of twenty-five years
he attended school in Logan, Ohio, and the following 3'ear began teach-
ing, and continued that business for eleven years, teaching most of this
ji time in Hocking county, Ohio, and five successive terms in one district
"^ in Green township. He began life with no assistance, and now owns
432
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
one hundred and sixtv acres of well improved land where he now li\'es.
He was married April 30, 1874, ^^ Miss Nancy, daughter of Daniel and
Elizabeth (Blosser) HutTord.- To them were born three children, viz. :
Marv E., Zelda J., and Sarah Amanda. Samuel Howd\-shell, father
of Isaac was born in 1816, in Virginia. He was brought by his
parents to Ohio when a boy and at about the age of twenty 3-ears, he
went to Hocking county, Ohio, where he married Sylvy Geiger, who
was born in 1824. The}' moved to Perry count}- shortly before the
birth of Isaac, their son. Unto them were born eleven children, viz. :
Noah, David, Isaac, James A., deceased; Samuel, deceased; Phcebe,
Philip, Henson, Sarah, Jacob, and Albert, deceased.
HowERTH, J. W., farmer, Pleasant township; post office, Moxa-
hala ; born in Belmont county in 1843 ; son of Samuel and Sarah (Bol-
ton) Howerth, and is of English descent. Mr. H^owerth's parents
emigrated to the United States about 1837. T'be subject of this sketch
moved to Harrison county in 1857, and remained there until he came
to this township, in 1871, and located on the farm where he now resides.
In 1864 he married Miss N. Herriman, of Harrison county. They be-
came the parents of three children: Etty M., Lydia E., and Effie C.
In 1872 he married Rebecca Speer ; her mother was born in Pennsyl-
vania, and her father was of Irish extraction. They are the parents of
three children: Dasie A., Sarah F., and William B. Miss Lorena D.
Randals, Mrs. Howerth's daughter by her first husband, makes her
home with the family.
Hov, Charles, attorney at law. New Lexington, Ohio ; was l)orn
March 4, 1829, in Wayne, now Ashland, county, Ohio, son of Charles
and Mary (daughter of Adam Poe) Hoy. Charles was brought up on
the farm, and began teaching school when seventeen years of age, and
taught about five vears. He was educated at Ashland and Wooster
Academies and Western Reserve College ; began reading law in 1849,
and was admitted to the bar at Mansfield, Ohio, in 1853 ; began the
practice of his profession, in 1854, at Coshocton, Ohio. In 1857 he
was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Coshocton county, and re-elected
in 1859. Attorney Hoy was married, in 1855, to Miss Mary Jane,
daughter of General Joseph and Rebecca (Lewis) Burns, of Coshoc-
ton, Ohio. He came to his present location in September, 1877.
HuFFORD, Daniel, farmer, Monday Creek township, P. O., Max-
ville, O. ; born May 28, 1831, on the farm now owned by his brother,
John H., son of Daniel and Nancy (Welty) Hufibrd. He was brought
up on a farm, and has given his attention to agricultural pursuits to this
time. During his boyhood days he attended school a few months in the
year. He has served as township trustee five terms, four of which were
in succession, during the war. He was one of the Ohio National Guards,
who were called out during the war. Mr. Hufibrd was married March
4, 1852, to Elizabeth, daughter of John I. and Hannah (HufTord) Blos-
ser, of Hocking county, Ohio. They are the parents of six children,
viz. : Nancy, married, April 30, 1874, ^'^^ Isaac Howdyshell ; John W.,
a school teacher, was married, October 14, 1878, to Jane Vanatta, of
Jackson township ; Hannah J., married toJ.W. Davis, in 1875 5 Mary M.,
Alice A., died at the age of fifteen months, and Judson S. Mr. HufTord
owns one hundred and fifty acres of well improved land wdierehe lives.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 433
HuFFORD, John H., farmer, Monday Creek township, post office Max-
ville, Ohio ; was born October 12, 1833, in this township ; son of Daniel
and Nancy (Welty) Hufford. John H. was brought up on a farm, and
while at home has made agricultural pursuits the business of his life.
August 15, 1862, he enlisted in Compau}- G, One Hundred and Four-
teenth Regiment, of w^hich he was chosen Second Lieutenant, and
served in the Tennessee Army under Sherman and Grant. Was
engaged in the batdes of Chickasaw Bluffs, Thompson's Hill, Magnolia
Hills, Champion Hill, Black River, Siege of Vicksburg, and was in
two charges after he went to New Orleans, and thence to Texas under
General Banks. Was discharged on the Mississippi river, above Vicks-
burg, July 4, 1864. While in the service he was promoted to First
Lieutenant. Betbre going into the army he served three successive
years as towmship assessor, and one since he returned. Was land ap-
praiser in 1870. He was married the first time in Januar}-, 1853, to
Elizabeth A., daughter of Peter and Margaret (Pulse) Beery, to whom
were born two children, viz. : Margaret A. and Emanuel. Mrs. Huf-
ford died March 23, 1856. Was married the second time October 9,
1866, to Mary E. Kishler, widow of Daniel Kishler. They are the
parents of two children, viz. : Dora Lorena and Nellie Blanche. Mr.
Huftbrd owns one hundred and twenty acres of land where he lives,
improved and well stocked. Daniel Huftbrd, father of John H., was
born Januar}- 11, 1795, in Rockingham count}^ Virginia, and is of
German parentage, and was brought to Fairfield county, Ohio, about
1797, where he was raised a farmer. Nancy Welty, who became
John H. Huftbrd's mother, was born November 27, 1797, in Lancaster
county, Penns3dvania, and was brought to Fairfield county by her
parents. After the marriage of Mr. Huftbrd to Miss Welty, they moved
to and located in this township on the farm now owned b}^ John H., and
was one of the pioneers of this vicinit}', and knew all the incidents of
a pioneer life.
Hull, David W., farmer. Pike township, post oftice New Lexington,
Ohio ; born Februar}^ 15, 1824, upon the farm where he now lives ; son
of Daniel and Elizabeth (Goodin) Hull. Mr. Hull's father came from
Pennsylvania to Peny county, Ohio, and took up Congress land, the
same that is now the farm of David W., where he lived until his
death in 1858. Mr. Hull, the subject of this sketch, was raised a
farmer, and has followed agricultural pursuits up to this date. He was
married August 21, 1849, ^^ Eliza N., daughter of Arthur and Nancy
(Rinehart) Ankrom. The}^ are the parents of five children, viz. :
Arthur D., Emma M., William H., Nannie E. and x\nna Belle, all liv-
ing, and two of whom are married, viz. : Arthur D. and Emma M.
Mr. Hull is one of the most prosperous farmers in this township, and
now lives in a fine frame farm house, which has supplanted both the
log cabin of yore, and the hewed log house of his boyhood da^'s, and
is one of the few who enjo}' the farm of their nativit}^ and the home-
stead.
Hull, John S., farmer and stock raiser, Clayton township, post
office Somerset, Perry county ; born in this countv in 1825 ; son of
John and Rachel (Sayer) Hull. The former died in 1867, ^^^^ latter in
1854. "The former was a native of Pennsvlvania, the latter of New
40
434 BIOCiRAPHICAT. SKETCHES.
Jersey. He is a grandson (jf Benjamin and Hannah Hull, and of Revel
and Hope Sayers. Married in 1847 to Miss Anna C, daughter of
Philip and Margaret (Chilcote) Miller. They are the parents of four
children, viz. : Harriet E., Rachel E., deceased, James A. and Wil-
liam A.
Hull, David, farmer and wool grower, post office Rehoboth ; born
in Perry county in 1826; son of Samuel and Mary (Goodin) Hull,
grandson of Daniel and Rebecca (Mai out) Hull. Married in 1851 to
Miss Sarah A., daughter of Reason and Julia A. (Thrall) Hammond.
They are the parents of two children, viz. : Mary E., who is married
to Austin Dells, of this county, and Alvah. Mr. Hull was drcifted in
the late war, but furnished a substitute.
Hl/mberger Adam, son of Peter and Mary Humberger, was born
in Thorn township. Perry count}-, Ohio, in 1806. He worked on
his father's farm a few years, after becoming old enough, but evincing
a genius and desire for mechanical pursuits, he was apprenticed to an
uncle to learn the trade of a gunsmith. After completing his apprentice-
ship, he was united in marriage with a Miss Terrell, and soon afterward
moved to Somerset, where he established a shop and carried on busi-
ness successfully for many years. He had but a limited education —
such as the schools of the day afforded — but he was a great reader and
student all his life. When some of his children were old enough to go
to school and study Comstock's Philosophy, he also became a ver^^ close
student of the book. When he came upon the statement that Com-
stock then made and taught — that a ball shot from a gun directl}^ up-
ward would return to the earth with the same force and velocity that it
left the gun — he declared that " all nonsense ; for," said he, " the re-
sistance of the air against the ball, both ascending and descending,
must be taken into account, and that would make it an impossibility for
the ball to return with the same force it leaves the gun." Satisfied
himself, he at once proceeded to make a practical experiment, to con-
vince Prof. Nourse and others that Comstock's book was teaching
erroneous doctrine. He carefully weighed his powder and balls, then
loaded his gun and placed the muzzle thereof against a board of a
certain thickness. He then built a shed, covered with boards of the
same character and thickness, set a gun upright in the center thereof,
and sprung the trigger by means of a pulley and string, held by him in
an adjacent building. The result was that, while the ball, shot from the
gun, went through one board, and part of the w^ay through another, the
ball shot directly upward and returning, only buried itself about half in
the board upon which it fell. Prof. Nourse w^as convinced, and wrote
to the publishers of the philosophy referred to. The book was changed
in this respect, and whoever will take the pains to examine a Com-
stock's Philosophy, published thirty years ago, will see that it contains
and teaches the error which the practical experiment herein related
disproved. Mr. Humberger also invented and manufactured three
revolvers, several years prior to Colt's invention and patent. One of
these revolvers was fired on a general muster day, at Somerset, in the
presence of hundreds of people, years before Colt's revolvers were
heard of. The three revolvers made by Humberger were hunted up,
taken to the East, and used in law suits growing out of the right to
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 435
manufacture revolvers. He also visited New York, Washington, D.
C, and Hartford, Connecticut, as a witness in some celebrated law suits
pertaining to the same subject. Mr. Humberger also invented, and
took out three patents, upon a corn harvester, upon which he worked
and studied much during his later years. His harvester was tried, and
worked with some degree of success, but he would never engage in
selling the patent right, for the reason that the machine was not per-
fected, and not what he designed it to be. He was still thinking and
working about his harvester when his health began to decline, and his
labors were done. Mr. Humberger died in May, 1865, at the residence
of a daughter in New Lexington. He has three daughters — Melinda,
married to Samuel Boyer, living at Pleasant Hill, Missouri ; Matilda,
married to Jackson Parrott, and lives in Cass county, Missouri : Mary
A., married to E. S. Colborn, and lives at New Lexington, Ohio.
Humberger, Henry, farmer, post othce Thornville. He was
born December 26, 1842, in section 26, Thorn township, Perry county,
Ohio, where he still resides. His father was John Humberger, born
in section 35, Thorn township, February 22, 1803, the same year Loui-
siana was purchased from France by Thomas Jefferson. October 9,
1828, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Ann Basore, who was
born February 24, 1809, whose father was Frederick Basore, who set-
tled south from Rushville, in Richland township, Fairfield county, in
1803. Her mother's maiden name was Mary E. Keister, and her
parents were of the Reform Presbyterian belief. Her father died at
the age of sixty-rive, her mother in her eightieth year, near New Read-
ing, Perry county. The grandfather of Henry was Peter Humberger,
who must have landed in Perry county in 1802, where his brothers
John and Henry also came, and settled on section 35, where they
found John King. The children of this Peter Humberger were,
beside two who died young — Katharine, the wife of Philip King ;
Peter, deceased in Thorn township ; Margaret, wife of John Louis ;
Hannah ; and Adam, who lived as a gunsmith in Somerset, is said to
be the true inventor of the first revolving pistol ; died in New Lexing-
ton, buried in Somerset, and was the first Universalist who had a M. E.
minister promise to preach his funeral, and tell the congregation he
died in the faith, as he had lived in it, that all mankind would be ulti-
mately happy in the land beyond the grave. In addition there was
Adam's brother Benjamin, who died in Sandusky count}^ Ohio ; David,
who moved to Whitley county, Indiana, and died there ; Henry, who
died in the same county ; Mary, wife of Jacob Civits, post office Colum-
bia City, Whitley county, Indiana. The children of John and Marv
Ann Humberger were David, the husband of Eliza Ann Karr, Colum-
bia City, Indiana ; Frederick, husband of Elizabeth Hetrick, same
post office ; Mary Ann, wife of Simon Long, deceased, post office
Tiffin, Ohio; Peter, who was three times married, and died, leaving
sons and daughters in Pike count}^ Indiana ; Elizabeth Rankin, whose
post office is Thornville ; Margaret, deceased wife of Bernard Mech-
ling, of Hopewell ; Rev. John, husband of Mary Coolman, of Somer-
set, post office Petersburg, Mahoning county, Ohio; George W., hus-
band of Emma Hudgel, Plj^mouth, Jefferson county, Nebraska ;
436 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Benjamin F., husband of Elenora Karr, post office Thornville ; and
Henry, the 3^oungest, except the last two named, who was married
on tlie 14th of April, 1867, to Miss Eliza Ann, dauf^hter of Daniel Sny-
der, of Thorn township. They have two living children — Miss Mary
and Elva May. Henry Humberger, their father, is the proprietor of
the ancient homestead, around which the precious memories of
the family cling as a vine to the ancient oak. He joined the
One Hundred and Fifty-second Indiana Regiment in 1865, and having
served to the end of the war, was honorably discharged at Indianapolis.
After the death of his father in 1846, his mother, yet living, at the age
of seventy-foiu% had her maintenance in the homestead, which went
into Henry's name in 1867, subject to her rights. The family mansion
is a spacious two-story brick ; the farm is just a round one hundred
acres ; the spring, like the location, ranks among the foremost in the
county, and, to Henry, it is matchless in beauty and contentment.
Hunt, Hixson, carriage manufacturer. New Lexington, Ohio ; born
May 24, 1819, in Sussex county. New Jersey : son of John and Jemima
(Hixson) Hunt : his grandfather Hunt came from England. Hixson
was brought up on the farm until the age of fourteen, when he went to
his trade and served seven years. In 1840 he came to this place, where
he has followed his trade to the present time. Mr. Hunt was married
December 23, 1842, to Miss Ann Eliza, daughter of William and Mar}^
(Eagle) Pruner, of W3^the county, Virginia. They are the parents of
eight children, viz. : Mary, deceased ; Almeda, deceased ; William
Austin, deceased; Ann Eliza, deceased ; Catharine, married to W. C.
Hickman; Almira, married to John E. Parker; John H., married to
Clara M. West, aftd C^harles W. Mr. Hunt is one of the best mechan-
ics in the county.
Huston, Andrew, farmer, Monday Creek township, post office New
Straitsville, Ohio ; born August 16, ^805, in Erie countv, Pennsylvania ;
son of Christopher and Elizabeth (Work) Huston. He came to Fair-
field county, Ohio, vviUi his father, in 1806; spent his bojdiood days on
a farm ; came to Monda}^ Creek township in the spring of 1836, where
he has lived, except a short time, ever since. Was married to Anna
E., daughter of Alexander and Margaret (Love) Buchanan, of Fair-
field county. The}^ became the parents of one child, John. Mrs.
(Buchanan) Huston died some time after. He was married the sec-
ond time to Elizabeth Hardy, to whom was born one child. Was mar-
ried tlie third time to Margaret Gosser, by whom he had one daughter,
Elizabeth C. Mr. Huston took charge of the post office at Old Straits-
ville, under President Fillmore's Adm.inistration, for nearly seven years.
He was elected justice of the peace in Saltlick township in 1859, and
re-elected in 1862, and served six years.
Huston, John W., farmer, Madison township, post office. Mount
Perry. He was born September 27, 1829. in Madison township, and is
a son of Edward and Jane Huston. His father was born in Ireland,
and came to this township in 1812. Mr. H. has always followed farm-
ing, and now owns an excellent farm. He enlisted in Company H,
One Hundred and Sixtieth Regiment, serving four months as Lieutenant
in that company. He was married March 30, 1852, to Eliza McBride,
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 437
daughter of Andrew and Mary McBride. They are the parents of
seven children, Edward G., Mary M., (deceased), Andrew J., Malan-
thon F., Hannah J., AnnaR., and LesHe A.
Huston, R. W., proprietor provision grocery, corner of Main and
Brown streets, New Lexington, Ohio. He carries a large stock of gro-
ceries, queensware and glassware : also 03'Sters and ice cream in season.
He has a full share of the trade in his line.
Huston, James A., druggist,, New Lexington, Ohio.
Hynus, Henry, born Mav 20, 1834, ^" Cambria county, Pennsyl-
vania ; post office, Somerset, Ohio. His father was Myrod Hynus, and
his mother's maiden name was Mary Ann Swope. He had one brother,
Joseph, who died belonging to the Regular Army, and who left a widow
and one daughter in Newark, Ohio, from whence he enlisted. Henry's
father died in Newark in 1877, at the age of eighty-two. His mother
died at the age of lifty-six, and is buried in the Catholic cemeter^^ in
Somerset. His sisters were Martha, wife of Martin Kureth ; Rachel,
wife of Henrv Flowers : Maria, wife of Ellis Bader, all of Newark,
Ohio : and Mary x\nn, wife of Jacob Retry, supposed residence in Cali-
fornia. After his marriage to Miss Rebecca Barker, daughter of John
Barker, an old settler of Perr}' , and sister of Rev. David Barker, an
Old School Baptist minister, who deceased at Pleasantville in 1882,
they emigrated to Crawford county, Illinois, came back to Perry count}^
in six months, and three years later, in 1867, again moved west to
Adams county, Iowa, and from here he again returned to Perry county,
where he has since resided, in prosperous circumstances. These jour-
ne3's were performed in a wagon, and that to Iowa required thirty-two
days going, and the same returning. Mr. H^-nus exhibits " Old Nance,"
a mare twenty-two vears old, which has performed all these journeys,
and which animal, if she had kept a strict book account against her
master at twentv-five cents per dav for her work, and a fair allowance,
for her colts, would have him in debt over $4,000. Mr. H3aius is an
enterprising gardener, and has proved that onions as large as tea cups
can be raised from the seed in one year. During 1881, he experimented
with forty-eight kinds of potatoes and forty of corn. He took the first
premiumat the Ohio State Fair in 1881, on best amber and red wheat,
and bushel of meal, and yellow corn ; also first on best display of ce-
reals, and best new varieties of potatoes, the Belle, and best on other
varieties, Mammoth and Pearl. Also a premium on the ten best kinds
of potatoes, with many second premiums on other articles. His pres-
ence at the State Fair has elevated Perr3r to a high rank in premium
winning. He is equally up in hogs and horses, and is called far and
near as a doctor of the last-named animals. His sons are Jellerson J.,
Vincent, a teacher; Isaac Y., Arthur and John H. Hynus. His daugh-
ters are Miss Mar}- E., Nancv Jane, and Clara E. Hynus.
Iliff, Wesley, post office, McLune}' ; born in Pennsylvania in 1814.
Settled here in a very earl}' da}^ Son of John and Anna (Henry) Iliff.
Mr. Iliff has been twice married, first in 1836 to Miss Harriet Teal,
who died in 1878. This union was blessed with seven children, viz. :
Sarah A., deceased, Isaac, deceased, Elizabeth, deceased, John F.,
Thomas C, Acy T., James W. Thomas C, after graduating at iVthens
University, entered the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal church,
438 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
where he has risen to quite an eminent position. Mr. IHff was married
again in 1878 to Miss Nettie Shetron.
Jackson, Joseph, born at Rockaway, Morris county, New Jersey,
November 15, 1832 ; came to Ohio in 1857, settled at Johnstown, Lick-
ing count}^, Ohio ; entered the army of the United States, August, 1862,
One Hundred and Thirteenth Regiment, Company F, Ohio Vohmteer
Infantry. He was wounded at the battle of Chicamauga, September
20, 1863, in left arm, which is seriously impaired. Was discharged on
account of wound, December 31, 1863, at Camp Chase. Removed to
Perry county, October, 1878, being engaged in the business of insurance.
Was married in Januar}-, 1861, to Abbie A. Merrill, of Johnstown,
Licking county, Ohio. She was born in the State of Maine, and came
after her parents, about the year 1858. Their living children are :
Henry Merrill, Joseph Elsworth, and Lilly E. Jackson. The grand-
father, whose name is borne by the subject of this sketch. Colonel Jo-
seph Jackson, ranked as Colonel in the War of 1812 ; was postmaster
under Washington at Rockaway, New Jersey, which office he held
until deposed by Tyler in 1842. He claimed to have built the first roll-
ing mill in the United States, at Rockaway, in 1824 or 1825. Joseph is
a persevering insurance agent, and is deemed highly successful and
strictly reliable.
Jackson, Colonel Lyman J., of the firm of Jackson & Conly, at-
torneys-at-law. New Lexington, Ohio ; was born January 12, 1834, i^ear
West Rushville, Fairfield county, Ohio. His father, John J. Jackson,
was born in Otsego county. New York, February 7, 1792, and was
descended from Abram Jackson, who emigrated from England to Ply-
mouth, Massachusetts, in 1624. His mother, Mary C. Grate, was a
native of Emmettsburg, Maryland, but resided from 1804 till 1827, at
Franklinton, Franklin county, Ohio, with her parents, who died there.
In March, 1839 ^^^ Jackson family removed from Rushville, Fairfield
county, to a farm near New Reading, Peny county, Ohio. The parents
lived here during the rest of their lives, the mother dying in March,
187 1, and the father in September, 1876. Lyman lived and worked on
the farm until October, 1851, when he was sent to St. Joseph's College,
in that county, and attended its sessions until 1855. From this time
until 1857 he worked on the farm in summer, and taught school in win-
ter, at the same time stud3'ing law and continuing his college studies.
In May, 1857, he was admitted by the Supreme Court to the practice
of law, graduated at St. Joseph's College, July 7, 1857, and in that
month commenced the practice of law at New Lexington. In the fall
ot 1859 ^^ ^'^^s candidate for Prosecuting Attorney of Perry county,
running on what was then the Northern ticket in a county seat contest,
and was elected, though the rest of the ticket was heavily defeated.
He was the first volunteer from the county in the Union army. Imme-
diately after the firing on Fort Sumter, he raised Company E, Seven-
teenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Militia, which he commanded as Cap-
tain during its three months service in Western Virginia. When it was
mustered out, he was appointed in August, 1861, Captain of Company
G, Tiiirty-llrst Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served as such
until January, 1862, when he was promoted and commissioned as Ma-
jor of the Eleventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. With this
HISTORY OV PERRY COUNTY. 439
regiment, a great part of the time in command of it, he served, in 1862,
in Maryland and Virginia through some of the severest battles of the
war. Resigning this position, he was in May, 1864, appointed Colonel
of the One Hundred and Fifty-ninth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry,
and commanded it during its term of service. In the fall of 1865 he
served for a short period by appointment to till a vacancy as Prosecu-
ting Attorney of Muskingum county. February 17, 1863, he was
married to Miss Mary E. Taggart, daughter of Arthur Taggart, Esq.,
late of Morgan county, Ohio. Resuming the practice of law at New
Lexington shortly after the war, he was, in April, 1873, elected delegate
for Perry county to the third Ohio Constitutional Convention. In Oc-
tober, 1877, he was elected State Senator from the district composed of
Muskingum and Perry counties, and in October, 1879 ^"'^ '^^^ re-elected
to the same position. In religion. Colonel Jackson is a Roman Catho-
lic, and in politics has always acted with the Democratic party except
during the Rebellion.
James, H. C, farmer and stock raiser ; post office, McLuney, Ohio ;
born in Muskingum county, Ohio, in 1833; settled in this county in
1876; son of Isaac and Mary (Hollow) James. Married in 1855, to
Miss Hannah, daughter of William and Abigal (Search) Barrel. They
are the parents of nine children, viz. : Milton J., Alice, Edmund, Cor-
nelia, deceased ; Mary C, Linna B., Cora. Curtis, Matilda. Two are
married, one living in this county and one in Morgan county.
James, Cyrus Matson, shoemaker, New Straitsville, Ohio ; was
born July 10, 1838, in Coshocton county, Ohio ; son of William and
Sarah (Bagley) James. Was raised a farmer, and followed agricultural
pursuits until he was twenty-one years of age. His father having
moved into Athens county, Ohio, while he was quite young, he was
raised in that county, and went to his trade at Millfield, working with
J. W. P. Cook, who was employed with one Woodworth of that place,
where he worked about eight months, when he began journey work for
himself, working in all in this place some eight or ten 3^ears, and one
year in Nelsonville, Ohio, and has been engaged at the following places ;
Amestown about six months ; again in Milltield until 1874 ; Chauncy,
same county, four months ; Hemlock, Perr}^ county, Ohio, about six-
teen months, from whence he came to tliis place, where he has
since remained to this time, engaged at his trade. Was married Octo-
ber 6th, 1861, to Mary King, born March 21, 1842, in Washington
county, Ohio, daughter of Job and Elizabeth (McCants) King. They
are the parents of three children, viz. : Albert, Eugene and Charley-
James, Thomas P., collier, Shawnee, Ohio; was born January 13,
1853, in Risca, Monmouthshire, England ; son of Daniel M. and Mary
Ann (Price) James. Was raised a collier and emigrated to America
with his parents at the age of twelve years, who, landing in New York,
September 19, 1865, went to Newark, Ohio, where they lived about one
year, when they moved to Summit count}^ Ohio, and where James, the
subject of this sketch, remained ten years, from whence he came to
Shawnee, Ohio. While living ot Newark, he worked on a farm lor his
uncle, since which he has been engaged at his business of mining.
Was married November 11, 1873, to Ann, daughter of David B. and
440 BIOGRAPHICAI. SKETCHES.
Mary (Tucker) Jones. They are the parents of three children, viz. :
Mary Ann, Sarah Jane, and Winnifred.
Jenkins, John, collier, Shawnee Ohio; was born July 12, 1833, in
Tregaron, Cardiganshire, Wales ; son of David and Mary Jenkins.
Lived in Cardiganshire until he was twelve years of age, when he
moved to Monmouthshire, and lived there until 1864 ; at this time he
again moved to Brecknockshire, remaining one year, from where, in
1865, he emigrated to America, landing in New York, and thence to
Pomeroy, Meigs county, Ohio, which place he made his home until
1872. Leaving his family in Pomeroy, he went to Straitsville in July,
and remained until February following. He then moved his famih'
to Shawnee, and there they have lived to the present time. Mr.
Jenkins is, at this time, township trustee, and has been elected four
terms in succession. He has seen Shawnee grow from its infancy.
Has made mining his business during his life. Was married August 6,
1853, to Mary, daughter of Daniel and Eliza (Price) Jones of Bryn-
mawn, Wales. They are the parents of eight children, viz. : David,
Daniel, Mary Jane, John, Mordecai, Lizzie, William, deceased, and
an infant, deceased.
Johnson, John K., millwright, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born February
13, 1817, in Adams county, Pennsylvania; son of John and Mary
(Koon) Johnson. Was raised a farmer, and followed agricultural pur-
suits until he was eighteen years of age, when he went to the millwright
trade, which business he followed until 1872, building flouring mills
at Tuscarora, Mt. Union mill in Maryland, and rebuilt some in Penn-
sylvania ; one near Cumberland, Muskingum county, Ohio, for James
McClurg ; one on Meigs Creek, Morgan county, Ohio ; one in Sharon,
Morgan county, Ohio, now in Noble county; two at Sulphur Springs,
Perry county, Ohio, on same foundation, one burning down ; one in
West Virginia, on Twelve Pole River, nine miles Irom Guyandott ; one
for John Dickerson, in Meigs township, Morgan county, Ohio ; and re-
modeled quite a number in different places ; also built a steam tannery
in Perry county, Pennsylvania, for John McFarland, that is calculated
to tan thirty thousand hides per 3^ear. In 1854 ^^^ bought a farm of
seventy-eight acres in Saltlick township. Perry county, Ohio, for $1,000,
which he sold to the Smith Mining Company of Shawnee, for $7,800,
in 1873, since which he has been living a retired life. Was married
January 16, 1845, to Margaret, daughter of James and Nancy McClerg,
of Muskingum county, Ohio. Mrs. Johnson died April 30, 1873.
Johnson, Jacob J., President Perry County Bank, New Lexing-
ton, Ohio ; was born August 28th, 1821, in Waynesburg, Greene coun-
ty, Pennsylvania ; son of Jacob (who died in Penns3'lvania), and Sarah
(Gorden) Johnson. His ancestors came from New Jersey. When Jacob
J. was about nine years of age, his mother located on a farm in Read-
ing township, where he was brought up and remained until eighteen,
when he began teaching school, and taught several terms. In 1850,
Mr. Johnson was elected SherifT of Perry county, and served eight
years in all. In 1870, Sheriff' Johnson was elected Treasurer of Perry
county, and served four years. In 1880, he was elected member of the
State Board of Equalization. In Januar}^ 1879, ^^^ ^'^^^ elected Presi-
dent of the Perry County Bank- — the last two offices named he now
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 44I
holds. Mr, Johnson was married in April, 1847, to Miss Permelia,
daughter of John and Nancy (Greene) Tutwiler. They are the parents
of ten children, viz. : Susan, deceased ; Mary, deceased ; Lucretia, Al-
bert v., Francis J., Victoria, William, Jacob, Martina, and Sarah, de-
ceased.
Johnson, John, superintendent of laborers at XX Furnace, Shaw-
nee, Ohio; was born April 10, 1827, in the county of Durham, in the
northern part of England ; son of Adam and Ann (Ayer) Johnson.
Mr. Johnson came to America at the early age of thirteen years, land-
ing in New York, July 3, 1840, and has been engaged at the following
places and busines : At Sackage's Iron Works, North River, New
York, about six months ; Troy, New York, in rolling mill, fifteen
months ; White Hall, New York, two months ; St. John's, Lake Cham-
plain, New York, about live months ; Alban}^, New York, worked on
levee, about seven months ; Saratoga Springs, on hsh pond, six months ;
Buffalo, New York, on streets, six months ; Erie, Pennsylvania, on
docks, six months ; Brady's Bend Iron Works at Blast Furnace, two
ye.ars ; Guitanquin Iron Works, in rolling mill, one year; Pittsburg, in
roiling mill, (before any blast furnace was built in Pittsburgh), six
months ; Cincinnati, a da}^ laborer ; Cleveland, Ohio, on canal docks ;
Sandusk}^ Ohio, in lumber ^^ard ; Detroit, Michigan, two months;
Port Huron, two or three months in lumberyard ; from Cleveland, Ohio,
to Baltimore, Maryland, driving cattle ; fisheries on Bush River, South
Carolina, hauling seine for herring, six weeks ; Baltimore, Maryland,
engaging as fireman and strokeman on a steamer, sailing to ports of St.
Petersburg, Russia ; Konstadt, Prussia ; Copenhagen, Denmark ; Elsi-
nore, Denmark ; Rochelle, France ; Cadiz, Spain ; Gibralter, Spain ;
Malaga, Spain ; Carthagena, Spain, for two ^^ears and six months,. re-
turning to Baltimore, Maryland ; Mt. Savage iron works, Alleghany
count}^ Maryland; at furnace one year; Cleveland, Ohio, at furnace;
Detroit, Michigan, at furnace ; Ann Arber, at furnace ; Flint, Michigan,
walked across Indian Reserve to Saginaw Cit}^ about 100 miles distant ;
took berth of firing on steamer, one year and six months ; Cleve-
land and Portsmouth, on Ohio canal ; Hanging Rock furnace region,
among furnaces, five or six years ; Easton, Pennsylvania, about five
months ; at Cooper's iron works, Jerseytown, Pennsylvania ; again in
Mount Savage; at Isesferry, Virginia; in Monongalia, Preston, Har-
rison, Marion and Taylor counties, Virginia, digging iron ore and
working at furnaces for twenty-one years ; at Zanesville, Ohio, on court
house, six weeks ; at Frazeysburg, Ohio, digging iron ore four months
for Zanesville furnace ; Glenford, Perry county, Ohio, and opened lime-
stone quany for Fannie Furnace, while it was in Newark, Ohio, work-
ing about eight months. Came to Shawnee in 1875, and by his advice
as to the paying quality of iron ore at Iron Point, the Fannie Furnace
was moved to this place, whei'e he has remained up to this time ; he is
now overseer of laboring hands at XX Furnace in this place. Was
married June 12, 1854, ^^ Mary, daughter of Henry and Sarah Frank-
inville. They are the parents of two children, Henrj^ and Mary, both
deceased.
Johnson, Thomas, was born in 1829, in Washington county, Penn-
sylvania ; he is a son of the late venerable Aaron Johnson. The maid-
41
44- ' BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
en name of his mother, who is still living at the age of eighty-six years,
was Sarah Law, a daughter of Robert Law, of Scotch descent. His
father was of English and Irish parentage, and both his parents were of
Qiiaker extraction ; both became Baptists, of which church Aaron
Johnson died a member in full fellowship, in 1879, ^^ ^^^^ age of eighty-
eight years. He was tall and athletic, and in his younger days com-
plained very much, and often of ill health. Ten children were born to
this marriage, all of whom grew to be men and women ; the wife of
John Skinner being the eldest ; two brothers live in Iowa, and one,
Aaron, in Kansas. One uncle, Nimrod Johnson, died in Van Wert,
Ohio, without children. Thomas sold the farm he had bought of his
father for $2,000, after adding twenty acres to it, for the sum of $4,100,
and embarked in mercantile life in Somerset, and is one of the very
few who have been successful after such a change. In religion he is a
Methodist, while his present wife, who was Miss Lizzie Levitt, is a
Lutheran. His father brought the first fine sheep to Perry county, and
on account of his success and devotion to sheep husbandry was often
called "Shepherd Johnson." He was elected to the Senate of Ohio,
about the ^^ear 1843, on the Democratic ticket, and remained a firm
supporter of that part}' to the time of his death, and sank to his grave
respected for his sterling honesty and sincerity through a long life.
The first tax paid by Thomas Johnson did not exceed ten dollars, which
rose afterward to $300. One hundred and sevent}^ one acres of land in
sight of Somferset, stocked with cattle and sheep, a large stock of dry
goods, and valuable town property, are the witness of that excellent
judgment of what the market demands, and how and when to supply
it, which testify to his solid success, while he indulged the utmost hos-
pitality, and his purse was ever open to the demands of want.
Johnson, A. D., farmer, Madison township. Mount Perry post ofiice.
He was born November 22, 1838, in Shelb}^ county, Ohio, and is a son
of John H. and Christenia (Rhinehart) Johnson ; has always followed
farming, now owning an excellent home. Mr. Johnson was married
August 23, 1863, to Caroline Fullerton, daughter of Samuel Fullerton ;
they have four children, Louisa L., Samuel S., Emma B. and Anna F.
Johnson, George M., trader, Corning, Ohio ; born April 29, 1848,
on Malta Hill, in Morgan count}', Ohio ; son of Stephen and Catharine
(O'Leary) Johnson. His father was a native of Maryland, and his
mother of Morgan county, Ohio ; her parents were natives of Ireland.
Her mother was first married to William Townsend, by whom she had
two children, Mary and William ; her second husband's name was Mor-
gan O'Leary, by whom she had one child, Catharine, named above.
George M. Johnson was brought up on a farm, and has followed agri-
culture and dealing in stock up to the present time. In 1862, he came
to Monroe township, this county, and located on a farm adjoining the
town of Corning, which he held until the spring of 1882. Mr. Johnson
was married February 15, 1872, to Lucy A., daughter of William and
Delilah (Miller) Fisher, of Monroe township, who entered and owned
the land where Corning now stands. The present site of Corning was
once a sugar camp. They are the parents of one child, George M.
Johnston, James E., of the firm of Johnston & Bryan, attorneys at
law and notaries public, New Lexington, Ohio ; was born February i,
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 443
185 1, in Brownsville, Licking county, Ohio ; son of Seth R, and Isabell
(Miner) Johnston. James E. Johnston was brought up at Glentbrd, this
county, and assisted in his father's store until 1874, when he began
reading law with W. E. Finck. He graduated at the Cincinnati Law
School, in 1878. Began practice at Shawnee, where he remained one
year, then came to this place and continued the practice of his profes-
sion alone until March, 1S81, when the present lirm was formed. Mr.
Johnston was married in October, 1878, to Miss LydiaL., daughter of
James Brown, then of Bowling Green township. Licking county, Ohio.
Jones, Jehu B., was born in 1813, in Somerset count}^ Pennsyl-
vania, and was but two years old when his parents, Jehu Jones, Sr.,
and Jane (Kilpatrick), settled on the farm now held by the
heirs of S. C. Dick. This farm had then about fifteen acres partly
cleared ; here these pioneers lived until 1844, when mother Jones, and,
ten years later, father Jones, were called to rest. The sons, who grew to
manhood, are : David, who married Miss Jane Pugh, and who died in
Pike township, leaving three sons and two daughters ; John, who lives
in Warren county, Illinois, and who married Miss Elizabeth Rush, hav-
ing live sons and four daughters ; Jehu B., who married Miss Ps.ebecca
Goodin, March, 1846, and still resides on the farm adjoining the an-
cestral homestead — his wife died in 1866, leaving two sons ; David, who
resides in Blackford county, Indiana, and who is married to Miss
Addie Shull, now the mother of two daughters, and George M., who is
single, and remains with his father. There are two daughters, Phidelia, the
wife of Charles Stickel, a successful- tanner and currier, near Somerset,
blessed with four sons and one daughter, and Miss Mar^r, who shares
with her brother, George, and her father, the comforts and the cares of
the homestead. Jehu B. Jones is worthy of the beautiful home he en-
jo3^s, and the broad acres he has transformed from a forest waste to
fruitful fields. He has held several offices of trust and profit in his
township, and never yet was a candidate when he did not show strength
bevond the lines of his party. True to his convictions of right and dut}^
he has not alwa3's remained loyal to party, but while acting within
party lines, no man is more faithful to his ticket, or more zealous for. the
right. He possesses brave impulses, is true to his friends, generous to
his foes, benevolent to the poor, sympathizes with the suflering and
hates the oppressor, while he defends the victim.
Jones, William J., colHer, Shawnee, Ohio; was born March 19,
1840, in Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland ; son of John and Sarah (Leaky)
Jones ; was raised in town to the age of seven years, and then in the
countr}^ to manhood, and has worked in mines since he was nine years
old. Was married March 12, 1861, to Jane, daughter of John and
Susan (Paul) Cowie, of Stenhouseneuir, Stiriingshire, Scotland. The}^
are the parents of six living children : Sarah, Jennie, Susanna, Willie,
Robert and Emma, and four dead : Susan, John, James and Jno.
Mr. Jones came to this country, landing in New York, August 6, 1872,
but left his famil}^ in Scotland. He came direct from New York to
Shawnee, Ohio, and soon after sent for his family, who landed in New
York January 2, 1873, from whence they came direct to Shawnee, where
they have lived to the present time, and where he has been engaged in
444 BIOGRAPHIC AIv SKETCHES.
mining, and at this time is with the New York and Straitsville Coal
and Iron Company.
Jones, Lewis, collier, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born May, lo, 1845, in
Tredegar, Monmouthshire, Wales ; son of John and Elizabeth (Rich-
ards) Jones. Mr. Jones was emplo3'ed in the coaleries in Wales at eight
years of age, and followed that business until 1869, when he emigrated
to America, leaving Liverpool in October, and landing in New York
on the 25th of October, 1869 ; from there he went to Pomeroy, Meigs
county, Ohio, mining about two years, and soon after reaching Pom-
eroy, his family, whom he had left in Wales, joined him and have re-
mained with him up to this time. He has been engaged as follows :
Syracuse, Ohio, remaining over two yeiirs ; New Straitsville, Ohio, one
year, when he came to Shawnee, Ohio, where he has since made his
home and been employed as a miner. Mr. Jones was married Sep-
tember I, 1867, to Sarah, daughter of John and Ann (Byron) Reese, of
Tredegar, Wales. They are the parents of eight children, viz. : Mar-
garet, Elizabeth, Sarah Jane, John William, Caroline, Anna, Lewis
and Elizabeth, deceased.
Jones, Henry, of the firm of Jones Brothers, dealers in lumber, con-
tractors, undertakers and dealers in real estate. Corning, Ohio ; was
born Januar}^ 29, 185 1, in Liverpool, England; son of James E. and
Rosanna (Henr}^) Jones. Henry came in 1871, and located in Shaw-
nee, Ohio, in 1872. In 1873, went to Columbus, Ohio, and remained
about three years ; then returned to Shawnee, where he remained until
he came to his present residence in 1881. Mr. Jones was married in
November, 1875, ^^ Miss Jane, daughter of Richard and Ellen (Jones)
Richison, natives of North Wales. They are the parents of two chil-
dren, viz. : Edith Madaline and Ellen. This firm is doing an active
business, having quite an extensive trade.
Kagay, Martin, P. O., Somerset; was born August 20th, 1825, in
Berne township, Fairfield county, Ohio ; the youngest of the twelve
children of Rudolph and Hannah (Siple) Kagay, who were born, mar-
ried and united with the German Baptist Church in Shenandoah county,
Virginia. The sons born there were John, Jacob, Christian, Abraham,
and Rudolph Kagay, Jr. ; and those born in Fairfield county, Ohio,
whither Rudolph and his family emigrated in 1819, were Henry and
Martin. The daughters were five in number — Katharine, wife of
Andrew, the son of John Hite ; Barbara, wife of Elder Lewis Seitz ;
Hannah, wife of John Crooks, Sr. ; Elizabeth, widow of John Beaver ;
and Poll}^ widow of Hezekiah Kanode, and the only one of the five
yet living. Of the sons. Christian, Jacob, and Rudolph are no more.
So that of the twelve children of father Rudolph and mother Hannah
Kagay onl}^ five remain — John, in his eightj^-sixth year ; Abraham, in
his eightieth year; Henry, in his sixt3^-first year; Mrs. Kanode, in her
sixty-eighth year ; and Martin, in his fifty-eighth year. All lived to be
men and women, and all reared large families except Jacob, who died
a bachelor in his sixty-seventh year. All were farmers or the wives of
farmers except Polly, whose husband was a plasterer and bricklayer,
and Martin, who became a physician and engaged otherwise. Father
Rudolph lived to the age of fifty-six, and is buried three miles south of
Lancaster, while mother Hannah Kagay lived to see her ninety-first
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 445
year and then died of hernia. Martin was left an orphan in his fourth
year b}' the death ot his father, and to his twelfth 3^ear was sent to school,
and then to the saddler's trade in Rushville to his fourteenth year. He
resumed work on the farm and home of his brother Jacob to his eigh-
teenth year ; taught his first school in his nineteenth year in Seneca
county, Ohio ; taught one year in Marion county, Illinois ; attended
college at Granville, Ohio, in 1847-48 ; read medicine and practiced his
profession at Pleasantville ; was elected Clerk of the Court in 185 1 ;
was beaten, with his entire ticket, in 1854 ? r^iised and sold eighty
acres of corn in Licking county in 1855 ; became editor of the Dem-
ocj-atic Union in Somerset in 1856, and spent that entire year and
not less than one thousand dollars in cash to revolutionize Perry
count}^ from the domination of the Know-Nothing and Republican
part}', and succeeded in restoring that county to the Democrats that
year by an average majority of forty votes against two hnndred and
ninety-eight for Governor Chase in 1855 5 ^"^ in 1859, when the Union
newspaper, which he then edited, had secured the entire county pat-
ronage, he transferred it for a " song" to those who never appreciated
his generosity ; engaged in a patent corn cutter invented by Rible ;
taught school in Somerset ; inaugurated the purchase of the present
school lot, and carried it by five majority in a poll of two hundred
and fifty votes; stumped the county for Douglas, in i860; took a de-
cided stand for the war against the South, which had, by its bolt,
defeated Douglas and the Democratic party ; became the first As-
sessor of Internal Revenue in Perry county, as he had been the first
Clerk of the Courts, under the present Constitution, in Fairfield ; was
appointed Commissioner of Enrollment, or " Draft Commissioner," as
it was called, by President Lincoln, on recommendation of Hon. Alfred
McVeigh and Hon. Carey A. Trimble, in 1862, in which capacity he
served to the end of the war, receiving an honorable discharge from
Secretary Stanton ; started the Somerset Advoxatc,Vi\ 1867, to revive
the railroad idea from Newark to Straitsville, which cost one and a half
million dollars, and moved, perhaps, twenty millions more of capital
into furnaces, lands, towns, and mining, and added not less than ten
thousand to the population of Peny county, directly or indirectly ;
bought three sections of coal lands, on option, and realized large and
sudden profits, and never sold to a man who did not also realize profits ;
bought lands in and about Somerset, carried on a grocery trade, and,
between the losses on the credit system of the latter and the deprecia-
tion of land prices after the panic of 1874, ^o^t all his property, which
had cost him more than double his liabilities ; was cast into jail on a
charge of embezzlement, made by a perjured villain whom he never
before had seen or known, and who could, therefore, know nothing as
to guilt or innocence, and on which charge no indictment could be
found, and hence the prisoner was discharged, with a reputation limp-
ing in the hobbles of unjust suspicion ; but, with a spirit unbroken and
a resolve unshaken, the conflicts of life were renewed ; sympathy for
the oppressed toiler was awakened into newness of life by his return
to labor in the fields. The flat and heavily timbered lands of
North-western Ohio, joined to their scarcity of stone and gravel for
pikes, and the great cost of these even where material is plenty,
446 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
suggested to Mr. Kagay the application of trench and tile, with
charcoal covering, to the making ot" pikes. Martin Kagay be-
came the husband of Christina Walters in 1850. Their surviving chil-
dren are, Samuel, Rudolph Rizzio, Delia, Ida, and Maggie. Three
children died in infancy. The father of Mrs. Kagay was John Wal-
ters, deceased, of Fairfield county. Her mother was Mary Magdalena,
daughter of the venerable Rev. William Foster, of Thorn township.
Her vocal powers were rare in her maiden days, and she was in request
at the singing schools of those times, and her voice, even now, pos-
sesses a compass and melody of the most engaging sweetness. She
was reared and educated in the Lutheran belief.
Kalb, George E., was born in 185 ij in Rushville, Ohio ; he is the
editor and proprietor of the Thornville Nczus and the Junction City
Advocate, both weekly, and both published in Perry county. He is a
son of Elijah Kalb, a native of Washington county, Maryland, who
settled in Rushville in 1837, where he engaged in the drug trade, and
served as post master thirty-five consecutive years. His birth was in
1803, and in 1829 he was united in marriage to Miss Rebecca, daugh-
ter of James Tenant, Sharpsburg, Virginia. This gentleman ran o?i
from England in his boyhood, and in after life became the owner of a
line of steamers, and large tracts of land near Sharpsburg, Virginia.
His steamers were captured, his houses and fences were burned by the
soldiery during the Rebellion, and after the war ended he found his
splendid fortune wrecked in the whirlpool of revolution. He lived
to the year 1866, and died at the age of eighty, near Shepardstown, a
poor man in fortune, but rich in all the elements of manhood which
values convictions of right and duty more highly than gold or lands.
Elijah Kalb died in May, 1876, ten years after his father-in-law, and
Mrs. Kalb is still living, at the age of seventy. The family were strict
members of the M. E. Church, and Mr. Kalb was a sincere, upright
and honest citizen, and carried to his grave the homage ever paid to
sterling worth. According to Daniel G. Kalb, of Springfield, Illinois,
Elijah's family is connected with that of the Baron de Kalb, of Revo-
lutionary fame — exactly how is not at hand now to state. The brother
of George E. Kalb, and son of Elijah, is Mayberry, a carpenter, Rush-
ville, Ohio. Three'sisters are all married and live in Rushville, except
one in Zanesville. In 1874 George E. was married to Miss Ruth A.
Siniff, daughter of Jacob Siniff, Sr., who died at the age of eighty
years. The children of this marriage are Charles de Kalb and Roy de
Kalb, of Rushville, the spelling and the naming being intended to
assert the title of these sons to the form used by their ancient relative,
the Baron de Kalb.
Karr, Noah, born 1824, in Thorn township; son of Rev. William
Karr, a teacher in German and English, and a Baptist preacher, who
was among the earliest settlers of Perry. The first wife of Rev. Wil-
liam Karr was Miss Hannah Good, aunt of the present venerable John
Good, of Thorn, and sister of Joseph Good, the father of John. The
two daughters resulting from this marriage are now deceased in Indi-
ana. The second marriage was to Susan Griffith, the mother of Noah
Karr, and four other sons, now deceased, and one daughter, the wife
of David Humberger. Noah Karr worked as a farm laborer seven
History of perry county. 447
years, for William Yost, of Thorn ; was then married to Miss Katha-
rine Smith ; moved into the house where he was born, and began three
more years of service to the same employer. He was elected Sheriff'
of Peny county in 1870, re-elected in 1872, and after serving two terms
in 1878 was elected County Treasurer, in all of which trusts he served
with credit to himself and to the public, and retains to this day the
confidence and esteem of the people of Perr^^ His children are Noah
Karr, Jr., now married to Miss Kate McWaid, of Somerset, and who
was assistant treasurer to his father, and now assistant in the Somerset
Flouring Mills, of which his father has purchased a half share. The
daughters are Mrs. B. F. Humberger, Mrs. Amos Helser, and Mrs.
George Meloy, and one yet single and at home with her parents. Mr.
Karr, though social and fond of fun, is temperate and decorous in his
habits. He paid eight hundred dollars for a substitute in the army,
sold wool for one dollar per pound, and for five hogs he realized the
war price of one hundred and eighty dollars, while his wheat went to
market at two dollars and fifty cents. He has been engaged as a ship-
per of horses, of eggs, and other species of trade, connected with a
hub factory, and with a planing mill, and in all his career he has main-
tained the same honorable record, and enjoyed the confidence of his
fellow-citizens.
Kating, Lawrence, Marshal of New Lexington, Ohio, was born
July 4, 1858, in county Tipperary, Ireland : son of Joseph and Mary
(Bryan) Kating; came to America in February, 1866, and located in
Columbus, Ohio, where he remained about five years. The succeeding
year was spent at Pickaway and Mount Vernon, Ohio, and came to this
place in the spring of 1873 ; he was appointed to serve on the police
force of New Lexington in 1874, ^"^ ^^^^ following 3^ear was elected
marshal of the place ; served four years and was re-elected in the spring
of 1882.
Kear, Harry, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born January 19, 1854, ^^
Gloucestershire, Forest of Dean,. England ; son of John and Elizabeth
(Hicks) Kear. Mr. Kear came to America in 1873, landing in New
York April 3d, and thence via Baltimore to Cumberland and McKees-
port, on the Monongahela River, Pennsylvania, where he worked as a
miner for about two months, and thence to Frostburg, Maryland, also
engaged as a miner in this place for about two years ; and from there
he came to Shawnee, Ohio, in 1875, and mined some two years, and
thence to Bussey, Morgan county, Iowa, via Ottumwa ; remained here
some five or six months engaged as a miner, and in sinking a coal
shaft. From here he went to Knoxville, where he ran a country bank
for a farmer by the name of Woodruff"; next he appeared at Lucas, Lucas
county, Iowa, where he mined six or eight months, and afterward assisted
in sinking another coal shaft, and again went to mining ; remained here
about thirteen months, and returned to Shawnee, via Chicago, Colum-
bus and Newark, in 1877, again mining about eighteen months ; re-
turned to Pennsylvania, and to Berkley Springs, Morgan county,
Virginia, where he mined and worked for an iron ore company,
of Dunbar, Pennsylvania, about four or five months. From here, via
Baltimore, Maryland, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to New York,
where he took the steamer, City of Richmond, of the Inman Line,
448 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
setting sail for Liverpool, where he landed July 2, 1878, having left
New York on the 22d of June previous, making the voyage in nine days
and twelve hours. From Liverpool he went to the place of his nativit}",
and spent six weeks in England, visiting London and other principal
cities of that country, and again he set sail for New York, August 15,
1878, from Liverpool, and landed August 25, 1878, remaining in New
York four days, when he returned to Berkley Springs, Virginia, and
to Frostburg, Maryland, and thence to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
with the intention of buying some place of business, but not suiting
himself here, he again returned to Shawnee, and went into business
with his brother, who had come from Englanc} with him, but afterward
bought out his brother, and went into business for himself, where he is
still situated. Mr. Kear was married November 6, 1879, to Lida,
daughter of Alfred Micklethwaite, of Shawnee, Ohio. They are the
parents of one child, fourteen months old February 12, 1882, whose
name is Bessie Kear.
Keenan, John, New Lexington, Ohio ; was born October 22, 1833,
in Greene county, Pennsylvania ; son of Patrick and Mary Keenan.
They came to this county about the year 1837, ^^^ located near New
Lexington, where they remained about two years, then removed to Salt-
lick township, where John was brought up. Mr. Keenan was married
January 16, 1859, to Miss Ellen, daughter of John and Mary McGarvey,
of Jackson township. They are the parents of eleven children, viz. :
Patrick, Thomas, James, William, Hugh, Mary, Rose, Catherine, de-
ceased, Euphemia, Joseph, and an infant not named. Mr. Keenan
came to this place in the spring of 1864, and has" resided here to the
present time.
Kelly, John Henry, was a son of Henry and Mary (Petit) Kelly,
and was born in Madison township, Perry county, Ohio, December 29,
1825, and died May 18, 1881. He was married to Miss Annie C.
Poundstone, at Bowling Green township, Licking county, Ohio, Sep-
tember 23, 1847. Mr. Kelly was brought up on a farm in Madison
township. Perry county, attending as opportunity permitted, the district
school. His father was a teacher — one of the best in his day — and
John was early instructed in all the common branches of learning, and
himself became a teacher at the early age of sixteen. After teaching
for several years in the neighborhood of his nativit}^, he came to Reho-
both to teacii in the fall of 1849. After teaching there one year he was
employed in the same capacity at New Lexington, and from that time
New Lexington became his permanent home, though after a few years
he abandoned the occupation of teaching. As an instructor, he ranked
considerably above the average, and he was more than ordinarily suc-
cessful v\ herever engaged. After he quit teaching he tried merchan-
dizing a little while, but did not succeed to his satisfaction, and disliked
the business. He was, in 1856, the Republican nominee for County
Auditor, and came within sixteen votes of being elected. He had studied
-law for some time, and soon after his defeat for Auditor, was admitted
to the bar, and opened an office in New Lexington early in 1857. He
was very diligent and painstaking in business intrusted to his charge,
and almost immediately secured a paying practice. In the summer of
1862 he assisted in recruiting the One Hundred and Fourteenth Regi
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 449
ment, O. V. I., and was commissioned as Major of the regiment. He
was promoted to the office of Lieutenant-Colonel, then Colonel, and
was tinally brevetted Brigadier-General for '' gallant and meritorious
services at the battle of Mobile." Major Kelly was engaged in the
first unsuccessful attack on Vicksburg by General Sherman, and was
soon after in the battle of Arkansas Post. Then he lay with troops
under Grant at Young's Point and Milliken's Bend, where, from ma-
larial disease, so many of the gallant sons of Perry went down to death
that the country might live. When the final hour came and the sick
and disabled were sent up the river, Major Kelly was one of the well
ones who moved silently and swiftly down the western bank of the Mis-
sissippi, then crossed at Grand Gulf to the eastern side. He was en-
gaged in nearh" all the important battles around Vicksburg which led
to its capitulation July 4, 1863. Not long after this, he became com-
mander of the regiment, and went with an expedition down to New Or-
leans and across the Gulf to Galveston. Finall}-- the command was sent
to Mobile and the One Hundred and Fourteenth participated in the
bayonet charge that led to the capture of the city. This was the last
battle of the war. A few months after this Colonel Kelly came to Ohio
with his regiment, and was mustered out of service with it. After leav-
ing the army. Colonel Kelly, now General by brevet, resumed the prac-
tice of law, and to some extent engaged in farming operations. Upon
the death of Henry Sheeran, Prosecuting Attorney, General Kelly was
appointed Prosecutor to fill out the unexpired term. He was, also, in
1871, nominated for Representative by the Republican party, but was
defeated at the election. In 1879 ^^^ became the Republican candidate
for Probate Judge, and was elected. General Kelly, in one way or
another, has been much in public life, and was generally known. In
addition to what has been related, he has been Mayor of New Lexing-
ton, and frequently a member of the town council, board of educa-
tion, and Sunday school superintendent, and other offices in the chuixh
of which he was a useful member. And all public and official stations
he filled with more than ordinary ability. General Kelly united with
the Methodist Episcopal Church at Rehoboth in 1850 and remained a
member until his death. He was brave, generous hearted and benevo-
lent, and ever ready and ever willing to assist, to the utmost of his
ability, the poor, afflicted and needy. Lie was plain spoken, but affa-
ble, urbane and generalh^ popular with men of all creeds and parties,
and his loss was widely and deeply felt. His death was sudden and un-
expected and cast a very perceptible gloom upon the town and county.
He was taken sick Sunda}^ evening. May 15th, while at church, and suf-
ered severe pain, except when under the inffuence of narcotics,
until his death. General Kelly left a wife and two sons. Two daugh-
ters died not long since. His aged mother is still living ; also his
brothers and sisters. His funeral took place Friday, May 20th, and
assumed very much of a public and general character. The New Lex-
ington and New Straitsville Masonic Lodges attended in a body, and
many members of other Lodges were also present. General Kelly was
a Past Master of New Lexington Lodge, and was its Secretary at the
time of his death. The Ewing Guards were out in force and partici-
pated in the ceremonies of burial. The members of the Perry county
42
450 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Bar attended in a body. Rev. Fagan conducted the services at the
church, assisted by Revs. Tussing, Bradley, Beeman and Rose. The
large church edifice was crowded to its utmost capacity. The usual
Masonic services took place at the grave, the Rev. Adams, of Junction
City, officiating. The mortal remains of the deceased were interred
in the family lot in New Lexington cemetery.
Kelly, George H,, teacher in New Lexington schools. Mr.
Kellv was born April 23, 1858, in this place ; son of John H. and Anne
C. (Poundstone) Kelly. Young Kellv was brought up and educated in
his native town. He began teaching in 1879, '^^^^ has followed the pro-
fession to the present time.
Kelley, H. F., farmer; post office, Rehoboth ; born in this county
in 1831. Son of James and EHzabeth (Shaw) Kelly. The former died
in 1872, the latter in 1862. Mr. Kelly was married in 1852 to Miss So-
phia Strait, daughter of Christopher and Katharine (Litle) Strait.
They are the parents of ten children, viz. : Sarah E., deceased, Georgia,
deceased, Mary F., Harriet J., James B., Caroline M., Lucy G.,
Charles A., WilHam A., John H. Mr. Kelly was a soldier in the late
war.
Kelley, James F., school teacher, Shawnee, Ohio, was born Au-
gust 13, 1843, in Cla3^ton township, this county ; son of Wesley and
Hannah (Huston) Kelley. Mr. Kelley remained at home on the farm
until he was eighteen years of age, when he went to his uncle Huston,
of Muskingum county, Ohio, whom he assisted on the farm in the sum-
mer season, and attended school in winter, and also taught three months
• in that county, when he returned to Peny county, and in Madison
township, took charge of a school which he taught one month, and
then enlisted for three years or during the war, in the United States
Signal service, and w^as discharged at the close of the w^ar, having
served about two years. Upon his return he attended school about two
months, then resumed teaching in Oakfield, Pleasant township," and
taught six months. He then was engaged in the grocery and notion busi-
ness about three years. Again resumed teaching in the grammar room
of New Lexington, Ohio, where he taught some five years, six months of
which time he taught the high school. Then taught two six months
terms in Van Atta district, followed by a five months term in Thorn
township, and the following summer in McConnelsville, Morgan county.
Then cam.e to Shawnee, where he has taught two years in grammar
school, and one year was principal of high school. Mr. Kelley was cor-
poration clerk in New Lexington seven years ; was married April 16,
1868, to Mary, daughter of William and Elizabeth (Moody) Newell, of
Muskingum county, Ohio. They are the parents of three children,
viz. : Maggie E., Carrie E., and Charles W.
Kelley, A. H., farmer, New Lexington, Ohio ; was born Januar}^
25, 1846, in Clayton township, this county, son of Wesley and Hannah
(Huston) Kelley. Was raised a farmer, and has given most of his at-
tion to agriculture during his life. Was employed as clerk in dry goods
store with his brother James F., for about one year, and about 1868.
Just after this he engaged in partnership with his brother in gro-
cery business for about one 3^ear, when he engaged in farming, which
he has continued to this time, together with huckstering. Was married
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 45 1
May 5, 1870, to Harriet, daughter of John and Marjory (Yates) Cheno-
with. They are the parents of five children, viz. : Olive M., Ross,
Nellie F., Fannie M., and Archie ; also of one deceased, viz. : Mamie.
Mr. Kelley now lives near New Lexington, Ohio, where he owns quite
a nice farm home.
Kemper, Elijah, farmer, brick mason, stone cutter, marble dealer
and inventor; born in Fauquier county, Virginia, 1798; post office,
Thornville; He is one of the two sons of Jacob Kemper who came to
Perry county in 1807. His brother, Jacob, born the same year last
named, moved to St. Marys, Ohio, in 1850, and has but one son, George
W. Kemper. His mother's maiden name was Susan Bashaw. He had
five sisters — Nancy Carey, deceased ; Lucy, the widow of Joel H.
Kemper, Brownsville, O. ; Harriet Edson, deceased ; Susannah Mc-
Mullen, deceased; and Mary, the widow of Judge R. F. Hickman,
late of Perry county. Elijah Kemper was first married at the age of
forty-five years, to Miss Nanc}^ Henthorn, whose father was James
Henthorn, of Irish extraction, and whose mother was Sarah Fidler, of
German parentage. This marriage was blessed with two children, both
of whom died in infancy, and they w^ere followed by the mother. The
second marriage took place in 1852, to Elizabeth, daughter of Eli Whit-
aker, whose wife was Miss Mar}' Cherry. She died April 6th, 1882, in
her eightieth year, loved and lamented by all who knew her, leaving
her husband without children. She was a sister of John Whitaker, a
merchant of New Lexington ; was a native of Washington county,
Pennsylvania, from whence she came to Ohio in 1809 ; was a Methodist
in belief, but with her husband, seceded, and united with Rev. James
F. Given, who was silenced by the Methodist Episcopal Church, for his
opposition to the war of 1861 ; and who with others of the same church,
and other churches, organized a new church, known as the Christian
Union. This organization has a paper printed at Newark, Ohio, called
the Christian Union ^ and is the recognized organ of the new church,
which seeks the union of all Christians on a common platform of toler-
ance and fellowship. Elijah Kemper is a man of great force of char-
acter, five feet nine inches tall ; weight, one hundred and sixty pounds ;
head, twenty-three and one-half inches in circumference. He invented
a popular gate, which slides and swings open with ease, and which was
sold extensively in the East, and became a source of profit to its origin-
ator under the patent laws. He found men wanting a full description,
which when sent them, was used to infringe his patent, and was doubt-
less procured for this purpose alone. In 1881, he patented a hand seed
sower, which more than doubles the acreage sown by one man in a day,
and delivers the seed with great regularity and precision. Its cost, with
right of use on a farm, is onh' two dollars ; and tinners can make it for
less than half the money. He is French on his mother's side, and Eng-
lish on the Kemper side of his parentage. He has lived on one farm,
near Thornville, for seventy- five years ; is a relative of Bishop Kemper
of St. Louis, and Governor Kemper, of Virginia, was a cousin. He
reads without spectacles now at the age of eighty-four years, and is one
of the best preserved samples of physical activity in Ohio ; and to meet
his equal in vigor of mind, body or memory, rarely happens. His
uncle, Isaac Kemper and Dr. Daniel Kemper, came as early as 1805,
452 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
and were the center posts of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Thorn.
His memory links the following names with the settlement of Thorn
township, prior to 1808: Joseph McMullen, who laid out Thornvillein
1818, by name of Lebanon ; David Besecker, the Goods, John Kindal,
1805 ; Keiths, Henry and Michael Boyer, 1802 ; Hendersons, Fosters,
Groves, Hoopers, Bowman, Reams, Stoneman, Karr, Neil, Dombold,
Fulton, WarHeld and Stockbarger.
Kennedy, Thomas P., blacksmith, Maxville, Ohio; born in Fair-
field count}', Ohio, September 9, 182 1 ; son of William and Sarah
(Henry) Kennedy. His early days were spent in attending district
school and assisting his father in the blacksmith shop, of which trade he
became master. In the spring of 1832, he came with his parents to
Monday Creek township. Perry county, Ohio, and has ever since been
one of its most respected citizens. In 1847 he came to Maxville, and
opened a blacksmith shop, and has ever since carried on his trade in
that village. Was married February 12, 1847, to Sophia, daughter of
Bennet and Luzilla (Angle) Huston. They are the parents of nine
children, viz. : William Bennet, Luzilla H., Levi H., Sarah E., Matilda
J., John N., Clara E., Estella M., and Cora B. All living except
William Bennet, who served in the war of the Rebellion, and was
wounded at Fort Gregg, and died of his wounds at Petersburg, Vir-
ginia. Mr. Kennedy enlisted in Company C, Sixty-second Regiment,
O. V. I., in 1864; pai'ticipated in the capture of Richmond, and at the
close of the war, received an honorable discharge. Mr. Kennedy was
one ot the first citizens of Maxville ; began life without a penny, but by
strict application to his calling, has secured a good home for himself
and family.
Kennedy, Abraham. C, teacher in Straitsville schools ; was born
January 10, 1848, in this place, and brought up in Jackson township.
He is a son of John and Susan (Parmer) Kennedy. Abraham C. be-
gan teaching January 11, 1868, and has taught fourteen 3'ears, and is
now one of the best teachers of the county. Pie came to New Lexing-
ton in 1879, ^^^ ^^ 1882, went to Straitsville. Mr. Kennedy was mar-
ried May'26, 1870, to Miss Mary E., daughter of James and Julia A.
(Mateer) Price. The}^ are the parents of four children, viz. : Frank V.,
Emma Florence, Charles W. and Francis James Longdon.
Kennedy, George W., dealer in books, etc., Main street. New
Lexington, Ohio; was born March 4, 1855, in Vinton county, Ohio;
son of John D. and Susanna (Palmer) Kennedy. Young Kennedy was*
brought up on the farm until seventeen. He began teaching school at
eighteen, and taught eight terms. He then clerked in a general mer-
chandising store in Athens county, Ohio. Came to this place in June,
1879, ^"<^ established his present business, in which he is succeeding
well.
Kern, Joseph, Sr., deceased; was born in Berks county, Penn-
sylvania, and was there married to Mary Swaivly in 1818. He kept a
store in Reading until r83i, when, on the 12th da}- of May, the deed
for the seventy-seven and one-half acres, where his son Joseph Kern,
Jr., now lives, was signed by Asa Dennison. William Durrh, who
married Joseph's sister, came to Ohio at the same time. The children
of Joseph, Sr., were : Jeremiah, Hiram, Harriet, Sarah, Mary, Amanda,
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 453
Nancy and Joseph, both single, and who own and occupy the home-
stead. Joseph, Sr., lived to his eighty --first and his wife to her sixty-
ninth year. They were of Lutheran extraction, but became United
Brethren. Joseph was a very honest but not temperate man, until he
joined the Washingtonians, after which he kept his pledge till death.
Kessler, Frank, wagon maker, New Lexington, Ohio; w-as born
November 25, 1842, in Hocking county; son of John and Elizabeth
(Sharshel) Kessler. Frank was brought up on the farm until the age of
nineteen, when he went to his present trade. He first established a
shop at Logan, Hocking county, in 1865. He remained there two
years, then came to this place, where he has since remained. He is
doing a good business, being one of the best mechanics in the county.
Mr. "Kessler was married in the spring of 1865 to Miss Catharine,
daughter of John and Elizabeth Fox. They are the parents of seven
children, viz. : Francis Anthony, James Edward, Mary Victoria, Rose-
anne Elizabeth, John William, "Catharine and Charles Joseph.
King, Michael, farmer, was born February 29, 1820, section 35,
Thorn township ; his post office is Thornville, Ohio. He is a son of
Christian King and grandson of Rev. John King, who was the first
preacher ever settled on the soil of Perry county. This Rev. John King
was a native of a Rhinish Province in Germany ; came to America with
his wife and his sons, John, Peter and Christian, (the father of Mike),
and one daughter, Morelius, with him, prior to the adoption of the Fed-
eral Constitution, which fact naturalized him and made him a voter
without papers. He must have come to Ohio and settled on section 35,
in Thorn township, as early as 1802 or 1803. At any rate he found a
very few neighbors, and of that best friend to man, money, he had but
25 cents left on arrival in the forests of Perry. He had, however, a
four-horse team of good horses and a good old fashioned wagon, and, it
is to be presumed, a good share of provisions and clothing in it. He
must have been a fine German scholar, as any one may learn by in-
spection of the superb constitution, in his hand writing, of the Presbyte-
rian and Lutheran church of Zion, dated in 1805, and now in posses-
sion of the venerable George Daniels, of Thorn township. From the
date of his arrival in America, probably in 1787, to 1802 or 1803, when
he came to Ohio, he resided in the State of Virginia. He was an ex-
pert in the selection of land in a new^ covmtry, and this characteristic has
benefited his descendants to this day, who still hold the same acres, and
many more, selected at first by this old patriarch of the early time in
Perry county. He pre-empted a half section, began cutting a road from
his cabin to the Zane Trace, and hauled salt from Chillicothe by way of
Lancaster, tor a livelihood. He must also have saved some money, for
a few years later, the searching glances 01 land buyers w'as turned upon
his acres, not yet safe from their power to obtain, when he, through the
friendship and aid of the Receiver at ChilHcothe, closed his pre-emption
and got a patent. He was a teacher of German and music in the infant
schools of his da3\ and his enterprise also erected a still house in Vir-
ginia and Ohio, and the whisky he made was doubtless as pure as the
gospel he preached. He was a heavy^ set, stoutly built man, of kind
disposition, inclined to books and industrial vocations. His children,
born in America, were George, Jacob, Mrs. Spoon and Mrs. Brock,
454 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Christena King, Philip King and the Rev. Henry King, now of the Re-
form Church, and still living, and who, with iMrs. Catharine Brock,
post office Hamilton, Ohio, are the sole survivors of the ten children.
Philip died near Salem, Ohio, and was the father of Peter King, late of
Perry ; George died near Stouts ville, Fairfield county ; Peter King died
near Glenford, Perry county, where some of his children still reside ;
Morelius, wife of Alexander Costonion, died on the home farm, section
35, where with Christian she shared the paternal homestead, Christian
King, father of Michael, prior to 1812, was married to Margaret Basore,
a sister of Mrs. John Hum.berger, still living. They became the parents
o,f nine sons and three daughters, who grew to be men and women, and
one child that died young. The sons w^ere, John, Samuel, Michael
Henry, Christian, Frederick, David, Simon and Reuben. The daugh-
ters were, Mary M., deceased, wife of Henry Humberger, also deceas-
ed ; Margaret, widow of Daniel Fisher ; Mary Ann, wife of Jacob Ram-
se3s Columbia City, Indiana. The father of the children died in 1852,
and the mother followed in 1862, in the 69th vear of her age. He
made a will and appointed his sons, Samuel and Michael, its executors.
Michael King was married January 3, 1847, to Miss Franey Auspach,
daughter of Christian Auspach. Their children are, Franklin, husband
of Miss Ella, daughter of John Beagler, Thornville, Ohio ; William
Henry and David, Miss Tena Ann and Miss Ida Alice — ^three sons and
two daughters. lie began his married life, by buying, in partnership,
one hundred and eighty-three acres, subject to dowser of Molly Hum-
berger and two-elevenths belonging to heirs where he now resides,
for $20 per acre, subject to dower... He paid in part a quarter section
of land in Whitley county, Indiana, at $600. He now owns in fee
one hundred and seventy-six acres alone and is helping his married
son to pay for one hundred and twenty-eight acres in section 13, Thorn
township. His barn caught fire in 1869, by a overheated threshing
machine while in motion, and he lost it and its contents, but it was in-
sured for i^8oo, and he has replaced it with a splendid structure. In
i860 he built of brick, a comfortable farmer's mansion, and though not
modern in all its parts, is a model of comfort and, especially the part
devoted to the kitchen and dining rooms, where the best of bread
and the most golden rose scented butter tempt the gustatory nerves and
pronounce the highest eulogy on the high toned, practical education
ot Perry county wives and their blooming daughters.
King, J. R., blacksmith, Bearheld township, Portersville post office,
born in Noble county in 1824, son of Jonathan and Mary (Swarthwood)
King. His father w^as a native of Pennsylvania and his mother of Ohio.
Mr. J. R. King came to this county in 1870, and lived in this tow^nship
tw^o years, W'hen he moved to Sarahsville, and afterwards returned to
this township, where he now resides. In 1841 he married Elizabeth A.
Wright, of Noble county, and of Virginia ancestry. They are the par-
ents of two children, Abraham and Catharine. The son married Miss
Odell and resides in this township, and his daughter married J. W. Rob-
inson. She died in 1867.
King, John C, was born in 1835, ^" Perry count}', Ohio ; is a farmer
and carpenter, post office Glenford. He is a son of Peter King, whose
father came trom Germany when Peter was twelve years of age, and
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 455
settled in Thorn township. Peter died on his farm, section 17, Hope-
well, in 1858, at the age of seventy-tour years. His wafe, the mother
of John C. King, was Mary Magdaline Whitmore, sister of the late ven-
erable Peter Whitmore, of Reading township. She departed this life
five years after her husband, leaving the following named children :
Saloma, wife of Michael Cotterman, Little Sandusky, Ohio ; Katharine,
wife of John Smith, deceased, Somerset ; Rebecca, wife of Isaac Zart-
man, Glenford ; Lydia, deceased ; Susannah, deceased ; Thomas, de-
ceased ; Mary M., wife of Porter Cline, Illinois ; Peter C, married to
Miss Caroline Long, McCutchensville, Ohio; David C, married to
Margaret Mechling, Glenford ; Leah, wite of Jeremiah Alspach, Thorn-
ville, Ohio ; Elizabeth, wdte of Samuel Alspach, Thornville, Ohio ;
William C, married first to Mary Ann, daughter of Henry Zartman,
and after her death, to Kate Focht, Upper Sandusky, Ohio, dry goods ;
Franklin C, married to Miss Rachel Zillinger, daughter of Jacob,
Union Station, Licking county, Ohio ; served in the One Hundred and
Twenty-sixth Regiment, O. V. I., Company K, and was wounded three
times: and John C, w^ho, in 1859, became the husband of Miss Eliza-
beth Rarick, daughter of the late Peter Rarick, of Thorn township, post
office Glenford, Ohio. Their children are Altha, wife of Henry Lentz,
post office Glenford ; Rufus Franklin, Henr)^ Wallace, and Miss Cora.
Mr. King owns a part of the original King homestead and all together
has one hundred and fifty acres of land in Hopewell. He is a member
of the Reform Church ; a Democrat, and sustains the record of his an-
cestr}^ for honesty, industry and frugality.
King, David S., fai-mer, Madison township, post office Sego, Perry
county, Ohio ; born June 11, 1837, i" Saltlick township ; son of Thomas
and Sarah (Headley) King. David S. was brought up on a farm, and
has followed agriculture to the present time. Mr. King served about
four months in Company A, One Hundred and Sixty, O. N. G. He
was married first November i, 1857, to Miss Miraet, daughter of
Cyrus- and Hannah (Cleny) Adams. They became the parents of
seven children, viz. : Martha Jane, married to Perry Brown ; Hannah
E., Sarah A., Alzier L., Lewis S., Emma M., deceased, and Ida W.
Mrs. King died April 23, 1870. Mr. King was married the second time
to Miss Amanda R., daughter of James and Sarah (Hope) Wilson.
They are the parents or four children, viz. : William E., Clara, de-
ceased. Myrtle B. and Amanda Ellen. Mr. King came to his present
residence in August, 1873, and is succeeding well.
King, A. B., coal operator. New Straitsville.
KisHLER, Thomas J., of the firm of Berkimer & Kishler, carriage
and wagon manufacturers, New Lexington, Ohio. Mr. K. was born
October 8, 1862, in Jackson township ; son of George and Susan Kish-
ler, natives of Pennsylvania. Young Kishler went to his trade when
about fifteen, and became a partner in the above firm in the fall of 1881.
Klein, J. J., retail dry goods merchant and grocer. Junction City,
Ohio ; was born in May, 1855 ; son of Lewis and Hannah Klein ; came
from Europe to America in 1871. He went to his present occupation
in June, 1881 ; w^as married in 1881 to Miss Fanny, daughter of Henry
and Rachel Weber. Mr. Klein keeps a good stock of goods, and has
a first-class trade.
456 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Klipstine, Philip, farmer, Monroe township, post office Corning ;
was born August 20, 1820, in Greene county, Pennsylvania ; son of
William and Nancy (Shuman) Klipstine. When Philip was about four
years old, his lather moved to T^der county, Virginia. When twenty-
two years of age Philip came to Monroe township, Perr}- county.
Having but little financial means he worked by the month as a farm
hand, until April 23, 1843, when he was married to Miss Emeline Reese.
He then purchased the farm where he now resides. They are the
parents of four children — Sarah, married to James C. Dew ; Mary,
married to William J. Todd ; Martha, married to Thomas Killkinney,
since died ; Kate, married to Cvrus M. Brown. When Mr. Klipstine
first came to this township, deer and wild .turkey were abundant. He
has seen the hardships of pioneer life, having cleared over one hundred
acres of rough timber land, and he now enjoys the fruits of his labor,
living in a comfortable home, independent of work;
Knotts, J. W., carriage painter, Thornville, Ohio; born in 1850,
in Covington, Kentucky. He is a son of James B. Knotts, a carpenter
arid builder, a native of Wirt county. West Virginia, who died in 1864,
in the forty-sixth year of his age, of consumption, brought on by expo-
sure in Arkansas. His brothers, the uncles of J. W. Knotts, are Isaac,
of Missouri; Luke, of Virginia; and John, of Cincinnati, Ohio. Uncle
Edward Knotts died in Roseville, Arkansas. An aunt, Rebecca Lee,
wife of Captain J. B. Lee, of the Confederate Army, is still living,
post office Palestine, Wirt county, Virginia — a relative of the late Gen.
Robert E. Lee. Another aunt, Matilda Knotts, now deceased, was the
wife of Joseph Cook, near Parkersburg, Virginia. His (J. W.'s) mother's
maiden name was Ann S. Cook, who is the mother of three sons and
five daughters, all living. His grandmother's maiden name was Mar-
garet Prottsman, afterwards Cook. His great-grandfather, Absalom
Knotts, came from Ireland, and is of Scotch-Irish descent, and tradi-
tion alleges him to have been the owner of a large tract of land in
Maryland, which he leased out for ninet3^-nine years, and on which the
town of Dover now rests. Grandfather Edward Knotts was a son of
this Absalom Knotts. J. W. Knotts became the husband of Miss Anna
H. Ludtman, in 1871, at Marietta, Ohio. Her parents were natives of
Germany, and her father was a shoemaker by trade, and died in the
last named city. Their children are Charles, Edith, lolia and Grace,
now^ three years of age. Mr. Knotts learned his ti'ade of painter in
Marietta, under the tutilage of an eminent and very kind preceptor.
He started a shop in that city, and carried on house, sign, carriage
and decorative painting, and continued thus until 1881, since when he
he was employed in the extensive carriage works of David Cherry
& Compan}^ in Thornville, Ohio. He is distinguished for his excel-
lence as a workman, his devotion to the interests of his employer, and
for his steady attention to his work.
KocHENDERFER, Dr. John H., Buckingham, Ohio; was born July
29, 1841, in Lebanon count}^ Pennsylvania ; son of Joseph and Lovina
(Artz) Kochenderfer. Came to Mansfield, Ohio, in 1856. He enlisted
August II, 1862, in Company D, One Hundred and Second O. V. I.,
and served three years. He was captured at the battle of Athens, Ala-
bama, and was held a prisoner about seven months. While being trans-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 457
ferred from Vicksburg to St. Louis, on the steamer Sultana, she was
blown up, causing about one thousand six hundred and seventy-five
lives to be lost. The Doctor was thrown about three hundred feet from
the vessel, and fell in the water, but was rescued in about five hours
some eighteen miles below where the wreck occurred. He received
an injury by being thrown against what was supposed to be a rope,
from which he will never recover. The Doctor began the study of
medicine in 1878; attended the Medical College at Cincinnati, and
began practice with Dr. Deaver, in the spring of 1882. He was mar-
ried November, 14, 1865, to Miss Malvina C, daughter of George and
Hannah (Funk) Cox, of Richland county, Ohio. They are the parents
of two children, viz. : Eliza C. and George J.
KuHN, Joseph, farmer, son of Michael Kuhn, who emigrated from
Strausburg, France, in 183 1, after which he married Nancy Clover,
who became the mother of Rosanna, George, John, Lewis, Mary and
Joseph Kuhn, the subject of this sketch, who was married to Miss
Harriet Louisa Murdock, in October, 1875. When a boy only nine
years old he began life in the service of George Skipton, and his child-
less wife, who was Jane, daughter of James McCormick. Mr. Skipton
died in 1880, at the advanced age of eighty-four, and by his will left
his beautiful farm of sixty-seven acres to Joseph Kuhn, subject to the
life estate of his aged widow. This high testimonial to the worth and
faithfulness of Mr. Kuhn, was not more than he deserved, and is evi-
dence of an appreciation thus worthily expressed by his benefactor and
benefactress.
KuLLMAN, George, was born in Schweinham, Germany, February
22, 181 1 ; he died in Somerset, Ohio, September 8, 1877; his father's
name was John ; his mother's maiden name was Goodwork ; he had
five brothers, Conrad, Nicholas, Jacob, John and Joseph, supposed to
reside in Denmark or Sweden ; of the others, Jacob only came to
America, and after service in the late Rebellion, died in Somerset. His
only sister Mar}^, married to Nicholas Culp, settled in Columbus, Ohio,
four or five years prior to the arrival of her brothers, George and Jacob,
in 1840. The same ship which brought George and his brother, also
brought Henry Culp, Joseph Art, Mary Nagle and a niece of George,
since married to Joseph Art. In 1840, George married the above named
Mary Nagle, journeying on horseback from Marion, Ohio, to Tiffin, to
find a priest. The happy twain remained in Marion, Ohio, until after
the birth of their first-born, Nicholas, christened in Tiffin, forty miles
distant, in 1842, and whose death occurred in Somerset, in 1845. Here,
a stranger in a strange land, with limited capital, it required all the
solid virtues of economy, caution and perseverance, for which his coun-
trymen are proverbial, to establish his business as a butcher. To the
faithful aid of his wife, to her firm resolution to succeed, to her sound
counsel and unflagging industry — joined to his own calm purpose
and steadfast efforts by day and by night, in storm or sunshine — are to
be attributed that success which always crowns the union of will, mind
and muscle. Thirty-seven years after his arrival in Somerset, he de-
parted this life, in faithful hope of the life everlasting ; his books and
papers show that he gave away, in uncollectable claims, more than
ten thousand dollars, and these claims stand to the credit of the kind
43
458 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
heart and contiding humanity of George Kullman and his dutiful wife,
Mary Ann Nagle, to whom were spared three sons: John, the eldest,
united in marriage to Lizzie Elder, a daughter of John Elder ; he farms
and assists in butchering. Lewds, the second, now living, is the cash-
ier and salesman of the tirm and remains single. Samuel, the 3'oung-
est, united in marriage to Amanda Burns ; he farms and assists also in
butchering. The business is not changed by the father's death, but by
the affectionate influence of the mother and the good understanding of
the brothers, maintains its pi'osperit}' and vindicates the wisdom of the
father's last will and testament.
Kyle, Geokge Gordon, M. D., Corning, Ohio ; was born Novem-
ber 14, 1857, in Vershire, Orange county, Vermont; son of Rev. John
and Sarah (Gordon) Kyle. Dr. Kyle was educated in the public schools
of Granville, Ohio, and at Denison University, Ohio, where he
graduated in 1877, and received the degree of A.M. in 1880 ; he be-
gan the study of medicine in 1877, and graduated at the Starling Medi-
cal College, Columbus, Ohio, in the spring of 1880 ; the doctor began
practice in Vermillion, Erie count}^, Ohio, and practiced about one year ;
he located at Covington in August 1880 ; Dr. Kyle was married No-
vember 17, 1881, to Miss Lillie Bell, daughter of Isaiah Jones, of
Newark, Ohio.
Larimer, J. B., proprietor of hotel and postmaster. Junction City,
Ohio; was born in Jackson township, this county, in August, 1836; is a
son of William and Margaret (Brown) Larimer ; followed carpenter-
ing until 1861, after which he enlisted in Company C, Sixty-second O.
V. L, and served until November of 1864, during which time he was
promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant ; after the war he followed his
former occupation until June, 1880, when he commenced his present
business ; was married in i860 to Miss Lizzie, daughter of Josiah and
Catharine (Thorn) Jones ; they are the parents of six children, viz. : Chas.
J., Catharine, Margaret, Mary, Gertrude and Alice; Mr. Larimer is a
kind, genial, accommodating landlord, and keeps the best hotel in
Junction City.
Larzelere, Benjamin, farmer and stock raiser ; post office, Rose-
ville ; born in Pennsylvania in 1803 ; settled in Perry count}-, Ohio, in
1837; son of Benjamin and Sarah (Brown) and grandson of Nicholas
Larzelere and of Joseph Brown ; married in 1835, ^o Miss Mary Day-
mond, who died in 1877. They have seven children, viz. : Sarah P.,
G. W., Robert A. G., Mary E., John Q^ A., Juha D., Morgan R.,five of
whom are married. G.W. and Robert A., enlisted in the war of the Rebel-
lion ; G. W., in the One Hundred and Fifty-ninth Regiment ; Robert in
the Thirty-second. He was in the battle of Cheat Muontain, where he
was taken prisoner.
Latta, Albert G., farmer and stock raiser, Rehoboth post office,
Clayton township, Perry county, Ohio ; born in this county, in 1848;
son of Isaac B. and Nancy (Welsh) Latta ; grandson of George
Latta, and of Henry and Mary Welsh ; married in 1869, to Miss
Lizzie Brown, daughter of William and Mary (Haworth) Brown; they
have but one child, Calia M.
Laverty, Adam, farmer and miner. New Straitsville, Ohio ; was
born Jan. 4, 1834, ^^^ Cullybackey, a little village three miles west of
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 459
Ballymena, county Antrim, Ireland ; son of Archibald and Mary (Kil-
len) Laverty. Mr. Laverty was raised in his native country, and re-
mained in Ireland until 1866, when he emigrated to America, and, with
his famil}^, has resided in Coal township, this county, since 1872. Mr.
Laverty's father was a native of Ireland. His mother was born in Ire-
land, of Scotish parentage. Mr. Lavert}^ the subject of this sketch,
was married June 5, 1862, to Miss Ellen L\mch, of Greenock, Scot-
land, daughter of Thomas and Jane (McGuire) Lynch, who were form-
erly of Londonderry. They are the parents of seven children, viz.:
Mary Ann, Archibald, Adam J., Ellen, Thomas Philip, Theresa and
Clara.
Lazier, Elza, potter by trade. Buckeye Cottage post office, Ohio ;
born in this county in 1852 ; son of Isaac and Clara (Kelly) Lazier.
The tbrmer emigrated from Maryland. Grandson of John Lazier, and
of James and Nellie Kelly. Married in 1857, to Miss Pheobe J. Brooks,
daughter of Hiram and Sarah A. (Cline) Brooks. They have nine
children, viz. : Hiram H. ; Chas. Henry, deceased, Rosanna, Isaac,
Ella E., Myrtle A. and two infants. Mr. Lazier's grandfather was in
the War of 18 12.
Leaman, Washington, carpenter and wagon maker, post office Gore,
Hocking county, Ohio; was born January 22, 1824, in Montgomery
county, Maryland ; son of Daniel and Jane (Sibley) Leaman. At an early
age, he went as an apprentice to the carpenter and wagon maker's
trades, which he learned ; came to Ohio with his parents in 1835, ^^^
remained four years in Pike township, when they came in 1839 to Mon-
day Creek township, where he has since resided. Was married May
5, 1843, to Hannah Massey, who died in 1845. Was married the second
time May 11, 1847, to Susan, daughter of Jacob and Catharine (Valen-
tine) Cavinee. Thej^ are the parents of nine children, viz. : Daniel,
died in infancy ; John, Eliza, Marv J., George, Sarah C, Martha A.,
Matilda, died in infancy, and Samuel.
Lehew, J. O., teamster, Shawnee, Ohio; was born November 3,
1850, in Morgan county, Ohio, and son of Samuel and Temperance
(Beall) Lehew. Mr. Lehew was raised a farmer, and followed agri-
cultural pursuits up to the age of twenty-three years. He farmed in
Athens county, about seventeen years ; in Morgan county, two years,
and in Wood county, West Virginia, two years ; he began teaming
while in Virginia, and followed it there about seven years, and in
Athens count}^ two j^ears, and in Morgan county, eight months, when
he went to Shawnee, Ohio, where he has remained up to the present
time, and has done all the teaming for the XX Furnace since he came
to this place. Mr. Lehew was married April 8, 1872, to Hannah,
daughter of Jacob and Jane (Lafevre) Martin, of Hocking county, Ohio.
They are the parents of three children, viz. : Charles, Samuel and
John.
Lehman, Christian, was born in 1802, in Juniatta county, Pennsyl-
vania ; he was a son of Jacob Lehman ; his mother's maiden name was
Hannah Peterson. These pioneers came to Perry count3^ in 1806, with
eleven of their twelve children, comprising eight sons and four daugh-
ters. He bought eighty acres of land in Jackson township, resided for
several years in Rushville, and finally settled on the farm where Christ-
j!^6o biographical sketches.
ian, now in his eightieth year, resides, and where his father,Jacob, died
in the ninetieth year of his age. A sister of Christian Lehman, Betsey
Turner, wife of Joseph Turner, is yet hving in Rushville with her son,
Abraham, in her ninety-sixth year. Christian was married in 1824, to
Rebecca Siple, daughter of Frederick and Barbara Siple, then of Fair-
field county. Their children are Richard, a blacksmith. Avion post
office, who, in 1857, was married to Eliza, daughter of Moses, a broth-
er of Jacob Pett3^ Richard has two sons. Christian, a blacksmith, who
is offered $14 per week for horse-shoeing in Columbus, and Clinton,
younger and at home. The daughters are. Miss Eva and Martha, two
sons and two daughters, from eight to twenty years of age. Hannah
Lehman, wife of George Houtz, daughter of Christian and Rebecca
Lehman, resides in Missouri, post office Hamburg, Iowa. John L.
Lehman, architect and contracting carpenter, married to Sally Vander-
mark, daughter of Rev. Mathias Vandermark, residence, Columbus,
Ohio. Mary Levina, wife of Robert Hill, residence at the homestead
of her father, where, since the death of her mother, she presides as
chief of the household, post office Avion, Ohio.
Lehman, Richard, eldest son of Christian, has acquired a comfort-
able home, which his strong arm at the anvil has beautified with a new
and neat dwelling. He was a member of Company I, One Hundred and
Twenty-sixth Regiment, O.V.L, Captain Yontz, attached to the famous
Sixth Corps, which saved the day at Cedar Creek, after the rout of the
Eighth and Nineteenth Corps, and thus saved, also, the valley of the
Shenendoah from again falling back into the hands of the enemy. He
served to the end of his enlistment, and was honorably discharged,
when he resumed his occupation at the anvil and his place in that fam-
ily circle, which had prayed for his safe return.
Lemert, Richard D., engineer at mine No. 13, Corning, Ohio;
was born April 19, 1852, in Crawford county, Ohio; son of Joshua and
Caroline (Blackwell) Lemert. Richard D. Lemert was brought up on
a farm until about the age of fourteen 3^ears ; at eighteen began braking
on the railroad, served four j^ears, then fired two years, then took an
engine and ran as railroad engineer two years. He took his present
position in November, 1881. Mr. Lemert was married January 6, 1881,
to Annie, daughter of Augustus and Mary Ucker, of Columbus, Ohio.
They are the parents of one child, Maud Lemert.
Lew^is, George, engineer, Shawnee, Ohio; was born August i,
1832, in Cardiff, South Wales ; son of George and Mary (Lewis) Lewis ;
was raised in Cardiff, where he lived until 1868, and served his ap-
prenticeship of five years at machinist's trade with Taft' Bale Railroad,
building engines. After completing his apprenticeship he ran an en-
gine on the railroad three 3'ears ; at this time he began work for Mr.
Booker, running an engine for tin and sheet-iron works about five
years.up to 1861. He was next employed in putting up the Grangetown
Iron Works, and was overseer of the engine at this place for seven
3'ears, until 1868, at which time he came to America, landing in New
York, and from thence to Pittsburgh, Peuns3'lvania, where he was em-
plo3^ed at the Superior Iron Mill and Furnace as engineer for five 3'ears ;
at the end of this time he went to Newark, Ohio, where he was en-
gaged in the Rolling Mill as engineer, for about two years, when he
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 461
came to Shawnee, Ohio, where he has been with the XX Coal and Iron
Company, as engineer up to this time. Mr. Lewis was married March
8, 1855, to Joan, daughter of Evan and Ann Thomas, of Cardiff, and
niece of the manager of Booker's Furnace. They are the parents of
six children, viz. : Eugenia, Frank, Henry, Edwin, Mary Ann and
George, living, and hve dead, Thomas, Mary, George, John and Her-
bert. '
Lilly, Rev. H. F., the present President of St. Joseph Convent and
House of Studies of the Dominican Order in the United States, is dis-
tinguished not only as such, but for his executive ability in advancing
the interests, the usefulness and the fame of his Alma Mater. This in-
stitution was founded in 1818 by Rev. Edward Dominic Fenwick, after-
wards first Catholic Bishop of Ohio and the North West ; the first priest
after Father Fenwick, was his nephew, Rev. M. D. Young, who de-
parted this life so recently as November 1878 ; associated with Father
Young were Fathers Martin, De Rymacher, O'Larey and Hill. These
Rev. Fathers resided at St. Joseph's, and performed missionary duty
inside of a circle of one hundred miles. As a house of education, pro-
perly so called, the date is 1840, where students began to be received
and a faculty of distinguished professors were engaged. Prior to this
date no instructions were given in theology, or physics, but since then
there have always been from ten to thirty students of philosophy and
theolog}^.
The College was opened in 185 1 for youth not aspiring to the Priest-
hood. It deservedly bore a high reputation as a seat of learning, and
was attended by students from all sections of the United States. It was
closed in the first year of the war. chiefly on account of the withdraw^al
of its southern patronage. The Presidents were in order as follows :
Rev. James Whelan, to 1854; ^^^'- P- D. Noon, to 1856; Rev. J. A.
Kelly, to 1858 ; Rev. M. D. Lilly, to i860, and the last President was
Rev. J. A. Rochford ; the last three are still living. The College
Building was one hundred and twenty by forty-five feet, of brick, three
stories high and was torn down in 1880, when the material was used in
the construction of the New Convent Building, which was dedicated,
March 19, 1882. This magnificent edifice is one hundred and thirty-five
by forty-five feet ; of brick, three stories and basement of stone, with
slate roof; located a few miles south of Somerset. In solidity, elegance
and fitness for the purpose intended it is unsurpassed in the United
States. There is a hall in every story, and these halls lead to not less
than seventy rooms or apartments, and are heated by a furnace below.
Gas and water supplies are carried to all parts of the edifice, and the
whole is completed with elevators and all the modern improvements.
The Library is one of the most interesting features, rich in ancient and
modern works and contains about seven thousand volumes, some of
which were printed prior to the discovery of America. There are manu-
scripts dated in the thirteenth century, some of which are magnificentl}^
illustrated on en vellum. Among its principal contributors were
Bishop O'Finan, of Ireland, and Father Thomas Martin, already men-
tioned. The officers of the Convent at present, are in order of rank as fol-
lows : Prior, Rev. H. F. Lilly, Rev. A. V. Higgins, Rev. Stephen
Byrne, Rev. P. V. Keogh, Rev. J. C. Kent, Rev. T. A. Scallon, Rev.
462 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
J. F. Colbert, and Rev. E. F. Flood ; at this writing, December, 1882,
there are twent}^ students.
LiNViLLE, Joshua, born in 1823, in Richland township, Fairfield
county, Ohio, on the farm now known as Foresman's ; his father was
the late venerable and much esteemed Joseph Linville, who came to
Ohio from Rockingham county, Virginia, some 3^ears prior to 1820,
The grandfather of Joshua was Benjamin Linville, who died in Virginia.
The grandmother, wife of grandfather Linnville, was Ann Matthews.
Their sons were Joseph, the father of Joshua ; Benjamin, still living in
Salem, Fairfield county, at the advanced age of ninet}' odd years ; Sol-
omon, William, and Hugh Foster Linville. The mother of Joshua Lin-
ville, was Margaret, daughter of Samuel Parrot. There were born to
her and her husband Joseph Linville, Bruce and Samuel, in Virginia ;
Joseph, Ann Armstrong, Sarah Eynman, Joshua, Delilah Coulson and
Benjamin Linville, in Fairfield county. Bruce Linville, went to Edina,
Knox county, Missouri, in charge of a stock of goods sent there b}' his
patron and friend, a Mr. Cooney, formerly of Somerset ; he there rose
to wealth and influence,' became the treasurer of the county, and en-
gaged in banking ; Benjamin is in Circleville, Ohio, and Joseph is one
of the solid farmers and cattle dealers of Fairfield county. In 1850,
Joshua became the husband of Ann Louisa Rissler, daughter of an es-
teemed farmer, Thojnas Rissler, whose wife, the mother of Ann, was
Margery Daily. The farms of Thomas Rissler and of the Linvilles
join, though separated by the Perry and Fairfield line, and Mrs. Lin-
ville, when married moved to the adjoining farm, where she yet remains
with her husband, having lived all her life in sight of her paternal acres.
Their children are Mary Alice, wife of Monroe Andrews, post office,
Rushville ; Marge Ann, wife of Rezin Baker, a druggist of Thornville,
Ohio; Thomas R., husband of Clara, daughter of Alfred Melick ;
Care}^, Martha, Coulson, James R., William and Benjamin F. Linville.
Joshua Linville, the father ol these children, became the owner of the
Linville homestead, to which he has added not only in area, but in sub-
stantial improvements and the yielding capacity of his acres. He and
his wife are strict members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and en-
joy the confidence and social consideration due to virtue and consider-
ate hospitality, linked with social standing, belonging to the oldest fami-
lies of this vicinity.
LiTSiNGER, John Purcel, was born August 27, 1847 ; his father was
John Litsinger, and his brothers are Peter, Jacob, Albert and William ;
his sisters are Isabel, single, living at home, Sarah, married to Joseph
May, and resides in Reading township. All the brothers are living in
the township of Reading, Perry county, where they were born, except
Albert, machinist, married to Maggie Qiiill, residing in St. Paul, Min-
nesota ; his grandfather was Jacob Litsinger, who settled here in an
early day and was the father of John and Jacob, and Apple, who mar-
ried Miles Clark, and is now deceased. John Litsinger, at the age of
fourteen, went to Henry count}-, Indiana, and worked on a farm for
twenty months. His wages were eight dollars per month for the first
eight months, when his wages were raised to twelve dollars per month.
He returned to Somerset and engaged with Jacob Grimm to learn the art
of carriage blacksmithing, boarding with his mother and receiving
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. /^;^
three dollars per week, for three years, mainly under the instruction of
Lewis Chilcote. He then worked in Logan at twelve dollars per week;
then at Saltillo for about a year ; then again at Somerset for Albert
Grimm ; then for Grimm & Bowman ; then for Grimm & Gallin, and
finally in 1876, he became a partner with Thomas Smith, under the firm
name of Smith & Litsinger, wdio have ever since carried on an increas-
ing and satisfactory business as carriage and buggy manufacturers, em-
ploying six hands, in addition to themselves. He was married in the
year 1870, to Martha Smyrr, a step-daughter of R. M. Barber; their
children are Flora Alice, Marj^ Laura, Elizabeth Gertrude and John
Orlistus. The firm of Smith & Litsinger carried on business on one of the
back streets of Somerset, where the buildings became too small and the
location too obscure for their business, and they erected a new factory
on Main street upon the site where Enzer Chilcote, in his life time re-
sided, but which was visited by the fire, which destroyed the Russel
hotel, the. old Exchange, Mrs. Filler's residence, a buggy factory, and
the old residence of Dr. Pardee, afterwards that of R. S. Cox and John
Motz.
Lloyd, John, Jr., manager of the mercantile department of the
New York and Straitsville Coal and Iron Company ; Shawnee, Ohio ;
was born March 27, 1848, in Carnarvanshire, North Wales, son of
John and Jane (Williams) Llo3^d. When Mr. Lloyd was three years
old his father emigrated to America, settling at Utica, New York,
remaining about one year, and went to Nelson Flats, Madison county,
New York, remaining about nine years, from where he went to Pal-
myra, Portage county, Ohio, living there four years, when he moved
to Pomeroy, Meigs county, Ohio, where his son, the subject of this
sketch, began the business of clerking in the wholesale and retail gro-
cery store of Shriber & Silverman, which he continued over one year,
when he was employed as clerk in the Coal Company store of E. L. Will-
iams, remaining a number of years, and was employed as a clerk in the
Pomeroy Coal Company store ; soon after which he became a junior
partner, in which position he remained until 1868. At this date he sold
out his interest in the company store and entered into partnership with
his father, in a general merchandise store, in the same place, and was
married June 28, 1869, ^^ Miss Mar}^ A., youngest daughter of Morgan
and Elizabeth Reese, of Palmyra, Ohio. They are the parents of one
child, viz. : Laura Eva. After continuing four 3'ears in the mercantile
business they sold out and came to Shawnee, Ohio, at which place he
engaged as clerk with Frank L. Krumm, in whose employ he remained
only a short time, when he accepted the position of superintendent of
the store of Huston & Hamilton, which he also held but a short time,
when he, with J. B. Hamilton and James Ash, formed a copartnership
under the firm name of Ash, Lloyd & Co. In a short time Ash with-
drew and James Finley was taken in, and the firm name became Fin-
ley, Lloyd & Co., which proved short lived, Mr. Finley withdrawing.
In his stead Mr. Joseph Cratty was associated ; firm name, Hamilton,
Cratty & Lloyd. This firm continued business for some time, when
Mr. Shields was taken in ; firm name, Shields, Lloyd & Co. After
Continuing business for some time Mr. Llo3'd withdrew and formed a
copartnership with Joseph Vilas, A. H. Blood, and George A. Blood ;
464 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
firm name, Vilas, Blood & Co., and conducted store for New York and
Straitsville Coal and Iron Company. In this relation they did business
for eighteen months, when they sold out to the company, and Mr.
Lloyd became manager. Mr. Lloyd has previously been elected, and
is now, a member of the city council. He is now a member of the
school board, having served three years ; the first year as treasurer,
second and third as president.
Longshore, Thomas, post office, Moxahala, Pleasant township ;
born June 8, 1812, in Belmont county, Ohio; son of Amos and Ann
(Cox) Longshore. His mother was of English and his father of
Welsh extraction. Thomas Longshore spent his younger days in the
vicinity of Zanesville. In 1836 he married Mar^^ Ann Evans. They
are the parents of the following named children: William H., born
February, 1841, married Emily Rodgers in 1857, and now resides in
Kansas; George W., born September 27, 1842, married Sarah Rose,
and resides in Kansas; Isaac, born October 17, 1844, married Eliza-
beth Griggs, and lives in Franklin county; Mary C, born November
7, 1846, deceased ; Charles H., born June 29, 1849, married a Miss
Holcomb, and resides in Kansas ; Albert died in infancy ; Howard,
born January i, i860.
LoNGSTRETH, M. H., farmer and dealer in live stock, post office,
Rendville, Pleasant township ; born in this township in 1840 ; son
of James and Elizabeth (Hanesworth) Longstreth ; maternal ancestors
were English and paternal ancestors were Scotch and Irish. His father
came to the United States when quite young, and came to this township
in 1836. April 3, 1864, the subject of this sketch married Elizabeth P.
Osburn, of Millerstown. She was of English descent, and died Feb-
ruary I, 1877. They are the parents of the following named children:
Mary, Cary Erastus, who died April 12, 1866; Elmore S., Edgar O.,
Viola P., who died October 25, 1876, and Clara E. Mr. Longstreth
enlisted July 17, 1863, in Company K, 129th O. V. I., and remained in
the service until March. He afterwards served four months in the one
hundred day service.
Love, David, was born Jan. 24, 1852, in Reading township, Perry
county, Ohio. He is a son of William Love. His mother was Miss
Emily Church, daughter of the late venerable David Church, of this
county. He is the eldest of four brothers and two sisters. He was
reared a farmer and grazer of stock, and also became qualified to teach
the schools of his neighborhood, requiring, at his time of life, superior
attainments in the fundamental branches. He now resides on a farm
of two hundred acres, cut in twain by Rush Creek, and, because of its
fertility and supply of everlasting water, pre-eminentl}- adapted to cat-
tle grazing and sheep husbandry. David Love is not only a working
man, but a reading man as well. He was also a reading boy, and
found at home abundant material to gratif}^ his mental nature. His
father often said David was too fond of newspapers to be most useful as
a helper on the farm. At the age of twenty-four he was united in mar-
riage to Lydia J., daughter of John Fisher, deceased, a native of Ken-
tucky, who inherited a number of slaves, lost by the war, was a dealer
in horses, and a man of business capacity. Her mother, Susan Mitch-
ell, sister of Mr. Frank Mitchell, wholesale grocer of St. Louis, Mis-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY; ' 465
souri, was therefore a daughter of Randolph Mitchell, Lydia Fisher
lost her mother by death in St. Joseph, Missouri, when an infant only
three months old. She was taken to the home of her grandmother —
Mrs. Randolph Mitchell, of New Reading — where she was tenderly
reared and educated. It is a comlbrting reflection to Mrs, Love, that
she had it in her power to return this affection by assistance and kind-
ness to her aged grandmother, the only mother she ever knew. Mrs.
Love has one brother, John Breckinridge Fisher, who is yet unmarried
and unsettled in life. David Love and his wife Lydia have one son,
Lestie, and one daughter, Emma, now living. Their home overlooks
the vallej' of Rush Creek.
LowRY, A. A., farmer, post office, New Lexington, Pike town-
ship, Ohio; was born February 12, 1853, in Pleasant township, Perr}-
county ; son of Joseph and Eliza (Pence) Lowr}- ; was raised a farmer,
and has followed farming to the present time. At the age of twen-
ty-one years he began teaching school in winter season, and farm-
ing during the summer season, which he continued for about
three years, teaching at Miller's school house, in Bearfield township,
four months ; in Richfield township, Henry county, about seven
months ; and in another district, same township, Barnhill school house,
about eight months. Returned to Perry county, and has been en-
gaged in farming since that time, on the home place about two years,
and the Wesley Moore farm one year, when he, in partnership with his
mother and sister, bought the farm they now live upon. Mr. Lowry's
father was a native of Muskingum county, Ohio, and went to Califor-
nia in 1854, where he died in the year 1864, His mother was born in
Pennsylvania, and came to Ohio about 1822.
LucA, A. Theodore, merchant, Rendville, Ohio ; was born July
22, 1842, in New Haven, Connecticut; son of Alexander C. and Lu-
zetta (Lewis) Luca. Mr. Luca was brought up in his native city,
where he lived until about 1867 or 1868, when he came to Ohio, where
he has remained up to this time. At his home. New Haven, he attend-
ed school, and from i860 to 1865, he was on the Island of Hayti, as a
cotton speculator. Since he came to Ohio, he learned the shoemaker
trade, which he made his business for twelve or thirteen years, when
he entered his present business in this place in 1881. Mr. Luca is a
son of Alexander C. Luca, Sr., musical director of the Luca Family of
musicians who have won many encomiums in the United States, both
collectively and individually, in vocal and instrumental music. His
brothers, Cleveland C, Alexander C, Jr., and John W., with their
father, were the Luca Family. That this family was possessed of rare
musical genius, will be clearly evinced by a perusal otthe book, " Mu-
sic and Some Musical People," by Trotter.
LuTz, Michael, farmer, born September, 1836 ; .son of David
Lutz, and grandson of Michael, the progenitor of the very numerous
and respectable connection bearing the name of Lutz, who came from
the State of Maryland. He was of German and Lutheran extraction,
and landed in Perry county. in 1814. His sons were, Jacob, George,
John, Samuel and Michael ; and his daughters were, Rebecca Stimel,
Sarah Ann Souslin, Betsy Spohn and Katharine Sours. He died on
the farm where his son Michael died, in sight of Somerset, and where
44
466 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Michael Lutz, a nephew, succeeds not only to the name but the ances-
tral acres, derived from his uncle Michael, who was a bachelor, a Dem-
ocrat, and one of the best farmers of the count3\ The farm, to-day,
maintains its reputation for fertility and thrift, and certifies that it has
not fallen into unworthy hands. Michael Lutz and his wife, Rebecca
(Sours) Lutz, have two children, Mary Katharine, the wife of Jacob
Shough, and John A., just coming into manhood, and who will soon
assume thfe cares and responsibility of keeping the old farm up to the
standard of its merited renown.
Lyon, Jerome Bonaparte, physician and surgeon. New Straitsville,
Ohio ; was born October 10, 1853, in Hocking county, Ohio ; son of
James and Margaret (Shelhammer) Lyon. Was raised a farmer, until
he was fifteen years of age, when he went to high school in New Lex-
ington, Ohio, where he spent about four years, during part of which
time he taught school in Hocking, Perry and Fairfield counties ; in all
about two 3^ears. At the expiration of this time he began the study of
medicine with Dr. A. R. Richards of New Lexington, Ohio, and
studied about four years with him, attending lectures at the Ohio Medi-
cal College of Cincinnati, graduating with the class of 1879 ^^^ 1880,
in the old school of medicine, after which he came directly to this place
and began his practice. Was married April 25, 1881, to Miss Etta R.
Smith, born August 2, 1861, in Athens county, Ohio; daughter of
Charles and Susan (King) Smith.
McBride, William J., Rendville, Ohio; was born October 17,
1850, in R(jchester, New York. When an infant, his parents moved to
Ontario, Canada, where he was brought up on a farm, and in his father's
store. Whilst a youth, he worked two years at cabinet and carpenter
work. He then attended a school of design eighteen months, after
which he determined to be a railroader, and became railroad engineer
in two years after going on the road. In 1878 he came to Gallipolis, O.,
and was boss carpenter in the railroad shops at that place seven months.
Came to his present residence in Jul}^, 1879. Was married August 4,
1872, to Miss Eliza, daughter of Michael and Mary (O'Brien) McAleer
of Canada. They are the parents of nine children, all of whom died
in infancy, excepting Charles, born March 4, 1877.
McClean, Alexander, farmer, Monday Creek township, post office,
McCunesville, Ohio, was born March 25,1823, in county Antrim, Ireland,
son of John and Margaret (Conle}^) McClean. Mr. McClean came to
America in 183 1, with his father, who settled in Moyerstown, where
he lived about one year and was engaged on public works ; about this
time he died at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. At the age of ten years,
Alexander, the subject of this sketch, was employed on the Union
Canal as grogg boss, where he remained about two years, when he
went to Grant's Hill and was grogg boss about one year, and then
came to Ohio, via Marietta to Zanesville, on the Ohio and Muskingum
rivers. From Marietta to Zanesville they started on a boat that was
pushed by poles, but after ten miles ride they concluded to walk the re-
mainder of their journey and all the way to New Lexington, near where
they found Mrs. McClean's father, who had previously come to Ohio.
Mr. Conley built them a house in his door vard where they lived until
Mr. McClean bought eight}^ acres of land where he now lives, some
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 467
years afterward. In the spring after their arrival Mr. McClean was
employed by Thomas Martin to work on the national pike at $4.00 per
month during one summer, and was next employed by John McGary
at same work for $6.00 per month one summer, and the third summer
by Henry Devlin ; and was employed by a man named Taggart, driv-
ing oxen at $12 per month one season. Broke gravel about twelve
miles west of Columbus at $1.00 per rod, where he hired a boy to drive
at $4.00 per month, making upon this contract about $2.00 per day,
which employed him about one year, when he came to Jackson town-
ship and bought eighty acres of land for $175, $35 of which he borrowed
of Reuben Tharp at 25 per cent, interest ; built a log cabin, into which
his mother and sister moved, and he returned to work on the pike where
he remained five months during which time his mother died. Upon
again returning home he paid the $35 he had borrowed with the 25 per
cent, interest, and lived upon the farm for two or three years in the log
cabin, when he hewed logs with his narrow ax for a new dwelling,
after which of course it was necessary to have a raising, and this is the
way he tells it. " Of course we had to have a raising, and we had whisky
in it ; most of the men got drunk and we barely escaped a fight, but
before nightfall we had the house up to the square, and my neighbors
had returned home, no accident having occurred. The next day I
employed a carpenter to complete the job. He measured the width of
the house, and we cut down the finest stick we could find in the dense
woodland, sawed it the right length for rafters, split them out and framed
them, and thought we would have more than an ordinary good roof,
for those days, but when w^e come to put them up, lo and behold, they
were too short and would have made the roof too flat, but it was not the
fault of the carpenter, as the cornermen had not carried their corners
perpendicularly, causing the top to be wider than the bottom, and we
lost the work spent on the split rafters, and we had to use sapling rafters ;
the house is still standing round up the valley 3^onder, a monument of
bvgone, log cabin raisings." Mr. McClean lived some six or seven
years in that house when he exchanged it for forty acres near Straits-
ville with Bazel Gordon, from whom he received $550, as the valued
difterence between the farms, giving him five years time to pay it in,
and afterward sold the forty acres for which he exchanged, and bought
eighty acres of Israel Gordon for $1,050, in Monday Creek township,
and was obliged to again resume the forty acres upon the failure of the
purchaser to pay for it. Moved to the eighty acres, to which he added
fort}' acres at $400, and lived there five years, when he again sold out and
moved to his present place of abode, where he had purchased one hun-
dred and sixty acres of land for $2,050, upon which there was a hewed
log barn and a hewed log house, both of which he has supplanted by
good frame buildings. Since coming to this place he has increased his
number of acres to five hundred, and has sold eighty acres to his son
James. Mr. McClean has been for several years a stock dealer, and
lie made sheep buying and selling a specialty. Mr. McClean was mar-
ried September 22, 1840 to Miss Mary, daughter of John F., and Mar-
garet (Gordon) Hoy, of Monroe township. They are the parents of ten
living children, viz. : James, Alexander, William, Albert, Charlie, Si-
468 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
mon, Margaret, Mary, Rosa, SalHe, and two deceased, John and Pat-
rick.
McCloy, David E., check weighman, New Straitsville, Ohio.
Was born March 17, 1842, in Roseville, Muskingum county, son of Wil-
liam and Ruth ( WorleyjMcClo}'. Mr. McCloy was brought up in New
Lexington, this county, where his lather moved when David E. was
a youth, and where he lived until 1872, when he came to this place.
While in New Lexington he learned the harness maker, saddler
and painter's trades, which he followed up to June, 1862, when
he enlisted in Compau}^ I, under Captain L. F. Muzzy, in the One Hun-
dred and Fourteenth Regiment, O. V. L for three years, or during the
war, and served until August, 1864, when he was discharged by reason
of general disability. Was in the following engagements : Chickasaw
Bluffs, Arkansas Post, Champion Hill, Thompson's Hill, Black River
Bridge, and Siege of Vicksburg. After receiving his discharge he re-
turned home, and eighteen months from this time, upon his recovery,
he again engaged at his former occupation, until 1872, when he came
to this place and has been employed as follows : Harness making one
year, when he became weighmaster at W. P. Rend & Co.'s mine,
which position he held for about five years, when he took his present
position at the Thomas Coal Company's mine, where he has been for the
past two years. Mr. McCloy was married the first time November 11,
1866, to Martha A,, daughter of Asa and Eliza (Plummer) Ball. This
union was blessed with six children, viz. : Twins, that died in infancy ;
Minnie May, Charles A., David Worley, and William Asbury. Mrs.
McCloy died December 9, 1875. Mr. McCloy was married the second
time, July i, 1877, to Miss Minerva, daughter of John G. and Sarah
(Ray) Pummell. They are the parents of three children, viz. : Benja-
min"^F., born March 28, 1878 ; John H., born Jul}^ 2, 1880, died Febru-
ary 10, 1881, and Lillie M., born Januar}^ 18, 1882.
McCloud, Benjamin F., mine boss. Corning, Ohio, born January
16, 1847, in Canawa county, West Virginia, son of David and Mary A.
(Hagarman) McCloud. At the age of fourteen he began iron moulding
with his father, which he followed for six years, when he commenced
mining at Campbell's Creek, near Charleston, West Virginia. In 1875
he engaged with the Consolidated Coal Company, of Cincinnati, re-
maining with them six years. He came to his present place in the
spring of 1880. Mr. McCloud was married June 18, 1867, to Mary A.
Hall. They are the parents of five children, viz. : William B., Walter
S., Charles F., (twins), Mary Ellen and Frank.
McCoKMicK, S. J., merchant, Logan, Ohio. Born in Maxville,
Perr}^ county, Ohio, December 23, 1835. ^on of William and Elizabeth
(Johnson) McCormick. His early boyhood was spent iu assisting his
father in the fine of business, which, at that time, was one of the leading
industries of southern Perry. In 1861 he opened a store in Maxville,
and continued to engage in mercantile pursuits until the spring of 1882,
when, disposing of his stock of goods, he removed to Logan, Hocking
county, Ohio. Was married April 19, 1866, to Cynthia, daughter of
Moses and Julia A. (Patterson) Rambo, of South Bloomingville, Hock-
ing county, Ohio, to whom were born tw^o children, Frank Herbert and
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 469
Mabel R. By economy and industry Mr. McCormick has secured for
himself and -family a good home and a competence sufficient to make
life happy. William McCormick, deceased, father of S. J. McCormick,
was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, November 12, 1802. He was among
the pioneers of the State\ and white men were living in but a few locali-
ties, and Indians and wild beasts were daih' seen. He was married
July 25, 1833, to Elizabeth Johnson, who was born in Virginia, March
2, 1809. Eight children were born to them, viz. : James T., S. J., Sarah
J., John W., Amos G., Francis M., David L., Mary E. Wilham Mc-
Cormick was among the first to locate in Maxville, and remained one of
its most influential citizens until his death, which occurred October 11,
1856. Moses Rambo, deceased, father of Mrs. S.J. McCormick, was born
in Perry county, Ohio, November 26, 1807. Was married to Julia A. Pat-
terson September 16, 1830, who was born in Pennsylvania, October 13,
1805, and came to Perry county, Ohio, at a very earh'- date. They
were the parents of the following children: Oliver G., George W.,
Cynthia M., Calvin L., Benjamin F. Moses Rambo died in South
Bioomingville, Ohio, May 10, 1866. Julia A., his wife, died December
10, 1862,
McCouRTNKY, Samuel, farmer, was born in Greene county, Penn-
sylvania, April 8, 1832. Came to this county with his parents in Sep-
tember, 1834, ^^^ has since lived here. His bo3diood days were spent
on a farm till the age of twenty, after which he taught school for a time.
He then engaged in farming and school teaching until 1864. »Since
then he has followed farming. In 1874 ^^^ ^^^ elected County Surve3'or,
and held the otfice six 3'ears. Was married in 1861 to Margaret,
daughter of William and Margaret (Clarke) Pattridge ; they are the
parents of seven children, viz. • Mary A., Francis L., Maggie A.,
John E., Nettie I., Catharine and Rose. Mr. McCourtney is a son of
Arthur and Nancy (Gordon) INIcCourtney. Mr. McCourtney's father
was born in Ireland, near Iniskillan, county of Fermonwaugh, March
8, 1792, and is still living, on January 4, 1882. The principal part ol
his life was spent in school teaching. He came to New York in 1817.
Mr. McCourtney's wife's people are of Irish descent.
McCrillis, Mathew% dentist, Somerset, Ohio. He was born in
April, 1856, in Reading township ; is a son of David McCrillis, de-
ceased, who was a successful and highly appreciated teacher and citi-
zen. Mathew's mother was Margaret Pence, daughter of the late ven-
erable Isaac Pence of Perr}-. He was only ten years old when he lost
both parents, the father's death preceding that of his mother only a few
months. He has one brother and one sister. He was tenderly and
faithfull}' reared under the care of his grandparents, on the old Pence
homestead, until his twenty-first 3^ear, when he went to Findlay, Ohio,
to study and practice his chosen profession, where he remained several
years. When 3'et a boy on the farm, he practiced dentistry, and his
aptitude in these otlices gained for him the name of Dr. McCrillis, and
presaged the bent of his mind. On his return from California, whither
he had wandered in search of dental knowledge and experience, he lo-
cated in Somerset in 1881, and became a partner in dentistry with Dr.
H. C. Greiner, now serving his second term in the Legislature as a Rep-
resentative of his county. Dr. McCrilllis has taken full charge of the
47^ BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
extensive and growing business of the firm during the temporary ab-
sence of his distinguished partner, and is noted for the correctness of
his habits, for devotion to his chosen occupation, and that gentle charity
which makes him a favorite in the best social circles of society,
McCuLLOUGH, R. N., farmer, Monday Creek township ; post office,
Maxville, Ohio; was born October 4, 1817, in Fairfield county, Ohio;
son of William and Nancy (Nelson) McCullough. Mr. McCullough
was brought up on a farm, and has made agricultural pursuits the busi-
ness of his life. In 1841, he came to Monda}^ Creek township, and lo-
cated on his present farm of one hundred and eighty acres of land,
where he still lives. Mr. McCullough was married, December 8, 1840,
to Miss Mary, daughter of David S., and Sarah (Larrimer) Haggerty,
of Fairfield county, Ohio. Unto them were born ten children, viz. :
William, deceased ; Eliza J., Sarah E., Nancy, John W., James, Rhoda
L., George S., Mary E., deceased, and Charlie L.
McDonald, James, farmer. Pleasant township ; post office, Rend-
ville, Ohio ; born May 27, 1838, in this township, on the farm where he
now resides. Son of John and Margaret (Farrahey) McDonald. His
father was born in Kildair countv, Ireland, and his mother in Longford,
Ireland. His father emigrated to the United States in 1822, and lo-
cated and died in advanced life on the farm where James now resides. His
father died September 17, 1854, ^ged sixty-seven ; and his mother died
April 6, 1881, aged seventy-nine. The subject of this sketch married
Jane Ann Walpole, of Morgan county, Ohio, November 2, 1858. She
was of Irish descent. They are the parents of ten children, viz. : Mar-
garet A., John G., George B., Francis F., Ellen A., Charles, William,
Richard F., Mary and Joseph.
McDonald, Adam N., track boss, Corning, Ohio ; was born April
28, 1840, in Edinburgshire county, Scotland ; son of John and Jennett
(Riddle) McDonald. Adam N., at the age of twelve, went into the
mines of Scotland, where he worked until 1870, when he came to Amer-
ica, and located in Mercer county, Pennsylvania. In 1876, removed to
Mahoning county, Ohio, and to his present home, March 2, 1880, Mr.
McDonald was married September 19, 1862, to Miss Robina, daughter
of Alexander and Isabella Monroe, of Scotland. They are the parents
of four children, viz. : Jessie. Isabella Jane, Robina and Jane. Mr,
McDonald has been successful, and does not regret that he and his
family have cast their lot in this free country.
McDonald, James S., farmer. Pike township; post office, New
Lexington, Ohio; was born October 13, 1842, in Muskingum county,
Ohio ; son of Robert and Mary A, (Starrett) McDonald. Was raised
a farmer, and has made farming the business of his life. Came to Per-
ry county, Ohio, at the age of five years, with his father, and Vned in
Salt Lick township, now Coal township, to the time of his marriage,
November 22, 1866, to Miss Martha E., daughter of John and Eliza-
beth (Collins) McKinney, of Hocking county, Ohio. They are the pa-
rents of six children, viz. : Mary A., Robert L., John W., James E.,
Franklin A., and Elizabeth E. ; all living at home. After his marriage,
he bought sixty-five acres of land from his father, for one thousand one
hundred dollars, and afterward sold forty acres of the same for what he
gave for the whole ; and again bought sixty-five acres of his father for
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 47 1
one thousand three hundred dollars, and in the course oC one year sold
all he then had, tor two thousand one hundred dollars ; at which time
he moved to Pike township, on his father's farm, and cropped one year
with him, when he bought eight}' acres in Saltlick, and the original
home farm, for one thousand seven hundred and seventy dollars, where
he lived four years, during which time he had optioned his farm, and at
the- expiration of which time it was taken per the option at live thousand
five hundred dollars, when he bought one hundred acres w^here he now
lives, for six thousand five hundred dollars. Since coming to this farm
he has remodeled the dwelling, making it as good as new. Mr. Mc-
Donald enlisted in the arm}-, in Company K, One Hundred and Twen-
ty-ninth Regiment, O. V. I., for six months, which he served, and was
discharged by reason of expiration of term of enlistment. Returned
home and enlisted in the one hundred days' service in Company A,
One Hundred and Sixtieth Regiment, O. N. G., and served about four
months, when he was again discharged by reason of expiration of term
of enlistment ; and again enlisted in Company G, Twenty-fifth Regi-
ment, O. V. I., serving to the close of the war, when he was discharged
by reason of the close of the war. During his last term of service, all
of his bunk mates v/ere shot but one, who died of disease, and he was
disabled for life by what is known as varicose veins of the limbs, for
which he gets a pension of thirty-six dollars per year.
McDonald, Lewis F., farmer, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born Novem-
ber 22, 1859, "^^ Sulphur Springs, this township ; son of Lewis and
Margaret (Wilson) McDonald. Was brougnt up on a farm, and has
followed agricultural pursuits to this time. Mr. McDonald's father was
a native of Ohio, and at one time, at Sulphur Springs, kept a store
which was blown up by an explosion of gunpowder in 1870, killing him
and one son, Nirum, who was three 3'ears and nine months old. The
estimated loss of goods and building, was about six thousand dollars,
with no insurance. Mr. McDonald was married August 28, 1881, to
Miss Ida M., daughter of Simeon and Elizabeth (Stores) Sanders. In
1874, with his mother and sister, he moved to Yellow Springs, Ohio,
where he attended college two years and six months, and afterward
lived two years in Morrow comity, Ohio, w^hen thev returned to the
homestead, where they have remained to the present time.
McGoNAGLE, John A., Clerk of Perry county, Ohio; was born
June 17, 1851, in Pike township; son of William and Ann (Carr)
McGonagle. Young McGonagle received his primary education in the
primitive log school house, and finished his education in this place. At
the age of nineteen he began teaching, and taught eleven winter terms,
and worked at the carpenter's trade during the summer. Mr. McGon-
agle was elected Clerk of the Courts of Perry County, October 11,
1881. He was married June 23, 1874, ^^ Miss Sarah C., daughter of
William and Catharine (Donahoe) Forquer. They are the parents of
two children, viz. : William Charles and Cassie T.
McGrew, Finley B., blacksmith and contractor, Shawnee, Ohio;
w^as born April 4, 1846, in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania ; son of
Jame$ B. and Margaret (Vail) McGrew. Was brought up a farmer,
until he was fourteen years of age, and then engaged in oil business for
one year, when he enlisted in Company B, Fifty-third Regiment, O.
472
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES,
V. I., for three years or during the war, serving three montlis, when his
father took him out of service because of his being under age ; after
which he remained at home until 1863, when he again enHsted in com-
pany B, Eighty-sixth Regiment, O. V. I., remaining four months ; again
returning home, he went to Barnesville, Ohio, aad engaged in tobacco
raising, but sold the crop in the field, and went as a substitute in Com-
pany B, One Hundred and Sixty-tirst Regiment, O. N. G., serving four
months. In 1865 he began the blacksmith trade with George Powell,
of McConnelsville, Ohio, serving two years and six months as appren-
tice, after which he worked in the following places : Malta, Ohio, for
Brown Manufacturing Compan}^ ; superintended oil farm for his father
and Richard Stanton, for two years and six months ; Canton, Missouri,
blacksmithing, two months ; Atchison, Missouri, one year six months,
at trade ; McConnelsville, Ohio, in partnership with Powell, blacksmith-
ing, thirteen months ; Straitsville, Ohio, for Dannals, smithing, two
months ; Shawnee, where he has been engaged in blacksmithing and
contracting lime and iron ore jobs, up to this time. Mr. McGrew came
to Ohio at the age of eight years, with his father, who served as Audi-
tor of Morgan count}^ Ohio, about twelve years, and was elected for
the next ensuing term at the timQ of his death. He was also County
Surveyor for six years of same count}^ Mr. McGrew, the subject of
this sketch, was married August ist, 1875, to Ann L. Davis, daughter
of Samuel and Mary (Keever) Davis. They are the parents of three
children, viz. : Jasper, Laura and Mary ; all living and at home.
McKay, Capt. George A., ticket and freight agent of the Ohio
Central Railroad Company, Corning, Ohio ; was born June 16, 1841,
in Oswego, New York ; son of Alexander and Rosetta Louisa (Hamil-
ton) McKay, both of Scotch descent. Alexander McKay was pur-
veyor of the British Army in Canada in 1837, ^Jut joining the Inde-
pendents, he lost by confiscation his valuable estate, and was forced to
leave the country. He located first at Oswego, New York, and subse-
quently at Cleveland, Ohio.. He died in San Francisco, California, in
1856. George A. spent his childhood and early youth in his native
city. He came to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1847, which has been his resi-
dence to the present time. At the age of eleven he entered the Ohio
State 'Journal office as a printer's apprentice, and remained about three
years. April 17, 1861, he enlisted as a private soldier in Company A,
Seventh O. V. I., and was promoted through every grade to captain.
He re-enlisted, and was mustered out at the expiration of his term of
service. While on duty he received nine wounds. At the battle of
Ringold, Georgia, he was severely wounded in both legs, the left one
having both bones broken, and the main artery severed. During the
last eighteen months of service he w^as Inspector General on the stalls
of Generals Camdy, Gear}^ and Hooker. Captain McKay was married
December 20, 1865, to Miss Margaret A., daughter of James and Mary
(Roome) Creech, nadves of Scotland, but now of Cleveland, Ohio.
They are the parents of four children, viz. : Addison H,, George A.,
Edvvard Creighton and John H. Captain McKay has a business expe-
rience as chief voucher clerk and charge of a Cleveland special station
for the Lake Shore Railroad. He was chief clerk for South Shore
Line, also. In April, 1877, he was elected Inspector of Weights and
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 473
Measures for Cu3'uhoga county, and Cleveland City, Ohio, and served
until the latter part of 1881, when he came to his present position on
the solicitation of Hudson Fitch, General Freight Agent of the Ohio
Central Railroad.
McKeevf:r, James, was born May 4, 1804, in New York ; son of
Archie and Mary (Mullen) McKeever. He was brought up on a
farm, and followed agricultural pursuits until he was eighteen years of
age. His mother died when he was nine 3'ears old, and he lived with
his father until he was fourteen years of age, when he made his home
with his brother-in-law, Mr. Veil, of Tuscarawas county, Ohio, until
his eighteenth year. At this time he came to Perry county, Ohio, and
lived with an uncle until he was twenty-one years of age, during which
time he probably learned his trade ; after which he moved to a farm
near Roseville, Muskingum county, Ohio, where he remained about
one year, when he went West, spending some twelve years in Indiana,
Illinois, Missouri and Wisconsin. He was also in Tennessee, Alabama,
Mississippi, and spent some length of time in Pennsylvania, and has
been in most of the States in the Union. After his return from the
Western tour, he remained about two years at New Lexington, when
he went to Texas, remaining eighteen months, and again returned to
New Lexington, where, about seven months afterward, he was mar-
ried, April 16, 1842, to Marjory, daughter of Alexander and Jane
(Riley) Brown, of this place. They became the parents of six chil-
dren, now living, viz. : Franklin, Mary Jane, Callie, Lizzie, Irene,
Buris Alexander, and four deceased — Sarah Catharine, James, Jose-
phine and Urila. After his marriage Mr. McKeever lived in and near
New Lexington, up to the time of his death, which occurred October
9, 1880, and was buried in New Lexington cemeter}^
McKenna, William, druggist, Junction City, Ohio ; son of William
(deceased) and Charity (Burgoon) McKenna ; was born in 1859 ^^ ^^^^^
county ; went to Nebraska in January of 1880 ; stayed one year, then
returned to Perr}^ county, and went to the Capital City Commercial
College, Columbus, Ohio, one term, after which he went into the drug
business in Junction City, where he does a first-class business. Mr.
McKenna was married November 22, i88i,to Miss Lola, daughter of
John and Hannah (Koon) Weimer.
McLaughlin, A. W., physician ; was born in August, 1856,
near Somerset. His father, H. B. McLaughlin, was born in 1823, in
Pennsylvania. He was married in 1854 ^^ Miss Mary J. Barber, of
New JR-eading, this county. She was born in 1833. They are the
parents of five children. The subject of this sketch is the oldest. He
began the study of medicine in 1876, under Dr. A. Richard, of New
Lexington. He graduated from the Ohio Medical College of Cincin-
nati, when he located in Somerset. His father was Sherift' of this
county for two terms, beginning January, 1862.
McMahon, Timothy, M. D., of the firm of McMahon & Wright,
physicians. New Lexington, Ohio. Dr. McMahon is a native of Wash-
ington, Rappahannock county, Virginia, son of John and Nancy (John-
son) McMahon. At the age of ten years he was brought to this county
by his parents, who located at Rehoboth. About the year 1842, he
began the study of medicine, and at the age of twenty began practice,
45
474
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
and has continued the same to the presenl writing. In 1858 the Dr.
came to this phice and was married the same year to Miss Julia A.,
daughter ot Ilenry Stallh, of Somerset. They are the parents of one
child, Mary, married to the junior partner of the above firm. Dr. Mc-
Mahon is one of the prominent physicians of this place.
McNuLTY, Henry, attorney-at-law, Dubuque, Iowa, the only survi-
ving son of Hugh McNulty, who was a native of Ireland ; came to Perry
county, Ohio, early in the century ; lived for many years on a farm
in Clayton township, and later in life removed to Somerset where he
died about i860. The maiden name of Henry's mother was Miss Katha-
rine McCristal, daughter of Owen McCristal and his wife, who was
Sarah O'Niel, and both of the county Tyrone, Ireland. About the
year 1814 they landed in Philadelphia, stayed there one year, and from
there moved to Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, to a farm.
Here he took a section of turnpike as contractor. Next year moved to
Brownsville, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, wdiere Mary Martin, the sis-
ter of Mrs. McNulty, was married to Patrick McCristal. Made a mile
of the national road there, and the Martin family all moved to Perry
count}^ except John, who went to New York and died there. This was in
1817 or 1818. Grandfather Owen Martin lived to the age of eighty-two,
and his wife to the age of ninety years, and both are buried at St. Jo-
seph's, the first Roman Catholic church in Ohio. Their sons were
Thomas, whose son, John, is in San Francisco ; James, wdiose sons were
Owen and Thomas ; John, whose sons were Edward and Daniel ; and
Henry, whose sons are Willie, Charles and Harry, and who is also the
father of ten daughters by the first marriage to Katharine Griflin, and
the second to Elizabeth Carrol, The children of Katharine and Hugh
McNulty, were John, now deceased, Henry, now living in Dubuque,
Iowa, Mrs. Sarah Burns, a widow, living in Somerset, and Ellen, who
was never married. The children of Mary McCristal were Daniel and
James, both married and deceased, but leaving children, and Sarah,
wife of James Creighton, Omaha, Nebraska. The McNulty ancestry,
except Hugh and a bachelor brother, who died in Maryland, are in Ire-
land, so that the descendants of Hugh are the only representatives of
this family in America, and of these only one son, Henry McNulty,
survives, and a son of Henry named Louis McNulty, of Dubuque,
Iowa, who has one sister, Katie. The children of Mrs. Burns, sister
of Henry McNulty, are John Burns, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Mrs.
Amanda Kuhlman, wife of Samuel Kuhlman, of Somerset, Ohio, who
has one son, Louis Kuhlman.
McQueen, Rev. Clayborne S., M. D., post office, Rendville,
Ohio, was born November 4, 1819, in Culpepper, Virginia, son of
Robert and Hannah McQiieen. The Dr. was brought up on a farm.
Began teaching school at sixteen, and taught about eleven years. When
about twenty-four began reading law but when about ready to be admit-
ted to the bar, he decided to abandon the legal profession for that of
medicine, selecting Dr. W. H. Reeves fo^^ preceptor, and attended Co-
lumbus Medical College. He began practice at Millerstown in June,
1849, '^"^ remained six years ; practiced at Ringgold nine years, and
near Wrightstown, Morgan county, where he located on a farm and
remained until the spring of 1882, when he came to Rendville. Dr.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 475
McQiieen was married in the spring of 1842 to Miss Mary, daughter
of Daniel and Catharine McQueen, of Newton township, Muskingum
county, Ohio. They are the parents of four children, viz. : Frances
Virginia, married to Josiah H. Coulter; Ellen Thompson, married to
Joseph Ball, both living in Morgan county; Elizabeth Angeline, and
Sarah Maria. The Dr., in 1870, was ordained and licensed to preach
in the Christian Church, called by some, New Lights. During his six
years connection with this organization he had charge of a district of
seven counties. About the year 1876 he was licensed to preach by the
Methodist Episcopal Conference, and continues to preach for this so-
ciety.
McShane, Charles, harness and saddlery, New Lexington, Ohio ;
was born in 1841, in Clayton township, son of Edward and Catharine
(Mackin) McShane. Young McShane was brought up on the farm
where he remained till about eighteen when he went to his trade. He
established his present shop in 1866. Mr. McShane was married in
November, 1869, to Miss Lucy, daughter of William and Mary (Fitz-
simons) Bennett, of Pleasant township. They are the parents of seven
children, viz. : Mary, Catharine, Florence, Cecelia, Lizzie, deceased,
Luc3^ and an infant, deceased, not named. Mr. McShane's is an old
established shop, doing a tirst-class business.
McTeague, NeilT., M.D., of the firm of Dunn & McTeague,
druggists, Rendville, Ohio, was born June 18, 1856, in Berks county,
Pennsylvania, son of Hugh and Mary (Flynn) McTeague. When the
Dr. was six years of age he came to Pike township, Perry county,
Ohio, where he was brought up. In 1874 taught his first school in the
Penrod school house, Bearfield township, and continued teaching for
four years, and in 1878 commenced the study of medicine with Dr.
Taggart, at New Lexington, Ohio, and was graduated in the spring of
1882 by the Medical College of Ohio. Dr. McTeague was married
July I, 1880, to Marv McHugh. They are the parents of one child,
Thomas Joseph. The Dr. has been successful in his extensive prac-
tice in Rendville and vicinity.
Mackin, Edward, provision grocer, corner Main and Broad streets,
New Lexington, Ohio. Mr. Mackin was born June 23, 1828, in Gross,
Maglen county, Arma, L-eland ; son of Patrick and Rose Ann (Mc-
Namee) Mackin. His parents brought him to this county when a child,
and located in Monday Creek township. When a young man, Mr.
Mackin learned the carpenter's trade, and followed it until 1859, when
he established his present business in this place in company with his
brother, James W. They conducted the business until 1873. Mr. Ed-
ward Mackin has conducted the business alone. He was married April
15, 1859, ^^ Miss Catharine, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Schar-
chel) Kesler. They are the parents of five children, viz. : Rose Ann,
Margaret Alveda, James Edward, Mary Loretta and Elizabeth Catha-
rine, deceased.
Magruder, W. p., editor Somerset Press, -born in 1845, in Somerset.
He served his apprenticeship as printer in the Democratic Union office
in Somerset. In December. 1863, he and his brother, C. E. Magruder,
a lawyer, now dead, purchased the paper. In December, 1864, he
bought out his brother; in September, 1865, he sold out to C. D.
476 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Elder, of Somerset ; in Oct, 1866, Mr. Magriider and J. L. Caine started
the Somerset Advocate ; he sold out in two years to Mr. Kagay ; in 1873
the Press was started by M. G. Mains, who ran it until 1877, when
Mr. Magruder became the editor. The political faith of the Press is
Greenback. Mr. Magruder was married in May, 1877, to Miss Belle
Johnson, of Somerset ; she was born in 1845. They are the parents of
one child, Ray.
Mains, Thomas S., farmer, Pike township, post office New Lexing-
ton, O., born February 10, 1827, in Reading towaiship, this county ; son of
George and Hannah {Selb}^) Mains ; was raised a farmer and has fol-
lowed agricultural pursuits all his life. Frederick, father of George,
and grandfather of Thomas S. Mains, came from Virginia to Ohio with
his family, and settled in Reading township, this county, in 18:2, where
he lived to the time of his death. His son, George, was born in Vir-
ginia, February 26, 1790, and after his settlement in Reading township,
remained upon the homestead until 1835, '"^^^^ W'^^ married September
19, 1815, to Hannah Selby, born July 8, 1794, in Maryland, daughter
of Eli and Ruth (Shipley) Selb3^ They became the parents of four
children, viz. : James, who moved to Wisconsin about 1853, where he
enlisted in the Twenty-seventh Regiment, Wis. V. I., for three years,
or during the war, and serving until the close of the war, was honorably
discharged, but upon his way home took sick and died at Washington
City, in the fall of 1865 ; Isaiah A., lived at home until September 10,
1845, when he departed this life at the age of twenty-four years and
four months ; Caroline M., was married December 23, 1847, to Henry
Brown, son of Robert Brown, of Monroe township, this county. Mr.
Brown died in the service of his country, at Nashville, Tennessee, in
the fall of 1862, with lung disease ; Mrs. Brown is now living in Cin-
cinnati with her son, Isaiah M. Brown. Thomas, the subject of this
sketch, and the youngest of the family, became the support of his par-
ents in their declining years. After his marriage, and in 1835, ^e
moved to Monroe township, and bought one hundred and sixty acres of
land upon which he lived until 1848, when he sold it, and bought one
hundred and sixty acres in Saltlick township, where Shawnee now stands,
and which he sold to his son, James, in 1849, who again sold it to Thomas
S. Mains in 1850, who increased the farm to three hundred and sixty
acres, which he sold to the Newark Coal and Iron Company in 1871,
and bought three hundred and fift}^ acres of land where he now lives,
and that he now owns, except twenty-two acres he has since sold.
Since purchasing the home farm his parents made their home with him
up to the time of their deaths. His father died March 30, 1875, aged
eighty-five years, one month and four da^s ; his mother died March 16,
1872, aged seventy-seven years, eight months and eight da^'S.
August 10, 1862, Mr. Mains, the subject of this sketch, enlisted in Com-
pany H, Ninetieth Regiment, O.V.I., for three years, or during the war,
and was honorably discharged June 20, 1865, near Cincinnati, Ohio, by
reason of the close of the war. Was engaged in the following battles :
Stone River, Chickamauga, and up to Atlanta, Georgia, from where
they were sent back to Nashville, Tennessee, and was engaged in the
battle between Hood and Thomas. During the service he iiad the lung
fever, which disabled him for duty six months, three months of which
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 477
time he was in Brigade Hospital. The disease permanently injured his
health, and at this time he is not able to do any kind of work. While
living in Saltlick township, he served as township trustee three years,
and Justice of the Peace three years. Mr. Mains has been a member
of the Methodist Episcopal Church since 1855, ^^^^ ^^ ^ trustee in the
New Lexington Methodist Episcopal Church at this time. He was mar-
ried May 4, 1851, to Sarah Hazelton, born in 1830, in this county,
daughter of John and Jane (Traverse) Hazelton. They became the par-
ents of four children, viz. : Isaiah A., who. was married March 3,1865,
to Catharine, daughter of William and Amelia (Taylor) Adams ; their
home is in Crawford county, Iowa, but are at this time with Mr.
Mains, on account of his ieeble health ; Hannah Jane, married to James
B., son of Horace and Mary A., (Grimes) Wilson; they are residents
of Crawford count}^, Iowa; Jno. H., married to Maggie, daughter of
William and Amelia (Taylor) Adams ; they are residents of Monona
county, Iowa ; and Marv A., also a resident of Crawford county, Iowa.
In these two counties each of his children own two hundred acres of
land. Mrs. Mains departed this life in the year of 1861, aged thirty-
one years. Mr. Mains. was married the second time December 31,
1865, to Catharine Richter, born July 5, 1832, in Frederick county,
Maryland, daughter of John and Catharine (Cookerly) Richter. They
are the parents of two children, viz. : Florence M. and one infant.
Mrs. Mains came to Ohio in 1833, with her parents, who settled in Mon-
roe township, and where she lived at the time of her marriage. Her
parents lived at the place of their settlement up to the time of their death.
Her father, Jno. Richter, died September 30, 1881, at the age of eighty-
four years, five months and twenty days, and was a soldier in the War
of 1812. Her mother, Catharine (Cookerly) Richter, was born in Mary-
land, in 1806, and died June 23, 186 j.. Mrs. Mains became the member
of the Presb3^terian Church, in her eighteenth j^ear, continuing her con-
nection with that branch of the Christian Church until after her mar-
riage, when she united with the Methodist Episcopal Church, in 1872.
Marlow, John H., was born in Monday Creek township. Perry
county, Ohio, in 1837. His parents came from Virginia in 1730, and set-
tled near Somerset, Perr}^ county, Ohio ; moved thence to near Rush-
ville, Fairfield count}^ and after a residence of several years, moved to
a farm near Maxville, Perry count}^ The family consisted of eight
children, four boys and four girls, seven of whom are now living. The
fifth child, John H., received his early education at Somerset, after-
wards attended Denison University, Granville, Ohio ; after leaving the
Universit}^ he taught school about fourteen years. He was married
April 24, 1862, to Louisa Larimer. They have two children, Laura
and Wa3'land. He was a member of the Board of Examiners for this
county three years ; resigned to take the office of Clerk of the Courts, to
which he was elected October 1875, and has now served in that office
two terms.
Marlow% James P., farmer and merchant, Maxville, Ohio; was
born December 20, 1844, in Mondav Creek township, this county ; son of
Her^son and Margaret (Holmes) Marlow. Was raised a farmer, and
followed agncultural pursuits up to the present time. Has taught school
one term in Gore, Hocking county, Ohio, and two terms in Monday
478 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Creek township, this county. Jnly 15, 1881, he came to this place,
and in partnership with Henson W. Marlow, opened a store of general
merchandise, and remains to this date. Mr. Marlow was married De-
cember 3, 1868, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of David and Susannah
(Welty) Heidlebaugh. They are the parents of fovn" children, viz. :
Willie B., Charles Sumner, Lawrence, deceased, and Daisy Forest.
Mr. Mario w's parents came to Ohio about the year 1830, and lived about
two years near Somerset, and the same length of time in Rush Creek
township, when they moved to Monday Creek township, where his
father owned a farm of two hundred and thirty acres at the time of his
death, which occurred March 5, 1881, in his seventy-eighth year, hav-
ing lived in the county fifty-two years and in the above township forty-
eight years. His mother departed this life August 2, 1871, in her sixty-
fifth year. Mr. Marlow, the subject of this sketch, now owns one-half
interest in the home farm at this time, which he still farms.
Martin, Jno. W., clerk, Shawnee, Ohio; was born January 18,
1844, in Fairview, Guernsey count}^ Ohio ; son of Jacob and Jane
(Lefevre) Martin. Mr. Martin was raised a farmer and followed agri-
cultural pursuits until he was twenty-two years of age. He had moved
to Hocking county, Ohio, with his father, where he was married to
Phoebe, daughter of James and Nancy (Culp) Carpenter, February 7,
1867. They are the parents of five children, viz.: Anna B., James,
Lewis, Jacob and William C, three of whom are dead, James, Lewis
and Jacob. After his marriage he moved to Shawnee, and built the
first business house of this place and sold the first goods, keeping a gen-
eral stock of merchandise, and remained in the business over two years
when he sold out to one William Huston. From that time to the
present, he has been employed as clerk in the store. Mr. Mar-
tin enlisted in 1863, in the late war, and served in the Army of the
Potomac, with the Sixty-second Regiment, O. V. L, up to the close of
the war, and was engaged in the battles of Deep Bottom, Hatcher's
Run, in front of Petersburg, and in many skirmishes ; he was present at
General Lee's surrender. He was one of the men who were kept in
Richmond after Johnson's surrender, and was connected with the citi-
zens' commissary department, when the city was kept by the Govern-
ment in provisions, and had under his care and supervision four hun-
dred families, who obtained provision orders from him.
Martin, Henry M., butcher, post office. New Lexington, Ohio;
was born May 26, 1851, in Richland township, Fairfield county. He
came to this county when but two years of age. He is a son of Ellison
and Sarah B. (McLaughlin) Martin. Henry M. remained on the farm
where he was brought up until he was elected sheriff' of Perry county,
in 1878. He served until January, 1881. In December, 1880, the pres-
ent firm was formed. Sheriff' Martin was married December 22, 1870,
to Miss Missouri C, daughter of Andrew S. and Eliza (Spenny) Ba-
ker. They are the parents of two children, viz. : Ellison E. and Emma.
During Sheriff' Martin's term of office the Corning war occurred, for
the suppression of which he was compelled to call on the State Guards.
Mason, John, collier, post ofllce, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born De-
cember 10, 1826, in Northumberland, England; son of John and Mar-
garet (Morse) Mason. Was raised in the place of his nativity, where
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 4^9
he was employed mining, vvitli the exception of one year, during the
time he remained in Enghmd. Emigrated to America in 1853, hmding
in New York, from where he went to Pittsburg, at which place he
remained about live months, from where he went to Columbia, West
Virginia, and remained two years. Going to Mason City, he remained
about four months, from where he went to Pomeroy, Ohio, which he
made his home until 1872, but was about six months in Belleville and
Danville. In 1872, he spent about two months in Nelsonville, Ohio,
when he came to Shawnee, Ohio, where he has made his home to the
present time. Since coming to this place he has made a trip to Vir-
ginia, and was prospecting in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, for iron ore,
which he found in paying quantities. Mr. Mason enlisted in Com-
pany A, 4th Regiment, Va. V. I., in 1861, for three years, or dur-
ing the war, and served three years and two months, when he was dis-
charged by reason of expiration of enlistment. Was engaged in the
following battles : Charleston, Virginia; Vicksburg, and was the first
to speak about blowing up Vicksburg ; assisted in drifting for that pur-
pose, but the city was surrendered before the preparations were com-
pleted ; Jackson, Mississippi ; Mission Ridge, Tuscumbia, and Dallas,
under fire six days and nights, without cessation, at this place. After
receiving his discharge he returned home. Mr. Mason was married
in February, 1846, to Barbara, daughter of Joseph and Barbara (Taie)
King, of Northumberland, England. They are the parents of seven
living children, viz. : Joseph, Thomas, Mary Ann, John, Elizabeth,
William, and Lillie ; and five, deceased, viz.: John, William, Marga-
ret, and two died in infancy. They have also raised a grandchild —
Thomas Bailey.
Mason, Rev. John, minister of Princeton Methodist Church ; was
borp December 16, 185 1, in Boltingate, county of Cumberland, Eng-
land, son of William and Jane (Campbell) Mason. Mr. Mason was
raised in the coal mining districts of Northumberland and Durham
counties of England. Mines in that region are principally shafts, from
fifty to one hundred fathoms deep. He was employed until 1877, and
during the last four years he was what is known in that country as dep-
uty over a number of men. Came to America at the time he severed
his connection at these places, in 1877, landing in New York, by the
Cunard line of steamers, from where he went to the Sequatchie valley,
Victoria mines, Marion county, Tennessee. Mr. Mason was licensed
as a local preacher at the earh' age of eighteen 3^ears, and served in
that station until 1877, at which time he was licensed as a ministerial
supply, and supplied the following places: In Tennessee, about three
months ; at Steubenville, Ohio, eight months. Upon account of too
slack a support at the latter place he again returned to mining, and en-
gaged at Ram3'"s coalery, where he remained two months, when he was
called to Niles, Trumbull county, Ohio, as a supply, where he remained
from December, 1878, to April, 1879, ^^ which time he was licensed as
a minister on probation and sent to Shawnee, Ohio, where he has re
mained up to this time. Upon coming to this place he found the church
in a confused condition, and, by persistent eftbrt, he has advanced the
numbers from five to forty-five members, who now remain at this
charge. Qiiite a number have removed from the vicinity, thereby
480 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
lessenintj the actual numbers taken into the church. Durino- a revival
of 1 88 1 there were eighty souls converted, and he has taken into church
connection, since coming to this place, one hundred and seventy-seven
members. Straitsville w^as taken in by him as a mission charge, and
has become self-sustaining, employing and supporting its own minister.
There have been sent out from the Shawnee charge two ministers, viz. :
Revs. Thomas Large and James Rogers. At the conference of 1880,
at Tamaqua, Schuylkill county, Penns3dvania, Mr. Mason was accred-
ited with one year of supply work, as if on probation, on account of
his decided success in the ministry, which brought him one year sooner
into full ministerial connection. Rev. Mason was married February
16, 1872, to Jane, daughter of John and Maria (Maughan) Ayer, of
Giles, Gatemore, one mile from the city of Durham, England. They
are the parents of three children, viz. : Jennie, John, Thomas, and Ma-
rianna, living ; and one, Maria, deceased.
Mathew^s, James, farmer, post office, Roseville, Muskingum county,
Ohio ; born in Muskingum count3^, in 1809 ; settled in Perry county
in 185 1 ; son of George and Anna (Jennings) Mathews; married, in
1840, to Miss Mary McClain, daughter of Benjamin McClain. They
have four children, viz. : Anna, Hannah, Parmelia, Jerusha. They
are all married, one living in Missouri. Mr. Mathews was brought up
on a farm, which vocation he has always followed.
Mathews, Franklin, butcher, post office, Rendville, Ohio ; born
December 25, 1829, near Zanesville, Ohio, son of Reuben H. and
Mary (Hemrick) Mathews. Brought up on a farm, where he remained
until twenty-one. He then followed a variety of business until he en-
gaged in general merchandising, to which he added a meat market ;
also was engaged in the coal trade, at the same time, with his brother.
Came to Perry county about the year 187 1, and continued his business
at New Lexington, until March, 1880, when he established his present
business at this place. Mr. Mathews was married September 30, 1852,
to Miss Eliza Horton, whose parents were natives of Virginia. They
are the parents of six children, viz. : Charles Henry, Lucy Ellen, Clara
Annie, Lewis Grant ; these four are deceased : William Howard and
Mary Viola are now living. Mr. Mathews is doing a good business.
Mautz, W. H., carpenter, post office, Shawnee, Ohio; was born
February 22, 1856, in Blue Rock, Muskingum count}', Ohio ; son of
John and Margaret (Udenhoffer) Mautz. Was raised a farmer, and
followed farming until he was sixteen years of age, when he left home,
and has been engaged at the following places : Henry county, Ohio,
working in a saw mill about one year ; Somerset, Ohio, on railroad six
months ; Garret City, Indiana, on railroad ; while railroading was with
the Baltimore and Ohio ; Clinton, Iowa, house carpentering six months ;
Dixon, Illinois, two or three months, carpentering ; Toledo, Ohio, one
year at trade ; Woodville, six months at trade ; Shawnee, Ohio, at New
York furnace four months, carpentering ; XX furnace trom that time to
the present, about three years. Was married May i, 1880, to Mar}^
C, daughter of Samuel and Louisa (Lafevre) Snyder, of Athens
county, Ohio.
Mechling, Peter, farmer, miller, and carpenter, post office, Glen-
ford, Ohio ; was born 1827, in Hopewell township ; son of Peter Mech-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 48 1
ling and grandson of Jacob Mechling, both deceased fn Hopewell
township. The maiden name of his mother was Mary Downour, who
died in her seventy-seventh year, while her husband died when his son
Peter was only five 3'ears of age. Their children were, Sally, wife of
Jason Canfield, Rochester, Indiana : Katharine, wife of D. C. Shelly,
Glenford, Ohio; Jacob, deceased, leaving a son, Alfred, Tippecanoe,
Indiana ; John, deceased ; Eliza Dumbolt, deceased ; Melancthon,
Rochester, Indiana ; Margaret, wife of George Shelly, Glenford ; and
Peter, who was married Februar3%'^i855, to Miss Elnora Hardy, daugh-
ter of Thomas Hardy, deceased, and Sarah his wife, whose maiden
name was Bagle3^ a native of Virginia. Their children are, Thomas
Jefferson, merchant, Thurston, Fairfield county, Ohio ; Mary E., Clem-
ent Layerd, Melancthon, Cordelia, Sarah Aurilla, Fenton, Dillon,
Cora May, and Edgar Austin. Mr. Mechling is an old-time Lutheran
and Democrat, and sustains the well earned reputation of his family
history. He has, besides rearing a family, added to his estate, and,
like many other Ohioans, looked into Virginia and found her, in the
present condition, an inviting field for industry, capital, and enterprise.
Mechling, Bernard, was born 1837, o^ ^ P^^^ o^ the extensive
homestead now owned by him in Hopewell township. He is a son ot
Samuel, the youngest son of Jacob Mechling, who came from Pennsyl-
vania in 1816, and purchased a farm for each of his twelve children.
His sons were Jacob, Peter, Frederick, John, George and Samuel, all
of whom lived and died here, except John, who deceased in Sandusky,
Ohio, and George, who is the only survivor of six brothers. The
daughters were Hester, wife of William INIechling ; Mary, wife of
Frederick K. Slife ; Hannah, wife of Peter Cooperider ; Phebe, who
died young; Elizabeth, wife of Jacob Smith, and Sarah, wife of Rev.
David Long, who died of cholera in 1833. The mother of these six
sons and six daughters was, prior to her marriage. Miss Mary Otter-
man. The wife of Samuel Mechling died, and the mother of Bernard
was, prior to marriage. Miss Magdalena Poorman, daughter of the late
venerable Bernard Poorman. She is still living, a venerable widow,
in separate apartments of the mansion lately erected by her son, Ber-
nard, in full possession of her faculties. Since the late purchase of the
ancestral homestead of grandfather Mechling, Bernard Mechling has
about four hundred acres of splendid land in one bod}", nearly two
hundred acres being bottom land, in sight of, and one half mile from
Glenford. He was twice married, first to Miss Margaret Humberger,
daughter of John Humberger, of Thorn township. The children by
this marriage are Owen H. and Albert Wesley Mechling. Their
mother deceased in 1863. The second marriage was to Miss Leah A.
Zartman, daughter of Isaac, whose wife's maiden name was Rebecca,
daughter of Peter King. The children of this marriage are Mary
Estella, now twelve 3"ears of age, Svlvia R., deceased, and Homer
Calvin, now five years of age. He and his wife have each enjo3'ed
good opportunities for education ; she in her girlhood having taught
school and he, in his boyhood, having attended the Somerset Academy,
under the tuition of that old-time, but most accomplished, teacher and
gentleman, Charles Nourse. Bernard Mechling is among the ver}'
foremost farmers of the county, has thoroughlv studied and applied the
46
482 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
science of drainage to his lands, and is intelligently devoted to the breed-
ing and rearing of fine stock.
Meloy, William T., of the firm of Elder, Wards & Co., dry goods
and merchant tailoring. Main street, New Lexington, Ohio. Mr. Me-
loy was born November 13, 1843, in this place ; son of William and
Sophia (Thompson) Meloy. Yonng Meloy, in early life, clerked in a
dry goods store and taught school sixteen months. He, subsequently,
became traveling salesman for a tobacco house, with which he was en-
gaged five years, also traveling five years in the sale of stoves and
plows. He v»'as the first man to enlist in Compan}^ I, One Hundred
and Fourteenth, O. V. I., but was rejected on account of being then
under size. He worked two 3'ears as a typo in the Herald office of this
place. In April, 1879, ^^^ became partner in the above firm. Mr. Me-
loy was married July 5, 1870, to Miss Hattie M., daughter of Charles
J. and Cornelia (Acker) Brush. They are parents of five children, viz. :
Iva L., Maggie W., Sophe T., William T. and CalHe Rich. His
father, Wilham Meloy, met with a fatal accident early one morning
in October, 1882. He was struck by the cow-catcher of the Ohio Cen-
tral passenger train, between seven and eight o'clock, Monda}^ morn-
ing, near the crossing of Rush Creek, close to the water tank, receiv-
ing such injuries therefrom that he died in about an hour thereafter.
Mr. Melov was driving a cow, and had just got her across the track,
when he looked up, saw the train close upon him, threw up his hands,
but was so dazed or bewildered, that he took no step to get out of dan-
ger. The whistle sounded and the power of the engine reversed, but it
was too late. Mr. Meloy was struck by the cow-catcher, and fell in
such a way as to remain upon it, though the conductor had hold of him
before the train stopped. A hack was near at hand which was at once
called, and the unfortunate man taken, in a dying condition, to his
home on Jackson street, where he soon after expired. There appeared
to be no broken bones or serious bruises, but the internal injuries were
such, that there was no reaction, and the injured man remained in an
unconscious condition from the time of the accident until his death.
Deceased was about seventy-one years of age. He was a native of
Pennsylvania, but came to Ohio when quite a young man. He became
a citizen of New Lexington in 1839, and resided here ever since, with
the exception of a temporary residence at Somerset, while he was
County Auditor. He left a wife, three sons and four daughters to
mourn his sudden departure. His third son, Smallwood A. Meloy,
died from injuries received upon the same railroad, between this place
and Moxahala, while acting as brakeman in 1876. He was brought to
the same house in an unconscious condition, and died within a few hours.
Mr. Meloy was an intelligent man, a worthy citizen, and had filled
many positions of public trust with credit to himself and the public.
He was Justice of the Peace of Pike township about forty 3xars ago,
and held the same position at the time of his death. As a capable and
impartial Justice, he was excelled by none in the county. He was a
number of times Mayor of the town, member of the Board of Educa-
tion, and was elected County Auditor in 1852, and re-elected in 1854.
He has also been County Treasurer, by appointment. It is onl}^ justice
to say that he was faithful and capable in all. When the accident and
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 4^3
sudden death became known, there was not only horror at the sudden
and violent taking oft' of an old citizen, but an unfeigned and deep re-
gret that William Melov was dead.
Meredith, Thomas, collier, Shawnee Ohio ; was born December 7,
1842, in Monmouthshire, England. He was raised on a farm until the age
of ten years. At twelve years of age he lost both his father and mother,
there being only about seven weeks difference in the time of their deaths.
After this he began mining at Georhay coal mines, where he remained
until 1868, when he emigrated to America, setting sail from Liverpool
on the eighth of April, and landed in New York on the nineteenth of the
same month, and reached Pomeroy, Ohio, April 22, where he engaged
in mining until September, 1872, at which time he went to Shawnee,
Ohio, and since has been in Manly mine six months, when he engaged
as one of the first miners with the Upton Coal Company, where he has
remained up to this time. Mr. Meredith was married May 20, 1867, to
Rachel, daughter of Thomas and Mary (Davis) Slocumbe. They are
the parents of three children, viz. : Alfred, Amelia and Harriet living,
and three deceased, viz. : Philip, Sarah Ann and Agnes.
Meredith, J. P., colHer, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born May 14, 1852,
in Argo, Monmouthshire, England, son of Philip and Winifred Mere-
dith. Mr. Meredith was left an orphan at the age of two years, and
was raised by the senior member of his father's family, who still kept
house in Argo, where he remained until he was sixteen years of age,
three years of which time he was engaged in mining. In 1869 he em-
igrated to America, landing at New York City, from where he went to
Pomeroy, Meigs county, Ohio, and engaged in mining until 1872, when
he came to Shawnee, Ohio, and where he remained up to this time,
having been engaged in mining. Mr. Meredith was married January
8, 1846, to Sarah E., daughter of Owen and Harriet (Price) Jones.
They are the parents of three children, viz. : Arthur, Owen and Win-
ifred. In 1878, Mr. Meredith was elected Corporation Clerk, which
position he holds at this time.
Meschenmoser, Rev. Philip, pastor of St. Rose's Church, New
Lexington, Ohio, was born August 7, 1836, in Augsberg, Bavaria,
Germany ; son of Philip and Annie (Dietrich) Meschenmoser. He was
educated at St. Stephen's College, Augsberg, Germany. His philo-
sophical and theological education was obtained from the Jesuit
Fathers. He was ordained Priest by the Bishop Martin of Paelerbern.
He came to America in 1873, and was assistant Priest at Buffalo, New
York, from 1873 to 1876, in which year he took charge of the St. Rose
congregation, of this place. Also, at the same time, discharged the of-
fice of Chaplain of St. Aloysius Academy, near the town. During his
services here he has built the present "church and residence of the
priest.
Metzger, Jacob, farmer, son of Michael and Apolona Metzger,
was born August 2, 1833, in this county ; has since hved in the county.
His life has chiefly been spent on the farm ; was married in 1863 to Miss
Mary E., daughter of Simon and Nancy (Jackson) Snyder. They are
the parents of nine children, viz. : Manaleta R., Laura R., Michael
J., Thomas E., Mary M., Robert J., Charles V., William H., Hugh.
His parents were natives of Germany.
484 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
MiCKLETHWAiTE, Alfred, village coal operator, Shawnee, Ohio,
was born in March, 1837, i^ Thornhill, Yorkshire, England, son of
Joseph and Annie (Lockwood) Micklethwaite. Alfred left England,
July 4, 1865, and located in Jackson, Maryland, where he remained
until 1873, when he came to Shawnee. Mr. Micklethwaite was tirst
married, June I, 1858, to Miss Annie, daughter of George and Annie
Benson, of Lancashire, England. Thev became the parents of seven
children, three deceased and four living, viz. : Eliza, married to Harry
Kear ; Horatio, Joseph and Alfred. Mrs. Micklethwaite died in 187 1.
Mr. Micklethwaite was again married to Miss Sarah Anne, daughter of
John and Anne (Ta}lor) Moore, natives of Yorkshire, England. Mr.
and Mrs. Micklethwaite have an adopted daughter, Mary, whose fath-
er's name is John Lo3'd.
MiDDAGH, Enos, born 1835, is a son of Thomas and grandson of
Major John Middagh, who came from New Jersey in 1807, and was the
father of Peter, Thomas, Samuel and John Middagh, Mary Fosythe,
Sarah Shaeffer, Nancy Wright, Matilda Brookhart and Esther Mid-
dagh. Thomas was married in 183 1 to Margaret Davis. Their chil-
dren are John, Enos, Athalinda, Sarah Alice, Matilda and David.
Enos, the subject of this sketch, was married to Melzena, daughter of
the late venerable Isaac Pence, and owns the ancient Pence homestead,
now no less distinguished for its hospitalit}^ than in the days of its hon-
ored proprietor, who rescued it from the wilderness ; and the neat family
mansion, backed by a well preserved exterior, testify that it has not
fallen into unworthy hands. Isaac Pence was born in 1794; came to
Ohio in 1806; enlisted in the War of 1812 at Newark, under Captain
John Spencer : came back to Somerset to work as a journeyman black-
smith ; was married in 1816 to Katharine, sister of Judge Heck. His
father's name was Peter, born in Germany ; his mother's name w^as
Katharine Godfrey, born in Ireland. Her tirst husband was killed by
the Indians ; was a member of the United Brethren Church fifty-one years.
When he first joined church the preacher's circuit was two hundred miles
round. Enos Middagh was a member of Company K, One Hundred
and Twenty-sixth Regiment, O. V. I., and became attached to the
famous Sixth Corps, which, when with Sheridan, always made him feel
confident of victory. He was wounded at SpottS3dvania by a musket
ball that passed through his chest, after seven days of hard fighting.
His companv had fifty-nine men when it crossed the Rapidan, and the
call of the captain, on the 13th of May, 1864, showed only thirteen left
to answer. The New Testament he carried when wounded ; the badge
of his corps, and a fragment or his regimental flag, are treasured as
sacred relics. His wife and three daughters, with an orphan boy ob-
tained from the Home in Columbus, constitute his family.
Miller, Levi, potter bv trade, post ofiice Buckeye Cottage ; born
in Columbus, Ohio, in 1834 ; came to Perr}- county in 1844 ; son of
George and Mary (Smithers) Miller. The former died in Miami
county, Ohio, about the year 1871 ; the latter in 1834. ^^^ ^'^^^ married
in 1858 to Miss Anna McAntire. They are the parents of nine chil-
dren, viz.: Josie F., Mar3% Kate, James S., John C, Ida R., Bertha
A., Blanche M., Georgia E. — one married. Mr. Miller enlisted in the
War of the Rebellion in 1861, Company G, Thirty-first Regiment, O.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 485
V. I., Captain Jackson, Army of the Cumberland. He was engaged
in the following battles, viz. : Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Resaca ;
also all the principal battles during the Siege of Atlanta. He was a
veteran, and served till the close of the war, getting an honorable dis-
charge. Mrs. Miller's grandfather was in the War of 1812. Her
father was from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. He died in 1872.
Mii.LER, F. G., shoemaker and sewing machine agent. New Straits-
ville, Ohio ; was born March 28, 1845, in Hocking count}', Ohio ; son
of William and vSusan (Judy) Miller. Was raised on a farm to the age
of ten 3^ears, when his father moved to Logan, Ohio, and engaged at
his trade of furniture manufacturing. Frank G. lived with his father
at this place, and at the age of eighteen years went to the shoemaker's
trade with Joseph Kinley, remaining with him for more than two
years. After the Rebellion broke out he volunteered his services some
three different times ; twice was rejected on account of his not being
large enough to fill the required measure, and the third time, which
occurred during his apprenticeship, on account of disability. After
leaving his trade, he went to Geneva, Brush Creek township, Fairfield
county, Ohio, where he opened and remained in the boot and shoe busi-
ness about tour years. During his stay at this place he was married
November 28, 1867, to Miss Nancy Blosser, who was born February
2, 1844, in F'airfield county, Ohio, daughter of Isaac and Margaret
(Pepple) Blosser. They are the parents of nine children, viz. : Charles,
who died at the age of seven years ; William Isaac, Mary Jane, Anna
Zelia, Charlotte, who died at eleven months of age ; Gertrude, Mar-
garet, James and Elizabeth. Mr. Miller moved to this place May 22,
1871, and opened out in the boot ai^d shoe business, in which he has re-
mained up to this present time. In November, 1881, he took the
agency of the New Home sewing machine, one of the finest in the
market, a supply of which he keeps constantly on hand with all the fix-
tures and attachments thereto. Mr. Miller is one of the oldest citizens
of New Straitsville, coming here when it was in its ipifancy and onh^
seven houses on Front street, and they on the north side, and has seen
it grow to its present size of about three thousand inhabitants. He
served two years as a member of Town Council from 1878 to 1880, and
is a member at this time, being elected in April of 1882.
MiNAUGH, Jno. D., farmer. New Lexington, Ohio ; was born March
20, 1846, in this county ; son of John and Bridget (Dougherty) Minaugh.
He was raised a farmer and has made agricultural pursuits the business
of his life up to the present time. Mr. Minaugh lived with his father
until 1870, when he went into business for himself. In connection with
farming he was engaged about five years in mining iron ore, and also
assessed this township two 3^ears. He is at this time township trustee.
Mr. Minaugh's father was born in Ireland in county Cavan, and emi-
grated to America in his sixteenth year, and settled near Albany, New
York, where he engaged at blacksmithing with one Simmons, in manu-
facturing axes, turning them by hand, remaining three 3^ears at this
place, after which he went to Somerset, this county, where he was em-
ployed at his trade until 1840, and at this time moved to one mile west
of Bristol, this count}', wliere he bought eighty acres of land, that is now
owned by his nephew. General Phil. Sheridan, and where he lived up to
486 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
the time of his death, which occurred in November, 1876. Mr. Min-
augh's mother was born in 1824. in or near Bahimore, Mar3dand, and
came to Ohio with her parents at an earl}- age, and when this country
was a wilderness, and was raised in Jackson township, this county,
where her parents settled and which was her home at the time of her
marriage. Her death occurred in 1858, while she was in her thirty-
fourth year, Mr. Minaugh, the subject of this sketch, was married
November i, 1870, to Miss Sarah Dimond, born Februar}' 5, 1845, in
this. Pike, township, daughter of Daniel and Mar}^ (MacGahan) Di-
mond. They are the parents of five children, viz. : Joseph F., Mary,
Rose v., Phil. M. and Francis B.
Miner, D. L., cooper, Shawnee, Ohio; was born December 20,
1835, ^^^ Perrv county, Ohio, near Somerset; son of Jacob and Mar}'
(Ferguson) Miner. Was brought up on a farm, and followed agricul-
tural pursuits until the age of sixteen or seventeen years, when he
moved with his father to Brownsville, Licking county, Ohio, where he
began the cooper trade, serving with his brother one year, after which
he worked at journey work until the breaking out of the war in 1861.
He enlisted July 18, 1861, for three years, or during the war, in Com-
pany C, Twenty-seventh Regiment, O. V. I., and served seven months,
when he was discharged because of disability. Returning home, he
followed his trade about two months ; recruiting his health, he re-enlisted
for three years, or during the war, in Company A, Tenth O.V.C.. about
the first of May, 1862, and served until the close of the war, and was
engaged in the battles of Athens, North Carolina : Resaca, Georgia,
where he was wounded in the thigh, causing him to lose about two
months from the service, at which time he again joined his company,
and remained to the close of the war. He was in Sherman's march to
the sea. Upon again being discharged, he returned home and engaged
at coopering in the winter season and farming in summer, for about
three 3-ears. At the end of that time, he came to Shawnee, Ohio, where
he has been engaged in coal mining till the present time. Mr. Miner
was married December 14, 1865, to Frances, daughter of Abram and
Mary (Kasterd) Vreeland. The\^ are the parents of three children,
viz, : Maudie, Claudius and Mary, all living and at home.
Mitchell, James L., merchant, Sego. He was born February
26, 1844, in Bearlield township; is a son of John and Nancy (Wise)
Mitchell. He was reared on a farm, which vocation he pursued
until 1862. He enlisted in Company F, Thirtieth Regiment, serving
three and one-half years. Mr. Mitchell moved to his present residence
in April, 1866, and in 1870, established his present business. He has a
well stocked store, keeping a full supply of dry goods, groceries, no-
tions, etc. He was married December 16, 1868, to Sarah, daughter of
Philip and Catharine (Mann) Baker. They have three children, viz. :
Elmer G,, William B,, and Irvin.
MoNAHAN, James W., baker, grocer, confectioner and wholesale
dealer in beer, oysters and ice cream, Corning, Ohio ; was born March
13, 1846, in Union township. Morgan county, Ohio; son of Thomas
and Margaret (Hale}') Monahan. James W. was brought up on the
farm, where he remained until nineteen years of age, when he began
attending school, and clerking in store for about two years. In 1867.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 487
he established a general merchandising store at Cliapel Hill, Ohio,
wher.e he remained until 1875, ^'^'l^^'i'i lie moved to New Lexington, Ohio,
and continued his business there until the spring of i88r, when he came
to Corning Ohio, and established his present business. Mr. Monahan
was married Februar}^ 4, 1873. to Miss Tuce, daughter of James J. and
Jane (Sinclair) Wolford, of Roseville, Muskingum county, Ohio. They
are the parents of two children, viz. : Jennie Gertrude and John
Virgil.
Monahan, Thomas, Pleasant township ; post office, Moxahala,
Ohio. He has spent the most of his life as an engineer on the railroad,
but is now a farmer. He was born in Sligo county, Ireland, March 25,
1848. Son of John and Bridget (O'Garo) Monahan, both natives of
Ireland. He emigrated to this country in 1867, located in Chicago, and
worked in a machine shop there. He went on the railroad in 1868, and
was fireman on an engine ; remained on that road eight months ; was
then fireman on an engine on the Pan Handle, one year ; then he got
an engine to run, which position he held until 1873. He then ran a
yard engine on the Muskingum Valley, and made an occasional trip on
the road. Then he went on the B. & O. R. R. He took a trip West ;
was assistant engineer at the furnace of the Normal School of Cook
county, Illinois ; and subsequently ran the engine at the Chicago stock
yards, after which he returned to Moxahala and had charge of the iron
furnace engine there. He married Mrs. Graham in February, 1878.
Montgomery, J. W., wholesale and retail grocery, Main street,
New Lexington, Ohio. Mr. Montgomery was born July 7, 1850, in this
place ; son of Eli and Rachel Ann (Calhoon) Montgomerv. Eli Mont-
gomery was one of the first settlers of this place, and his father a pio-
neer of the county. In 1868, J. W. Montgomery went to Zanesville,
Ohio, and was, for four years, in the employ of the B. & O. R. R. Co.
there. In 1872 he returned to this place and established his present
business. He was married January 7, 1875, ^o Miss Mary E., daughter
of William and Sophia A. (Thompson) Meloy. They are the parents
of three children', viz. : John Rich, Philip Newton and George.
MooNEY, James, weighmaster at W. P. Rend & Co.'s mines, Rend-
ville, Ohio ; born July 6, 1856, in Monroe tow^nship, Perry county, Ohio ;
son of Hugh, deceased, and Elizabeth (Bennett) Mooney. His lather
was a native of Ireland, and his mother of America. He w^as brought
up on the farm until twenty years of age, when he accepted his present
position.
Moore, Daniel, farmer; post office, Somerset, Ohio; born, 1813,
in Somerset county, Pennsylvania ; son of William Moore, who came
to Perry county in 1817, and deceased in Clayton township, 1819.
Daniel's mother w^as Elizabeth King, who after the death of her hus-
band, resided with her son, to the year 1867, when she died at the age
of eighty-three. She w^as a cousin of Judge King, the first Represen-
tative of Perry county in the Ohio Legislature, and died in full fellow-
ship of the Baptist Church. Daniel was married in the 3rear 1837, ^^
Miss Maria Kenard, who died in 1840, leaving an only son, Alvah, and
her husband, who has ever since remained a widower. This family of
Moores is of Irish-German descent. From his grandfather, Daniel
Moore, Sr., Daniel, Jr., received in 1821, the mone}- with wdiich to pur-
488 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
chase the hind from the government, which he occupied near Straits-
ville, and which was sold in 1870 to T. J. Maginnis, Esq., at $100 per
acre. Mr. Moore, to encourage the raih^oad, had signed two diiierent
contracts, donating the undivided hah of the mineral on this one hun-
dred and sixty acre farm, and so earnest and honest was he in this in-
tention that he offered to sign a third contract, when it was supposed
that the previous ones were defective. He sold the land by warranty,
but held a guarantee from the bu3^er that no recourse would be had on
the seller because of such contracts, should the}' prove good. In 1863,
his son, Alvah, married Miss Anzela Pergon, who is now the mother of
Sarah Maria, Mary Alice, William Henry, and Harmar Lewis Moore,
all living, and one son decetised. She is a member of the Baptist
church, and a lady distinguished lor her kindness to the sick, and for
her neighborlv virtues. Daniel Moore's lirst vote was cast for Martin
Van Buren in 1836, and has been uniformly Democratic since then.
He bought the Cay wood farm, near Somerset, and in 1881, aided b}- his
son, built a splendid brick dwelling.
Moore, G. W., Justice of the Peace, New Lexington, Ohio ; was
born May 19, 1822, in Clayton township, this county, son of George
and Rachel (Guy) Moore. Mr. Moore was raised upon a farm and fol-
lowed farming until he was eighteen years of age, when he went to
the wool-carding trade, which he followed for six years ; at first engag-
ing with Law & Carroll, near New Lexington, with whom he continued
three years ; was one 3'ear at Oakfield and two years in Hock-
ing county, Ohio, where he started a carding machine of his
own, continuing as above stated, when he sold out and again
went to farming, which he continued four years. In 1850, he
moved into Harrison township, this county, where he lived two ^^ears
and was engaged in the stone quarry business ; from there he went to
Saltillo, where he lived until 1862, engaged in the boot and shoe busi-
ness. During the time he lived in Clayton township he served nearly
eighteen years as Justice of the Peace. He moved to Uniontown in
1862, where he kept hotel two years, and again returned to Saltillo,
where he lived when he was elected County Recorder, in October of
1874, and moved to New Lexington in December of same year, where
he lived until September, of 1882, having been re-elected at the expira-
tion of his first term of office, and served six years in all. In Septem-
ber, Qf 1881, he was elected Justice of the Peace in New Lexington, and
continued in that office until September, 1882, when he moved to with-
in two miles of that place, on the road leading to Somerset, where he
purchased eighty acres of land. Mr. Moore was married October 8,
1845, to Harriet, daughter of Jacob and Catharine (Burley) Richards,
of Harrison township, this county. They are the parents of seven chil-
dren, viz. : Rachel Catharine, James Madison, deceased, at eight
months ; Jacob Richards, Jesse Heber, Edward Elbridge, Alvah
Franklin and Etta Lizzie. Mr. Moore's father was one of the first settlers
of Clayton township, he and two of his brothers entering one hundred
and sixt}' acres of land each in section No. 12, where he lived and died,
September 20, 1845, at about seventy-two 3'ears of age. When he en-
tered this land their nearest neighbor, except those brothers in that sec-
tion, for they all entered at the same time, was five miles distant. He
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNtV. 489
was a very line marksman, at one time killing forty-seven deer in
three weeks. At one time, when with his son, G. W., he killed three
deer without moving from his tracks. At that time, all kind ot game
was plenty, such as bears, wolves, panthers, wild turkeys, etc. Mr.
Moore was a very quiet and peaceable citizen, a hearty, rugged fron-
tiersman, and raised a famih^ of nine children, live bo3\s and four girls,
the subject of this sketch being the youngest bov.
Moore, George, merchant ; post office. Buckeye Cottage ; born
in Perr}^ county, in 1824, son of Robert and Rebecca (Claypool)
Moore. The former was born in Pennsylvania ; the latter in Virginia.
The father of the subject of this sketch died in 1832; his mother in
1878. The subject of this sketch was married in 1852, to Miss Mariah
Amrine, daughter of John and Martha (Brooks) Amrine. They are the
parents of six children, viz. : Joseph L., John H., George W., William,
P. B., Cyrus B. He has been in the mercantile business about twenty-
two years.
Moore, W. S., Pike township. New Lexington, Ohio ; farmer and
wheelwright ; was born October 31, 1827, in Washington county, Penn-
sylvania ; son of William and Isabelle (Rogers) Moore. Mr. Moore
was raised a farmer, but learned the wheelwright trade, at which he was
engaged up to his twenty-fifth year, when he again took up agriculture,
continuing thereat until the War of the Rebellion broke out, when he en-
listed in his country's cause, September 4, 1862, for three years, and
served until February i, 1864, at this date being discharged in New^
Orleans, from reason of disability. During his term of enlistment, he
fought in the battles of Chickasaw Blufis, Arkansas Post, Grand Gulf,
Thompson Hills, Champion Hills, Big Black, and in the charge upon
Vicksburg. He was married March 11, 1852, to Rebecca A., daughter
of James and Nancy (Moore) Adams, of Guernsey county, Ohio.
Mr. Moore came to Perry county in 183 1, and to New Lexington
March 2, 1881, where he now lives.
Moore, James L., farmer ; Bearfield township, McLuney post office ;
born on the farm where he now resides, in 1834 ' ^^^ ^^ William
C. and Jane (Bool) Moore, both of Irish descent. His father came to
this township in 1827, and located on the farm where his son, James L.,
now resides. He moved to Guernsey countv in 1861, and died there.
The subject of this sketch, in 1869, iTi^i"i"ied Rebecca Forsythe, of Cam-
bridge, Ohio, daughter of Robert and Sarah (Frame) Forsythe, of Irish
descent. The}- are the parents of the following named children : L.
L., born April 20, 1870 ; Sadie L., born September ip, 1871 ; John C,
born February 28, 1874; Laura J., born May 5, 1876; James C. H.,
born December 25, 1878.
Moore, John H., farmer, Madison township, post office Sego.
He was born in this township, June 8, 1842 ; is a son of Calvin and Har-
riet E. (Ford) Moore. He was brought up on a farm, and has always
followed farming and stock raising. Mr. Moore enlisted August 13,
i860, in Compau}^ PI, Ninetieth Regiment, and ser\ed two years, re-
turning unharmed. October 25, 1867, he was married to Miss Peris-
cilia Chilcole, daughter of Joshua and Catherine (Shaw) Chilcole.
Mr. and Mrs. Moore are the parents of five children: Walter S.,
Charles N., Sarah A., Martha H., and Mary E. Mr. Moore owns
47
490 lUOGKAPHICAI. SKETCHES.
one hundred and twenty-eight acres of good hind, which he has in an
excellent state ot* cultivation.
Moore, C. G., dealer in hardware, stoves, tinware, shingles, doors,
sash, lumber, paints and oils, Junction City, Ohio ; son of Andrew and
Louise (Raynor) Moore; born in this county September 27, 1846; was
a farmer boy till eighteen 3^ears of age, when he went into the dry goods
business as clerk, in Maxville, Perry county, then clerk in New Lexing-
ton with Colonel Free ; was there about a year, then was a contractor on
the railroad tor four years. He located herein October, 1873, and es-
tablished his present business, and has the best stock in town and a
good trade. He was married in February, 1870, to Miss Mary C,
daughter of Joel D. and Eliza (Vanatta) Elder. They are the parents
of three children, living, viz. : Keturali B., William H., and Lois
Viola. Mr. Moore's father was a Captain in the Mexican War, and
was Captain of home guards for several years. He was presiding officer
of the guards at the time Work was hung at Somerset, this county, for
the murder of a boy. He was of German and Irish descent.
Moore, Alvah F., Chicago, Illinois. Very prominent among
Perry county's most promising young men stands the name
of A. F. Moore. Though still young, he has shown an aptitude and
capacitv for business seldom seen. He is the youngest son of G. W.
and Harriet (Richards) Moore, both of whom are now living, resi-
dents of New Lexington. A. F. was born in the village of Saltillo,
this county, June 10, i860. Giving early promise of aptitude beyond
his years he attended the village school until fourteen years of age,
when, his father having been elected to the office of County Recorder,
he removed with him to New Lexington. At this age he entered the
high room of the public schools at that place, where he remained until
he graduated at the age of sixteen, also filling the position of deputy
under his father during this time. At the age of fourteen he was grant-
ed a certificate to teach. At the age of seventeen he began teaching,'
a vocation he followed for three successive winters. In the meantime he
was employed by the County Commissioners to make a complete record
and plat of all the towns in the county. This work occupied his time
for one year, and when completed was pronounced the finest specimen
of pen work ever placed on record in the county. It is now on record
in the County Recorder's office, and is a work of which any one should
feel proud. He then began traveling for a Chicago firm, which he fol-
lowed for eighteen months, when he returned to New Lexington, form-
ed a copartnership with Mr. J. W. Dusenbury, and founded the news-
paper known as The Independent, This enterprise proved a most de-
cided success, in which he continued tor one year, when he sold his in-
terest to his partner to accept the management of one of the largest
publishing houses in Chicago, in which capacity" he is still employed.
Mr. Moore was married December 6, 1881, to Miss Sack, only daugh-
ter of William and Elizabeth Martineau, of Roseville, Ohio.
MoREHEAD, Turner Elias, hardware, tin shop, stoves, etc., Main
street. New Lexington, Ohio. Mr. Morehead was born September 3,
1820, in Fauquier county, Virginia ; son of Charles and Susannah (Bar-
bey) Morehead. His father died when Turner was but eight years old.
At fifteen, he, with his mother's family, came to Somerset, this county.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 49I
and he went to the blacksmith trade, and followed it about sixteen years,
excepting one year's schooling, when about nineteen years of age. In
1853, he came to this place and followed his trade, until 1856, when he
established his present business, being the first establishment of the kind
in the place. Mr. Morehead has been successful in his business, hav-
ing a fine stock of goods in his line, and a good farm which he also
oversees near this place. Mr. Morehead was married October 2, 1845,
to Miss Sarah, daughter of Robert and Nancy (Glassford) Brown.
They are the parents of seven children, viz. : Owen Robert, Eliza-
beth, deceased ; Charles Albert, Edward Newton, Otto Turner, de-
ceased ; Clara Belle and Elmer Grant. Mr. Morehead began life for
himself, a poor orphan boy, but by honest industry and econom}', he
has obtained an ample competence.
Morgan, L?:wis, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born July 14, 1833, in Swan-
sea, Glamorganshire, Wales ; son of Lewis and Mary (Reese) Morgan.
Was brought up in his native town, where he remained until he was
twenty-six years of age, working in coal mines from his seventh year,
as follows : Plymouth, Ruma, Dowlesc}^ and Aberdare, from where he
emigrated to America, coming to McKeesport. Pennsylvania, and has
been employed on the following places : Freeport, Cannelton, Vir-
ginia, which place he left on account of war troubles, where his life was
threatened, and where he made good his escape through a window, and
reached Youngstown, Ohio, in safety, and went to Weathersville, Ma-
honing county, Ohio, where his famih' joined him, having come from
Wales. Came then to Coalburg, Trumbull county, Ohio ; and then to
Hulburt ; and was engaged in winter seasons in Iowa, Missouri, Illi-
nois and Indiana. Mr. Morgan was married November 21, 1854, *^
Mary Ann, daughter of Thomas and Catharine (Thomas) Jones, of
Pendenlwyn Glamorganshire, Wales. They are the parents of six
children, living, viz. : Martha, Catharine, Elizabeth, David, Edith,
and Lewis. Mr. Morgan is engaged in business for himself in this
place.
Morgan, William A., Assistant Postmaster, Shawnee, Ohio; was
born November 9, 1858, in Parkend, Gloucestershire, England ; son of
Alfred and Mary A. (Simmons) Morgan. While yet a youth, his par-
ents brought him to America, landing in New York, August 20, 187 1,
whence they went to Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania, where they remained
fifteen months, engaged in mining, and from there came direct to Shaw-
nee, Ohio, arriving December 10, 1872, and has made this his home up
to the present. Since coming here he has spent one year in Madison
Academy, Mt. Perry, this county, the school year of 1877 and 1878 ;
eighteen months at Ohio University, beginning in the fall of 1878 ; one
year with his father as an iron ore contractor ; and was employed in
August, 1880, as Assistant Postmaster, where he has remained to this
time. Mr. Morgan's father moved to Jackson county, Kansas, August,
1880, where he purchased a farm, and has followed agricultural pursuits
up to this time. His post office is Holton, Jackson count}^, Kansas.
MoTz, Michael, proprietor family grocery and bakery. Main street.
New Lexington, Ohio. Mr. Motz was born November ,6, 1845, in
Knox county, Ohio, son of Philip and Barbara (Young) Motz, of Ger-
man descent. In 1867, ^^'- Motz established his business first in Mil-
492 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
lersburg, Ohio, where he remained one year, when he came to this
place, where he has continued his business to the present time. Mr.
Motz was married March 19, 1867, to Miss Magdalena, daughter
of John and Catharine (Derenberger) Ullman, of German ancestry.
They are the parents ot five children, viz. : Charles E., deceased;
Clara, Catharine, James, Arthur, deceased, and Albert William.
Mullen, William, farmer. Pike township ; post office. New Lex-
ington, Ohio ; was born August 19, 1804, in count}' Tyrone, Ireland ;
son of Owen and Sarah (Harvey) Mullen. Mr, Mullen was raised a
farmer, and has made agricultural pursuits the business of his life, ex-
cept fourteen years he worked on public works, engaged on the Union
Canal, and assisted in making the first tunnel that was made in the
United States of America, on Union Canal, in Lebanon county, Penn-
sylvania. Came to America in 1823, bringing with him his mother and
sister, his father having died in Ireland when he was about fourteen
years of age. Sailed from Belfast to New Brunswick, and from thence
to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ; from thence went to Lancaster, Penn-
S3''lvania, where they remained about three years, and he was engaged
on public works ; one year on Union Canal, eight or nine months on
Delaware and Peapatch Canal, and remainder of time on turnpike.
Came to Perrv county, Ohio, in 1826, and settled near Somerset, and
soon after bought the eighty acres of land upon which he now lives, and
to which he has since added two hundred and forty acres, owning in all
three hundred and twenty acres. The first purchase of eighty acres
was for one hundred dollars, and was relinquished land. Has had all
of his land optioned at forty-five dollars per acre, as mineral land. The
first two years he was employed on public works, he received forty cents
per da}' for his labor. During his employ at tunnel, he received sixty-
two and one-half cents per day and board. While upon the turnpike,
the highest w^ages he ever received, was seventy-five cents per day and
board himself. He also assisted in this State in building the reservoir
in Fairfield county. Cleared the eighty aci'es he first purchased, and a
good deal on the balance that he now owns. Was married February,
1842, to Miss Rosa, daughter of Edward and Catharine (McCafirey)
McGoldrack, of county Tyrone, Ireland, but lived in Columbus, Ohio,
at the time of her marriage. They are the parents of two children now
living, viz. : William Thomas and Mary A., and six deceased, viz. :
Patrick, John, and four died in infancy. In an early day, Mr. Mullen
used to pay a six pence per bushel for getting his wheat ground, as they
would not take toll. Can remember when Rehoboth was much larger
than New Lexington ; and has seen its streets crowded with six-horse
teams from Pennsylvania for tobacco. Cows with calves by their sides
were sold for seven dollars. In purchasing stock, produce was given
as pay, and money was but little known and used. Coffee was so scarce,
that it was only used upon the occasion of guests or on Sunday morn-
ing. Corn was worth twelve and one-half cents, and wheat twenty-five
cents per bushel. He has really known all of a pioneer'^ life, and is
one of the few who now live to realize the luxuriant outgrowth of these
labors and hardships.
Neil, Thomas, collier, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born October, 1838,
in county Tyrone, Ireland; son of Edward and Ellen (Menan) Neil,
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 493
Mr. Neil was raised a farmer, and continued to follow agricultural pur-
suits until he was fifteen years of age, when he went to White Haven
Landing, England, and from thence to New Castle, upon the Tyne,
where he remained about 15 years, engaged as a miner; from whence
he emigrated to America, in June, 1869, landing in New York, and has
been engaged as follows : At Circleville, Elk county, Pennsylvania,
mining, about three months ; Center county, Pennsylvania, one month
mining on eighteen inch vein of coal ; Powellton, Clearfield count}^
Pennsylvania, remaining there until January ist, 1870, mining; Coal
Valley, on Monongahela River, until he came to Shawnee in October of
1872, "where he has remained to this time, and is cemetery trustee and
treasurer at this time. Mr. Neil was married May 12, 1868, to Jane,
daughter of Andrew and Ann (Witherington) Todd, of county Tyrone,
Ireland.
Newman, Thomas, retired farmer. Pleasant township ; post office,
Oakfield. He was born in 1812, in Brighton, England. He emigrated
to this countr}' in 1836, and located at Zanesville, and was engaged in
farming and distilling while there. He came to Perry in 1846, and set-
tled in this township. He was married in England in 1836, to Martha
Carter of Hampshire. Their children are as follows : Ellen, born Au-
gust 12, 1837, died in 1868; Sarah, born in 1840, married a Mr. Curtis,
a farmer who resides in California ; Charles W., born in 1842, married
Annie Kelley in 1863. Charles is deceased. George, born in 1844,
married Olive Conaway, and resides in Oakfield. Annie is at home
with her parents. Mr. Newman now resides in Oakfield.
Newman, Mrs. Ann, Pleasant township ; post office, Moxahala.
She was born September 27, 1838. Daughter of John and Elizabeth
Kelley. Mr. Kelley was a native of Virginia, and Mrs. Kelley of Penn-
sylvania ; they came to this State in 1816, and located in Clayton town-
ship. Mrs. Newman was married June 18, 1863, to Charles W. Newman,
son of Thomas Newman ; and they moved on the farm where she now
resides, in October, 1880. Mr. Newman died February, 1881, aged
thirty-six years. The}' became the parents of the following named
children: William A., born May 11, 1864; Rose M., December 25,
1867 ; James C, January 22, 1872, and died in 1873 ; Martha E., Octo-
ber 9, 1873 ; Joseph B., October 22, 1875.
Nixon, John S., farmer and breeder of thoroughbred sheep, post
office, Rehoboth, Clayton township. Perry count}^ ; born in Perry county
in 1841 ; son of Levi and Mary (Goodlive) Nixon. The former died
in 1861, the latter in 1878. They were of Scotch and German parent-
age ; grandson of Robert and Katharine (Sapp) Nixon; grandson of
Jacob and Mary Goodlive. Grandfather Goodlive was a soldier under
Napoleon Bonaparte. Mr. Nixon was married in 1861, to Miss Mar-
garet Wolf, daughter of George and Salvina Wolf. The}' are the
parents of four children, viz.: Almeda E., died September 22, 1879;
Mary M., who died February 28, 1879 '• William H., and Clara J. Mr.
Nixon commenced teaching in the common schools when but sixteen
years of age, and taught six years. He was nominated in 1881 for
Countv Treasurer on the Democratic ticket. He has also held the fol-
lowing township offices : Assessor, Clerk, and Justice of the Peace.
Nixon, Levi, farmer, post office, Maxville, Ohio ; was born in Moit-
494 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
day Creek township, January 8, 1855 ; son of Levi and Mary (Goodlive)
Nixon, Spent his early boyhood days on a farm. Was married Sep-
tember 21, 1876, to Rebecca M., daughter of James and Magdalene
(Garlinger) Wilson. They are the parents of four children, viz. : Ger-
tie May, Mary M., Dora M., and Clara.
NoE, Andrew J., ticket and freight agent, and telegraph operator,
at Moxahala, post office, Moxahala, Pleasant township, Ohio ; son of
William and Isabella (Pugh) Noe. His paternal grandfather came from
New Jersey in 1813, to Franklin county. Pie was of French descent.
His maternal grandfather came to Franklin county trom Wales in 1802.
Mr. A. J. Noe enlisted, in 1864, in the 123d Regiment, O. V. I., and
remained one year in the service. He then went into the telegraph
office in Upper Sandusky, and has remained on the railroad ever since.
He married Miss E. Robinson, of Pennsylvania. She is of German
descent. They are the parents of two children, Lulu and Frances.
Noon, Charles, farmer, Clayton township ; born in Donegal county,
Ireland, about the year 1798 ; emigrated to America in 182 1, and was
married in 183 1, to Miss Ann Fealty, native of Cumberland county,
Pennsylvania, daughter of Bernard and Ann (Carr) Fealty, natives of
Donegal county, Ireland, who emigrated to America in 1802. They
became the parents of fourteen children, viz. : Peter, Michael, Thomas,
Mary, married to John Sanders : Catharine, died in infancy ; Ann,
married to Charles Noon; John, Catharine, married to George Piper;
Dorothy^ Rose Ann, married to John Prindable ; David, married to
Catharine McKana ; Morgan, and an infant not named. Charles and
Ann Noon became the parents of eleven children, viz. : James, de-
ceased ; John, married to Mary A, Largey, now residing in Audubon
county, Iowa ; Dennis, who went west some thirty years ago and has
not been heard of since ; Mar}^ Ann, married to Patrick Coyle, living
in Shawnee, Ohio; Lydia R., deceased; Charles P., married to Anas-
tasia P. Hammond, living in Clayton township, this county ; Bernard,
married to Margaret Bennett, daughter of George C. and Ann (Carroll)
Bennett. (They are the parents of five children, viz. : George D.,
Charles, James, Mary Ann, and John Paul, and reside in Clayton
township, this county) ; Morgan, now residing with his father, in Cla}'^-
ton township ; Philip, married to Josephine Bennett, and resides in
Rendville, O, ; Albert, attorney at law, New Lexington, Ohio ; and
David, who died in infancy. The following named brothers and sisters
of Charles Noon emigrated to America in the following years : James,
about the year 1815 ; Dennis, about 1820 ; John, 1825 ; Philip, Marga-
ret, and Ellen, in 1845, and all located in Perry county, Ohio. Charles
Noon, the subject of this sketch, is now eighty-four years of age, the
only surviving member of his father's family, and at present enjoys
good health, living upon the farm where he has resided for the last
fifty-one years. John Noon, brother of Charles Noon, was born Au-
gust 10, 1805, and was married April 22, 1830, to Lydia DeLong, born
May 2, 1809. They became the parents of one child, viz. : Philip
Dominick, born May 17, 183 1. The Bible record contains the
following : "P. D. Noon went to St. Joseph's Convent August 14, 1843 ;
commenced his novitiate May 31,1846 ; made his vows August 22, 1847 ;
was ordained priest September 28, 1853, and died February 14, 1859."
HISTORY OF' PERRY COUNTY. 495
Noon, Philip, of the firm of Bennett & Noon, merchants, post
office, Rendville, Ohio ; born July 19, 1850, in Clayton township, Perry
count3% Ohio; son of Charles and Ann (Fealty) Noon. Philip was
brought up on a farm, where he remained until twenty-one, when he
began teaching school in the winter seasons and farming in the summer,
until May, 1881, when he formed a copartnership with Albert Bennett,
in merchandising, which lasted until the present firm was formed, No-
vember 21, 1881. This firm is having quite an extensive trade. Mr.
Noon was married September 6, 1881, to Miss Josephine, daughter of
George and Anne (McDonald) Bennett, of Bearfield township, Perrv
county, Ohio.
Noon, Albert, attorney, New Lexington, Ohio. He was born in
McLune3% Perry county, Ohio, Januar}- 17, 1854. -^^^ father, Charles
Noon, was born in Ireland in 1798, and came to America in 182 1,
After a few years work in Maryland he came to Ohio and bought a
farm in Cla^'ton township. Perry county, on which he now resides. He
was married in 1831, to Ann Fealty, who died February 8, 1881. Their
family consisted of eleven children, eight of whom are still living.
The youngest son now living, Albert, attended the district school in the
winter and worked on the farm in summer, until he reached the age of
fourteen years, when he came to New Lexington, attended the high
school two years, then commenced teaching district schools, and so
taught imtil he reached the age of twenty. He then went to Shawnee,
Perry county, and took charge of the grammar School four years ; com-
menced'the study of law in 1876, with Jackson & Ferguson, at New-
Lexington ; was admitted to the bar September 3, 1878, and formed a
copartnership with John Ferguson immediately after.
Noon, Rev. H. D., was born October 10, 1819, in Cambria county,
Pennsylvania, in the town of Munster ; when about fourteen years of age
his family removed out of town a few miles, and he engaged at
work on a farm. Poor as were his opportunities he acquired a goodlv
knowledge of mathematics, including the theory of surveying; when at
the age of twenty-four or twenty-five he engaged as an employe on a
railroad, serving the most of his time as engineer, and thus for ten 3'ears
prior to his entrance at St. Joseph, he was a laboring man. Here, after six
or seven years of hard study , he was admitted to the Priesthood and served
the congregations at McLuney, South Perry and New Lexington. Af-
terwards he became Procurator at St. Joseph's, in which capacitv he
served for five years. This office made him Superintendent of the four
hundred and eighty acres of land there, and when added to his duty of
purchases and sales, and providing supplies for so large a household,
and to the sagacious selection of stock herds and seed for planting, the
magnitude of his work ma}^ be estimated. In 1869 he came to Holy
Trinit}^ as Priest in charge. Here at Somerset for thirteen years past
his labors mark the life of the man and of his congregation with mutual
confidence and afltection which have grown with increasing fervencv-
He found St. Mary's Convent a heap of neglected ruins, the tower "of
Holy Trinity but half completed, and these outward signs of material
condition, looking down wath sorrow upon the ruins of an abandoned
railroad at their feet, struggling in doubtful effort to vocalize the reign
of silence and disaster with the voice of regenerating steam and com-
496 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
merce. Under the energetic ministrations of Father Noon, the church
tower and spire soon pierced the air one hundred and fifty-seven feet
above the hill on which it rests, surrounded by the cross, and vocalized
by a bell weighing" two thousand one hundred and fifty pounds, which
sends its sound for miles into the sui rounding country. Holy
Trinity was first built on its present site in 1826, and the new
building was erected in 1857, thirty-one years later, and greatly en-
larged. It stands in honor, beauty and comfort a monument to the
skill and architecture of its time, an ornament to Somerset, and is a cer-
tificate of the zeal and liberty, and devotion of its builders-. The plas-
tering, done by Nagle, may challenge the art for a superior in designs,
in beauty, in ornament, in taste and in durability. The finishing
touches are now being added b}^ the erection of an altar from Anton
Kloster, 274 East Twenty-sixth street, New York, at a cost of $2,000.
What has been said of the plastering may be said also of the aUar ; it
ranks in the front of all that is beautiful, ornamental and useful, of the
French and Grecian style. The great work, however, which attests
the splendid executive ability of Father Noon, as well as the liberality
and appreciation of the Somerset community, is the rebuilding of St.
Mary's Academ}^ which was burned in June, 1866, at a time when it
held the front rank as a Catholic institution of learning in, and enjoyed
a patronage co-extensive with the United States. It was founded in
1830, and built opposite Holy Trinity, on a lot purchased from Drury
Harper, deceased. The Sisters of the Dominican Order, who occupied
it, went to Columbus, and it was not until 1879, ^^^^^ ^^^^ foundations of
the new building were laid on the same site of the old, but in propor-
tions of greater magnitude and elegance of style. This work has now
progressed (in December 1882) to the third story, but is not yet under
roof. It has a one hundred and eight feet front, sides fift}' feet, and a
rear wing seventy-two feet in length and twenty-four feet in width. It
is provided with ventilating flues ; a cistern is to be erected in the third
story to supply drinking w^ater to the rooms, the baths, and the water-
closets below, and there is provision made for additional wings, should
the future demand them. The baths are to be hot 01 cold, and so con-
nected with sewerage as to insure the utmost riddance of the premises
from miasmatic effects, the entire cost reaching nearl}^ $20,000, even
under the utmost economy and sagacity of Father Noon, who has thus
inside of thirteen years added improvements which, in cost of material
and labor, verges near to $26,000 in value. This excellent and devoted
man keeps no horse or livery. He visits the sick on foot, and it is not
unusual for him to join in the heaviest work connected with his improve-
ments, and has been known to walk from Lancaster to Somerset a dis-
tance of eighteen miles, where the cars were unable to reach the latter
place on the same night.
North, J. S., farmer and breeder of thoroughbred Atwood sheep,
Clayton township, post office New Lexington ; born in Hocking comity,
Ohio, in 185 1 ; came to Perry county in 1876 ; son of William and Re-
becca (Randolph) North. The former died in 1876. He is a grandson of
John and Sarah (Collins) North, and grandson of John and Eliza (McEl-
hen}^) Randolph. He married, in 1876, Miss Phebe Allen, daughter of
Richard and Maria (Lanning) Allen. They are the parents of two chil-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 497
dren, William H, B,, and Grace D, L. Mr. North's people are of English
descent. The subject of this sketch has in his possession his grand-
father's Bible, bearing date of 1793.
NuGANT, John, marshal, New Straitsville ; he was born inLaundee
Glen, Morganshire, South Wales, January 2, 1857 ; is a son of William
and Mary Nugant, natives of Ireland. In 1864, he moved to Ireland,
and after attending school there for seven years, returned to Wales,
where he remained two years. In 1873, he came to America, locating
in New Philadelphia, Tuscarawas county, Ohio. In 1877, ^"^^ married
Mary Devine, whose parents were natives of New York State. Mr.
Nugant came to New Straitsville in 1877, and engaged in mining coal,
until Januar}^ 1881, when he was appointed marshal of New Straits-
ville, the position he occupies at this writing.
NuNEMAKER, SoLOMON, farmer, Monday Creek township, P.O., Max-
ville, Ohio ; was born in Hopewell township. Perry county, Ohio ; son
of Daniel and Christina (Shue) Nunemaker ; was brought upon a farm,
and came to this township in the spring of 1836, and has resided*here ever
since. Was married January- 7, 1836, to Sarah, daughter of Nicholas
and Magdalene (Kister) Strohl ; she was born June 12, 1819. They
are the parents of eight children, viz. : Henry, Amy, Gilbert,
Martha J., Sarah A., Louisa, Clara M. and George. Mrs. Nunemaker
died in 1862. He was elected Justice of the Peace in 1838, and re-
mained in that office twentj^^-four years ; he was elected Representative
of the county in 1854, served one term. Mr. Nunemaker is a very
active man in politics, and was always the champion of right.
O'Farrell, Michael, M. D., Shawnee, Ohio; was born March
14, 1852, in Perry county, Ohio ; son of Barnard and Julia (Conway)
O'Farrell, natives of county Longford, Ireland ; came to Perry county,
Ohio about the year 1850. Michael was brought up on the farm where
he remained until 1874. In 1870, began teaching school, and taught
three terms. Began the stud}- of medicine in 1873, and was graduated
at Bellevue Plospital Medical "College, New York, in 1876 ; began prac-
tice at McCuneville, where he remained six months, then came to his
present location. Dr. O'Farrell was married in 1878, to Miss Ellen,
daughter of James and Mary Barrett, natives of Ireland, but now resi-
dents of Shawnee, Ohio. They became the parents of two children,
Julia Mary and James Bernard. Mrs. O'Farrell died March 20, 1881.
Ogg, John W., farmer ; Bearfield township, Deavertown post office ;
born in Clayton township in 1810; son of George and Rachel (Frend)
Ogg. liis father was of Scotch descent and born in Baltimore, and
his mother was of English descent. His father emigrated to Ohio in
the year 1800 and entered land near the town of Somerset ; he died in
Beartield township in 1832, and his mother diud in 1819. The subject of
this sketch has always resided in this county, with the exception of the
four years he was in Hocking county. In 1830 he married Sarah Lat-
mon, who died in 1831. He was married again in 1833 to Mary Elston,
of Muskingum county, and they are the parents of the following named
children : Sylvester, married and lives in Bearheld township ; Sarah J. ;
George, married and resides in Kansas; Ruth E., who was married
and her husband died in the army ; Martha ; Wesley, who died in the
army ; Margaret, who is married and resides in this township.
48
498 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Oldroyd, Enoch, collier, Shawnee, Ohio, was born August 10,
1842, in Thornhill, Yorkshire, England ; son of Thomas and Esther
(Wilkinson) Oldroyd. Mr. Oldroyd was raised in the town of his na-
tivity, where he remained initil he was twenty-tive years of age, and
was engaged in coal mining from the time he was old enough to work
at the business, probably from nine or ten years of age, after which he
was employed one year at Beatty and at Ossett six years in mining,
when he emigrated to America, setting sail from Liverpool March 2d,
landing in New York March 14, 1870, and went to near Frostbui-g,
Maryland, where he was engaged as a miner four months, and then
went to Pennsylvania, on the Monongahela River, where he remained
until 1873, when he moved to Shawnee, Ohio, where he has since lived
and been employed as a miner. Mr. Oldroyd was married in March,
1865, to Patience, daughter of William and Jane (Stubler) Almond.
They are the parents of nine children, viz. : Joseph, Jeremiah, Hannah,
Cyrus, Gracie, Patience, Jamie, John, and Esther, living, and one de-
ceased, Dick. Mr. Oldroyd has served the P. M. Church as local
preacher, trustee, Sabbath school superintendent, and Sabbath school
teacher.
Opperman, Jacob H., Superintendent Licking Iron Company,
Shawnee, Ohio ; was born January 26, 1845, in Cour Hessa, Germany,
son of Jacob and Gertrude Opperman. Jacob H. was brought to Amer-
ica when three years of age by his parents, who located in Armstrong
county, Pennsylvania, after spending one year in the city of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. In 1866, Jacob H. came to Steubenville, Ohio, and re-
mained seven years, then returned to Armstrong county, Pennsylvania,
and remained until January, 1878, when he took his present charge.
Mr. Opperman was married November 7, 1867, to Miss Catharine Ellen,
daughter of John and Margaret (Campbel) Starr, of German ances-
try. They are the parents of five children, viz. : Annie Mary, Adah
Gertrude, Margaret Jane, deceased, Minnie Alice and Emma Dean.
Owens, Hugh, boot and shoe manufacturer, Rendville, Ohio ; born
about the year 1854, in county Ma3^o, Ireland, son of John and Mary
(Casey) Owens, now living in Ireland. At about the age of tw^elve
years Hugh went to his present trade. After its completion he went to
England and located in London, where he remained two years. Then
he emigrated to America and located at Washington, Fayette county,
Ohio. He subsequently resided at Lancaster and New Lexington,
Ohio, and came to the Sunday Creek Valley in the 3^ear 1880. Mr.
Owens is a good machanic, being able to make first class pvegged or
sewed work.
Owens, Wm. P., clerk in Ohio Central Coal Company's store, Rend-
ville, Ohio ; was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, son of Wm. P.
and Jeannette (Black) 0\^ ens. His paternal ancestry was Welsh, and
maternal, Scotch. William P. first began business as clerk, at Green-
ock, Pennsylvania. This town was laid out and named by William
Black, grand father of Mr. Owens, and was named for a town in Scot-
land, of the same name. Mr. Owens remained at Greenock about tw^o
years, after which he did business a short time ; subsequently he was en-
gaged at New Lexington, and Moxahala, Ohio, and came to Rendville,
Ohio, in February 1880. Mr. Owens was married June 15, 1881, to
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 499
Miss Eva M., daughter of Jona and Hannah (Davis) Taylor, of Rend-
ville, Ohio.
OvERMEYER, Peter, was born August 24, 1799, ^^ Northumber-
land county, Pennsylvania. His father, also named Peter, and his
mother, whose maiden name was Eve Henig, came to Ohio in 1801,
with a family of ten children, Peter being then the youngest. In June
of that year, while crossing the Ohio River on a ferry boat, the
wheel horses were drowned and the rear end of the wagon with the bed
and contents floated down the angry flood. The three front horses,
with the family, had previously been safely landed, and the front car-
riage was afterwards found fast under the roots of a tree, but the wagon
bed and hind carriage, containing the household valuables, were never
recovered, and Peter himself made a narrow escape. He rested in
Belmont count}^ with his famil}^ until the next year, when he came to
Perry county and joined Peter Whitmore in the purchase of section one,
at two dollars per acre, this being the government price, one-third down,
one-third in a year, and one-third in two years — no less than one sec-
tion then being sold by the government. It was a brave heart that
could settle in the woods, with a loving wife and ten children, de-
pendent on it for protection against hunger, cold and wild beasts, and
the last payment on the I'and due while there were no funds left to meet
the obligation and save even the cabin home from forced sale. The sit-
uation was relieved by the arrival of Adam Auspach, who fell in love
with section one, the same on which the widow Fisher resided, now in
part owned by James Love, Esq., and who bought it by agency of
Dupler, at five dollars per acre. Peter Overmyer, Sr., then bought
where Peter, Jr., now has lived seventy-eight years, and Peter Whit-
more, Sr., bought where Peter, Jr., lived until his death in 1880, Oth-
er men may grow older, others may live longer, others may rise to high-
er fame, but what citizen of Ohio has lived over three quarters of a
century on the same farm, drank water from the same fountain, and
never missed voting the Democratic ticket at any fall, and only missed
one spring election since 1820? Peter Overme3'er's grandfather and
grandmother both died at the residence of their son, Jacob, who then
lived in Thorn township. His other uncles, beside this same Jacob
Overmeyer, were John, David and Philip, all of whom, with his broth-
ers George and Jacob, died in Sandusky, Ohio, at ages varying from
seventy-two to ninety-five. He had also an uncle George, who is buried
in New Reading, a town laid out by Peter Overmeyer, Sr., in 1805. This
venerable citizen died in 1842, at the age of eighty-three years. His first
wife, and mother of all his children, having preceded him in 1823, and
his second wife, Sarah Harnet, having also died one week before him.
Peter Overmeyer was married September 25, 1824, to Miss Rosanna
Bueb, and are both yet living. This estimable lady was born in Baden,
on the banks of the Rhine, September, 1804. Her father, John Bueb,
was one of Napoleon's soldiers, whose chief reward for service and
valor was found in the wounds which disabled him from pursuing any
other means of support than that of holding street concerts, both vocal
and instrumental. His tamous songs were translated into English by
Rev. Hinkel, and were listened to at one time by General Jackson, who
500 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
acknowledged his satisfaction by giving one dollar to the crippled sold-
ier, without a pension. He lived in Riishville about the year 1818. His
daughter, Rosanna, must have been a beautiful young woman to have
captured so gallant a lover as Peter Overmeyer, and this opinion is sus-
tained b)^ the pleasing lines of beauty which still linger in the lines of
her wrinkled brow and the white teeth which defy time and decav, now
in the fifty-ninth 5'ear of her married life, the mother of eleven children,
five of whom died in childhood, and six of whom are yet living. His
sons are George W., who first married a daughter of Bernard Bowman
and sister of Joel Bowman, who moved to Allen county in 1850, where
he became, first. County Auditor, and afterwards Probate Judge. After
the death of his first wife he married a lady by the name of Barnet.
The first marriage was productive of six, the last of four children. The
other son is John B. Overmeyer, born in 1835 ? ''• farmer, who was mar-
ried in 1856 to Miss Amanda Baker, who deceased in 1862, leaving one
son, Lewis, residence, Columbus, Ohio, and clerk in a dry goods store.
In 1868 he was again married to Miss Sarah R. Snyder. The children
by this marriage are Mary, Endora, Clara, John J., Nancv and Robert
Overmeyer. John B. Overmeyer was elected, in 1873, to the office of
County Treasurer, and held it the two terms provided for by law, con-
fining it to four out of six consecutive years. He invented a time lock
during his incumbency of the treasurer's office, which has large and re-
spectable merit, but so surrounded by other claims as to be of no prac-
tical benefit to the finances of the inventor at the present time. For
some years prior to this he was trustee of his township, and his popular-
ity, based on his quiet honesty and sterling capacit}-, continues to make
him the hope of his partv in any close contest for supremacy in the
county. He lives in the famih^ mansion where the Overmeyer name
and ancestry has been known and honored for more than three quar-
ters of a century.
Overmeyer, Joel W., hardware, stoves, agricultural implements
and tin shop. Main street. New Lexington, Ohio. Mr. Overmeyer was
born September 2, 1829, in Circleville, Pickaway county, Ohio, son of
Jacob and Mary (Weaver) Overmeyer. Young Overmeyer, at sixteen,
went to the saddlery and harness trade, and followed it about ten years.
While traveling as a journeyman he visited fourteen different States and
worked in the most of them, principall}^ the Southern States. He was
proprietor of a hotel and United States mail contractor at Somerset,
this count}', for fifteen ^^ears. In 1867, he moved to Lancaster, Ohio,
and engaged in the first shovel factor}^ established west of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, in which he remained about eight years ; came to this
place in 1875, and established his present business, in which he is suc-
ceeding very well. Mr. Overmeyer was married September 6, 1853, to
Miss Eliza, daughter of George and Nancy (Ream) Morris, of this
county. The}' are the parents of seven children, viz. : Clara, George
Morris, Mary, Alice Lee, Charles John, Eliza and Nellie.
Pace, Jacob, farmer and stock raiser, post office, Rehoboth, Clay-
ton township, Perry county, Ohio. Born in this county in 1823 ; son of
Jacob and Margaret (Linabarv) Pace. The former emigrated here
from Pennsylvania about the year 1814 ; he died August 13, 1836. His
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 5OI
wife, Margaret, died August 7, 1864. The subject of this notice was
married in 1859 ^^ Miss Cinda Moore. They have three children, viz. :
Charles E., Elmeda A. and Emma C.
Pace, Elias ; post othce, Rehoboth, Clayton township. Born in
Perry county in 1835 ? ^^^^ of Jacob and Mary (Miller) Pace. The
former died i"^n 1861. .Married in 1865 to Mrs. Martha A. Hiles. They
have one child, viz. : Finlev. Mr. Pace enlisted in the latewarin 1861,
Company D, Thirtieth O. V. I., Captain J. W. Fowler. Mr. Pace was
in the following engagements, viz. : Bull Run, South Mountain, Antie-
tam, and Siege of Vicksburg.
Palmer, Josiah, furnace builder and painter, post oflice, Shawnee,
Ohio; was born May 22, 1832, in Bedford county, Pennsylvania; son
of John and Esther Ann (Miller) Palmer. Mr. Palmer was raised a
farmer until he was eleven 3'ears of age, when he went as knife scourer
and potato peeler on board a steamboat (New England No. i), where
he remained six months, when he became pantry boy on the same
steamer, serving seven months, when he became second cook on the
steamer DeWitt Clinton, remaining about one year, and then went to
the painter's trade, at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, under William McCure,
serving two years and six months. At this time he went as second
mate on the steamer Cheviot, plying on the Ohio and Mississippi Riv-
ers, as far as to St. Joseph, Missouri, which position he held two sea-
sons. He next went to Hany of the West furnace, in Mercer county,
Penns34vania, at lirst driving horse and cart for a short time, and then
broke stock for six months. He then went to Sharon furnace, and was
top filler for six months ; then to Middlesex, where he assisted the
keeper of the furnace four months. Again he returned to the river as
first mate on the Grand Turk, running from St. Louis to New Orleans,
remaining about nine months ; then w^as employed at Brier Hill fur-
nace, Youngstown, Ohio, as keeper, remaining about eighteen months,
and went to Massillon, Ohio, where he was keeper of Volcano and Old
Massillon furnace for three years : again returned to Youngstown, Ohio,
and was manager of the Falcon furnace one year ; thence to Pittsburgh,
as molder and keeper of the Eliza furnace eighteen months ; thence to
Steubenville, Ohio, Jefferson count}^, and superintended the building of
the two Jefferson furnaces, which required about two years. He again
returned to Eliza furnace, superintending the two furnaces about one
year, when he went to the Stewardson furnace, in Armstrong county,
Pennsylvania, superintending that furnace about six months, then en-
gaged with Dunbar Iron Company as superintendent for that company
about four years. At this time he became a contractor on section 75 of
the Pittsburgh and Cumberland Railroad, and lost over nine thousand
dollars in eight months on his contract. Next he went to Zanesville,
Ohio, where he superintended the building of the Ohio Iron Compan}''^
furnace, requiring two years ; then to Columbus, Ohio, blowing the
North End furnace for four months, and next to Akron, Ohio, building
the Eva Lily furnace, for Akron Iron Company-, taking him two years.
He removed to Shawnee, Ohio, and rebuilt Fannie furnace. No i.,
and superintendetl the building of XX furnace, and also superintended
the building of New York furnace ; returned to Akron and rebuilt the
Akron Iron Works ; then built Bessimer furnace, and located the Og-
502 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
den furnace at Orbiston, the above two in Athens county, Ohio ; drew
the plan for Fannie furnace No. 2, at Shawnee, all since the iron works
in about two years; went to Winona furnace, near Logan, Ohio, and
managed furnace for three months. In Happy Hollow, Athens county,
he superintended the building of three coke ovens, for testing the Baily
Run coal for coke ; returned to Winona, and superintended the remod-
eling of the furnace ; again returned to Shawnee, andblowed Fannie fur-
nace No. I, and superintended remodeling No. 2, requiring six months ;
next, he tried coal mining three months at Upson mines, and then re-
turned to the painting trade, and has continued it up to this time. Mr.
Palmer was married February 18, 1857, to Catharine, daughter of An-
drew and Celia (Dominices) Grannan. They are the parents of two
children, Isabel and Celia, who are married.
Parkison, Joseph, farmer and carpenter, post office, McCuneville,
Saltlick township, Ohio ; was born March 24, 1840, in this township ;
son of John and Catharine (Widderwalt) Parkison. Mr. Parkison was
raised upon a farm, and has followed agricultural pursuits all his life.
At the time he was two years of age his father moved into Fairfield
county, Ohio, where he lived fourteen 3'ears, engaged in farming, and
then lived in Franklin and Pickaway counties twelve years, where he
also farmed. From there Joseph, the subject of this sketch, returned
to within one mile of his birthplace, where he has remained up to this
date, engaged in farming and working at his trade. Mr. Parkison en-
listed in the army April 19, 1861, in Company A, 3d Regiment O. V.
I., under Captain Isaac H. Marrow (who had been a Lieutenant under
General Bragg in the Mexican War), for three months, but the company
was reorganized and re-enlisted, at the end of two months, for three
years or during the war, and he served, in all, three years, two months,
and nine days. Was in the following engagements : Perryville, Ken-
tucky, October 8, 1862 ; Chickamauga, Tennessee ; Tullahoma, Ten-
nessee ; Snow Hill, Tennessee, and Pulaski, Tennessee. Was not off
of duty during the entire time of his enlistment. Was married March
3, 1866, to Hannah, daughter of John and Jane (Travers) Hazelton.
They are the parents of five living children, viz. : Clara Jane, Mary
Catharine, John Henry, James Perry, Sarah Elizabeth, and one de-
ceased, William Thomas.
Payne, Elder J. H. P., was born a slave of the John Brand es-
tate, at Lexington, Kentucky, on the 22d of October, 1847. At the
age of sixteen years he ran oft' from his owners and went to Camp Nel-
son, Kentucky, where he enlisted as a soldier in Company D, of the
114th Regiment U. S. C. troops, in June, 1864. Having served as a
private for three years, he was honorably discharged from the service,
at Louisville, Kentucky, in April, 1867 : he came thence to Greene
county, Ohio, where he lived and labored, and, in 1868, took up the
study of law, which he did during late hours at night and spare hours
during the day. Having practiced law a while, he then joined the
Christian Church, at Xenia, Ohio, under the administration of Elder
Rufus Conrad. About four months after his admission to the church,
having taken such great interest in the church and evinced such great
knowledge of Christianity, he was urged to go to school, at the expense
of the church, and prepare for the ministry. His father, Jacob Payne,
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 503
was in debt for a home he had purchased, and he (Elder Pajaie) pre-
ferred remaining to help his father out of debt and studying at home,
which he did. For his faithfulness to his church. First-day school and
parents, his school and church learned to love him, and ordered Elder
Kinchem Sledge to ordain him, which he did. Elder Payne lived ten
years in Greene county, and during all that time taught First-day
school. He left for Columbus in December, 1876. He stayed in Colum-
bus to preach for a small congregation of white and colored brethren,
and read medicine. His eyes becoming too weak, after reading law,
theology, and medicine, by lights at night in his father's little log
cabin, he was compelled to temporarily give up the study of medicine.
Elder Payne was then called to the Christian Church, on the corner of
Fifth and Illinois streets, Indianapolis, Indiana, where he preached for
the love of the Divine Master, and labored for a livelihood. It was
there he met with the honor of being the best and most simple Sunday
schoolteacher known to the State Sunday-school Secretary in the State.
On arriving at Columbus he took up the tonsorial profession, which
enabled him to continue his medical studies, which he had pursued
for nearly four 3'ears, with S. H. Adams, of Cedarville, Ohio, and Drs.
McLaughlin and Russell, of Springrield, Ohio. He had not been in
Columbus long before the colored 3''Oung men started a militar}^ organi-
zation, of which they elected Elder Payne Second Lieutenant. He
.lemained with them a year, and having a call from Springfield,
Ohio, he resigned his commission to go to his medical studies and
preach, after staying five years in Columbus, Ohio. Mrs. S. E. Al-
ston, whom he married on the 12th of May, 1880, joined his church,
and was baptized by Elder Brewer, of the Central Christian Church, of
Indianapolis, who has assisted since in his Christian, as well as domes-
tic, affairs. When he had been there nearly a year he found his health
declining from hard work, preaching, too much study, and change of
climate, and was advised by Dr. R. N. Todd to leave ofl' so much
work, and retire to some quieter place. Accordingly he gave up his
pulpit, sold out his business, and came to New Lexington, where his
health is improving, and he is preaching occasionally for the churches
around him, and is well thought of.
Peart, Jeremiah, collier, post office, Shawnee, Ohio; was born
December 28, 1850, near Crook, Durham county, England, son of Isaac
and Hannah (Oats) Peart. Mr. Peart lived in the place of his nativity
until he was ten years of age, when his father's family moved to Crook,
where he remained until he emigrated to America, taking ship at Liv-
erpool September 23d, and landing in New York October 5, 1879, f^'om
where he went to Coshocton, Ohio, and thence to Shawnee, Ohio, of
which place he has been a citizen up to this time. While in England he
was employed as track layer in the mines, and since he came to this
place he has been employed as track layer by Manley Coal Company.
Mr. Peart was married April 25, 1871, to Elizabeth, daughter of John
and Elizabeth (Wanless) Wilson, of county Durham, England, near
Crook. They are the parents of four children, viz. : Margaret Ann,
Mary Hannah, Lily, and Elizabeth, living; and two deceased, viz. :
Isaac and Hannah. Mr. Peart is station steward and trustee of the
504
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Primitive Methodist Church of this phice, and owns his phice of resi-
dence on Tiiird street.
Penman, Malcom, mine boss at No. 13, Corning, Ohio; was born
August 15, 1837, i" Scotland; son of James and Jane (Walker) Pen-
man ; Malcom went into the mines of Scotland when ten 3'ears of age,
and worked there until 1867, when he came to America, and located in
Columbiana count}^ Ohio, where he remained about eight years, then
came to Moxahala, and worked there three 3^ears, and to his present
residence in the fall of 1880. Mr. Penman was married in August, 1857,
to Miss Christena, daughter of John and Jennette M. (Cook) Boyd.
They are the parents of eleven children, viz. : James, Jennette, John,
Malcom, Robert, Jane, deceased ; Christena, George, Adam, William,
and Joseph. Mr. Penman has a very general, practical experience as a
miner.
Penrod, E[arvs:y, farmer, Beartield township, New Lexington
post office ; born in 1833, in this township ; son of Samuel and Elizabeth
(Stalts) Penrod, both of German descent. His father emigrated to this
State in 1818, and settled in Licking county, remaining there about one
year, and then moved to this township. In 1850 he married Hannah
Alexander, daughter of Henr}^ and Sabra Allord, both of Irish descent.
They are the parents of thirteen children, viz. : Martha J., married ;
Samuel H., married ; John M., married ; James W., married; Eliza-
beth E., married ; Thomas J., Abraham L., Sarah P., Charles, de-
ceased ; Alice M., Ida M., Elmore H., and Etta F.
Penrod, Samuel H., farmer, Bearfield township. New Lexington
post office; son of Harvey Penrod. He married Miss E. Holcomb,
daughter of John M. and Elizabeth (McGinnis) Holcomb. They are
the parents of three children, viz.: Hattie M., born April i, 1874;
Florence M., born January 3, 1877, and Ethel B., born May 7, 1880.
Perkins, John M., barber, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born April 10,
1847, in Fluvanna county, Virginia ; son of John M. and Esther Perkins ;
was raised upon a plantation, and was driven as a slave b}^ Nathan H.
Payne, Virginia, until he was eight or nine years of age, when he was
taken to Kentucky by a negro-driver, and sold to one Dick Mahundre,
who again sold him to Jesse McCombs, with whom he remained live or
six years, when he ran away to Fort Donaldson, May 10, 1863, and en-
listed in the contraband service, in which service he remained about two
months ; at this time he went with the Provost Marshal to Cairo, Illi-
nois, remaining with him at that place and at Olney until the spring of
1865 directly after which he went to Shelby ville, Indiana attending school
three months, and from there he went to Columbus, Ohio, where he
was married, in 1866, to Frances Moore, daughter of William and Jane
Moore, formerly of Virginia. His wife departed this life April 19, 1868.
They became tlie parents of live children, viz. : William D., Sarah
M., Joseph, Williett C, and Daisy, all living. Mr. Perkins was engag- ■
ed at barbering in Columbus about six months, and in Groveport about
three years. His family lived in Columbus until the last two years he
was in^Groveport, when they lived in that place, and from whence they
came to Shawnee in 1873, and where he is, at this time, engaged at his
business, and where he owns his present place of business and a half in-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 505
teres!; in a barber shop now in the Peart building on Main street. Mr.
Perkins has certainly proved himself a man of industry and economy,
and an example to many.
Pe;tty, Jacob, was born in New Jersey, in 1801. When only eight
years of age he came to Ohio wath his father, Joseph Petty, and his
mother, Elizabeth Middagh, sister of Major John Middagh. In 1822, he
married Millie Barns, sister of Weaver Barns. They lived on the farm
from May, 1833, till the death of his wife in 1863, and afterwards, till
his second marriage to the widow of Bernard Bowman, at whose home
he lived to the time of his demise, a few years since. He was a man of
stalwart frame ; for man}^ years a trustee of the township ; temperate
in his habits, and noted for the placidity of his temper. His children
were Jemima Stine, Harrison, Joel, Josiah, Aaron and John ; also,
Susannah, deceased, wife of John W. Westall, of Somerset, Ohio, who
was the mother of Samuel, Frank, and Mary Ann, now wife of Chris-
tian Lechrone. Also, Margaret, wife of Lewis Stoltz. Joseph, the
lather of Jacob Petty, was eight-five, and his wife eighty-three years of
age at their respective deaths. The brothers of Jacob Petty were Moses,
John, Joseph and Aaron. His sisters were, Peggy Stoltz, Polly Van-
atta, afterward Angle, and last. Rev. John Lehmon ; Jemima Vanatta,
mother of Dr. E. Vanatta; Sally Pargen, and Betsy Pepple.
Petty, Josiah, was a farmer, born July 31, 1833; a son of Jacob
and grandson of Joseph Petty, a very early settler of Perry county.
This great ancestor, the father of Jacob, Moses, John, Joseph and
Aaron Petty, and of their sisters, Peggy Stoltz, Polly Vanatta, wife
also of Paul Angle and last of Rev. John Lehmon : Jemima, mother of
Dr. E. Vanetta, and Sally Pargen, and Betsy Pepple, died on the
homestead where his grandson, Josiah, also died, the latter, July 5,
1879. ^^^ widow, whose maiden name was Harriet, daughter of Philip
Coleman, and niece of Jacob, George and David Coleman, remains up-
on the ancestral acres which have descended to her and to her children.
These, at present, are all unmarried, and are William H., David O.,
Arminda L., Emma L., Jacob C, and Cora J. Petty. Their father,
Josiah, was a soldier in the one hundred day service, and was wounded
on Maryland Heights. He was a citizen farmer of irreproachable
name, and the home he left his widow and children, is not only that
around which the earliest recollections of the whole township cling with
pleasure and respect, but remains the center of those recollections which
assign to the name of Petty its destinctive recognition among the
earliest in Perry county history. The post office is Somerset, Ohio.
Phillips, Thomas, bank boss, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born in 1821,
in Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England ; son of Thomas and
Elizabeth (Bethel) Phillips. He has been'a miner since he was about
ten years of age, at lirst in England at Forest of Dean, and South Staf-
fordshire, until 1847, when he came to America, landing in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, by a sail ship, making the voyage in seven weeks and
three days, in company with his brother Ja'mes, whom he lost in Min-
nesota, on the frontier, where he owned some land, upon, last account ol
him. Upon arriving in Philadelphia, he started for Northumberland,
and, upon reaching the bridge at this place, it fell, precipitating eigh-
teen persons and four horses twent3^-one feet into the river, breaking
49
2o6 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
all the ribs of his right side, and killing the man who sat in the seat
with him, and two of the horses. After staying two days at this place,
he took the stage for Cuyahoga county, thirty-five miles distant, to an
uncle's house, where he remained until he recovered, and since then has
been engaged at the following places : Alleghany connty. Maryland, min-
ing coal and iron ore; Brownsville, Pennsylvania, a few months, sink-
ing a coal shaft ; Chattanooga, Tennessee, at an iron furnace, six or
seven months ; Shelby county, x\labama, mining coal. Leaving there
in 1861, he was obliged to use strateg}^ to get out of the Southern Con-
federacy. Again in Maryland, Huntington county, Pennsylvania,
five or six years mining ; Clearfield county, opening a coal mine for R.
B. Wickton &Co., and superintending for them until he came to Shaw-
nee, in April, 1872, where he has been bank boss for the Shawnee Val-
ley Coal and Iron Company, since he arrived. He was married the
first time in 1850, to Miss Elizabeth Sanson, of Alleghany count}^
Maryland, who died in September, 1875. He was again married Jan-
uary, 1877, to Elizabeth, daughter of James and Caroline (Watkins)
Williams. They have three children, viz. : Caroline, WilHam Thomas,
and an infant.
Phillips, Frederick, collier, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born January
I, 1846, in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales; son of Isaac and Eliza-
beth (Thomas) Phillips. Was raised in his native town until he was
eleven years of age, when he changed his place of employment to an-
other mine, where he remained about fourteen years. At this time he
emigrated to America, in 1871, setting sail from Liverpool, September
21, landing in New York twenty-three days afterward ; from there he
went direct to Coalton, Boyd county, Kentucky, remaining one year
and nine months ; he returned to England, remaining one year, mining ;
and again returned to Coalton, and mined about three months ; Irom
thence to St. Charles, Kentuck}', and engaged in mining about three
years, and then went to Des Moines, Iowa, mining seven months ; again
at St. Charles, remaining about one 3'ear, mining ; and lastly, came to
Shawnee, Ohio, where he has remained to this time, and owns a neat
frame dwelling house. Was married February 24, 1866, to Margaret,
daughter of Samuel and Martha (Williams,) Tovey, of Monmouth-
shire, Wales. They are the parents of three living children, viz. : Wil-
liam Henry, Isaac and Freddie James ; and one, deceased, Freddie
James, Sr.
Pierce, Silas C, Superintendent Union Schools. New Straits-
ville, Ohio; was born January i, 185 1, in Union township, Morgan
county, Ohio ; son of Zachariah and Sarah A. (Saylor) Pierce. Mr.
Pierce was brought up on a farm, and followed agricultural pursuits un-
til he was eighteen ^^ears of age, attending district school in the winter
season during that time. At the age mentioned he began to teach school,
•which business he has followed up to this time, teaching in Morgan coun-
ty, Ohio, until within the last three years, when he has been employed
in his present position. Mr. Pierce was married September 11, 1874,10
Mary Jane, daughter of Johnson and Elizabeth (Dawson) Chappelear.
They are the parents of two children, viz. : Florence Viola and Wil-
lard Simpson.
Pierce, Wesley Simpson, school teacher, Saltlick township ; post
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 5^7
office, Hemlock, Ohio; was born October 21, 1851, in Morgan county,
Ohio ; son of Lewis Perry and America (Czarina) Pierce. Was brought
up on a farm until he was seventeen years of age, when he began teach-
ing school, and taught in Morgan county until 1878 ; since, to the pres-
ent time, he has taught in Perry county, farming in the summer, except
four seasons, which he taught. Mr. Pierce was married November 14,
1872, to Miss Eliza Ann, daughter of William and Mary (Kirkbride)
Dawson of Morgan county, Ohio. They are the parents of three living
children, viz : Benjamin Manley, Riley Matson, Mary, and one de-
ceased, Bertha Alice.
PiRT, Thomas, superintendent of teams, feed and teamsters of the
Ohio Central Coal Company, Corning, Ohio; was born June 5, 1841,
in the county of Northumberland, Craulington, England ; son of Joseph
and Anne (Mark) Pirt. At the age of seven and one-half years, Thomas
went into the mines of England, worked until about twent}' and one-
half years of age, when he started for America ; but being bound to the
coal company for one year, he was captured on the ship Louisa Ann,
and tried for deserting his contract, but was acquitted. He then en-
gaged in the mines w^here he received a severe injury, which disabled
him about six months. By a little stratagem. he succeeded in embark-
ing for America on the same ship from which he had previously been
captured. When about four days out, the ship was caught in a gale
and lost her main mast, cabins, bulwarks and eighteen of her crew.
The passengers were kept in the hold five days. The disabled vessel
was towed back to Queenstown, where Pirt remained sick one week.
After his recovery he visited several towns in the county of Cork and
the city of Cork, from which place he returned to his native home, and
remained a few months : but the fever of emigration was still burning
in his mind. He again embarked on the City of London, and landed
in New York City in July, 1862. He located at Wilksbarre, Pennsyl-
vania, where he sank a shaft by which he saved $4,800 in less than two
years. After declaring his intention of becoming a citizen of the United
States, he returned to England. After visiting at home a few months,
he took a crew of men to Germany, and sank shafts in Prussia, after
which he remained in England about two years, then re-embarked for
America. On his second arrival he resumed work for his old com-
pany at Wilksbarre, Pennsylvania, and remained about one year. He
subsequently operated at Steubenville, Ohio, and in Illinois, Indiana,
and Nelsonville, Ohio, where he remained about three years ; at which
place he was President of the Miners' Union. He was guard in Ohio
Penitentiary fifteen months. He resided in Columbus about six 3^ears.
Took his present position October 24, 1881. Mr. Pirt was married De-
cember 15, i860, in Hetton, county Durham, England, to Miss Dorotha,
daughter of Mathew and Margaret (Harker) Cox. They are the par-
ents of eight children, viz. : Margaret Anne, Sarah Hannah, Eliza-
beth, Dorothy, born in England, and Joseph Mark, Anne, Mary and
Thomas, born in America.
Plank, Nathan, farmer; post office, Chalfants, Perry county,
Ohio ; born 1840 ; County Commissioner, serving a second term. He
is the only surviving son of Joseph Plank, born in Hopewell township,
1807, and grandson of Adam Plank, who settled on the farm now occu-
508 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
pied and owned by Mr. John M. Clark, as early as 1803 or 1804, and is
therefore among the few brave and hardy pioneers who first disputed
the right of wild beasts and savages to full possession of the goodly for-
ests and the fertile soil of Perry county. This grandfather Plank was
a native of France, unused to forest life, or to the privations of frontier
settlement, and the firmness and daring of the man, are, therefore,
more conspicuous. He was twice married, and outlived both wives.
He was of the German Baptist belief in religion, and did not depart
this life until the \^ear 1847, when his township, his county, his State,
and his church had respectively grown to the front ranks of prosperit}'
and influence. His son Joseph, the father of Nathan, was born a few
3'ears after the setdement of his parents, in 1807. His death took place
in 1846, but his widow still survives and retains dower in the old home-
stead, hallowed by so many of the recollections of the Plank famih',
now over three-quarters of a century in time. The sisters of Nathan
Plank are Hannah, wife of William Schofield, Hilliard, Franklin coun-
ty, Ohio, who deceased in 1866, leaving four children ; Mary, wife of
John M. Clark, Glenford, Ohio, who deceased in 1862, leaving two
children ; and Elvira, wife of Jacob Mack, Brownsville, Ohio. Nathan
Plank, the onl}^ surviving brother of those sisters, became the husband
of Miss Martha M. Cowen, in 1861. She was born in Licking county,
subsequent to the death of her father, Charles Cowen, in the \-ear 1839,
Excepting a half brother, John Ferguson, post office, Marion, De-
witt count}', Illinois, her brothers are all called to rest.' The children
of Nathan and his wife, Martha Plank, are : George, Ida, Joseph
William, Nancy C, and John D., Carl having died in infancy. Na-
than began the ownership of land with nearl}^ one hundred acres, span-
ning the valley of Jonathan's Creek, and fort}'- acres in the northwest
quarter of section sixteen. These tracts were recently sold, and two
other farms, comprising more land purchased in section twentv-one,
near Chalfant's Station, on the N. S. & S. R. R. Nathan Plank is an
advanced thinker, moderate in his opinions, but firm in his convictions,
daring to reject error though baptized by the sanction of centuries, and
bowing to truth, though despised and rejected by the mass of mankind.
Plant, George, engineer; post office, Rendville, Ohio; was born
in Keele, England, May 6, 1849; son of George and Dinah (Grocott)
Plant. At the age of nine years, George commenced working in the
coal mines in England ; and at the age of eighteen years, took charge
of a high pressure engine, which he ran until twenty-six years of age ;
when he sold coal in Michelsfield, England, until 1879, when he came
to [America, and located at West Jeflerson, Madison county, Ohio,
where he remained one year; and in 1880, came to Rendville, Ohio,
and engaged as engineer for the Ohio Central Coal Company at No. 3
mine ; after which he held the position of mining boss tor the Elmwood
Coal Company in Tennessee, which he resigned in January, 1882, and
returned to Rendville, where lie is now engaged as engineer for W. P.
Rend & Co. Mr. Plant was married in 1870, to Miss Maria Parks, of
Northwood, England. They are the parents of four children, viz. :
Dinah A., Charlotte E.. Stephen G. and John D.
Pletcher, H. a., undertaking and furniture dealer, and sewing
machine agent, Junction City, Perry county, Ohio ; son of Andrew and
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 5O9
Rachel (Thomas) Fletcher; born in October, 1847, in Muskingum
county, Ohio ; lived there till the age of twenty-one, then went to Iowa
one year and three months ; then came back to his birth place, and
stayed one year. Was married in April, 1869, to Miss Mary, daughter
of Lewis and Aima (Longstreth) So\vers ; then went to Morgan count}^
staved over two years : followed farming and carpentering ; then came
here, followed carpentering two years ; then followed the sewing ma-
chine business till April of 1880, and then commenced "Keeping an un-
dertaking and furniture establishment ; has a good trade, also a good
sewing machine trade. Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher have three children :
Hattie M.. Cornie B., and Ora W. Mr. Fletcher is of German descent ;
has three brothers and two sisters, viz. : William W., Levi L., John A.,
Susanna, Phoebe A.
Fletcher, Isaac J., mechanic ; was born in Morgan county, Ohio,
September 2, 1852 ; son of Wesley A. and Mary C. (Winegarder)
Fletcher; left there in 1872, and moved to this county, and has lived
here since, except six months in Fickaway county, and from April to
September in Lancaster, came to this county in April of 1878, and has
since lived here; was married twice, first in 1870, to Miss Mary S.
daughter of Henry and Rebecca (Riley) Dusenberry ; they were the par-
ents of two children, viz. : William C. and Fhilip H. Was married the sec-
ond time in 1S79, ^*-' Mrs. Maggie Rorick. By this marriage there
were two children, Blanche and Charles.
Poling, Simon, deceased ; was born March 4, 1817, in Fairfield
count}', Ohio; son of Richard and Elizabeth (Fast) Poling; died
April 12, 1881. Mr. Poling was raised a farmer, which business he
followed during his life time. In 1837, ^^^ went to Hocking county,
Ohio, with his father, where he remained until 1854, when he came to
Monday Creek township, and located upon the farm now occupied by
his widow. He w^as married December 20, 1838, to Anna, daughter of
Jacob and Sophia (Poling) Aurand. She was born December 21, 1820,
in Jackson township, this county. They become the parents of nine
children, viz. : Nathan, Jacob, Elijah, Elizabeth, Sophia J., George
A., Christina, died at ten years of age ; William T., died in infancy,
and Sarah E. The living children are in different parts of the State,
holding positions in different occupations. Jacob and Elijah enlisted in
the Fifty-eighth Regiment, in December, 1861, and were discharged
b}' reason of disabilitv,in December, 1862. Thev re-enlisted in the Heavy
Artillery in August, 1863, ^^^ served until the close of the war, when
they were honorably discharged. Nathan enlisted in September, 1861,
in the Seventeenth Regiment, and served until the close of the war,
and received an honorable discharge.
PooRMAN, Jacob, was born in 1809, in Hopew'ell township ; his fath-
er was Bernard Poorman, and his mother was Elizabeth Snyder, who
came with her husband from Franklin county, Pennsylvania, in 1808.
His grandfather Poorman died at the age of eighty-four, and his grand-
father Snyder was no known kin to the Sn3'ders of Ferry count}'. His
mother had one sister, a Mrs. Zeigler, who died in Champaign county,
Ohio, at the age of ninetv-tbur years. His mother's prayer that she
should not suffer long on a bed of affliction was answered in her ninetieth
year, and about seventeen years since ; her husband had preceded her
5IO BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
to the land of rest in his eightieth 3'ear. The brothers of Jacob were
Daniel, who died in California, and Peter, who died on the old
homestead, in Hopewell township. His sisters were, Barbara,
wife of Rev. John Wagenhals ; Elizabeth, wife of Bernard Bowman;
Polly, wife of Peter Bowman ; Katharine, second wife of Bernard Bow-
man ; Magdalena, wife of Samuel Mechling ; Peggy, wife of Samuel
Swineheart, and Nanc3\ wife of Frederick Fromm. In his twenty-
hfth year, Jacob was married to Miss Hannah, daughter of Ludwig
Ridenour, and sister of Noah Ridenour, of Reading township. In 1834,
he purchased and began life on the farm where he now resides. Here
all his children were born, and here his wife died, March, 1879, ^^ ^^^
sixty-seventh year. Their children were ten in number, three of whom
died in infancy. Those surviving, are, Noah, post office Larned,
Kansas ;Charles, of whom a more extended notice is given below, Som-
erset, Ohio ; Rev. Amos, a Lutheran clergyman of Farmersville, Ohio ;
Simon, Somerset, Ohio ; Jacob, the namesake of his father, and who
with his sister, Rachel Poorman, resides on the homestead, com-
prising one hundred and seventy-six acres of excellent land, well im-
proved. The only other daughter is Charlotte, wife of Emanuel Lech-
rone, Silver Lake, Indiana.
Poorman, Charles, farmer and carpenter; born 1841 ; was mar-
ried in 1862, to Miss Susannah, daughter of the venerable George
Smith, of Hopewell ; bought twent}^ acres of land from his father's home-
stead, which he cultivates. He served as trustee of Reading township,
and is an excellent citizen. He was reared a Whig, but his first vote
was cast in 1862 for the Democratic ticket, and he has firmly adhered
to this ticket ever since. The religion of the Poormans is Lutheran,
and so is that of Charles also, but his wife is Reform in belief, each ac-
cording to the other perfect freedom of choice and action without a
shadow of reserve. They have five children, three sons and two daugh-
ers. There is an error in the life of Jacob Poorman, which he wishes
to record as a warning to the coming generations. He, with Peter
Overmeyer and Bernard Bowman, signed a note in blank for Daniel
Poorman, pvu-porting to be for $1,500, which the latter desired to bor-
row of Tom Hood, a banker of Somerset, Ohio. Two or three renew-
als, or alleged renewals, were signed in the same way. These honest
indorsers found themselves liable for thousands of dollars, each, and
jointly. Each signing created a new note, in place of a renewal note,
and these going into the hands of "innocent purchasers," made them
liable and convevted them from freemen to slaves in service to others
with no reward for labor. They, however, paid them and held their farms,
but not without half a lifetime of labor for nothing.
Porter, Gib. C, paymaster for the Ohio Central Coiil Company,
Corning, Ohio ; was born June 1, 1849, ^'^ New Lexington, Ohio ; son
of James and Elizabeth (Vanatta) Porter. At the age of seventeen
years, Gib. C, went to the carpenter's trade and followed it four
or five 3'ears, then served as Deputy- Sheriff' for his father for four 3'ears.
In Januar3s 1879, he became Deput3^ Warden of the Ohio State Peni-
tentiar3% and served until May 5, 1880, when he resigned that position
to take his present one. Mr. Porter was married October 25, 1875, ^o
Miss Richmond, daughter of Henry and Mar}^ J. (Gheen) Koons, of
hlSTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 511
McConnelsville, Morgan county, Ohio. They are the parents of one
"child, Fred, born June 29. 1877, in New Lexington, Ohio.
Potter, George H., farmer, Monroe township, post office Corning,
Ohio ; was born May 25, 1839, in Monroe township, Perry county,
Ohio ; son of Kalida and Ann Maria (Rogers) Potter. Mr. Potter was
born and raised on a farm. In 1863. he enhsted in Company K, Sixty-
ninth Regiment, O. V. I., and served six months, and re-enhsted in
Compan}' E, One Hundred and Twenty-second Regiment, O. V. I.,
and served until the close of the war. He was engaged in the battles
of Manasas Gap, Strausburgh, Fisher's Hill, and others, thirteen in all.
Mr. Potter was married September 4, 1866, to Miss Elcedaney Preist.
Tiiey are the parents of three children, namely, William M., Huldah
Estella and Lolie E. Mr. Potter has followed agriculture for a busi-
ness. When he began business for himself, he had but little means,
but by honesty and strict economy he has become one of the most suc-
cessful farmers in the township.
Potter, William S., Justice of the Peace and notary public.
Corning, Ohio ; was born March 9, 1846, in Monroe township, Perry
county, Ohio ; son of William S. and Abigail (Dye) Potter. William
S. was brought up on a farm. x\t twenty-two years of age he was ap-
pointed Postmaster at Buchannan, where he established a store, which
he conducted about six years, after which he engaged in the harness
business at Millertown, where he remained until May 21,1881, when he
came to Corning, Ohio. Mr. Potter was elected Justice of the Peace in
1874, and served three years ; was re-elected in 1881, also appointed
notary public, which offices he now^ holds. Esq. Potter was married
January 31, 1872, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Patrick and Mary
(Mitchell) Fagan. They are the parents of two children, viz. : George
L., deceased, and Mary C.
Powell, Daniel J., M. D., Corning, Ohio ; was born December 3,
1853, in Bishopville, Ohio ; son of Jabez and Abigail (Fuller) Powell.
Dr. Powell began the study of medicine with Dr. Damford in 1873, and
was graduated at the Columbus Medical College in the spring of 1876.
Began practice at Mountville, Morgan county, Ohio, where he remain-
ed one year, then located in this place in 1878. Dr. Powell was mar-
ried Januar}^ 9, 1879, ^^ Miss Annie, daughter of William and Hannah
Murphy, of Mountville, Morgan county, Ohio. They are the parents
of two children, Claude and Maud.
Price, C. W., merchant, post office McLuney ; born in Muskingum
county, Ohio, in June, 1845 : settled in this count}' in 1870; engaged in
the dry goods and grocery business in 1872, and has continued in that
business since that time. He was married in December, 1865, to Miss
Caroline Exline, daughter of Jacob and Cynthia A. Exline ; they have
one child, Harry L. He volunteered in the war in 1863, in Company
I, First Ohio Heavy Artillery, under Captain A. Lewis. Mr. Price par-
ticipated in several prominent engagements. He was mustered out in
1865.
Price, T. M., clerk, post office McLuney; born in Muskingum
county, Ohio, in 1854; came to Perry count}^ in 1879; son of Hiram
and Nancy (Hopper) Price. He was married in 1875, to Miss Susan
512 Biographical sketches.
Swingle, daughter of Samuel and Siisau vSvvingle. They are the par-
ents of two children, Millie and May.
PuTERBAUGii, Samuel, farmer, Pike township. New Lexington,
Ohio ; was born July i8, 1834, ^^^ Perry county, Ohio ; son of James and
Elizabeth (Foote) Puterbaugh. He was raised a farmer and has been
engaged in agricultural pursuits up to the present time, and in connec-
tion with his farming he has been mining for some twenty-six years.
His leather was a Revolutionary soldier, enlisting at the age of eighteen
years, and helped to light the battle of Bunker Hill. He was a great Jack-
sonian in after j^ears, and lived to the ripe age of ninety-six years. Mr.
Puterbaugh, the subject of this sketch, was married January i, 1861, to
Mary A., daughter of Robert and Rebecca (Hazelton) Calborn, of this
county. They are the parents of seven children, viz.: Martha Odell,
Hrrriet E., Sal Kate, Thos. G., Jas. Hayes, Robert W. and William
Franklin.
Pyle, John, Pleasant township, Rendville post office, was born in
Chester county, Penns_ylvania, October 30th, 1815 ; son of John and
Elizabeth (Davis) Pyle. His paternal ancestors were English and his
maternal ancestors were Welsh, and his parents >n^re both natives of
this country. His family came to Muskingum ccnility in 181 7. The
subject of this sketch came to this county in the year 1849 and settled
in Pike township, then moved on a farm south of Oakfield, and then,
lastly, moved on the farm where he now resides. August 9th, 1840,
he was married to Miss Nancy A. Tipton, who is of English and
Welsh descent. They are the parents of the following named chiklren :
Susan, married to Calvin Latta February 22, 1866, and resides in
Morgan county ; Nancy, died when three years old ; Tipton, died in
infancy ; James W., married to Nancy J. Shrigl}-, who is deceased, and
he afterward married Callie Zinsmaster and resides in Zanesville ;
Mary E. ; Sarah A., died when eleven years old; William A., died
when fifteen ; Emma E.
Pyle, George W., Pleasant township, Moxahala post office ; mer-
chant, of the firm of Shepperd & Pyle, who do a general dr}- goods
and grocery business at Moxahala. He also owns a farm of one hun-
dred and twenty-three acres in the same township. He and Mr. Shep-
perd are also proprietors of a store in Rendville. The subject of this
sketch was born in Muskingum count}^ in 1828, and his parents are
both natives of Pennsylvania. He came to this county in 1854, and
located on a farm in Pike township, near Whippstown, and followed
plastering until within a few years. In 1852 he married Eliza A. Lehen,
and they are the parents of the following named children : Edwin W.,
born December, 1857, and married Adaline McCarty, of this township,
who reside on his father's farm ; Samuel, married Ett}- Tolbert, of this
township; and Carrie. Mr. P^de enlisted in the i6oth O. V. I., and
was in the service one hundred and twenty da3"s.
Rambo, William, blacksmith ; Pike township, post office. New Lex-
ington, Ohio, was born January 8, 1812, in Muskingum count}^, Ohio.
Is a son of George and Mary (Fist) Rambo, formerly of Pennsylvania.
Mr, Rambo went to the trade of blacksmithing with William Calvin, of
his native county, in 1825, serving an apprenticeship of five years, and
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 513
has made this the business of his hfe up to the present time. He went
as a soldier in the late war and was engaged in the battles of
Bull Run, South Mountain Gap, and Antietem, participating also in
several hard marches, which so disabled him that he was discharged
and returned home, January 29, 1863, having served from Januar}- 2,
i86t. The Crooks of Zanesville, some of the first settlers, w^ere near
relatives of Mrs. Rambo. Mr. Rambo was united in matrimony to
Lovenia, daughter of Samuel and Isabelle (Neal) Patterson, of Vir-
ginia. March 8, 1832. They are the parents of six living children,
viz. : Austin, Josiah, Elizabeth. Martha, Emma and Amanda, and
three deceased, George Nelson, Mar^' Edmonday and Belinaa. Mr.
Rambo's grandchild, William Rambo, was raised by them, and is now
about eighteen years old.
Randolph, Isaiah, deceased; born in Pennsylvania in 1812. Mar-
ried in 1850 to Miss Maria Ankrom, daughter of John and Nancy
(Rinehart) Ankrom. They were the parents of five children, viz. :
Angeline, Creighton, Everett, Lizzie N. and Albert, three of whom
are married. The subject of this sketch died in 1878. His widow
still lives on the home farm, enjoying the truits of his early industry.
Her son Everett was married in 1S78 to Miss Susie Clayton. They
have two children.
Randolph, Paul, was born 1827, in Cla^yton township. His father,
John Randolph, came from Cumberland county, Pennsylvania. He
was a carpenter by trade. Paul is a farmer, stock raiser and carries on
coal mining. He was married in 1850 to Mary Barker, daughter of
Samuel Barker. His sons, Thomas T. and Perry D., Lyman Jackson,
Edwin M., Frank M. and Samuel C, are all single and living at home.
His daughters, Eliza J. and Rosa B., also are single and reside at home.
Paul began life poor; bought twenty-five acres of land, paid for it, and
by farming, teaming, threshing, stock raising and coal mining, has now
four hundred and ten acres of land, city and other property. His ex-
ample is that which may be held up for the emulation of the rising gen-
eration. His property is clear of mortgages ; he never sued but once, for
a horse that did not fill the bill, but no trial was had, Paul considering
it better to pay than to litigate. He is a Methodist in religion and a
Republican in politics. He thinks the credit business, except on
land purchases, to be a curse rather than a blessing.
Randolph, L. H., merchant: Clayton township, post office, Reho-
both ; born in this county in 1848, son of William and Anna (McEl-
hany) Randolph, grandson of Joseph and Elizabeth (North) Randolph.
Married in 1873 to Miss M. E. Teal, daughter of Ephriam and Eliza-
beth (Brown) Teal. They have one child, Minnie D.
Rarick, Simon, was born 1838, in Perry count}', Ohio ; was reared
and bred and still remains a farmer ; the son of Peter Rarick, late of
Thorn township. His mother's maiden name was Lydia Weimer, sis-
ter of John, a ibrmer auditor of Perr}' count}'. His grandfather was
also Peter Rarick, who was among the earliest and bravest of the
pioneers. Peter, the father of Simon, died in 1880, in his seventy-
eighth year, and his mother, many years prior to that date. The broth-
p'rs of Simon are John and Peter, Thornville post office, and his sister
, i Elizabeth, wife of John C. King, whose dwelling is at Glenford
50
5T4 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Station. In October, 1863, Simon Rarick became the husband of Miss
Eliza, daughter ot' Samuel and sister of Bernard Mechling, and soon
moved to the delightful home they now occupy, overlooking the valley
near Glenford, comprising a commodious dwelling, one hundred acres
of land and other improvements. To this has since been added one
hundred and fbrty-five acres in section twenty-one, Hopewell. He and
his wife are Lutheran in religion, both disposed to dispense the most
kindly hospitality at their home, and they are blessed with two
sons, Murray and Maurice, who are drilled at home in the German
language. They are both descendants of old-time, pioneer families,
and ambitious to sustain the honorable record of those families achieved
in the past.
Raybould, Samuel, butcher. New Straitsvslle, Ohio ; was born
August 30, 1849, ^^ Upper Gornal, Staffordshire, England, son of Wil-
liam and Hannah (Frier) Raybold. When Samuel was five years of
age his father moved to Lower Gornal, where they remained until he
was fourteen years of age, when they moved to Lye Waste, Worcester-
shire, where his folks still live. After remaining at Lye Waste about
four years, Samuel went to Spinnemore, county of Durham, where he
remained about one year, when he returned home and sta^'ed about
eighteen months, when he emigrated to America, setting sail at Liver-
pool, and landing in New York, August, 1869, from where he went to
Bartley, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, and traveled as follows : go-
ing to Stoneborough, Pennsylvania, Irish Town, Pennsylvania, remain-
ing onl}^ a short time at each of the above named places, engaged in
mining. From here he went to St. Louis, Missouri, Murphysboro, Illi-
nois, and returned to Stoneborough, Pennsylvania, to see his father, who
came to America to visit his sons. From there he went to Nelson ville,
Athens county, Ohio, where he bought an interest in a coal mine, re-
mained one year, sold out, and went to Logan, Ohio, where he was
married August 19, 1872, to Miss Anna Siddle,born 1849 in Willington,
county of Durham, England. The}^ are the parents of four children,
viz. : Samuel, deceased, Emma, Nettie, deceased, and Nettie, now
living. After his marriage he came direct to this place, where he built
himself a house and lived until 1874, ^^^^ time of the great miners'
strike, when he, leaving his family here, went to Charleston, West Vir-
ginia, returned here and went to Brazil, Indiana, and again to St. Louis,
Missouri, where his family joined him, and where he remained as fore-
man of a coal yard for C. Rinecke, at 1700 Clark avenue, for some
four years, after which he was foreman of the St. Louis Water Works
one year, when he returned to this place and engaged in butchering for
about three years. Pie is now proprietor of the I. O. O. F. opera house,
this city.
Ream, Tobias, born 1800, in the county of Somerset, Penns3dvania ;
son of Christian Ream, who came to Perr}'^ county in 1803, and whose
wife was Margaret Glessner. His children were John, Jacob, Christian,
Solomon, Henry, Tobias and one daughter, Margaret, deceased, who
was the wife of Jabez Skinner. They were the parents of John O. Skin-
ner, the famous sign and ornamental painter. Tobias married Mary
M. Lidey, sister of the General John Lide}^ of Perry. They purchased
the ancient homestead, and this famous place is now the property of
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 515
Daniel C, single, and his brother David, who married Miss Missouri,
daughter of Asberry Elder, subject to the life estate of their mother,
yet living, whose father was Daniel Lidey, and whose mother was
Eve Cramer. Her brothers, the uncles of Mrs. Ream, were George
and Daniel Cramer, and their sisters were Elizabeth Rush, Rachel Ar-
nold and Mary Cramer. The name of Ream is linked to the early
struggles of the new settlement, and that of Lidey is not only thus link-
ed, also, but is found among the framers of the present Constitution of
Ohio.
Ream, S. K., born in 1827, the youngest son of Samuel, Sr,, and
wife, whose maiden name was Rachel King. This estimable woman
was a sister of the late Judge Thomas King, hrst Representative of Perry
county in the Ohio Legislature, the father of no children ; but from a
Miss Skinner, who was one of his adopted children, it is recorded that
he and his motherly wife, reared, educated and sent out into the world
eleven orphans, each of whom got a share of the King estate, or was
assisted in life's start by the venerable Thomas King and his wife. These
two childless. Old School Baptist Christians were of the genuine
nobility. The father of S. K. Ream came to Ohio as a prospector, as
earl}'- as 1801. Two brothers, uncles of S. K. Ream, whose names ap-
pear to the church organization papers of Zion Church, in Thorn town-
ship, in 1805, died there, but no descendant of either now lives in Perry
county, save one daughter, the wife of Philip Crist. Toby Ream and
his family are in someway connected with Samuel Ream, Sr., but ex-
actl3Miow is not known. The Reams of Fairtield, George, and his
sons, Daniel and Abraham, were also distantly connected. As early as
1807 or 1808, Samuel Ream pursued a trail, on horse back, to Marietta,
Ohio, solely to introduce into Perry county the first grafted apples and
peaches. This happened nine or ten years before Perry county was
erected, and eighteen or nineteen j^ears prior to the birth of S. K.
Ream, who inherited the homestead in Madison township, where all
the latter's children were born, where both his parents died, and where
the associations of youth and the memories of after life, up to 1882, are
left to linger in the memories of the past. Mr. S. K. Ream had beau-
tified his birthplace with elegant buildings, while his wife had added the
attractions of flowers and evergreens, only secondary to a home, where
her own presence was the chief delight of its inmates. By death and
will of his brother, David Ream, who died childless, the not less at-
tractive adjoining homestead on the pike, became the property of S. K.
Ream, but to the faithful female servants, whose hands had kindly
smoothed his tottering steps to the brink of the grave, " Uncle Davy,"
as every body delighted to call him, left a handsome allowance, and
thus, in his last acts, vindicated a life time of honorable deeds. David
Ream was a Baptist in belief, sincere and unassuming in his demeanor ;
a Whig and a Republican in politics, and the most conclusive proof of
his popularity consists in the fact that he was elected County Commis-
sioner on the Republican ticket, in a county then largely Democratic.
The office sought him ; he never sought any office. The other brothers
of S. K. Ream, besides David, were William Ream, late of this coun-
t5^ a stock dealer and farmer of distinguished success, and enviable
prominence as a citizen, and whose sons are still citizens of Perry coun-
5l6 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
ty ; and Andrew, the oldest, deceased long since, and lamented by all, not
only because ol his beneficent nature, but because the self-controlling
forces of that nature were not at all times equal to the temptations
thrown against it by his business as a distiller of liquors. The wife
of S. K. Ream was Miss Maria Richey, daughter of the Hon.
Thomas Richey, late of this county. ' The children of S. K.
and Maria Ream, are Edward, a hardware merchant, Somer-
set, Ohio ; Paul, a grocer, and Miss Maria and Robert, who,
with Paul, reside with their parents in Van Wert, Ohio, since the
spring of 1882. The Northwestern part of Ohio, included within the
valley of the Great Maumee, presented to the mind of Mr. Ream at-
tractions for capital so superior, as to induce him to add to the proceeds
of the sale of his delightful homestead, in Perry county, the large
capital theretofore possessed, and move to Van Wert, Ohio, leaving the
farm, obtained from his brother David, by will, in the hands of a careful
tenant, and the mansion, in part, to the servants of his brother, where
they enjoy the favor of the grateful legatee, as they formerlv enjoyed
that of the benevolent and just testator, who, b}- virtue of militia com-
mission, was known as Colonel David Ream. The neatness of the
grounds fronting his dwelling, and the general good order of his farm,
characteristic of the Ream family, evinced the thrift, the cultivated
taste and industry for which his brothers are also distinguished ; — traits
also, which have descended to their sons.
Ream, David, Jr., farmer; born December 31, 1827 ; son of Wil-
liam and Eliza (McClure) Ream and is of German-Scotch and Irish ex-
traction ; a grandson of Samuel Ream. In 1851, April 8th, he was
married to Miss Cass Ann, daughter of the late William Williams
and his wife, whose maiden name was Mar\^ Wright. David became a
member of the Methodist Episcopal church at the age of fourteen, under
the administration of Rev. E. Muchner and Rev. Joseph Carper, and to
this day maintains his connection with the same church. From him is
obtained the very interesting particulars relating to the organization of
Zion Church. His taxes have grown from $17 up to an average of $250
per annum. The children of this marriage, are Albert, husband of
Sarah, the daughter of James Wilson, post office, Somerset, Ohio ; Wil-
liam W., husband of Miss Mary Guy, daughter of Luther Guy, post
office, Sego ; Ida, wife of Joseph Hough, post office, Fultonham, Ohio ;
Miss Emma C, Thomas Wright, Maggie Rachel, and David. Those
deceased are Harriet and Clara, each less than a vear old at death ;
Mary and Nora in their fifth year, and Emma C who was fourteen,
and who, prior to her sickness, had became a dutiful member of the
Methodist Episcopal church. Though the mother of twelve children, and
grief stricken by the death of five of them. Mrs. Ream preserves that
peerless glow of health and native cheerfulness wiu'ch survives earthly
sorrow, and clings with the freshness of youth to the consolations of
time and the hopes beyond. David Ream, though a Methodist in be-
lief, entertains a sentiment of charitv which embraces those of other
creeds, and exhibits a hospitality which welcomes them to his home,
and to his benefactions.
Ream, Samuel, son of the late venerable William Ream, a success-
ful farmer and cattle dealer. The maiden name of Samuel's mother
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 5^7
was Eliza McClure. Her children were David, Samuel. William M.
and John Ream. Samuel was married in 1859, ^° Miss Sarah E.,
daughter of the late Judge William M. Brown, of Perr}- county, and
grand-daughter of Thonnas McNaughten, of Fairfield county. She died
in 1881. in Somerset, Ohio, leaving two sons, Owen B. and Luke S.
Ream. She was a lad}' universally esteemed, and inherited all the
amiable qualities of her honored ancestry. Her husband, Samuel
Ream, began hfe for himself in 1855, on a capital of $3,500. He ranks
among the most successful business men of his county, and is supposed
to be worth, in real estate and personal property, not far from $100,000.
He deals in catde. lands, stocks and mineral deposits, carries on the
famous mills at Somerset, in connection with Noah Karr, late Treasurer
of the county, and has built one of the very finest residences in Somer-
set, famous alike for its beauty, its architectural taste and its comfort.
Reese. Thomas P., collieV, Shawnee, Ohio, was born August 12,
1830, in Pembrakeshire, South Wales, son of Peter and Dana (Wil-
liams) Reese. When he was ten years of age he was employed on the
public works at Myrtha Tydvil, Glamorganshire, where he was en-
gaged until 1863, and in August 22, set sail from Liverpool for New
York, landing after fort^'-five days' sailing. After reaching New York
he started for Pomeroy,'Ohio, going via Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
Wheeling, Virginia, and upon reaching Parkersburg, Virginia, he was
obliged to remain nine da3^s, on account of the river not being naviga-
ble. At this time he purchased an old boat and boated his way down
the river to his place of destination, reaching it in October, where
he remained until August 24, 187 1, engaged in mining, and has been
engaged at the following places : From Pomeroy, Ohio, to Syracuse,
Ohio, remaining until November, 18, 1874 ' ^^^ Zaleski. Vinton county,
Ohio, about two years and nine months, when he moved to Shawnee,
where he now lives and is engaged as a miner at the Shawnee Valley
mine. Was married December 31, 1853, to Miss Ehzabeth, daughter
of Samuel and Mary Lewis, of Monmouthshire, England. They are
the parents of seven living children, viz. : Mary Ann, Thomas, David,
John, Sarah, Willie and Ellen, and four children deceased, viz. : Wil-
liam, William, Elizabeth and one died in infancy. Mr. Reese owns
his own property, a neat frame dw^elling, where he now lives.
Reese, Roger G., overman and time keeper at New York Furnace,
Shawnee, Ohio : was born March 30, 1850, in Gwaencaegurwen,
Glamorganshire Wales, son of David and Mary (Reese) Reese. Was
raised a collier, beginning at the age of twelve years, and tollowed it
until October, 1876. Mr. Reese came to this country in 1869, leaving
Liverpool January 13, and landing in New York January 31, from
whence he went to Minersville, Meigs county, Ohio, engaging^ as a
miner, with V. B. Horton, until August, 1872, when he came to Shaw-
nee, where he mined with the Newark Coal and Iron Company up to
October, 1876, when he became weighmaster for that company, hold-
ing that position until September, 1878, and then took charge of the
burning of iron ore for the New York and Straitsville Coal and Iron
Company, and soon after assumed his present duties, having charge of
all the Taboring men, keeping their time. etc. Mr. Reese is a Royal
515 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Arch Mason, and is at present Chancellor Commander of the Knights
of Pythias, of Shawnee, Ohio.
Rei, Philip, of the firm of Rei & Rickett, undertakers, Rendville.
Ohio, was born December 22, 1842, in Columbiana county, Ohio,
son of Joseph aud Ann (Rehart) Rei. Mr. Rei was brought up on a
farm, and volunteered in May, 1861, in the 17th Ohio Regiment: after
serving three months he re-enlisted in the 9th Ohio Calvary and served
three years. He was engaged in the battles of Knoxville, Decatur,
Atlanta, followed John Morgan through Kentucky and was with Gen-
eral Sherman on his march to the sea. Mr. Rei was married October
4th, 1872, to Cecelia Bennett, daughter of George and Ann Bennett,
of Bearheld township, Perry county, Ohio. They are the parents of
six children, namely: Annie M., George, Ella, Joseph F., Lizzie and
Thomas R. Mr. Rei efficiently fills the office of trustee of Monroe
township at this time, and has held the same office a number of terms.
Retallic, James D., of the firm of Cochran & Retallic, attorneys-
at-law, New Lexington, Ohio, was born March 17, 1851, in Pike town-
ship ; son of Francis and Catharine (Fealty) Retallic. At the age of
seventeen he went to the stone cutting trade which he followed until he
was twent3'-three, when he began reading law with Colonel Lyman J.
Jackson, of this place, and was admitted to practice August 16, 1876.
Mr. Retallic was married October 31, 1876, to Miss Maggie A., daugh-
ter of Timothy and Mar}^ Laven. They are the parents of one child,
Mary K. "
Richards, William, mine boss, wShawnee, Ohio ; was born March
22, 1836, in Rasay, Brecknockshire. Wales ; son of David and Sarah
(Prosser) Richards. Mr. Richards was raised in Rasay, and remained
in that place until 1852, when he emigrated to America with his father's
family, landing in New York, August 4th, from where they went to
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and thence to McKeesport, Pennsylvania,
where they lived about five or six years, engaged in mining. From
here they went to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where he remained about
two years, and then engaged in business for himself, going to Brook-
field, Trumbull county, Ohio, where he remained about five years, min-
ing ; and next was employed by D. C. Christy, of Coshocton, Ohio,
as clerk in store one year ; and then opened what is known as the Mi-
ami Coal Mine, for Christy, Spangler & Co., of Coshocton, Ohio, and
remained as mine boss with them until 187 1, at which time he came to
Shawnee, Ohio,Vhere he is engaged as mine boss at the Fannie Fur-
nace mine, which position he has held since the first opening of this
mine, except the first year, when it was run by contract, taken by a com-
pany of twelve persons, of which he was a member. He has been a
resident of Shawnee almost from its beginning. Was married Sep-
tember 4, 1858, to Miss Mary Ann, daughter of David and Catha-
rine Thomas, of McKeesport, Pennsylvania. They are the parents of
nine children, viz. : David R., William John, James Alfred, Thomas
Edmund, Mamie, Celia, Charlie, Elizabeth, deceased, and Charles
Benjamin, deceased. Mr. Richards is Past Grand of the Kincaid Lodge,
I. O. O. F., of Shawnee, Ohio.
Richards, Alva, M. D., New Lexington, Ohio: was born March
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 5I9
16, 1841, in Muskingum county, Ohio, where he was brought up on a
farm, until the age of seventeen, when he began the study of medicine
with Dr. Ream^', now Professor in Ohio Medical College. He gradu-
ated at the Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery, in the spring
of 1862, and immediately thereafter began practice at this place. In
the fall of the same 3-ear, the Doctor was commissioned Assistant Sur-
geon of the One Hundred and Twenty-second Regiment, O. V. I. Af-
ter serving in this capacity two years, he was commissioned Surgeon of
the One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Regiment, O. V. I., and served
until the close of the war, when he resumed his practice in this place.
Dr. Richards was married November i, 1866, to Miss Catharine, daugh-
ter of Hon. R. E. Huston. His mother's maiden name was Sarah
Ann Comly. They are the parents of three children, viz. : Robert
Lewis, Clarence Comly, and Hazel Elizabeth.
RiCHEY, General Thomas, deceased. He was a member of Con-
gress when he secured a cadetship tor Phil. Sheridan. The General
must have lived till after the famous ride of Sheridan, in w'hose success
he was ever most paternally enlisted, calling Sheridan "my bo}^,"
The first new^s from Cedar Creek was bad, and no one mourned the sit-
uation more sincerely than old General Tom. Riche}^ ; but imagine his
joy wdien the next day's news brought tidings of Phil's final victory,
having snatched the stars and stripes from the disaster of the onset by
a rally of troops already on the retreat, turned defeat into victory, and
added a new chapter to the annals of warfare ; a chapter which relates
what was never clone before, the achievement of victory in the evening,
with troops defeated, demoralized and in full retreat in the morning of
the same da}'. Richey rejoiced, as if it were his own victory, and a
final vindication of the sagacity which sent the son of an humble Irish
constituent to achieve it. '' The}' can't whip that boy of mine,"' he would
exclaim, as he rode with all haste from the post office to his rural home,
answering his neighbors without halting his panting steed: " I put
Sheridan in the army ; Lincoln promotes, and the whole world admires
him." The father of General Thomas, was James Richey, who came to
Ohio as a settler in 1815. His mother, and the mother of Gideon, the
onl}' brother now left in Perry, was Elizabeth Wilson, sister of Thomas
Wilson, who died near West Rushville, and whose father and brothers
came to Fairfield county in 1800. Her mother was Hester Fickle, of
Scotch descent. The grandfather of Thomas and Gideon Richey, was
also named James, whose brothers were John, Gideon and Thomas, all
bachelors, and George who w^as married. The only sister w^as Jane
Richey, who nursed Gideon and Thomas, when children. She died a
maid. Therefore, of the five sons of grandtather Richey, who was a
native of Ireland, and his Irish wife, only George and James, ever mar-
ried ; and the only daughter, Jane, lives unmarried. It is said, on the
authority of Gideon, that James, his father, was born on the daV his
grandmother landed in Baltimore, about the year 1757, and as near as
can be reckoned, grandfather Richey was born in Ireland, 1732, the
same 3'ear that Washington was born in America. Hence the reader
may perceive it was the son of one Irishman that aided the son of an-
other Irishman to a cadetship at West Point. All the Richey famil}'-
were left in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, when in 1815, James, alone
520 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
came to Madison township. Perry county — then Musicingum — and set-
tled on the farm which some years before had been selected by the
mother of General Richey, on her last visit on horseback from Penn-
sylvania to her father, William Wilson, then in FairHeld, carrying Gid-
ion in her arms. This must have been in 1807, as Gideon was born
November 28, 1806. Grandfather William Wilson, gave to each of his
nine sons and daughters, one hundred and sixt}' acres of land ; and
Rachel, the wife of James Richey, and mother of Thomas and Gideon,
selected her own farm, now occupied by Thomas Williams in Madison
township. This grandfather, William Wilson, traveled on foot witii
his faithful rifle on his shoulder, and his dog by his side,, while grand-
mother Wilson rode horseback, carrying her infant and spinning wheel
from Maryland into Pennsylvania, through dense forests. The children
of grandfather, James Richey and his wite, Rachel Wilson, in order of
birth, were : Mary, wife of Nathan Melick ; Gen. Thomas Richey,
whose wife was Plenrietta Clemm ; Elizabeth, wife of Robert Wilson ;
Jane, wife of Thomas Spencer ; Gideon, whose first wife was Jane A.
Spencer, sister of Captain William, by whom he became father of four
daughters and one son, James Richey, now of Somerset, and whose
second wife is Rachel Croskrey, b}^ whom there are four daughters and
one son, Frank Richey, yet single. Next to Gideon was William Wil-
son Richey, husband of Mar\^ Coulson, and who died near Rushville,
leaving two sons and three daughters ; Colonel John Richey, a former
State Senator of this district, now of Omaha, Nebraska, and husband
of Elizabeth Ream, who is the mother of two sons and four daughters,
one of whom is the wife of Hon. Mr. Taft, M. C. ; next were James
Richey and Rebecca, twins — the former now a farmer near Stewarts-
ville, Missouri, the latter, widow of the late and much lamented Mardn
Berkey ; and last, George Richey, who, when last heard of, was in
Colorado. He has but one child living. General Thomas Richey was
a farmer, and a man of no ordinarx' mind. Kind, generous and hospi-
table, he was loved by his friends, and rose to distinction as a mili-
tary officer in the State militia of his time ; was for many years Treas-
urer of Perrv county, and served two terms in the Congress of the
United States, being elected the last time in 1852. In 1854, ^^^ broke
his connection with the Democratic party, and died a supporter of Lin-
coln's administration. His children were : Mahala, wife of Dr. An-
drew McElwee, deceased ; Caroline, wife of John McNutt, deceased ;
Louisa, wife of Dr. S. Adams, deceased; Maria, wife of S. K. Ream,
of Van Wert, Ohio ; Dr. James Richey, of Stewardsville, Missouri ;
Henrietta, wife of Mr. Robinson, of Greenfield, Ohio : and Captain
George Richey, who served in that rank in the war of 1861, and whose
post office is Stewardsville, Missouri, whither he removed after the
peace of Appomattox. General Richey owed much of his physical and
intellectual vigor to his mother, who was a heroine in rural life, ready
with a remed}'- for man or beast in sickness ; and Gideon says, '' Cas-
tile soap and vinegar, simmered to oil, was mother's favorite poultice
for all sores and wounds." Confidence in parents and honesty, were
the patrimony of the boys.
RiCHTER, Charles W., farmer and stock dealer, Monroe town-
ship ; post office. Corning, Ohio; was born April 13, 1845, in Monroe
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNtV. 521
township; son of John and Catharine (Cuckerly) Richter. His
father was a native of Maryland, but became one of the pioneers of
Ohio. Charles W. was married January 4, 1872, to Elizabeth, daugh-
ter of Joseph and Catharine (Smith) Rodgers, of Monroe township.
RiCKET, Abel, farmer, who has also worked at some of the me-
chanical trades ; post office, Moxediala, Pleasant township. Perry county,
Ohio ; was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1820 ; son of
John and Sarah (Clark) Ricket. His lather was of German, his
mother of Welsh and Irish descent. Began work with a millwright
when fifteen ; remained wnth him one year, and then worked at house
carpentering until nineteen, in Carroll county. At twenty he came to
Pleasant township, engaged in teaching school two years, then followed
the carpenter trade about seven A^ears, and next worked in a machine
shop in Morgan county. He moved to Morgan county in 1850; re-
turned and located on the farm where he now resides, but continued to
work at his trade until the breaking out of the Rebellion, when he en-
listed in the 30th O. V. I., Compan\' D, and remained in the service
three years. He participated in all the battles the regiment w^as en-
gaged in until he left it. At'ter the war closed he devoted most of his
time to the management of his farm. Februar}- 24, 1842, he married
Harriet Ellison. She was of New England ancestry. She died live
months after their marriage. In October, 1843, he married Rachel
Minshel. Their children are Ezra E., married; Sarah F., married;
Harriet, died in infancy ; Mary E., married ; Emma, Walter S., mar-
ried ; Enoch H., Albert, deceased ; Charles W., and Bell.
Ricket, Ezra E., carpenter and undertaker, post office, Rendville,
Ohio ; was born Julv 13, 1844, in Oakheld, Perry county, Ohio ; son of
Abel and Rachel Ricket. Abel Ricket was a native of Washington
county, Penn. Ezra E. w^as brought up on a farm. August 12, 1862, he
enlisted in Company H^, 90th O. V. I., and was discharged June 23,
1865. He followed the fortunes of General Sherman's army in fifteen
general engagements, without being seriously wounded. At the battle
in front of Kenesaw Mountain he had the skin cut across the back part
of his neck by a ball from a sharp-shooter. On his return from the
army he engaged at carpenter work, w^hich he has followed to the pres-
ent time. He established his present business in this place in January,
1881. Mr. Ricket was first married March 15, 1866, to Miss Rachel,
daughter of Samuel and Mary (Straight) Green. They became the
parents of five children, viz. : Mary Ellen, Annie, Charles C, Samuel
T., and Leo Parker. Mr. Ricket's second wdfe was Ettie, daughter of
William and Maria (Tharp) Berrv. They are the parents of two chil-
dren, viz. : Albert D. and Laura Bell.
RicKETTS, Daniel, minister of the Gospel and farmer, post office,
McCuneville, Monda}' Creek township, Ohio ; was born December 28,
1812, in Randolph county, Virginia ; son of Ignatius and Margaret
(Poling) Ricketts, both of Maryland. Mr. Ricketts was brought up
on a farm, and has followed agricultural pursuits up to this time. Mr.
Ricketts came to Ohio with his father in the fall of 1816, who lived,
during that winter, near Dresden, Ohio, on Wakatomika Creek. The
next spring (1817) they moved to near Bremen, Ohio, where they lived
some two )-ears, in both Fairfield and Perrv counties. At that time
61
522 UIOGKAriilCAl. SKKTCHES.
they mov^ed to the sixteenth section of Jackson township, Perry county,
where Daniel, the subject of this sketch, lived until he was thirty-three
years of age, when he moved to the twelfth section of Monday Creek
township, where he had bought eighty acres of land the previous year,
and where he lias since lived ; he was obliged to labor, the first year
after his marriage, to get sufficient goods to set up housekeeping. Upon
coming to this tarm there were fifteen acres cleared, the remainder he
cleared up himself; and it took him thirteen years to pay a balance of
three hundred dollars he owed on the farm. After this he purchased as
follows : 40 acres in this township, first section, for $450, about the 3''ear
1850 ; 120 acres in Saltlick township, for $1,500, in 1852 ; 60 acres for
$700, in 1854 > ^^^ acres for $2,300. in Monday Creek township, about
1858 or i860 ; 40 acres for $570 ; 40 acres for $700 : 52^ acres in Jack-
son township, of which he inherited two-fifths and took the three-fifths at
the appraised valuation of $1,000; 20 acres for $400, about 1865 ; 50
acres for $1,000, in 1866: 126 acres for $3,000, about 1867 ; 159 acres
in Hocking count^s Ohio, southwest of Logan, for $4,500 cash, in 1875 '
a house and lot in New Straitsville, Ohio, for $500, about the same as
cash, and at this time owns 539 acres in all. The most of his land is
near and adjoining the first 80 acres that he bought. Considering the
mineral wealth, this land is worth $100 per acre. Mr. Ricketts has
given $450 to each of twelve families starting in life, and has assisted
in building all the churches in the vicinit}' where he lives. He joined
the Methodist Episcopal Church in his sixteenth year, and from his
twenty-second to his twenty-seventh year was class leader. Was
licensed to exhort by Rev. James Gurley, and afterwards to preach by
the Rev. M. C. Kellogg, both of the Ohio Conference. Continued as
local preacher twelve years, when he entered the traveling connection,
in 1852, and has filled the following appointments : Mt. Pleasant cir-
cuit, one year ; Nelsonville circuit, one year ; Logan circuit, six months ;
Nelsonville again, over one year ; New Baltimore, one year ; Fairview
circuit, two years ; Amesville circuit, one year ; again Nelsonville cir-
cuit, one year ; again to Amesville circuit, one year ; Plymouth circuit,
two years ; again at Fairview, two 3'ears ; again at Plymouth, one year ;
Maxville circuit, his home, one year ; one 3^ear did not travel ; Deaver-
town circuit, two years ; New Plymouth, Hocking county, one vear ;
Straitsville circuit, two years, and built the two churches, one in Straits-
ville and one in Shawnee ; again Mt. Pleasant, one year ; again with-
out a charge one year ; again New Pl3'^mouth, one year ; again without
a charge one year ; east end of Straitsville circuit, two years ; Asbury
circuit, Muskingum count3' ; and this year at home, now Junction Cit3'
circuit. In this work he probably has taken into membership of the
church from 3,000 to 4,000 persons. Mr. Ricketts was married Janu-
ary 31, 1833, to Lucy, daughter of Conrad and Lydia (Wicks) Wick-
iser. They are the parents of ten children now living, viz. : Benjamin,
who has been class leader in church some ten or twelve 3'ears ; Jacob
W., a local preacher; Francis Asbur3% William Cochran, a local
preacher; Matilda, James S., a traveling preacher; Samuel B., a trav-
eling preacher ; Thomas M., a traveling preacher ; Sophia Jane, Cyrus
B. ; six deceased, two of whom lived to manhood, John W., who was
licensed to exhort, and Daniel W. ; four died in childhood, Stephen
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 5^3
Hamilton, Lyclia, Levi Bartlett, and an infant. Six of his sons
were in the army during the late Rebellion — three in the three years'
service ; John W., who died in the army ; Francis A. and William C. ;
aqd three in the one hundred days' service, Benjamin, Jacob W., and
James. He also had two sons-in-law in the army ; one, William A.
Murphe}', in the three years' service, and one, William Terrell, in the
hundred da^^s' service. Mr. Ricketts has been a very successful minis-
ter, and all of his children, w4io lived to manhood and womanhood,
were converted from nine years to fifteen years of age. He certainly
has brought up a remarkably useful family, both in the service of the
church and of their countr^^ They truly have proved to be an exem-
plary familv.
RiuENouR, J. M., school teacher, post office, Maxville, Ohio; was
born April 15, 1854, ^" Jackson township. Perry county, Ohio; son of
Michael and Salome (Wolf) Ridenour. Mr. Ridenour was brought up
on a farm until he was seventeen years of age, when he went to New
Lexington and learned the baker and confectioner trade, after which
he worked at that business in New Straitsville, Ohio. At twenty-one
years of age he taught school at Junction Cit}^ In his twenty-second
year he attended high school in Logan, Ohio, after which he resumed
the teacher's occupation, which he has followed ever since. Was mar-
ried April 15, 1879, to Alice, daughter of Eli and Sarah A. (Ashbaugh)
Bell. They have one child, Samuel Winfield. Mr. Ridenour came
to Monday Creek township in i860, and located in Maxville, Ohio.
Was elected assessor in 1881, and re-elected in 1882.
RiNEHART, Jesse, was born November 26, 1806, in Greene county,
Pennsylvania ; son of Simon and Ann (Wise) Rinehart. He was brought
up on a farm and followed farming all his life. He came to Ohio in
1832 with his father, who bought eighty acres of land where Abraham
Park now lives, and also owned eighty acres that he afterward bought,
now joining the Hillis farm, and also owned by A. Parks, but lived on
the first eight}' acres that he bought up to the time of his death, which
occurred January i, 1853. In 1832 Mr. Rinehart, the subject of this
sketch, went into business for himself, buying one hundred acres
where his family still lives, and adjoining the first eighty acres owned
by his father, and afterward bought forty acres now owned by Simon
Keener, and twenty acres now owned by Mary Fickle. There were only
ten of the one hundred acres cleared when he bought it, and he
cleared the other ninety acres and supplanted the log house by a neat
frame dwelling, in which he lived up to the time of his death, March i,
1880. Mr. Rinehart was married the first time in 1832 to Miss Eliza-
beth, daughter of Solomon and Ann Hoge. They became the parents
of two children, viz. : Mary Ann and Nancy, living, and three deceas-
ed, one infant son, Solomon and Simon. Elizabeth, wife of Jesse Rine-
hart, died September 20, 1845. Mr. Rinehart was married the second
time, April 8, 1849, ^^ Miss Sarah, daughter of Nathaniel and Louisa
(Scott) Short. Mrs. Rinehart was born October 14, 1824, in Dela-
ware, and came to Ohio in 1840 with her parents, who settled in New
Lexington, Ohio, and lived in this count}' about eighteen months, when
the}' moved to Muskingum county. Ohio, where they lived about four
years and returned to this township, where she was married. By his
524 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
last marriage he was blessed with eleven children, viz.: Loiiilln, de-
ceased; Dollie, Jesse, deceased; Charlie Winget, Allie Jackson, Sarah
Florence, two infant sons, twins, deceased : Todd, deceased ; Nathaniel
and Horace.
RiNKEU. Wesley, engineer. Pike township. New Lexington, Ohio ;
was born February 30, 183 1, in Perry county, Ohio; son of William
and Sarah (Chillcoat) Rinker. Mr. Rinker was raised an engineer and
has made this the principal business of his life. He was married in
April, 1856, to Mary J., daughter of Jefferson and Jane (Bell) Hitch-
cock, of his native county. They are the parents of eight children, now
living, viz. : Elizabeth, Benjamin, Caleb F., John, Mary E., Sarah,
Samuel and Jennie Bell. Mr. Rinker has been a resident of this coun-
ty all his life, with the exception of two years he soent in Hocking
county. Ohio, running a saw mill, and has been a resident of New Lex-
ington for about twenty 3'ears, past fourteen years of this time he ran an
engine at Arnold's mill. He now owns eight lots in Bastian's addition,
upon one of which he has built a good dwelling, where he now lives.
He also owns sixteen acres near the fair ground. Thus he is situated
to enjoy life.
RissLKR, Edw'ard T.,of the firm of Huston & Rissler, druggists,
New Lexington, Ohio, was born January 3, 1831, in Richland town-
ship, Fairfield county. Ohio ; son of Thomas and Margery (Drily) Riss-
ler, of English ancestrv. Edward T. was brought up and remained on
the farm until 1866. He followed teaching school in the winter and
farming in the summer for about eighteen years. In 1865 Mr. R.
located in Reading township, this county, and came to this place in
January, 1876, when the present firm was formed. Mr. Rissler v/as
Auditor of the county in i87i,and re-elected in 1873. Mr. Rissler
was married April 14, 1865, to Miss Kate A., daughter of Samuel and
Emily (Keys) Barbee. The}- are the parents of two children, viz. :
Thomas Charles and E. Ross.
Rissler, Thomas J., hardware merchant and agricultural imple-
ments; born 1835, in Richland township, Fairfield count}- Ohio, resi-
idence, Thornville, Ohio ; son of Thomas Rissler, a native of Pennsyl-
vania, who came to Ohio at an early da}-, and died in 1870 in his seven-
ty-ninth year. His first wife died leaving four children, viz. : Mary,
wife of L. M. Wilson, Oceola, Iowa ; William, Greenup, Illinois ; John,
deceased, and James. The second wife was Margary Dail3% who died
about eleven years after her husband, leaving the following children:
Dr. Rissler, Newark ; Edward Rissler, New Lexington : C. D. Rissler,-
Oceola, Iowa ; Louisa, wife of Joshua Linville : Ella, wife of Dr.
Thomas; Nathaniel, Greenville, Ohio, and Thomas J., who was mar-
ried in i860 to Melissa A. Martin, daughter of Ellison Martin ; he moved
to Thornville in 1872, where he engaged in business, which has been
increasing and profitable. The Rissler name is connected with both
political parties. Father Thomas Rissler and family were of the Meth-
odist Episcopal Church. He was distinguished for his honesty and
the hospitality of his home was proverbial. C. D. and Nathaniel serv-
ed in the Seventeenth O. V. I. to the end of the war. Thomas J. and
his w'ife have two sons, Edward, now of age, and Ellison, now thirteen.
They have also three daughters. Miss Sallie, Miss Bessie and Miss Nellie.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 5*^5
Roberts, John T., collier, Shawnee, Ohio, was born September
i8, 1827, in Anglesey, North Wales; son of Thomas and Gwen
(Ishmall) Roberts. Was married and lived in Anglesey until he was
eighteen years of age, working in copper mines from the age of nine
years, after which he was employed as follows : Carmarthenshire,
working on railroad tunnel three 3'ears ; Myrtha-tidvil Glamorganshire,
mining iron ore four years. At this time he returned home and was
married Jul}- 22, 1854, ^*^ Catharine, daughter of Thomas R. and Jane
(Jones) Thomas. They are the parents of two children, Thomas and
Jane, deceased. After his marriage he remained in Anglesey about
three 3'ears. Worked on breakwater at Holly head, that cost $100,000,
for about twenty vears in building. In Staffordshire, England, about
fifteen years mining coal, except about two years and six months he
spent in Liverpool, where he was employed in corporation warehouses.
At this time he emigrated to America, landing in New York, Decem-
ber 2g, 1870, and went to Pomeroy, Ohio, where he mined coal seven
months, when he went to Coalton, Kentucky, mined coal about five
months and returned to Pomeroy, where he stayed about nine months,
and then to New Straitsville, mining about eighteen months, when he
moved to Shawnee, where he has since remained, employed as aminer,
eight years. In Staffordshire, he was leader of a church choir about
twelve years and is leader of a choir in the Welch church of this place.
RocKHOLD, Jesse, farmer and shoemaker, post office, Rehoboth,
Clayton township ; born in Maryland in 1818. Settled in Perry county
in 1854; son of Elijah and Rachel (Hitchcock) Rockhold. The form-
er died about the year 186S ; the latter about the year 1858. Married
in April, 1854 ^^ Miss Augusta Hitchcock, daughter of Israel and Corne-
lia Hitchcock. They are the parents of three children, viz. : Luressa
E., Delilah H., one not named ; two are dead. Mr. Rockhold's father
was in the War of 181 2.
RoDGERS, Joseph D., real estate, stock and grain dealer, Corning,
Ohio: son of Joseph and Catharine (Smith) Rodgers. Joseph Rod-
gers, Sr., came to Perry count}^ Ohio, from Wheeling, West Virginia,
about the year 1831, with his father, Joseph Rodgers, and located, first
on the west side of Monroe township. When Joseph, Sr., married he
located about one half mile west of Corning, Ohio. The entire town is
built on lands formerly owned by him. He followed agriculture and
husbandry, by which he acquired an ample competency. Joseph D.
Rodgers, the subject of this sketcii, was married February 29, 1872, to
Miss Adaline, daughter of V. W. and Ellen (Vanferson) Lewis, of
Muskingum county, Ohio. They are the parents of three children,
viz. : Chester Allen, Sheldon M. and George Lee.
Rodgers, Chari.es M., stock dealer, Valle}- Falls, Jefferson county,
Kansas, was born September 6, 1845, in Monroe township, Peny
county, Ohio ; son of Joseph and Catharine (Smith) Rodgers. Charles
M. wasbroughtup on a farm in his native township ; located in Jefferson
countv, Kansas, in 1878, where he was married March 7, 1878, to Miss
Florence, daughter of E. H. and Amanda (Law) Watkins. They are
the parents of two children, Mettie Dell and Everett Garfield.
Rodgers, Nelson L., Corning, Ohio, was born August 17, 1852, in
Monroe township. Perry county, Ohio: son of Joseph and Catharine
526 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
(Smith) Rodgers. Nelson L. was brought up in his native township,
and was married September 18, 1873, to Miss Margaret, daughter of
James and Eliza (Nedgar) Cain, of Homer township, Morgan county,
Ohio, of Scotcli-Irish ancestry. Thev are the parents of three children,
Granville J., deceased, Lily Viola and Jessie Cloe.
Rogers, Nelson, retired farmer and stock dealer, Corning, Ohio,
was born May 6, 1826, in Wheeling, West Virginia, son of Joseph and
Elizabeth Rogers, who were natives of Fayette county Penns3^1vania.
Elizabeth Rogers, named above, was daughter of Captain William
Hane3^ The parents of Nelson Rogers moved to near Rehoboth,
Clayton township. Perry county, Ohio, when he was but four months
old. Here they remained three years, then came to Monroe township,
where Nelson has made his home to the present time, excepting two
years of his boyhood spent in Alliens county, Ohio. Mr. Rogers'
early life was spent in real pioneer st3'le. Then the deer, bear, wild
hog and wild turkey were abundant in the woods of Monroe township.
Game was so plenty as at times to be killed for sport and not used.
When young he has gone alone, coon hunting, at night, and caught
more coons than he could carry home with him. He has lived to see
those rough and hardy pioneer times and customs change to the mod-
ern advanced customs and luxuries of the present times. Mr. Rogers
has given his attention to agriculture and stock dealing, and by honest
industry and intelligent econom}^ he has obtained an ample competence
for himself and family. He owns two hundred and forty-six acres of
the valuable mineral land, situated between Corniug and Rendville,
Ohio, and eighty acres of equalh' as good mineral land situated about
one mile from the above tract. Mr. Rogers was married December
28, 1851, to Miss Miram Elma. daughter of Jesse and Epsey (Batton)
Sanders. The^^ are the parents of six children, viz. : Sarah Epsey,
Kelita Austin, Benj. F., Abish Lincol, David Merchant and Ida May.
Rogers, Kelita Austin, farm.er, Corning, Ohio, was born August
5, 1855, in Monroe township, Ohio, son of Nelson and Miram Elma
(Sanders) Rogers. Austin was brought up on the farm, but has
learned the carpenter's trade and understands coal mining. Mr.
Rogers was married October 12, 1879, ^^ Miss Hannah, daughter of
Avery and Sarah (Taggart) West, of Morgan county, Ohio. They
are the parents of one child, viz. : James Delmer.
Rose, Ezekiel, Bearfield township, Portersville post office, farmer,
born in this township October 25, 1818, son of Ezekiel and Sarah
(Thorp) Rose ; father of English and rfiother of Welsh descent. When
the subject of this sketch attained manhood he went to Iowa and lived
at Fort Des Moines several years. He went to California in 1849.
Worked in the mines one ^^ear, and the rest of the four ^^ears he re-
mained in California he kept store and a butcher shop. He was
on the site of Sacramento City, before the first house was
built there. He then returned to Bearfield township, bought a farm
and has resided there ever since. June 26, 1855, he married Adaline
V. Skinner, daughter of Amos and Margaret A. (Murrey) Skinner.
They are the parents of the following named children: Pleasant A.,
married to James E. Stoneburner, of this township; Sadie M.. school
teacher: Edward J., school teacher; and two died in infancy.
HISTORY OF PERKY COUInT\ . 527
Rowan, E. J., book keeper, school teacher and civil engineer,
Shawnee, Ohio ; was born December 23, 1830, in count}' Mayo, Ire-
land, son of Edward and Catharine (Mutowny) Rowan. Was raised
a farmer and followed agricultural pursuits until 1840, when he emi-
grated to America, landing at New York October 8, 1840 ; remained
near Syracuse, New York, about four years and engaged at farming ;
from there he went to Baltimore, Mar3dand, where he remained two
years, working and visiting relatives. He next found his way to
"Pittsburgh, Penns3dvania. April, 1846. remaining with his brother
about one year, and then went to Rochester, Penns3dvania, where he
went into partnership in a general merchandise store with his brother,
wherfe he remained about one year, and went to Steubenville, Ohio, in
1850, where he practiced engineering on the extension of the Pitts-
burgh and Cleveland Railroad, and was foreman of the survey, which
employed him about one 3?ear. After this he returned to Pennsylvania
and studied surveying with a farmer by the name of Richard D.
Hudson, working on the farm to pay for his instructions, and remained
about one year. At this time the same railroad that he had been work-
ing upon again opened and he was employed as division engineer, with
the Honorable Israel Linton, of Ravenna, Ohio, where he remained
two years; thence to locate the railroad from Pittsburgh to Rochester,
Pennsylvania, taking him six weeks, and then for four months calcu-
lated tables of quantities. Again at Steubenville, Ohio, working in
3^ards of what was then the Steubenville and Indiana Railroad, and now
commonly known as the Pan-Handle Route, about one month ; next he
went to Xenia, Ohio, clerking and engineering for the Little Miami
Railroad, from April, 1858, to April, 1859; fi'o^^ thence to Cincinnati,
Ohio, still keeping books for the same company, regulating their time,
etc. ; continued about two years, during which time he surveyed a road
from Richmond, Indiana, to Indianapolis, Indiana, requiring about six
weeks ; again returned to Xenia, and from that time until 1872 was with
same road ; and owned property in Xenia. From Xenia he went to
the tunnel on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Straitsville Division, as
watchman, and "from there came to Shawnee where he drew maps of
the Shawnee Valley mine,* Fannie Furnace mine, platted the cemetery,
and surveyed the streets and directed their grading of Shawnee. He
is now teaching a night select school and a class of four students in
geometry and trigonomety. Was married August 5, 1857 j to Ann
Jane, daughter of Thomas and Catharine (Bieen) McCoy, of Pitts-
burgh, Pennsylvania. They become the parents of eight children,
viz. : Catharine F., Mary Ann, Ellen Agnes, Emily Jane, Edward,
John Martin, Thomas William, deceased, Anna Jane, deceased. Mrs.
Rowan died December 27, 1874, '^ged thirt\'-four years, nine months.
Ruddock, George, farmer, post office Shawnee, Ohio ; was born
April, 1827, in Halcombe, Somersetshire, England ; son of Solomon
and Mar}^ (Taylor) Ruddock. Mr. Ruddock lived with his father un-
til he was eighteen years of age and was emploj-ed in mines at eight
years of age, working in Holcombe about twelve years and in Norton
parish ; the balance of the time he remained with his father. At the time
of leaving his father's home he engaged with a mining company, of
Monmouthshire, where he remained twenty years and was engaged
528 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
with Myrtha Coal Company four years, and in mines until 1872, when
he emigrated -to America, landing in New York in July, 1872, and
went to Dudley, Huntington county, Pennsylvania, where he engaged
in mining for John Whitehead and Company, for about two years,
wiien he came to Shawnee, Ohio, where he mined about one year, and
since whicli time he has been farming, and now is living in Shawnee,
where he enjovs his own house, erected in 1881. Was married May,
1857, to Mary, daughter ot Samuel and Ann (Dore) Green. They
are the parents of seven children, viz. : Elizabeth Ann, William
Jonah, Samuel George, Mary Jane. Robert, Martha and Thomas
Dore, and one deceased, William.
Russell, W. H., was born in 1841, in Somerset, Oiiio, where he 3et
resides. His father, William Russell, is a native of New Jersey, and
lost his father early in life, his mother surviving her husband for some
years. He came to Ohio a few years prior to 1840, in which year he
became the husband of Elizabeth, daughter of the late venerable Drurv
Harper, of Somerset. She had two brothers in the. Mexican War, both
having contracted disease there which cut short their lives. She has
one sister, Mrs. Trunnell, now of the State of Missouri. W. H. Rus-
sell is the eldest of eight sons, all living in Ohio, except Edward, now in
the vState of Texas. There are two sisters of these sons, one the wife
of W. H. Walker, and the other of Albert May, both residing in Som-
erset. W. H. Russell volunteered in Company G, Thirty-tirst Regi-
ment, O. V. I., in 1861, and ser\ed to the close of the war in 1865. In
1867, hf! was married to Miss Katharine Murphy, by whom he became
the father of one son and one daughter. In 1878, this affectionate and
estimable lady was called hence by death, and Mr. Russell has remain-
ed a widower since then. His son and daughter lind a pleasant home
with their grandparents, where also Mr. Russell liimself has established
his residence, and where two of his younger brothers remain also. In
the year 1866, in partnership with his brother-in-law, W. H. Walker,
their business as shoemakers and merchants began on a small capital
which each had saved up from his earnings, prior to that date, and
which has now so accumulated that, measured b}^ their taxes, which
are over $100 a year, certifies their success. «
RuTTER, Walter, of the firm of Wilson & Rutter, butchers, New
Lexington, Ohio ; was born March 25, 1828, in Newton township, Mus-
kingum county, Ohio; son of Benjamin and Sarah (Muse) Rutter, na-
tives of Maryland. At the age of seventeen Walter came to Clayton
township, where he followed farming until he vvas fort3'-five years of
age, when he came to this place and established his j^resent business.
Mr. Wilson became partner in December, 1881. Mr. Rutter was mar-
ried in March, 1850, to Miss Jane, daughter ot Samuel and Barzilla
(Crogs) Croskev. They are the parents of three children, viz. : Sa-
mantha Alice, and Ida, and May, twins, who died in infancy.
Ryan, William J., druggist, Junction City, Ohio; son of Roday
and Mary (Donley) Ryan ; was born August 14, 1831, in this county ;
began working at the tanning business when sixteen years of age, and
followed the same until about the age of twenty-one, then attended
school for one year, after which he went to St. Joseph's College
one year, then went to Jackson county, Iowa, and followed farming two .
HISTORY OF PERRY COtjNTV. 5^9
years, from there to Knox county, Missouri, and then April 20, 1861,
started for California, driving through with a wagon via Salt Lake.
Was three months reaching Virginia Cit}^ Nevada ; stayed there for a
time, and then went to California and stayed two years ; landed therein
Sacramento City, at the time of the flood ; he engaged in the wood trade
while there. Then came to Virginia City, and opened a feed stable, in
partnership with Mathevv Gisborn,and followed it two years ; then went to
San Francisco, and from there to New York, via the Isthmus, and
from there to this county: followed farming, and serving nine years aj
Justice of the Peace; established himself in the drug business in Junc-
tion Citv, in April, 1876, and has the largest stock of drugs and notions
in town. He was married in 1854, to Helen, daughter of Levi and Ann
(Lily) Burgoon ; they are the parents of eleven children, ten living, six
boys and four girls, viz. : Mary A., Levi L, Thomas A., Elizabeth L.,
John F., Mark^G., Joseph J., Lucy F., Hiram E., Sarah J. Levi is in
the Lidian Territory. Thomas A. is one of the otlicers at the Insane
Asylum. Mr. Ryan's father and mother were born in Ireland.
Ryland, Charles H., Justice of the Peace and farmer, post office
Roseville, Muskingum countv, Ohio; born in Cumberland, Maryland,
in 1843 ; came to Perry county, in 1874; ^^^ ^^ Samuel and Mary A.
Ryland. Married in 1868, to Miss Mattie E. Melick, daughter of Wil-
liam and Anna Melick. The^^ are the parents of two children, viz. :
Eva A. and Stephen M. Mr. Ryland is at present serving as Justice of
the Peace of Harrison township.
Saffell, Mary R., farmer's wite, Pike township, Lexington, Ohio ;
was born November 22, 1818, in Frederick county, Marj'land ; daugh-
ter of Thomas H. and Melinda (Harrison) Miller. Mrs. Saffell was
raised a farmer's daughter and has lived on a farm all her life. Her
father brought her with the rest of his famih' to this State in an early
day, when, there yet remained a few Indians, to be seen occasionally.
She was married January 11, 1838, to Samuel, son of Amos and Mary
(Lemon) Saffell, who died and left her a widow. Mrs. Saffell has lived
in this county since her marriage, and is now living on the Josiah Grimes
farm, that she is having farmed at this date. She has seventeen chil-
dren by her only marriage, as follows: Mary J., Martha, Rhoda,
Jehu, Louisa, Caroline, Reuben, Harriet Ann, William Horace, Char-
lotte M., (with twin sister, who died in infancy), J«imes C, Samuel
H., Silas A. and Rebecca E., are living, and Reuben, Jno. Thomas
and Velinda C. are dead. Mrs. SaffelFs father, Thomas H. Mills, is
now living with her, and is ninet3"-four years of age, and one of the old-
est residents in the county.
Saltsman, Maria, Pike township. New Lexington, Ohio ; was
born January 26, 1832, in Somerset, this county ; was married in 1851,
to Andrew Saltsman, of Jefferson count}-, Ohio. They are the parents
of two children, who are living, Charles Wesley and Nancy Jane. Mrs.
Saltsman has always been a citizen of her native county, and has lived
in New Lexington, Ohio, for the last ten years of her life, and lived on
a farm during her married life previous to her going to this city. Her
husband enlisted in the three years service during the late Rebellion,
and died in the hospital of typhoid fever in 1864. Her son enlisted
some nine years ago, from whom she has not heard up to the present
52
530 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
time. By economy she now enjoys a pleasant home of her own on
Railroad street, where she now lives with her daughter and son-in-law.
Few can boast of so much patriotism of their family as can Mrs. Salts-
man, all of her support having been given that could be offered by her.
Sanders, Benjamin, farmer, Monroe township. Hemlock, Ohio ;
was born January 5, 1823, in Columbiana county, Ohio; son of Jesse
and Epsie (Batton; Sanders. He was brought up on a farm and follow-
ed agricultural pursuits until he was twentv-three or twent^'-four years
of age, when he went to Ringold, Morgan count}', Ohio, and engaged
in the mercantile business, in which he remained about five years. Mr.
Sander's father brought him to this county when he was about seven
years of age, and bought forty acres, and entered eighty acres of land
at the same time, but sold out in about six months afterward and went
to Morgan county, Ohio ; after remaining in Morgan county about eigh-
teen months he returned to this county, and again took possession of
the same farm because of the man who purchased it being unable to
meet the payments. After returning he made this his home as long as
he lived, and increased his possessions to five hundred acres of land, a
part of which is now owned by his son, Benjamin, who lived with him
until he went to Morgan county, Ohio, where he went into the mercan-
tile business. Sold out in Morgan county in 183 1, and returned to this
count}-, buying a part of his father's farm ; engaged in agriculture and
stock dealing, for about twenty years. He then bought the grist mill
at Sulphur Springs and moved it to Hemlock. Has been the manager
of a store in Hemlock for the past four years, which he owns. Has also
been postmaster in Hemlock for the past five years. He now owns
about three hundred acres in Saltlick and Monroe townships, and form-
erly owned about five hundred acres, selling part of the same to the
Ohio Central Coal Company, that Buckingham is now built upon and
where shaft No. 19 is now being operated. He was married
to Susanna (Wood) Smith, of Belmont county, Ohio, who was a
resident of this county at the time of her marriage. They are the par-
ents of nine living children, viz.: William M., C. T., Spencer S.,
Sarah, Emeline, Elma, Almeda, Viola and Etta, and three dead, Epsie,
Cynthia and Louvina Alice.
Sanders, Thomas M., proprietor of drv goods and family grocery
store, near depot. New Lexington, Ohio. Mr. Sanders was born Feb-
ruary 28, 1835, ^^ Pike township ; son of John and Mary (Fealty) San-
ders, natives of Pennsylvania. Thomas M. was brought up on a farm,
but followed various occupations. He railroaded in Wisconsin and
Minnesota, being employed in the latter State when she repudiated her
railroad bonds. Mr. Sanders began his present business in 1873, at
Rehoboth where he remained about four and one-half years, after which
he came to his present location, where he is doing a good business.
Sanders, William Miles, merchant. Hemlock, Ohio ; was born,
February 25, 1843, in Perry county, Ohio ; son of Benjamin and Susan-
nah (Smith) Sanders. Was brought up on a farm, and followed agri-
cultural pursuits until 1861, when he enlisted in Company C, Seven-
teenth Regiment, O. V. I. ; served his term of enlistment in Virginia,
and was honorably discharged at Zanesville, Ohio. He then re-enlist-
ed in Company D, Thirty-first Regiment, O. V. I., for three years or
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 531
during thfe war, and served until September, 1862, when he enlisted at
Nashville, Tennessee, in Company M, U. S. Cavalry, for three years,
from which service he was discharged at San Antonia, Texas, Decem-
ber 18, 1865. While in O. V. I., he was engaged in the following bat-
tles : Mill Springs, Siege of Corinth, Perryville, Shepherdsville, Cage's
Ford, battle of Stone River. While he was in the cavahy service, he
was in the following engagements : Chickamauga, and was on Sher-
man's march to the sea; and fell back to Nashville, and was in the
bat.le between Hood and Thomas; and in Wilson's famous cavalry
raid. His regiment captured Andersonville, took Wertz, the com-
mander, prisoner; was captured April 18, and was held a prisoner at
Libby for six da^'s, when he was paroled, and in about one month re-
joined his company, with which he remained until he was discharged,
excepting one month, when he was put on detached duty as escort for
General Corse, to carry dispatches from Nashville, Tennessee, to a point
three hundred miles up Red River. Upon his discharge from the ser-
vice, he returned home and remained four weeks, when he went to New
Pittsburg, Indiana, where he was married, August 31, 1866, to Miss
Elizabeth A., daughter of Allen Fowler. They are the parents of four
children, viz. : Spencer E., Martin L., Rasilla V., and Benjamin A.,
all born in Clark county, Iowa. In the fall of 1866, he went to Clark
county, Iowa, where he purchased a farm, upon which he lived until
1877, when he went to Johnson county, Nebraska. In the following
year he again moved to Rush county, Kansas, remaining until January,
1880, and returned by wagon to St. Louis, Missouri ; then by boat to
Cincinnati, from where he drove home in a wagon to the old homestead,
reaching his destination August, i§8o. In the following September he
purchased his present store. Mr. Sanders was the Greenback candi-
date of this county, in the fall of 1881, for Representative.
Sanders, Spencer Smith, miller. Saltlick township ; post office,
Hemlock, Ohio ; was born March 18, 1847, in Monroe township, this
county; son of Benjamin and Susannah (Smith) Sanders. Mr. San-
ders was brought up on a farm, and followed agricultural pursuits until
about four years ago, when he took charge of the Hemlock mill, to
which he has given his attention up to this time. In the fall of 1864,
Mr. Sanders enlisted in Company G, Twenty-fifth Regiment, O. V. I.,
for one 3'ear, and was in the battle of Honey Hill, where he received a
flesh wound in the arm, which disabled him for three months, when he was
in general hospital. Upon his recovery he rejoined his regiment, served
out his time and was discharged, by reason of expiration of term of en-
listment, when he returned home and engaged in farming, until as
above stated. He has served his township as trustee about four years.
Mr. Sanders was married August 29, 1867, to Victoria, daughter of
Reuben and Hester Ann (Cannon) Primrose, of this townsWp formerly,
but was a resident of Nelsonville, Athens count}-, Ohio, at the time of
her marriage, where she was living with her brother, Isaac P. Prim-
rose. Thev are the parents of five children, viz. : Anna Laura, Frank-
Hn Geddis/Edwin L., Ohve Clyde, and Mattie M.
Sansom, R. C, post master, Shawnee, Ohio; was born December
21, 1837, ^^ Tredegar, Wales ; son of Richard and Elizabeth (Woods)
Sansom. Mr. Sansom emigrated to America with his parents in 1840,
532 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
who first settled in Montreal, Canada, where they abode some three
years, when they came to the United States of America, settling near
Cumberland, Alleghany count}', Maryland, living at this place until
about 1857. At this time he went to Piedmont, Hampshire county.
West Viiginia, where he learned the machinist's trade, serving three
years ; and where he was at the time of the breaking out of the Rebel-
lion, when he enlisted with the Eleventh Regiment, Indiana V. I., and
served during the three months' service, for which he received no pay ;
and afterward enlisted with the Second Regiment, Maryland V. I., for
the term of three years, and served two or three months over his time,
in the armies of the Potomac and West Virginia, at which time he re-
ceived an honorable discharge and returned home. Daring this service
he was once wounded at Snickers Gap, but which left no permanent in-
jur3^ Yet he contracted a disease, which has since proven to be vari-
cose veins of the limbs, and it so much disables him. that he is now un-
able to do much of an}- kind of business. He enlisted as a private, and
was discharged as first lieutenant. Upon receiving his discharge, he
returned home, and soon after he moved to Bedford county, Pennsylva-
nia, where he engaged in farming, for about three years, and then
moved to Clearfield county, Pennsylvania, and was engaged as clerk
in a coal company's store, and as weighmaster for about two years and
six months. At this time he came to Shawnee, Ohio, and employed as
weighmaster and shipping clerk for the Shawnee Valley Coal and Iron
Company, from 1873 to 1881, when he was appointed postmaster at this
place. Was married June 5, 1867, to Mary E., daughter of Samuel
and Lucinda (Harden) Close. They are the parents of six children,
viz.: Samuel R. P., Elizabeth H., deceased; George T., Ida M.,
Charles W., and John T.
Sawyer, Charles H., tonsorial artist, Corning, Ohio: was born
December 24, 1836, in Gillford count}^ North Carolina ; son of William
and Merina (Mitchell) Sawyer. Charles H. was brought up on the farm
until fourteen years of age, when he went to his trade ; and has worked
at it in most of the principal cities of Indiana and Ohio, also in the city
of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He came to his present location in May,
1880. Mr. Saw^^er was married November 25, 1857, to Miss Eva C.,
daughter of William and Mary (Ludington) Townsend, of Oxford,
Butler county, Ohio. The\^ are the parents of three children, viz. :
Ida B., Calvin, deceased, and Dora L.
Sawyer, E. Ogden, M. D., Corning, Ohio; was born November
29, 1851, in Cincinnati, Ohio; son of Joseph O., and Mary Elizabeth
(Stephens) Sawyer. The doctor was brought up in St. Louis, Missouri,
until the age of fourteen, after which time he resided in Cincinnati and
Columbus, Ohio. He began the study of medicine April i, 1878, with
Dr. Halderman of Columbus, Ohio, and was graduated at Starling
Medical College, at Columbus, Ohio, in tiie spring of 1880. Practiced
first in Richmond, Indiana. Came to this place, January 2, 1882. Dr.
Sawyer was married April 28, 1S80, to Sarah R. Hall, M. D., of Salem,
Columbiana county, Ohio. She is a graduate of the Friends' Semi-
nary at Mt. Pleasant, Ohio ; also attended two courses of lectures at the
Woman's Medical College at Philadelphia. Pennsylvania ; and is at
present ph3'sician at the Girls' Industrial Home at Delaware, Ohio,
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 533
ScALLOisr, Thomas, born 1821, in Washington,' D. C.,- where his
father, James, and his mother, Mary Scallon, arrived in 1819, from
Wexford county, Ireland. His mother was a daughter of Patrick Red-
mond, and the "sister of George Redmond, former Treasurer of Perry
county, and of John Redmond, for many years a Justice of the Peace
in Muskingum county. Her sisters are 'Bridget and Ann, now the wife
of George Brehm, and Catharine, the deceased wife of the late vener-
able Miles Cluney ; and Peggy, widow of the late John Dittoe. The
children of Mrs. Scallon are Thomas and Mrs. Mary Ann Echenrode,
late of this county, and the mother of Thomas and Mary Echenrode,
her only children. Thomas Scallon was married in 1843, to Miss Mary,
daughter of John Dittoe. His children are: Mary; James, a plasterer
by trade, post office, Lancaster ; Rev. Thomas, a Dominican priest at
St. Joseph's ; Helen, a nun of St. Francis De Sales, Newark, Ohio,
and known there as sister Genevieve ; Miss Anna, and George, post
office, Somerset, Ohio. Thomas Scallon came to Perry county in 1829,
when only eight years of age, and has resided on the same farm over
fifty years, occupying the ancestral acres of his father, James Scallon,
who deceased seven years after his settlement thereon, in sight of Som-
erset. He has improved the old homestead with excellent buildings ;
served for many 3/ears as township assessor, several times performing
all the work himself; so that faithfulness in office and to his duties as a
private citizen, are among the virtues unanimously accorded to him.
Schneider, Louis, Bearlield township ; post office, Portersville,
Ohio. He is a farmer now, and followed merchandising thirteen years
at Portersville. He was born in Baden, Germany, in 1825 ; son of
Francis P. and Marv (Euhert) Schneider. He emigrated to this coun-
try in 1854 '■> h)cated at Portersville ; stayed in his brother's store the first
winter, and then he went into business for himself. Mr. Schneider now
owns four hundred and ninety-six acres of land, being one of the wealth-
iest and most successful farmers in the township. In 1855, he married
Mary C. Reimond. of Deavertown. They are the parents of the fol-
lowing named children : William F., Annie L., deceased ; Frank J.,
Leo L., George Otto, and Charles Reimond. His wife died in 1872.
He married Ellen Cunningham, of Muskingum county, in 1873. They
have one child, Michael A.
Scott, Martin F.. merchant; born in Ohio county, West Virgin-
ia, in 1812. Son of Mathew Scott, born in Kilkenney ; and Elizabeth
Lacy Scott, born in Wicklow county, Ireland ; came to this country in
1800. His father was an officer in the English Army, and was present
at the trial of Robert Emmett, an incident of his life to which he ever
after referred to with emotions of sorrow. He began mercantile life
in Baltimore, Maryland, and about the year 1808, removed to Wheel-
ing, West Virginia, bought a farm on the Ohio side of the river, but re-
sided on the Virginia side, where Martin was born. This careful,
cautious, honest and successful man was bred to the mercantile life,
which he yet pursues in his old age. He came to Somerset in 1838,
after the death of his mother in 1837, intending to go to New Orleans.
He changed his course to Iowa, intending to purchase land, and turn
his occupation to that of a farmer. In the Des Moines valley he called at a
house ; a woman with a child in her arms responded. He inquired of
534 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
her if there was any land to enter in this beautiful part of the State. ''Are
you one of those land grabbers ?" was the greeting. " What does that
mean, madam ?" " One of those speculators who buy large tracts here
and prevent the settlement of the country." "No," said Mr. Scott,
" I intend settling here if I buy." And then, eyeing the woman more
closely, he said, "your name was Johnson and I sold 3'ou 3^our wedding
dress." "Then your name is Martin Scott," exclaimed the lady, as
she rushed forward to welcome him. He selected a section of land.
Nothing but gold and silver and Missouri bank notes would be receiv-
ed at the land office ; scores of buyers were there waiting for the sales
to open. Plowing around one acre and la3-ing down four logs made a
squatter's claim, and many made these claims, sold out and then moved
on. The land sales were postponed, and Mr. Scott says, "That act of
Van Buren's administration turned n)y feet back to Somerset, and he
shall have the blame or the honor of my being here." While yet a
lad he was sent from Belmont county to St. Joseph's in Perry county,
to learn his catechism, the distance being over one hundi'ed miles, and
the road from Somerset to the church, a path cut tiirough the woods.
He was united in marriage with Cecelia Diitoe, daughter of Peter Dit-
toe, of Mt. Harrison, May 3, 1S42. Their children are, viz. : Albert,
bred to the law, and who died at his father's residence, June 5, 1880,
leaving a widow and a son, Albert, both now in Washington. D. C. ;
Thomas, commercial traveler, single ; Lewis,-married, residence Chi-
wa-hua-hua, Mexico, (pronounced Che-wah-wah), merchant, banker
and miner; Philip, clerk, at home, single. The daughters are, Mary,
Lizzie and Dora, all single and at home. The family has had excellent
opportunities for education, and all his sons exhibit commendable
traits of business.
Scott, John W., collier, Shawnee, Ohio; was born April 13, i860,
in Caxhoe, count}^ of Durham, England ; son of George and Isabel
(Richison) Scott. Mr. Scott was raised in his native count}', and re-
mained there until he was nineteen years of age, when he emigrated to
America, landing in New York October 3, 1879, and came direct to
Shawnee, where he mined eight or nine months, when he went to
Straitsville, and mined about one year, and from thence to Floodwood,
remaining a short time, after which he went to Rendville, where he has
been employed up to the present time, and is now engaged at Beard's
shaft. His parents still live in Crook, county Duriiam, England.
Secrist, Alexander, engineer, Shawnee, Ohio; was born July
12, 1845, at Bloom Furnace, Lawrence county, Ohio; son of George
and Mar}/ Jane (Woodruff) Secrist; was brought up about a furnace,
and has made furnace work the business of his life. At the age of nine
years, he ran an engine at the old Jackson Furnace, Jackson county,
Ohio, where he was engaged for five years. At this time he enlisted in
Company L Fifth Regiment Virginia Volunteer Infantry, as fife Major,
remaining three years, and was taken prisoner between Winchester and
Bunker Hill, and was taken to Currantstown, above Winchester and
confined in an old mill, where he remained about six days, when he
slipped out of a hole, caused by some siding being broken off, unob-
served by the guard, and went down under the water-wheel, where he
remained until ten o'clock at night, when he passed out of the camp.
HISTORY OF PEURY COUNTY. 535
climbing over some of the sleeping enemy and traveling till near morn-
ing, when he hid under some hay in a barn. The enemy took hay from
the same mow that day, but did not discover him. The next night he
went to a house to get something to eat, when he discovered two Rebel
officers inside ; he beat a hasty retreat and hid under a sLraw^ stack
until the next night, and for four days he only had blackberries and
roasted corn to eat. Upon again traveling, he reached North Moun-
tain, and wandered night after night, often coming to camps and shun-
ning them until he reached the Union lines. The tirst meal he got to
eat, after getting away from the mill, was given to him by a negro
woman who came to milk near a straw stack where he was hidden. When
he reacehd North Mountain a bushwhacker showed him the wa}^ across
the mountain, where he was captured by the Union forces, suspected as
a Rebel, and imprisoned at Cumberland for some length of time, when
he was sent to Harper's Ferry, where he remained until a part of his
compan^r was brought there to receive their discharge, and, as he was
looking out of the prison window, he was recognized by his old com-
rades, identified, and discharged with them. Returning home, he
located at Jackson, in 1866, and has since ran an engine at Jackson,
Bessimer and Shawnee, where he now remains. Mr. Secrist was mar-
ried May 2, 1872, to Miss Mary Ann, daughter of Felix and Rebecca
(Jones) 'Nash. They are the parents of three children, viz. : Edward
D., Harry Cla}^ deceased, and a infant not named.
Seckist, William, engineer ; Shawnee, Ohio ; was born January
10, 1854, in Jackson county, Ohio ; son of George and Mary Jane
(Woodruff) Secrist ; was brought up in the county of his nativity, where
he remained to the age of twenty years. While a youth he learned the
trade of engineering, at first engaging with George Hoop, at Jackson,
running a grist mill engine eighteen months, and then to Orange Fur-
nace, in same town, running the engine for three years. Since having
learned his trade, he has been engaged in the following places : In
Lawrence county, Ohio, at Olive Furnace, running engine one year;
Iron Valley Furnace, Vinton county, Ohio, dug ore and ran engine
eighteen months ; Hocking county, Ohio, mined coal five or six
months; New Plymouth, Vinton county, Ohio, running portable saw-
mill engine, one year ; Gore furnace, Hocking county, blacksmithing
and running engine about three years ; in Straitsville, as furnace top
filler, three months, and in this place, at Fannie Furnace, since, run-
ning engine for about three years past, in turn with his brother. He
was married October 11, 1874, to Eliza, daughter of Jonathan and
Mary Jane (Decker) Moody. They are the parents of four children,
viz. : Charles M., Minnie May, George A., and an infant not named.
Selby, Thomas, farmer, Pike township, P. O. New Lexington, Ohio ;
was born November 12, 1804, in Anne Arundel count}', Maryland ; son
Eli and Ruth (Shipley) Selby. Mr. Selb}^ w^as raised a farmer, but
learned the blacksmith trade with Jacob Knowls, of Somerset, Perry
county, Ohio, serving four years as an apprentice, which business he
followed for thirty years, turning b}' forge many an ax, long before the
introduction of the patent ax. Mr. Selby was united in marriage with
Julia A., daughter of Thomas and Margaret (Ankney) Wright, Febru-
ary 10, 1831. They are the parents of the foil wing children, viz. : John
536 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
N., Eli M., Jeremiah B., Joshua F., Eliza Ann, Margaret M., Harriet
L., Alpheus B., William Cook, and three dying in infancy. Mr. Sel-
by came to Perry county in March, 1814, with his father, who set-
tled in Pike townsiiip, entering three quarter-sections of land, the same
that is now owned Sy Thomas, the subject of this sketch, and his heirs,
who own six hundred acres of land. When the settlement was made,
bears and wolves were plenty, and the land a desolate wilderness. In
1843, Mr. Selby supplanted his log cabin by a line, large brick man-
sion, which he now lives in. He has been a successful and an enter-
prising business man, raising atone time the best sheep that were ever
raised in Perry county, one that sheared thirty-three pounds of wool sit
one clipping. He now, in his old age, takes delight in raising thorough-
bred cattle, and at one time owned a calf ninet}'-five daj^s old, that
weighs three hundred and eighty-hve pounds, gaining a little over three
pounds per da}^
Selbv, S. F., farmer and stock dealer ; post office. New Lexington,
Ohio ; born in Pike township, Perry county, in 1837 ; son of Thomas
and Julia A. (Wright) Selby; grandson of Eli and Ruth (Shipley) Sel-
by, and Thomas and Margaret (Ankney) Wright. He was married in
1873, to Miss Elizabeth Koots, daughter of Ephriam and Eliza
(McKeever) Koots.
Sellers, H. P., farmer, and breeder of thoroughbred Atwood
sheep, registered in Vermont Atwood Club. Post office, New Lexing-
ton ; Clayton township, Perry county, Ohio ; born in Perry county in
1842 ; son of Jacob and Julia E. (Reem) Sellers, grandson of John and
Margaret (McMullen) Sellers. Married June 29, 1870, to Miss Har-
riet Roberts, daughter of H. H. and Carrie Roberts. They have four
children, viz. : Stilla L., Herbert C, W. L. A., and Whittield.
wShearer, Samuel, was born in 1815, on the farm where he now
resides, the place never having been out of the Shearer ownership. It
lies in sight of Somerset, and the land maintains a reasonable state of
fertility. At the age of nineteen he went to work at the carpenter
trade, and in the winter worked at cabinet making, and from there on
to the age of fort3'-five years pursued this occupation exclusively. At
the age of forty-two he changed his bachelor life by his marriage to
Sarah A. Brandt, whose maiden name was Sarah A. Cann, and who
was the mother of one son, named James Brandt, at the date of her
second marriage. The children by this marriage are, Emma E., Mary
C, Laura T., Sallie E., all of whom are living except the tirst named.
He was never clamorous for the eight hour law when working at his
trade — he worked from sun to sun. When working by the month his
wages, after his apprenticeship, ranged from eighteen to twenty-four
dollars. He was counted a superior workman, and the Moeller corner,
now the Brown corner, in Somerset, stands a witness to the skill which
took the wood from the stump and fashioned it therein. After his mar-
riage he worked on his farm and occasionally at his trade ; the demand
for his services often withdrawing him from the farm. His cutting box
costing $6, dispensed with the old rake and knife and cuts by hand,
utilizing an old scythe for a knife, and one man, in a single hour, can
easily cut enough hay or fodder to feed three cows for a week. He
feeds his beeves on chopped feed, and a sorrel mare, now thirty years
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 537
old, looks and acts so much as if hardly halt' this age, as to testify to the
value of a good and cheap cutting box on the barn, and to the kindness
and humanity of her owner. This celebrated animal will not, even
now, bear a whip, or allow angry, loud words to be spoken to her.
Mr. Shearer is an honest, honorable citizen, who prefers to speak well
of others or remain silent. His life and successful management is a
beautiful eulogy upon the sphere he fills in societv and the institutions
of his country. From early years, in consequence of sickness, his hear-
ing is impaired, but not so much as to exclude him from social and
conversational enjo3'ment. He is a firm friend of education for useful-
ness, and all his children have enjoyed, or are enjoying, the blessings
of domestic and literary training.
Shearer, John FI,, was born in Perry county, Ohio, in the year
1816, and though trained to life on the farm to the age of nineteen, he
has, since 1836, devoted his life to the business of printing and publish-
ing newspapers, comprising a period of forty-six vears, and thus estab-
lishing his claim to being the oldest printer and editor now living in
Ohio. He is a son of Daniel Shearer, who emigrated to Ohio as early
as the year 1805. His mother's maiden name was Martha Miller, who
dates the citizenship of her father in Ohio back to 1806. In 1836 John
Shearer began learning his trade as a printer in the Western Post office
in Somerset, with McAfee as proprietor. In 1839, leaving completed
his apprenticeship, he became half owner with that gentleman, who, in
nine months after, sold his half to Alexander Miller, and again, in 1841,
A. T. M. Filler bought the interest of Miller, which he held until 1844.
Mr. Shearer then bought out Filler's half and became sole proprietor,
and so ran the ofiice until 1846, when he rented the establishment to J.
W. Shirley for three years. In 1849 ^^^"- Shearer resumed sole control
and changed the name to the Somerset Tost. In 1855 he sold out to
Mr. E. S Colborn, and the Post became merged with Mr. Colborn's
paper, and both took the name of the Perry County Aniei'ican. In
1857 the office passed back to Mr. Shearer, and its name was changed
to Somerset Reviezv. About this time Mr. Shearer became involved as
surety for Ottoe H. Miller and others, and sold out the Reviezv to Judge
R. F. Hickman. All the accumulations of tke previous twent}^ years
of his young and vigorous manhood were swept away, together with
real estate that cost him $2,800, sacrificed at $800 to pay bail debts.
It was a terrible blow, but not to his faith in God or his hope of ultimate
recovery. In August, 1858, broken in heart and fortune, he visited
Mar3^sville, Ohio, and bargained for the Tribune office, b}' which he
bound himself to pay $500 within a year, balance when he could, and
in October of the same 3'ear took possession, and, after the removal of
his family, found only $9 left in his pocket-book to start his business
and face a strange community. Luck, backed with unflagging energy
and the favor of friends, enabled him to pay $900 on the contract, when
his old creditors began to grow clamorous. He informed the late Hon.
C. S. Hamilton of the situation, as he had done at the beginning. This
gentleman (afterwards killed by an insane son) replied : " Stop paying
me, and pa}^ your Perry county creditors." These were noble words,
uttered from a noble heart. John Shearer pulled through, paid all
claims against him, and became sole owner of the Marvsville Tribtme,
63
538 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
which is vahied at $10,000, being the best equipped county office in
Ohio, and which, added to his real estate and other assets, at a reason-
able estimate, allows him $27,000 for the last twenty years service, and
tm-ns the frowns of 1857 and the sacrifices of 1858 into the smiles and
sunshine of life's afternoon. The first twenty-three years of his print-
er's life were ended b}' the destruction of his fortune, and the last twen-
t3'-three have not only recovered all that was lost by the first, but added
a hundred-fold, and, in the evening of his days, assigned him to the
front rank as a successful printer and editor, and command his history
to be preserved in the annals of his native county, and his example to
cheer all those overtaken b}^ financial reverses. He was first married
to Miss Matilda Ream, who died in 1S65, leaving one son, Willie O.
Shearer, and one daughter, Lorietta, now the widow of Dr. A. F.
Zeigler, Columbus, Ohio. The second marriage was in 1868, to Mrs.
J. A. Johnson, of Delaware count}^ Ohio, who died in 1881, leaving one
son, John H. Shearer, Jr., now twelve years of age.
Sheeran, Thomas, cutter in Peter Dufiey's merchant tailoring room.
New Lexington, Ohio ; born January 6, 1852, in Pike township ; son
of James and Mary (Sharkey) Sheeran. Young Sheeran was brought
up on a farm, where he remained until about fifteen 3^ears old, when he
learned the plasterer's trade, and followed it about five years, then, in
company with his brother Frank, establislied a. merchant tailoring store
at Athens, Ohio, where they remained about one year. He then learned
his present trade. Came to this .place about the year 1867. He en
gaged in his present position in 1878. Mr. Sheeran was married Jan-
uary I, 1878, to Miss Margaret E., daughter of Anthony and Ellen
(Greene) Daughertv. They are the parents of three children, viz.:
Frank, deceased ; Mary, and Margaret Ellen.
Sheern, Pius, farmer, post office. New Lexington, Pike township,
Perry county, Ohio; was born March 15, 1848, in this township: son
of James and Mary (Shirkey) Sheern. Was raised a farmer, and fol-
lowed agricultural pursuits until 1863, in December of which year he
enlisted in the army, in Company' D, 30th O. V. I., for three years, or
during the war, and served until June 5, 1865, when he was discharged
by reason of the close of the v/ar. Was engaged in the following bat-
tles : Dallas, Georgia; Kenesaw Mountain, Georgia; Nicojack Creek,
Georgia ; Atlanta, Georgia ; Jonesborough, Georgia ; Savannah, Geor-
gia ; charge of Fort McAllister, Georgia, under General Hayes, and
Waynesburg, North Carolina. After being discharged he returned
home and engaged in farming until 1874, when he went to Colorado,
and where, in 1875, ^^^ enlisted in the regular army for five years, and
served three j^ears and four months, being discharged at his own re-
quest. The hazardous task of carrying a dispatch from Bluff Creek
to Camp Supply on the frontier became urgent, and as an inducement
for some one to volunteer, the officer agreed that, to the man who would
carry it, should be granted any request he might make upon his return.
Mr. Sheeren performed the feat, and upon his return asked for his dis-
charge, which was granted. During this service he waited upon Col.
Lewis at the time he was wounded, who was Colonel commanding the
19th United States Infantry. Was engaged in the battle of Sand Hill,
Kansas. Upon going to Colorado he prospected for gold and silver for
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 539
one year previous to enlisting in the army, but was unsuccessful in His
undertaking. Upon receiving his discharge iie returned home, in 1879,
and again engaged in farming, which he has followed up to this time.
Was married September 23, 1879, to Ellen, daughter of Edward and
Biddie Maloy, of this township. They are the parents of one child,
Henry.
Sheridan, John L., was born in Somerset April 2, 1837, ^^^^ is one
of the three surviving sons of John and Mary Miner Sheridan. He
was admitted to the bar in 1866, and the same year united in marriage
to Miss Katharine Gallin, a daughter of the late venerable and la-
mented James Gallin, and sister of Mr. John Gallin, now in active and
successful business in Somerset. He visited Texas and Mexico, im-
mediately after his marriage, and beheld the setting sun of Maxamilian
on the west and the rising sun of Reconstructed Union on the east of
the Rio Grande. He served as register of the land office at Fairpla}-,
Colorado. Was one of the speakers sent by the Republican State Com-
mittee of Ohio, in 1868 : Republican candidate for State Senator in
the district composed of Perr}' and Muskingum counties, and is now
employed at Fort Supply, Indian Territory, returning home frequently
to visit his family, consisting now of his mother, wife and two
daughters. His homeward visits include a call at Chicago, where
his brothers, General Philip Sheridan and Colonel M. V. Sheridan
have their headquarters. Eminently social, and sometimes even con-
vivial, the conversational powers of John L., make him the centre of
social life, and no son of Somerset is more heartily welcomed to her
precincts by his friends and acquaintances.
Sheridan, Gen. Philip H., was born in Somerset, March 6, 1831.
His parents were Irish, and had recently emigrated from county Cavan,
in the northern part of their native land. They were members of the
strong Roman Catholic community that had settled in this vicinity, and
young Phil was reared in this faith at St. Joseph's Church. He secured
a fair common school education, and having within him the promise of
better things than the life of an ordinary villager, he obtained a clerk-
ship in the hardware store of Mr. Talbot, the best position open to an
aspiring youth in a small town. He proved energetic, faithful and in-
telligent, and his leisure moments were occupied with the study of
mathematic and history, under the kind tutilage of his employer. A
better position with another storekeeper, Henry Dittoe, was offered him
and accepted, but the gifted youth aspired to something better than
selling goods behind the counter of a village store, and faithfully con-
tinued his studies. A vacancy existed at West Point in the cadetship
of this district, and Gen. Thomas Ritchey, then Congressman from
Perry count}'^, received many applications for the position, supported by
numerous recommendations and testimonials. He finall}^ received a
simple, straightforward letter, asking that the place be given the writer,
signed by Phil Sheridan. The Representative knew the sturdy lad and
gave him the appointment. Phil was seventeen years old when he bade
farewell to his companions and friends at Somerset and entered West
Point. He graduated with the class of 1853 in his twenty-third year,
and was assigned to duty in that year as Brevet Second Lieutenant on
the frontier of Texas. Until 1861 he served in that State and in Oregon,
540 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
except a short time wlien he was in the East as recruiting officer. When
the great civil strife opened, Lieutenant Sheridan, with the impetuous
eagerness of a young officer, was anxious for the fray, but was quite
modest in his expectations of promotion. The goal of his ambition he
cotifides to a friend : " Who knows," he writes, " perhaps I may have
a chance to earn a Major's commission." From Oregon he was trans-
ferred to Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, but the duties to which he was
assigned were civil rather than military in their character, and though
not conforming to his ardent wishes, were performed with faithfulness
and zeal. He audited the claims arising from the operations of the
army in Missouri, and was then sent to Wisconsin to buy horses. In
May, 1862, he was made Colonel of the Second Michigan Cavalry.
His first engagement at Booneville with a greatl}^ superior force under
Gen. Chalmers, in Juh\ 1862, foreshadowed in its brilliant success his
future renown as a military leader, and won for him a commission of
Brigadier-General of volunteers. A volume would scarcel}- be sufficient
to contain his record during the war. His brilliant and rapid career
and rise to the front rank of the nation's few great chieftains have lifted
him without the narrow limits of Perr}^ county and made him one of
the favorite and honored sons of the whole country. His history and
gallant achievements in the service of his countr}^ are as familar to the
citizens of California and Maine as to the people of his own county and
State. At Perryville and at Stone River his vigor and dash was
strikingly displaj^ed ; his rank as Major-General of Volunteers dates
'from this latter battle. At Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, and other
engagements, too numerous even to mention, his wonderful capacity
was repeatedly revealed, and "Little Phil Sheridan" had gained the
plaudits of his countrymen, and among the soldiers bore the reputation
of a capital fighter. It was not till towards the close of the war that his
greatest success was attained. In March, 1864, he was appointed Com-
mander of the Cavalry Corps of the Arm}' of the Potomac, and in this
capacity his military genius shone and made him the greatest Cavalry
General in the war."^ During the twelve months following, he swept the
valley of Virginia, capturing within that period more than tw^o hundred
battle flags, one hundred and seventy field pieces in open fight, and
war munitions and public property of all kinds captured and destroyed
to the value of more than $3,000,000. His command fought seventy-
six battles in eleven months. In August, 1864, he was placed in com-
mand of the Army of Shenandoah, a position in which his skill in
handling troops, the combination of caution and audacity, the celerity
of movement and fertility of resource which he possessed, liad ample
field for exercise. The crowning achievement of his career was at
Cedar Creek. He had been called to Washington. October 13, 1864.
to a military consultation. The enem}-, under Longstreet and Early,
had arranged to mass their forces and make a desperate effort to crush
his command. They stealthily approached and fell suddenly upon his
army, which, after a strong resistance, fell back and was in full retreat
when met by their commander on his return from the capital . His famous
ride from Winchester has been immortalized by a distinguished poet.
Meeting his disorganized and fleeing troops, he realized the disastrous
situation at a glance. To the first fugitives he exclaimed, "Face the
HISTORY CXF PERRY COUNTY. 54I
other way, boys ; face the other way ! We are going to Hck them out
of their boots ! " His presence restored the confidence of his wearied
men. and inspired them with an enthusiasm to renew the conflict. Hasti-
\y reforming the shattered hues, he hurled them against the advancing
foe and won the most glorious victory of the war. The effect on the
whole army of the East was such, that in sight of Richmond General
Grant ordered a salute of one hundred guns in honor of the event. A
vacanc}^ just then occurring, Shericlan was commissioned Major-Gen-
eral of the Regular Arm}', the highest military rank then within the
power of the government to bestow. Subsequently General Sheridan
was transferred to the Southwest, where order and quiet followed all his
movements, and later to the Western frontier. When General Grant
was elected President, and Lieutenant-General Sherman succeeded him
as Genera], this latter rank fell to Sheridan. In physique he is deep-
chested, short and stout, and his appearance on horseback is most strik-
ing. "' Dashing Phil Sheridan," as he was known, is no less popular
with his men and officers than in society. He was married in 1875.
Sheriman, D. H., farmer, born in 1843, in Licking county, Ohio,
post office Thornville ; son of John Sherman, who came to Perr}- county
when his only child, David H., was six years of age. His grandfather,
EH Sherman, died in Licking countv, Ohio. His great grandfather
was Joel Sherman, native of Connecticut, who lost his life at the hands
of the savage while hunting cows on the border, near Marietta. His
greatgrandfather, Joel, sleeps in peace in the Marietta cemetery. The
grandmother of David H. was Peggy Findla}', and his great grand-
mother, the widow of him killed by Indians, lived to be near one
hundred vears of age. She married a Mr. Shoeman alter the death ot
Sherman. The mother of David H. Sherman was Elizabeth Hooper,
daughter of Rev. James Hooper, of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. She is a grand daughter of Jacob Hooper, who came to Ohio
earl}'. Rev. James Hooper was a soldier in the War of 1812. His
brothers were Philip, Samuel, Rev. Jacob, Ezekiel and John
Hooper. The brothers of Mrs. Sherman (the mother of David H.)
were Jacob, William and David ; sisters, Elsa Ortman, Fanny Wise-
man and Mary J, Dunaway. Her mother, the wile of Rev. James
Hooper, was Polly Swayzie, and her grandmother's maiden name was
Elsie Milligan. She and her husband are still living in comfort, and
D, H., their only child does the farm work of the homestead, though
he owns a farm of his own adjoining it. This son was in the 126th
Regiment. He became the husband of Miss Clara Cooper,
daughter of John, of Thorn township. Her mother was Ruth
Eliza Price, daughter of the venerable Thomas Price, of Hopewell,
now in his ninetv-first year. Her grandmother was Sarah Freeman.
The father of Thomas Price fought on the British side, but deserted
and fought on the side of liberty, and tradition says by so doing for-
feited not only his life but a large fortune in England. His life was
spared. He became separated from his brother, Alexander, for many
years ; by accident they were restored to each other, the accident
being this: In 1812, Rebecca Hite, of Zanesville, Ohio, took
care of a soldier, sick with measles. This soldier spoke of one
Alexander Price, who, it happened, was an uncle of Mrs. Hite,
542 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
and the lost was found. A good act is never thrown away. This wo-
man's kindness to a strange sick soldier was rewarded. D. A.
Sherman and wife have the following named children : William, John,
Arthur, Alice, Sarah and Ruth — three sons and three daughters. To
school these children, Mr. Sherman erected a school house on his own
land and carved a part of the school district out of Fairfield and a part
out of Perry county. This was a feat in diplomac}' no ordinar}^ mind
would even undertake, much less accomplish, in Ohio. He is a Dem-
ocr'at, central committee man of his township, and a ver}^ thorough
man of affairs — quiet, but ver}- thoughtful.
Sheeler, Jerry, assistant foundryman, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born
Ma}^ 27, 1827, in Green county, Kentucky, son of Jacob and Elizabeth
(Canon) Sheeler. Was brought up on a farm and followed agricul-
tural pursuits to the age of twenty-one years, when he engaged as
keeper of the Bellfont furnace, same county, which position he held
for three years, when he took charge of the farm belonging to this
furnace, together with its steamboat landing on the Ohio River, and
held that position some twelve or fifteen years. From here he went to
Ashland furnace, in Ashland, Greenup, now Boj-d county, Kentucky,
where he kept furnace for seven years, with the exceptions of four
months he spent at Nelson furnace, Indiana ; then to Ironton, Ohio,
where he was keeper of furnace for five months, at same time assisting
the foundryman. From there he came to Shawnee, Ohio. At first he en-
gaged at Fannie furnace as foundryman for three months : and was
there four months on repairs, directly after which he employed with the
XX as assistant foundryman, which position he now holds and has
been incumbent of for sixteen months. Mr. Sheeler was married June
29, 1849, ^° Mary, daughter of John and Rachel Beason, of Fa3^ette
county, Pennsylvania. They are the parents of tv/o children, viz. :
Jacob and John. Mrs. Sheeler departed this life June 11, 1854. ^^■•
Sheeler was enlisted in the army in September, 1864, serving ten
months, and was engaged in the battle between Hood and Thomas, at
Nashville, Tennessee. Was mustered out of service in August,
1865 ; was enlisted in Company H, twenty-sixth Kentucky Regiment,
first brigade second division, twentj^-third army corps under Generals
Scofield and Thomas. Mr. Sheeler was again married February 2,
1856, to Mar}^ Ann, daughter of Aaron and Millie Pickerel, of Greenup
county, Kentucky. They are the parents of nine children, viz. : Eliza-
beth, Maggie, Luc}', Edward, Fannie, Henry, Franklin. Minnie and
Katie.
Shelly, D. C, was born in Hopewell township. Perry county,
1817 ; reared here, and was never out of the State but once, and then
on a visit to relatives in the State of Indiana. He is a successful
farmer by occupation, but exerts a mechanical genius in v/ood, iron and
stone, having done the chief part of his own building. His father was
George Shelly, son of George Shelly, Senior, who came to Hopewell
township in 1814. D. C.'s father was single then, but soon after was
married to Miss Margaret Cooperider, who had eleven brothers, and
Mrs. Shelly alleges that " each brother had a sister," which is true, for
the reason that she was the only daughter. D. C. Shelly had two
brothers, John, deceased in Indiana, and George, post office Glenford.
HISTORY OF PEURY COUNTY. 543
He had also two sisters, Margaret, wite of Geori^e Deffenbaugh, post
office Thornville, and Elizabeth, wife of Simon P. Swinehart. His
mother died in her sixty-first, and his father in his seventy-seventh
year. D. C. Shelly was married in 1841, to Katharine, daughter of
Peter and Mary Mechling. He began his married life on his father's
homestead, and, as he became able, bought out the heirs in the Mech-
ling homestead, subject to the dower of his mother-in-lrw% Mary
Mechhng, until 1850, when he removed to it. Their only two living
children are Elvena, wife of Amos Albert, post office Chalfant's, and
Jefferson, married to Louisa, daughter of Jacob Cooperider. One
daughter, Emily is deceased. These kind hearted people also tenderly
reared and educated three orphan children, John Baichlev and Alfred
Mechling, both of whom became teachers, and Elkana Bo3^er. The
grandchildren of U. C. and Katharine Shell}- (the children of Jefferson
and Louisa Shelly), are Emmit, Dennis, Harvey, Nettie May,
George and Frank. Daniel C. Shelly is among the foremost in agri-
cultural pursuits, his farm comprising one hundred and seventy-two
acres, on part of w^hich the town of Glenfordis built. His an old time
Lutheran in religion, a Democrat in politics, and firm adherent to what-
ever he regards as the right.
ScHENK, William Henry, M. D., Thornville, born 1824, in Fauquier
county, Virginia ; is a son of John D., and his mother's maiden name
was Miss Gillian Lloyd. His grandfather, Michael, was also a native
of Virginia, but his great ancester, the father of Michael Schenk, was
a native of Germany. The grandfather of Doctor Schenk, on his moth-
er's side, was George Emory Lloyd, who came with his son-in-law,.
John D. vSchenk, the father of the doctor, to Ohio in 1834. Grandfather
Lloyd made his home in the Schenk famih', near Etna, Licking county,
until his death, at the age of ninety-five. He w^as a Revolutionary sol-
dier, and Doctor Schenk has often heard him relate the experience and
trials of those times. The "bare foot" story, he said, was no fiction.
He had often taken the place of ill clad soldier on sentinel, to keep him
from suffering. He kept a diary and was tempted to print it, but was
as often tempted to abandon it. A work on arithmetic was nearly
ready for the press, but this, too, was allow^ed to go b}^ default. He
made his own almanacs, and often amused himself wdth women who
did not like their age to be known, by asking them to tell him the day
of the week, and the day of what month the}- were born. Having
thus entraped them, he would laugh and sa}', " now I know your age
exactly," and the}' w^ould, with equal merriment, chide his supposed
presumption, until he felt himself forced to vindicate the science of
numbers and tell them their age with such accuracy as to astonish them
beyond description. This veteran soldier and arithmetician was a
Virginian of modern fortune, and while living there, owned a few
slaves, and after coming to Ohio, persisted in his pro-slavery views. He
voted for Washington and for every President down to Zachariah
Taylor, in 1848. John D., the father of Doctor Schenk, lived to his
eighty-seventh year, and remained a spry old man to that time. The
brothers of Doctor Schenk are George Emry, post office Fairfield, Illi-
nois ; Michael A., post office Outville, Ohio ; Theodrick L., Newburg,
Arkansas. His sisters are Valeria, wife of Rowland White, post office
544 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Cardington, Ohio; Frances G., wife of Myron Bates, Outvillc, Oiiio.
Doctor W. H. Schenk read medicine and graduated at Cleveland in 1852,
in which year he located in Thornville, where he has now been in prac-
tice for thirty years. In 1854 ^^^ married Miss Melinda, daughter of
the late venerable Adam Bogenwright, of Thorn, who lived to the re-
markable age of one hundred years. Doctor Schenk's children were
six in all, but one died in infancy. The survivors are Valeria K.,
wife of Charles Wilson, Thornville; Miss Francis G., Miss Lilian L.
and George Emrv Schenk, a dry goods clerk, and Charles E. at
home.
Shepperd, T. J., merciiant, Moxahala, of the hrm of Shepperd
and Pile. The same tirm also own a store at Rendville. Mr. Shepperd
was born in 1840, in Pleasant township, nearOakfield ; went to Wisconsin
in 18^8, returned in 1861, enlisted in the Tliirtieth Ohio Volunteer In-
fantry ; remained in that regiment all through the service, four 3'ears.
Hugh Ewing was his Colonel ; Theodore Jones, Lieutenant-Colonel,
but Jones was subsequently made Colonel when Ewing was promoted.
He was in the battles of South Mountain, Antietem, Atlanta, Mission
Ridge, Vicksburg ; went wath Sherman to the sea, and came out of
the war having received but a couple of slight wounds. In 1868 he
married Annie E. Fowler, of Pleasant township, and she died in 1877.
She became the mother of two children, Addie M. and James W. In
1878 he married Parthena Ayers, daughter of Thomas x'\yers,of this
township. They have one child, Annie E., born in 1879.
Shepperd, George W., farmer, Pleasant township, Moxahala post
office ; son of Absalom Barney and Sarah (Snelling) Shepperd ; his grand
father, Nathanial Shepperd, was born in Baltimore count}^ Mar3'land,
his great-grandtather was a native of England. His mother's ancestry
was English and Welsh. His father came from Maryland to Musking-
um count}^ and from there to this township in 183 1, and entered the
farm where he now resides. In November, 1859, he married Rebecca
M. Brown, of Pike township, who was of Irish descent. Their children
are Hester B., Cora and- David E. March 9, 1871, he married Ada-
line McArtor, of Monroe township, who is of English and Scotch de-
scent. Their children are, Alice J., William B., Charles S. and two
who died in infancy.
Shough, p. a., deceased ; born at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1824 ;
died in Somerset, Ohio, in 1881. He married Sophia Price, in Virginia,
and soon removed to Franklin county, Pennsylvania, where he pursued
his trade, tailoring, and where were born, William, single; George,
married, painter; Lizzie, single; Jacob, merchant tailor, married;
Joseph, plasterer, married ; Newton, clerk, single, and McClure, clerk,
sincrle. In i860, P. H. Shough became messenger in the State De-
partment under Governor Curtain, of Pennsylvania ; moved to Somer-
set in 1870 ; was an Odd Fellow, and at his death his widow drew $1,000
from the Insurance of the Order.
Shrider, Levi, farmer, carpenter and generally ingenious ; born in
1831 in Reading township; son of Peter Shrider, a stalwart man still liv-
incr, six feet and two inches in his stocking feet. Levi resides on section
20, northeast one-fourth, patented 1805, signed b}' the great Thomas
Jefferson, President of the United States; and the southwest one-fourth,
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY; 545
1808, in the name of Andrew Hite, father of Samuel, Isaac and John
Hite. This farm contains a renowned spring, strong enough to fill a
tile eight inches in diameter ; was used to run a wheel for churning but-
ter, for mill purposes, the early resort of hunters, a short distance below
which was a deer lick. A horse mill and still-house were also erected
by "Uncle Samm}- Hite." Indian graves were not far distant, but now
these ancient forms are departed. A pear tree grown from the seed,
now thirt}^ inches over the stump, is still in bearing vigor, a few rods
from the big spring, and perhaps on a level twelve feet above it. A
wood pile was placed surrounding it and the chips and rotten dirt had
accumulated around it to the depth of two feet or more, when removed
by Shrider fourteen years ago. This removal exposed some of the
roots and he was compelled to erect a frame of wood around it and lill
this frame with muck from the woods. The tree recovered its former
vigor and yields as high as thirty to forty bushels of pears in one sea-
son. It has not missed bearing for the last fourteen years, and tradition
says it never did fail, and the same tradition makes Samuel Hite the
first settler of Thorn, and Solomon Whitmer the tirst white male child
born in PerrN' or in that territory which now composes it. Levi Shrider
was first married April 4, 1855, to Caroline, daughter of John Auspach,
of Reading township. By this marriage he became the father of six
children, tive of whom are now living, to-wit : William H., a black-
smith, in Thornville, Ohio; Samuel C, a farmer; David E., John P.,
post office of all, Thornville; and Levi C. post office, Somerset. The
second marriage took place to Miss Sarah, daughter of Joseph
Orr, in 1868. The children of this marriage are, Oswell, Es-
tella, Lewis H., Daisy S. and Murray Frederick, now three
years old. He followed wagon making until competition of ma-
chinerv drove him to carpentering and to farming. He has produced
fine work in the cabinet line, and the pulpit of the Lutheran Church in
New Reading attests his skill. He built his own dwelling and barn,
and these are among the most respectable in beauty and convenience.
His judgment of land and real estate was complimented by his fellow
citizens, by election as land appraiser over a very popular opponent of
the same partv. He owns one hundred acres of the best land with the
best of improvements in Thorn township, and when he bought it, in
1868, he went into debt $3,000. The fact that he has paid out and
erected buildings on the land worth $3,000 more, not only assert the fer-
tility of the soil, but the best order of financial ability and skill as a far-
mer.
Shriver, William I., Treasurer of Perry county ; post office. New
Lexington.
SiMoxs, A. P., mine boss. New Straitsville, Ohio ; was born April
9, 1853, in Washington count}', Ohio ; son of Meigs and Eliza (Hock-
ing) Simons ; was raised a farmer and continued on the farm until his
twentierh year, when he went to mining in this place, and was engaged
at that and la3-ing track until December, 1881, when he took his present
position with the Straitsville Coal Company. Mr. Simon's great grand-
father came from Vermont to Marietta with a colony and lived in the
fort at that place, and was wounded by the Indians while living there,
and thev were obliged to guard their grain fields from incursions bv the
54 '
546 DIOGKAPHICAI. SKETCHES.
red men. After the Indians were driven back, he entered land upon
tlie Muskingum River, in Washington county, Ohio, where he lived un-
til his death. His grandfather, Hosea Simons, came into possession
of the home farm and lived there until he raised his famil}^, when he
moved into Iowa, where he lived until about 1872, when he departed
this life. His father remained in Washington countv until his death,
which occurred Februar}' 18, 1859, in his thirty-second year. His mother
was born and raised in IVLuyland, and came to Ohio with her parents in
1847, who settled in Washington county, where she lived at the time of
her marriage. Her father lived with his son vmtil his death in Novem-
ber, : 860, and was in his eightieth year. Her mother lived to be ninety-
eight 3'ears of age, and died in October, 1878. Mrs. Simons afterward
married, January 29, 1854, '^^'- J*^^^" Hammond, of Virginia, and with
her family moved in that State, where they lived until the spring of
1866, when they went to Michigan, remaining one year, and then went
into Missouri, living in Ralls county one year, and Audrain county from
that time until 1881, owning two dit^erent farms in this count}', one in the
sovithandone in the northern part of said county, owning them at differ-
ent times. While in the northern part of this count}^ Mr. Hammond
came to his death, October i, 1871, at the age of sixty years. Mr.
Simons, the subject of this sketch, returned to Ohio in 1872, and his
mother, Mrs. Hammond, in 1881. Mr. Simons was married February
6, 1877, to Sarah Holt, born August 24, 1855, in Harrison county. West
Virginia, daughter of William and Catharine (Gray) Holt. They be-
came the parents of one child, viz. : Arthur. Mrs. Simons died Au-
gust 2, 1880. Mrs. Hammond and all of her living children are now
together in the same house in this place.
Sims, P. R., weighman, Straitsville Coal Company, New Straits-
ville, Ohio. He was born at Eagleport, Muskingum county, Ohio ; is
of German parentage; a son of Absalom and Christenia (Hartman)
Sims. In 1855 ^^^^y I'emoved to Cambridge, Guernsey county, Ohio,
where P. R. Sims remained with his parents until the breaking out of
the Rebellion in 1861. His father, at that time, was fifty-nine 3'ears old,
and after several ineffectual attempts to enlist, dyed his bearde and hair,
and succeeded. His enlistment was followed b}' his sons Simon, John,
Isaac, W^illiam and P. R., the last enlisting in the spring of 1862 for
three years. He remained the entire time, doing good service, and re-
ceiving two slight wounds, one at Stone River, and one at the charge of
Mission Ridge, Chattanooga, Tennessee. His Company was A, of
the Ninety-seventh O. V. I. During the term of enlistment, Mr. Sims
participated in twenty-one general engagements, his last being the bat-
tle of Franklin, Tennessee, one of the se\-erest fought battles of the war ;
Wood's entire army was brought to bear on thirteen thousand men, who
eventually came off victorious, killing three to one of the enemy. His
father was killed in the battle of Stone River, Tennessee. His Compa-
n3^was B, of the Fifteenth Regiment, O. V. I. His brother William, a
member of Company A, Twenty -second Battery, was killed at the battle
of Cumberland Gap. His brother, Isaac, a member of Company H,
Forty-fifth Illinois Regiment, was killed in the forlorn hope charge on
the blown up redoubt. His brother, Simeon, a member of Company
B, Fifteenth Regiment, O. V. I., was killed at the battle of Mission
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 547
Ridge. His brother, John, a member of Company B, Fifteenth Regi-
ment, O. V. I., was wounded at Munfordville, Kentucky, and dis-
charged, leaving P. R. the last of six members from one family. In
consequence of the sacrifice made by this family, P. R, was offered a
discharge, but declined, preferring to remain and avenge the deaths of
his father and brothers, and aid in putting down the wicked rebellion,
which had caused him and his mother such losses. While in the service,
in 1863, P. R. received a commission as Sergeant of Company A,
Ninety-seventh Regiment, given for meritorious and gallant conduct,
signed by Colonel Milton Barnes, Colonel J. Qc Lane, and Adjutant
Joseph Gossuch, and was always afterwards known as the "boy ser-
geant." He was only fifteen ^-ears of age when he enlisted, and made
one of the most gallant records achieved in the late war. After the close,
P. R. returned home, and remained home with his widowed mother,
until 1867, when he enlisted in the regular army, and was sent to San
Francisco, California, where he was assigned to Company A, Ninth
U. S. I., detailed to the mail service on the route on the Bay of San
Francisco. The steamer "General McPherson " was plying from the
city to Angels Island, thence to Alcatrag (bird) Island, thence to Pres-
ictio, Black Point, Fort Point, Goat Island and return. P. R. remain-
ed in this service about six months, when an accident occurred, which
literally tore off the steamer to the water's edge, wounding several of-
ficers and the Captain, Jones. Several of the officer's ladies were
aboard the steamer at the time. Nearl}- every man left the steamer but
P. R. and O. H. Gardner, of Lake Village, New Hampshire, who cared
for the wounded and ladies until rescue came. For this bravery,
they were both rewarded. Gardner was detailed to the cit}^ as Ser-
geant of the Recruiting Department, and Sims as Clerk in the Medical
Director's office. Department of California. • He remained here until
within five months of the expiration of his term, when, on request, he
was transferred to New San Diego, Lower California, in the Qiiarter-
master's Department, under Captain Cragie. His term expired May
16, 1870, when he returned to Cambridge,"Ohio, to fill an engagement
with Minnie Urban, of that place, to whom he was married September
2d. Her father, Gudlib Urban, was born in Leipsic, Germany ; her
mother, Catharine (Miller) in Bavaria. They settled in Guernsey
county about 1858. After his marriage, Mr. Sims removed to New
Straitsville, where he now resides, being in the employ of the Straits-
ville Coal Company, as weighman, a position he has filled almost since
coming here.
Sines, John, mine boss. Corning, Ohio ; was born February i6,
1837, in Guernsey county, Ohio ; son of Absalom and Christena (Hart-
man) Sines. John's first experience in mining was at Black Rock,
Muskingum county, Ohio, where he went into the mines at six years of
age and remained" there until thirteen, when he went to Simmons Creek
and worked in a stone quarry eighteen months. Subsequently he mined
at Zanesville, Cambridge, Nelsonville and Straitsville, Ohio. He came
to his present location in 1880. Mr. Sines was married January i, 1856,
to Miss Hulda ]., daughter of Alexander and Catharine (Hartman)
Teal, of Guernse}' county, Ohio. They are the parents of seven child-
ren and one adopted child, viz. : Leonard D., John A., Annie, Flora
•54S BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
C, Laura C, Herbert, deceased, Etta Dale and Frederick, adopted.
Mr. Sines has given close attention to mining and is now one of the
most experienced miners in Perry count}'.
^Skinner, Amos, farmer, Bearfield township, Portersville post otiice ;
born in Virginia, May 25, 1802; son of Peter and Sarah (Roberts)
Skinner : tather of French, and mother of English descent. He emi-
grated to Ohio in 1835 '^^^*^ settled in Madison township, this county,
lived there a little over a 3'ear, and resided one year in Clayton town-
ship before he moved to the farm where he now resides. In 1825, he
married Margaret A. Murrey, of Virginia, daughter of Thomas Mur-
re3^ The}- are the parents of the following named children : Ferdi-
nand F., married to Elizabeth Hearing. He is deceased. Thomas
P., married to Julia A. Whiley, and resides in Kansas; Amos A., de-
ceased; Mary E. ; Sarah M., married George W. Murris, resides in
this township ; Adaline V., married Ezekiel Rose ; John R. married
Harriet Breece, and resides in Kansas ; Julia A., who married L}man
Lamb. He is deceased; Rebecca H., married Vv^illiam Ells, of this
township; Elm3a-a W., married James E. Breece, of this township.
Skinner, T. P., farmer and stock raiser, post office Bucke3'e Cot-
tage, Clavton township, Perry county, Ohio ; born in this county in 1834 ?
son of Lemuel and Lucinda (Birch) Skinner. Grandson of Peter and
Sa,rah (Roberts) Skinner. Mr. Skinner was married in i860 to Miss
Harriet Brown, daughter of Isaac and Ellinor (Chinoth) Brown. They
are the parents of nine children, viz. : Ernest B., Charles E., Frank
N., William E., Lester R., deceased, Beverly O., Lucy E., Homer
B. and Anna M.
Skinner, P. H., Rendville, Perry county, Ohio, was born January
5, 1852, in Monroe township, Peny count}', Ohio ; son of John and
Mary (Smith) Skinner. A*t the age of two years his father died leaving
him, his mother and another brother. They lived on a farm in Union
township, Morgan county, Ohio, and he and his brother James, two
years older, attended the district school until he became of age. In
1878 he attended school at New Lexington and taught his first school in
Chapel Hill, which profession he has followed ever since. Was married
January 14, 1881, to Miss Mary Donahoe and located in Rendville in
1881, where he taught a subscription school, and on May 29, 1882, was
elected Justice of the Peace, to till the vacancy occasioned by the death
of George Thompson.
Smith, Major Thomas J., provision grocer, east side oi Main
street. New Lexington, Ohio. Major Smith was born, March 16, 1846,
in this place ; son of James and Eliza Smith. In March, 1862, he en-
listed in Company G., Sixty-first O. V. I., and veteraned in March.
1864. The second week after his return from the war he entered school
andattended about seven months. In April, 1866, established his pres-
ent business, in which he has been successful. Major Smith was mar-
ried Februarv 22, 1870, to Miss Madglin, daughter of John and Catha-
rine (Shorr) Fox. They are the parents of three children, viz. : Mary
Frances, Thomas J. and Catharine.
Smith, John D., merchant, Shawnee, Ohio, was born December 29,
1846, in Limerick, Ireland ; son of David and Ellen (Burke) Smith.
Mr. Smith was raised a mechanic and emigrated to America about the
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 549'
rfge of liine years with his mother, a brother and a sister, setthng m Dun-
kirk, New York. His father died while he was yet quite young and lor
a few years he was obhged to face the storms of hfe, but he had the
courage to tell his mother that he could provide for himsell and assist
her. "He was first employed upon a steamboat plymg on Lake Erie Ironj
Dunkirk to Toledo. Cleveland. Detroit and Buftalo, where he remained
nine months, and then went to Pennsylvania "to strike oil," but not be-
ing successful, he was employed in a brick yard at three dollars pei
day, in the fall of 1865, remkining during the brick making season ot
that year, when he returned to Corry, New York, and was employed at
the A. & G. W. railroad shops. After remaining with them in the
yards for some time, he learned upholstering with them and remained in
this place until the fall of 1866, when the shops were moved to
Franklin Mills, Portage county, now known as Kent, and where he le-
mained until 1868 ; at this time he became a journeyman, went to Pitts-
burgh, failed to get employment and there became a peddler, contmumg
three months. From Pittsburgh he went to Steubenville, Ohio, and w^ts
employed with Thomas Denmead, master mechanic of the P. C. & bt.
L R'y. remainino- until the next spring, when he was sent to Den-
nison, Ohio, where he stayed until Ml and returned to Steubenville, up-
holstering until 1870, and was then sent to Lancaster Ohio, to take
charge of the upholstering department of the C. & M V R y shops m
that place, from where he went, in 1872, to the diamond fields ot Atrica.
In April of 1872 he received a letter from a Mr. Stickney, a former shop
mate of that place, asking him how he would like to go on an adven-
ture to Africa, when he repHed, " Pm your Moses,' and on April 27,
left Lancaster to join him with a Mr. Hall, of Zanesville. 1 his part}^
on May -? left for New York and passed over the Alleghanies at night,
losincr si^rht of the horse shoe bend, thinking they had lost a great piece
of natural scenery, but it could not vie with what c^me m their way
afterward, in the Yorm of mountains. Arriyed at New \ ork May 4,
where they took the steamer Angeline, of the Anchor Line for
Glaso-ow, "Scotland, where they arrived May 21. A lew days
previmis to their arrival. President Grant had made a _ demand
on the British Government for the Alabama Indemnity, \yhich_ gaye
them some trouble to get through the Kingdom. They remained in this
city, Glasgow, two da>s, visiting the Cathedral and other places of note.
From here they went to Melrose on the Tweed, where they visited Sir
Walter Scott's residence, Dryburg and Abbey, where this noted bard
of romance sleeps his last sleep ; also, other places of interest. 1 he
next day they arrived at Carlisle and stayed one night, and thence to
London: the greatest city of the world, arriving May 29, and the nex^t
dav booked for South America on the steamer Norseman, and sailed
from Southampton, June 10, having remained here for rest and recupe-
ration, as they had been wonderfully sea sick from New \ ork to Glas-
gow, .^ailing with high winds and rough sea. The first evemng out
from Southampton they again were all sick and all the way across the
Bay of Biscay and until they reached Madeira Island on Sunday, June
t8 which they all hailed wi\h gladness after eight days sailing in bad
weather. Smith says it is the most beaudful place in the \yorld
Funchal City is the 'capital, and here they remained until seven o clock
55° BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
P. M., visiting churches and objects of interest. The island is so very
steep that sledges are the only mode of conveyance, many of which
are models of -convenience and beauty, drawn by oxen."^ At eight
o'clock they weighed anchor in good spirits from indulgence in wine
cellars. The next sight of land was the Canary Islands and the peak
of Tenerifte ; from Teneriffe they sailed seventeen days to the Island
of St. Helena, where they dropped anchor in Jamestown Bay and land-
ed on July 4. Here they went up Main street, a shabb}' affair too, where
they found the Consul building, where all the foreign consuls were to be
found, each one represented by the flag of his country, which in one
common breeze floated aloft, and all are equal. Among them there were
nine Americans, who, when they came to the Stars and Stripes, drop-
ped their hats and gave three cheers for the Emblem of Liberty. They
were W. C. Stickney, of Steubenville, Ohio; Ed. Hall, of Zanesville,
Ohio; William A. Walsh and W. H. Wiley, of Richmond, Virginia;
John Osborne, of Montana Territory ; William Battenhouse, of New
York City, and the subject of this sketch. Next they visited the form-
er residence and the tomb of Napoleon, the First, where they were per-
mitted to pluck a few geranium leaves in remembrance of the great war-
rior, and drank refreshing draughts from the very spring that once
quenched the thirst of the sleeping warrior, whose deeds of valor has
nerved the arm of many a soldier since. To this place from Jamestown it
was six miles, but they returned ready to continue the voyage at about sun
set from the mountainous journey. At eight o'clock "they were again
sailing, this time for the cape. Their visit at this place'was on July
4, and having asked the cabin privilege of Captain Coxwell, they, the
Americans, had pre-arranged to celebrate it by a dinner. " This
project met with some difliculty upon a British steamer, as the English
aboard opposed it and began to ridicule America and its celebration of
that memorable day. They would sing "Rule Britannia" and other songs.
At length the Americans armed themselves, being determined not to be
thwarted by such opposition, and then warned the British that if it was
necessary it would come to the worst. At this the British kept mute.
Just previous to serving the meal, a Flag Lieutenant of Rear Admiral
Campbell, who was bound for the cape, looked into the cabin and espied
that the Stars and Stripes was above the Union Jack in the display ar-
ranged, and raised objection, complained to Captain Coxwell, that as
he was carrying English mail it should not be permitted and to save
trouble, by the Captain's request, they changed the arrangement and
hung all the ensigns on a line in equal height. Supper was served and
a good time was enjoyed with three invited guests, officers of the steam-
er. The next day a dratl of resolutions were drawn, thanking the Cap-
tain for his kindness, which were handed him. On Julv 13, they land-
ed at Capetown. The first land seen upon its approach was Table
Mountain, a distance of one hundred and eighty miles awa}^ The
mountain stands 4,600 feet above the sea. The voyage was made in
thirty-three days and a half. Upon landing they found business brisk
and the streets filled with groups of Kaffirs, Malays, Hindoos, half
breeds, etc., many of whom were drunk on Cape Smoke whisky. The
first night came on and they slept upon the vessel and the next morning
arose at four o'clock to witness one of the grandest of sunrises, which
HISTORY OF. PEKI^Y COUNTY. 55 ^
the}" often saw, even in more grandeur than that, during their four years
stay in Africa. Notwithstanding tlie beaut}^ mentioned, the barren
waste of Africa, for four long ^^ears left nothing to be remembered with
pleasure, only the monotony of a w'aste desert and Karroo remains.
The reflections of home and the fertile soil of America kept a spirit of
hope alive in the breast of again, through the kindness of Providence,
enjoying its scenery and dying amidst its luxuries. On Jul}' 19, they
started for the diamond fields ; traveled by rail eighty miles to Welling-
ton, arriving at noon. This is near Bains Kloof, or mountain. 'After
dinner they took stage and at sun set the}^ reached the summit of the
mountain. Took a supper at Constable, a poor substitute for American
luxuries. Constable is a relay station. There were now thirteen pas-
sengers for the diamond fields. Horses were changed every three or
four hours. Tra\'eled for six consecutive days by stage, by way of
Buffalo River, passing river beds every mile or two, but only two had
any water, those of the Orange and Moder. Next the}^ reached Wor-
cester at twelve o'clock at night. July 24, they reached Victoria West ;
here they slept five hours, having onh- two hour's sleep previous to that
since they started for the fields. At this place they saw the first ostrich-
es in Africa. Tne next place was Qiieenstown, one of the best towns
upon the way. They next arrived at Jacobs Noll, on the Moder
River, and on July 27, arrived upon the fields, having traveled about
one thousand miles bv stage in seven days and a half. Upon the \^ ay
the first curious thing that attracted attention was the cape sheep. Its
tail was so large that it was supported upon a small wagon to enable it
to go about. The sheep would weigh about seventy-five pounds and
its tail about thirty-five pounds. The tail of this sheep is used instead
of butter for their bread, and is the much more valuable part of the
mutton, wdiich is quite sweet. At one place they took breakfast with a
Katfir who lived in a long log house with a cane thatched roof, and built
the fire in the middle of the floor with no stove or fire place or chimney.
They seemed to live in keeping with their filthy life. July is a winter
month there, and during their journe}' they had heavy frosts. The
sight of the fields was something new. Europeans in their native attire
and Kaffirs in their nudeness standing about in groups. With difficulty
they obtained lodging for the night. Upon the next morning the}^
struck for the American camp, where they Ibund Mr. Fl3'nn, Mr. Lan-
caster and a Mr. Seiber, all from Chicago, Illinois, of whom the}^ ob-
tained the use of a small tent, in which eight of the party slept upon a
small litter of straws for one week, when they purchased tents for them-
selves. At that time the}^ procured tools for diamond digging. The
business proved unprofitable for two months, after which they met
with some success, but what they endured upon the diamond fields was
an experience worth years of life in some quiet work. The heat, the
dust storm, the fleas and many pests, would test the hearts of the brav-
est. Smith found some valuable diamonds. Of the party John Os-
borne died at Pilgrims Rest, in the Transvoal. Mr. Stickney died in
May, 1873, on the Bay of Biscay, on his way home. Walsh and Wiley
returned to Richmond, Virginia, in 1874. Smith returned in June of
1876, starting on Good Friday in April. Mr. Smith's heart gave thanks
to Providence for his health and success through the rough and hard
55^ BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
trials of the diamond fields and set out for his native land, which he now
fully realized was the land of corn and wine, but- twelve hundred miles
distant. The journey he was permitted to make in safety by an over-
land route to Algoa "Bay, from where he took a steamer ; stopping at
Capetown two da^^s, he sailed for England, via the Island of Madeira ;
landed in South Hampson, May 21, 1876, and took a railroad train for
London, May 31, and set sail from Liverpool for Philadelphia, Penn-
sylvania, arriving in thirteen days and a half b}" the steamer Lord.
Here he remained six days visiting the Centennial Exposition, and on
his way back visited Baltimore, Washington and Richmond, Virginia,
and landed at Lancaster, from whence he started. After his return he
married Mary Jane Bougher, daughter of Peter and Mary Jane (Burke)
Bouijher : soon after which he went to Texas. After he had been gone
four months his wife, w^hom he had left at her father's, died. May 13,
1877, after seven day's illness, leaving a new born babe which also
died six weeks after. From this sad scene in life he returned to Lancas-
ter and worked there until the spring of 1878, when he came to Shaw-
nee and opened in business, and in May,. 1879, ^'^^ married to Alice,
daughter of Neil and Ann (Fealty) Coyle, of Perry count}', Ohio. To
them was born one child, viz. : Nellie Ann. Mr. Smith's mother, who
was born in Limerick. Ireland, and his brother and sister are living in
Preston, Iowa.
Smith, Leonard C, editor, JVcckly Banner, Shawnee, Ohio ; was
born December 3, 1861, in Licking count}-, Ohio; son of Sidney and
Annie (Lawrence) Smith. His father was a soldier in the late war,
and died m the service, soon after Leonard C. was born. The father
and son never saw each other. Young Smith began the printer's trade
when thirteen, and at sixteen was editor. He assumed his present charge
in January, 1881. The paper in his management has rapidly increased
in popularity, and bids fair to be a success.
Smock, John M., farmer, Shawnee, Ohio; was born October 24,
1829, in Greencastle, Fairfield county, Ohio; son of John and Marga-
ret (Mathews) Smock. Was brought up on a farm, and followed agri-
cultural pursuits up to 1872, at which time he changed his occupation
to that of teamster ; teaming at Five Mile Furnace, south of Logan,
four years ; at XX Furnace, Shawnee, three years. P'urnished iron
ore by contract, from Iron Ore Point, for the Fannie Furnace, one year ;
furnishing all the ore the furnace used during that time ; and was en-
gaged about the furnace until November, 1881, when he took charge of
the stables which he has controlled up to this time. Mr. Smock was
married May 13, 1858, to Mary V. Russell, daughter of William and
Catharine (Wenner) Russell of Uniontown, Muskingum county, Ohio,
They are the parents of ten children, viz. : William L., Elmer E.,
Sarah C EmmaL., Harriet V., Minnie B., Robert Russell, Ella May,
John Clarence, and Mary Estella, all living. Mr. Smock served as a
carpenter in the army during the late Rebellion, enlisting May, 1863,
and remained until Oc'ober of same year ; and upon his return, he vol-
unteered with the O. N. G., and served four months in the Shenendoah
'Valley under General Siegle, when he was honorably discharged and
returned home to his family.
Smoot, John, telegraph operator, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born Feb-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUN'fY. 553
ruary lo, 1856, in FairHeld county, Ohio ; son of Solomon and Rachel
(Pannebecker) Smoot. Mr, Smoot was brought up on a farm, and fol-
lowed agricultural pursuits until he was twenty-one years of age, when
he employed as clerk at Sugar Grove, in the Columbus & Hocking Val-
le}^ Railroad office, where he remained about one year, after which
they sent him to Lancaster, Ohio ; Logan, Ohio; and Nelsonville, Ohio,
as clerk. Came to Shawnee next, where he has been clerking and
studying telegraphy for six or seven months, and up to this time, and is
now engaged as operator for the C. & H. V. R. R.
Snyder, Samuel, was born in 1843, in Clayton township, Perry coun-
ty, Ohio ; a son of Peter Sn3'der. His mother's maiden name was El-
len Dean. He was married in 1865, to Miss Margaret, daughter of
Michael Reynolds. The children are : Mar^-, Ellen, Catharine, Mattie,
Dora, Maggie and Stephen A. The brothers of Samuel are: Jacob,
William, Joseph, Austin, Alfred, Thomas and Nicholas. In 1881, Sam-
uel Snyder became a successful candidate for county commissioner, and
his hotl}' contested nomination against a field of worthy and formidable
competitors, was ratified at the following election, and" he is now serv-
ing the people of his native county with great devotion to the general wel-
fare. He is a working man, and in partnership with his brothers, car-
ries on three portable saws and one planing mill. The hands with these
mills often camp near the saw, do their own cooking, and thus reduce
the expenses to the minimum, while the profits are kept up to the maxi-
mum, by judicious purchases of timber, by large contracts of lumber
to the trade abroad, and the conversion of much suitable luaterial into
flooring and other forms for building, for bridges, and so on. The ex-
tortionate rates of freight charged by the B. & O. Railroad, is assigned
as sufficient reason for removing the planing mill from Somerset to some
other point, where competition for freight is likelv to insure better
terms.
SoPHER. J. H., senior partner of the Corning WecHy Times; was
born May 12, 1849, i^^ar Pennsville, Morgan county, Ohio; son of J.
D. and Julia (Newlon) Sopher. Mr. Sopher was removed from his
place of nativity when a child, to Rosseau, Morgan county, Ohio, where
he remained until manhood, when he was engaged as a clerk in a store
for about three or four 3^ears, and then engaged in business for himself,
selling drugs, medicines, etc., which he continued eighteen months in
Rosseau, when he moved his business to Ringgold, where he was ap-
pointed post master. At this place he remained eighteen months, and
then moved to Junction City, Perry county, Ohio, having previously
disposed of his goods, but continued as post master, emplo^-nig a deputy
for nine months, at which time he had the deputy appointedpost mas-
ter. At Junction City he was employed at various kinds of business ;
where he remained about two years, when he w^as obliged to leave on
account of the ill-health of his family. From there he went to near
Porters ville, Perry count}^ Ohio, where he w^as engaged at various pur-
suits— publishing. a small amateur monthly known as the Comic Visitor,
remaining there until November, 1880, then came to this place, where
he continued the publication of the paper, and in a short time afterward,
made it a semi-monthly, changing the name to the Corning Times, issu-
ing it at fifty cents per year. Again, in June, 1881, he changed the is-
55
554 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
sue to a weekly, and made it a live-column folio, for one dollar per year ;
and in December, 1881, took into partnership Mr. George S. Weaver,
of Columbus, Ohio, which firm continues as Sopher & Weaver. Au-
gust 31, 1882, they again enlarged the paper to a seven-column folio,
and issued it at one dollar and tifty cents per year. It was the first, and
is now the only, paper published in the Sundy Creek valley mining dis-
tricts, and is neutral in politics. Mr. Sopher was married February 18,
1875, to Miss Mar}^ F., daughter of Lazarus and Lorena (Shepard)
Pierce, who lived near Ringgold, Morgan county, Ohio. This union
has been blessed by two children, viz. : Allie May, and William H.
Mr. Sopher's father was a former resident of Virginia, and afterward
of Pennsylvania, but came to Ohio at an early date, and settled in Mor-
gan county, of which he remained a citizen up to the time of his death,
which occurred during the late civil war, d3nng April 22, 1862, at Sa-
vannah, Tennessee, a soldier in his countr3''s cause. His mother also
came from the eastern States, marrying after she came to Ohio, and is
still a venerable resident of Rosseau, Ohio. Mrs. Sopher's parents
came to Ohio from Pennsylvania, during the pioneer period, and were
married in this State, living near Ringgold, Morgan county, Ohio, up
to the time of their deaths. Mr. Pierce died in 1862, and Mrs. Pierce
died in 1874.
SousLiN, Isaac, farmer; post office, Somerset, Ohio ; born in 1838,
in Perry county; is a son of Jacob Souslin, and his wife, Sarah E.,
daughter of Michael Lutz. His grandfather, Martin Souslin, was a
resident of Licking county, Ohio, where he deceased. Isaac was mar-
ried in 1865, to Miss Nancy Stickel. He enlisted in Company G, Thir-
ty-first Regiment, O. V. I., and served to the end of the war. He was
partner in a tan yard for six years, with his brother-in-law, Charles
Stickel ; farmed rented land two years ; and in 1876, he bought in sec-
tion 35, Hopewell, of William Parks. He has greatly improved this
farm, and demonstrated the power of industry and good husbandry in
production of good crops. The children are: Charles F., John R.,
Laura W., Sarah K., Louisa Ellen, Mar}^ Alice, Bertha Olive, William
Henry, Daniel Richard, and James A. Garfield Souslin. Mr. and Mrs.
Souslin are Lutheran in religion, and add to the comforts of home the
light of the newspapers and the contentment of Christians.
Sparks, Leroy B., carpenter, Shawnee, Ohio; was born February
15, 1854, in Bowling Green, Licking county, Ohio ; son of William and
Elizabeth (Brady) Sparks. Was raised upon a farm to the age of eleven
years, when his father moved into Browns\'ille, same county, and with
whom he made his home until he was eighteen years of age, when he
came to Shawnee, Ohio. He learned the carpenter trade while at home
with his father. Upon coming to Shawnee, he first emplo3'ed with the
New York and Straitsville Coal and Iron Compan}^, as a carpenter, and
worked six months ; and has been employed at that business at the fol-
lowing places : London, Madison count}^, Ohio, two months ; Upson
Coal Company, Shawnee, Ohio, one year ; Odd Fellows' Hall, this
place, for B. Hollenbach, two months. At this time he returned to his
father's home, and remained three months, during which time he was
married to Jessie M., daughter of George W. and Alcinda (Fry) Holmes,
of Brownsville, Licking county, Ohio. They are the parents of two
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 555
children, viz. : Edward P. and Allie Grace. After his marriage he
returned to Shawnee, Ohio, where he has remained up to this time, and
has been employed at his trade upon contracts for Swartz, three months ;
assisted in building the M. E. Church ; for XX Coal and Iron Com-
pany, one year ; on contracts with John Campbell, two months ; at Fan-
nie Furnace, three months ; again at XX Furnace, about one year ; and
with the New York and Straitsville Coal and Iron Company, up to this
time.
Spence, Thomas, mine boss at No. 9, Rendville, Ohio; was born
June 2, 1840, in England. At eight years of age he went into the mines
of England, where he worked until 1863, when he came to Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, and remained about one year ; then came to Bell-
aire, Ohio, and was mine boss there about six years. He came to the
Hocking coal district about 1872, and to his present place in 1879. ^^•
Spence was married June 19, 1858, to Miss Margaret, daughter of Rob-
ert and Anne (Maughan) Bickerton, of England. They adopted a
child, Catharine, married to Mathew Robson, and Elizabeth and Anne.
Mr. Spence has had an extensive experience in mining, and thoroughly
understands the business.
Spencer, Henry W., farmer, Reading township, post office Somer-
set; son of William C, and grandson of William Spencer, who was
born in 1772, and came to Perry county in 1805, his wife being Martha
Love, a sister of Thompson Love's mother, and of Irish descent. Hen-
ry's grandfather died in his eighty-eighth year, and his grandmother
nine years prior to this event. His father was born on the Spencer
homestead in 1808, and is yet living, while his mother died there in her
sixty-eighth year. Her maiden name was Weirick. Her sons were
Horace, shot to death by one Harvey in an altercation in Omaha ; John,
who resides in Dayton, Ohio ; and Harry, who resides upon the home-
stead of his ancestry, near Somerset. Her daughters were Louisa
Cain, Ellen Overmeyer, Martha Law, and Ann Shirle}^ all deceased,
leaving Henr}^ and John the only survivors. The family is of Old
School Baptist belief, and Whig, or Republican in politics. Henry was
in Company E, Seventeenth Ohio, and Company I, One Hundi^ed and
Fourteenth Ohio, and served as a soldier to the end of the late war.
He was united in marriage May i, 1866, to Miss Emma Keys, a daugh-
ter of the late Thomas and Elizabeth Keys, whose maiden name was
Henderson. The family at present comprises Father Spencer, his
granddaughter, Henrietta Overmeyer, Miss Belle, the sister of Mrs.
Henry Spencer, and four children, viz. : Charles, May, Paul and Nellie.
The Spencer homestead, under the proprietorship of Henry, its present
chief, maintains its ancient reputation for social hospitality and intelli-
gence. It has fallen to his lot to live where his grandparents died,
where his father was born, where his mother bade him a last farewell,
and where, also, three of his sistei"s returned to receive paternal care in
their last sickness. It was his uncle, Eli Spencer, who represented
Perry and Muskingum in the Senate of Ohio, and the public has indi-
cated its partiality towards Henry also. In the fall of 1880 he was
elected land appraiser in Reading township b}?^ fifty majority, when
the party of his worthy opponent carried the township by one hundred
and forty majority for Hancock.
556 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Spiece, Philip, born in Prussia, came to America when young and
settled in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and there married Su-
sannah Merchant. His sons, Peter and David, were born in Pennsyl-
vania, and Adam in Reading township ; the latter married Miss Odlin,
and has one son living in Davton. Philip came to Ohio in 1809, and
settled where David now lives. Was of the Reformed church, and a
t'armer.
Spiece, David, born January 3, 1807, second son of Philip,
who, with his son Peter, bought the homestead and who then bought
Peter's share. Married, for his first wife, Mary M. Houtz, b}^ whom
he had the following living children : Susan, wife of Abner Rarick, a
farmer, five children ; Daniel, farmer, one son and two daughters ; Solo-
mon, carpenter, bachelor, Dayton, Ohio ; Lydia, wife of John Price,
farmer, Paulding county, Ohio ; George, married to Isabel Bowman,
farmer and miller, has four sons and one daughter, Paulding county , Ohio ;
Sarah, single, at home ; Peter, married to Cecelia Mitchell, farmer, two
sons and two daughters, Fairfield county. David, married a second wife,
Katharine (Voght) Davis in 1848, by which union he had four children ;
those living are Jane C, Almedea S., wife of Henry Baker, who has
one son and three daughters, farmer, Reading township ; John W.,
teacher, farmer, single. His taxes, $40 per year now, have been as high
as $100 during the war. He kept wood fires exclusively to within a
few 3'ears : has used tobacco fift}' years ; drinks from a hard water
spring, and has lived on the same place for sevent3^-three years, and
has voted at the same poll for fifty-three years, the Democratic ticket up
to 1854, and the Republican ticket since then. He is a member of the
Methodist Church, and one of the few early settlers.
Spirer, Daniel, day laborer, Shawnee, Ohio, was born February
27, 1849, in Fairfield count}^ Ohio, son of Ambrose and Theresa Spirer.
Mr. Spirer was brought up on a farm and followed agricultural pur-
suits until he was twenty-one years of age, at which time he engaged
in huckstering and assisting in a store for two 3^ears, and then moved
to Shawnee in 1873, where he has been engaged in trimming coal upon
railroad, digging ore, and hotel business up to this time. He now owns
eight and one quarter acres of land with a substantial frame dwelling
upon it, just out of corporation limits of Shawnee. Was married July
20, 1870, to Regena, daughter of Adam and Frances (Cable) Bock, of
Fairfield county, Ohio. They are the parents of six children, viz. :
Theresa Ann, Adam, Cecily, Joseph, William, and Margaret, all living
at home.
Springer, Ezekiah, farmer. Saltlick township, post office. Hem-
lock, Ohio, son of Daniel and Jane (Jones) Springer, was born March
29, 1823, in Harrison county. Ohio. Mr. Springer was raised a
farmer, and has followed agricultural pursuits to the present time.
Lived in his native county until he was thirteen years of age, when, with
his father, he came to the farm of one hundred and sixty acres, upon
which he now resides. His father entered this land, paying $1.25
per acre. He built his cabin, cleared the farm, and lived upon it
until 1846, when he sold it to his sons Ezekiah and Rezin. Mr. E.
Springer has added twenty acres to his eight}' acres and much improved
the farm, having erected a fine farm residence. He also assisted in
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 557
cutting the logs and building the first cabin upon the farm. ' Mr.
Springer has been deacon of the Christian or Disciple Church about
twenty-five years. Was married October 3, 1853, to Catharine, daugh-
ter of John and Rebecca (Avery) Condon, of Salt Lick township, this
county. They are the parents often children, viz.: Benjamin F.,
Mary, William, Rebecca. John. Alice, Lewis, Granville, Lillie and
Annie.
Springer, Benjamin F., tanner, Saltlick township, post office.
Hemlock, Ohio, was born in this township ; son of Ezekiah and Eliza-
beth (Condon) Springer. Was brought up on a farm, and has followed
agricultural pursuits to the present time. When twenty-one years of age,
he went to Union county, Ohio, and worked upon a farm three years,
when he returned home and was married, September i, 1877, to Almira
J., daughter of Simeon and Elizabeth J. (Storer) Sanders, of what is
now Coal township. They are the parents of two children, viz. : Alton
J., and Eflie B. In about one 3^ear after his marriage he moved to
Clark county,' Iowa, where he remained about three years and six
months, when he returned and located on his present farm, near Hem-
lock, Ohio.
Stallsmith, John S., manufacturer of woolen goods, Hemlock,
Ohio; born October 19, 1833, in Harrison county, son of George and
Elizabeth (Springer) Stallsmith. Mr. Stallsmith was brought up on a
farm and followed farming until he was twenty-three or twenty-four
years of age, when he began working at the carpenter trade, which he
followed for about foin- years. He then enlisted in the army, in
1861, for tliree years, or during the war, and served up to the holidays
of 1863, when he veteranized for three years, or during the war, and
served up to August, 1865, when he was discharged by reason of the
close of the war. Mr. Stallsmith enlisted as a drummer and refused
two proffered promotions to First and Second Lieutenant, as it would
have taken him trom his company, but was discharged as First Ser-
geant. He served in Company A, Thirty-first Regiment, O. V. I., in
the Army of the Cumberland, First Division, Fourteenth Army Corps,
and was in the following engagements : Mill Springs, Kentucky, Jan-
uary'- 19, 1862 ; Siege of Corinth, Mississippi, May, 1862 ; Perryville,
Kentucky, October 8, 1862 ; Shepperdsville, Kentucky, 1862 ; "Cages
Ford, Tennessee, November 22, 1862 ; Stone River, December 30, 1882
to Januar}^ 2, 1863 ; Hoover's Gap, June 26, 1863 ; Tullahoma, June 30,
1863 ; Chickamauga, Sept. 19 and 20, 1863 ; Mission Ridge, Tennes-
see, November 25, 1863 ; Resaca, Georgia, Ma}- 14, 1864 ; Tunnel Hill,
Georgia, May 8, 1864; Dalton, Georgia, May 12, 1864; Dallas Gap,
Georgia, Mav 27, 1864: Pine Mountain, Georgia, June 19, 1864 ;Ken-
nesaw Mountains, Georgia, June 24, 1864; Chatahoochie River, Ga.,
July 5, 1864 : Peachtree Creek, Georgia, July 20, 1864; Atlanta, Ga.,
September 2, 1864 ; Jonesboro. Georgia, September i, 1864; Nashville;
Savannah ; Averysboro, North Carolina, March 16, 1865 ; Bentonville,
North Carolina, March 19, 1865 ; and on Sherman's March to the Sea.
Upon returning home he purchased a store in Millersville, which he
owned about six nionths, when he sold the store and engaged in run-
ning a saw-mill for about six years, after which he went into the woolen
manufactorv which he continued up to 1881, when he quit but again re-
558 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
sumed,and was the cause of Hemlock being built,by the estabHshmentof
the woolen mill. He is now Justice of the Peace of Saltlick township,
and has served several terms as township trustee, and as school director.
Mr Stallsmith was married December 29, 1865, to Hannah, daughter of
James and Eliza (Veil) Ball, of Coal township. They are the parents
of four children, viz. : Eva May, Eliza Helena, William Hermon and
Cora Jane. By his first wife he had three children, viz. : Jacob Geo.,
John W., and Mary Elizabeth.
Stalter, Joseph, farmer, post office New Lexington, Clayton
township, Perry county, Ohio ; born in this county in 1848 ; son of John
and Mary (Stakely) Stalter; the former died in 1880. Mr. Stalter was
married, in 1869, to Miss Mary Snider, daughter of Peter and Ellen
(Dean) Snider. They are the parents of seven children, viz. : John
P., Lucy, deceased; William P., Mary E., Gertrude, Thomas V. and
Jessie, deceased.
Stevenson, James, engineer, Rendville, Ohio ; was born August 19,
1838, in Clarion county, Pennsylvania ; son of Samuel and Susan (Kis-
singer) Stevenson. When a child his parents moved to Lawrence
county, Pennsylvania, where he made his home until he became a man,
after which he made his home in Ohio and Pennsylvania. He came
to his present residence in 1879. ^^'- Stevenson was married July 7,
i860, to Miss Eva E., daughter of David and Catharine Kennedy, of
Lawrence county, Pennsylvania. They are the parents of two chil-
dren, viz. : George M., married to Anne L George, of Perry county,
Ohio, and Laura, who died in infancy.
Stewart, John, born in 1836, in county Donegal, L-eland ; came to
America in 1852 ; revisited Ireland, England, the isle of Man and Scot-
land in 1865. His marriage is referred to in the Hammond biography.
His brothers are James, George, Hugh, Thomas and Gilbreth. His sis-
ters are Ann, Jane, Mary and Lucy, all in Ireland. His mother's
maiden name was Nancy Meldrem. After learning the blacksmith trade,
and visiting different parts of the United States, and meeting with some
thrilling adventures on the frontier, Mr. Stewart married and settled on
the Hammond homestead, to which his industry and thrift have added
many acres and much improvement. He ranks among the foremost
farmers in enterprise and intelligence, and is the founder of a new
American house of Stewart.
Stewart, James, miner. New Straitsville ; he was born in T3n-one
county, Ireland, September 16, 1842 ; is a son of Hugh and Jane Stew-
art, natives of Ireland. He came to America in 1859, ^^^ settled in
Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, where he remained until 1861 ; he then
came to Athens county, Ohio. In 1864, ^e married Mary Duftey, whose
parents were natives of Ireland. Mr. Stewart came to New Straitsville
in 187 1, and began mining coal for the, Straitsville Mining Company,
by whom he is 3'et emplo3'ed. He has, b}- his industr}-, accumulated
the home where he now resides.
Stickel, Charles, son of Daniel M. Stickel, who was born in
Hesse Cassell, Germany in 1798, and died in Somerset, O., in 1861, at
the age of sixty-three 3'ears : his wife wasKatharine Staffinger. They
brought with them three children to the State of Virginia, in 1833, where
they remained about six years. They came to Somerset in 1839. Their
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 559
sons are John, in Van Wert, Ohio ; Daniel and Charles in Somerset,
Ohio. The daughters are Emily Parkeson, post office Somerset;
Catharie Parkeson, of Newark; Maria, of Somerset ; Mary Fromm, of
Canal Winchester ; Nancy Souslin, near Somerset. Charles Stickel
was married to Phidelia J. Jones, daughter of Jehu B. Jones. He fin-
ished work as an apprentice at the tanning trade in 1867, and now owns
the residence and tanner}^ of his preceptor. He volunteered in Com-
pan}^ G, Thirty-first Regiment, O.V. I., Captain Jackson in 1861 ; was
wounded November 25, 1863, at Mission Ridge; re-enlisted and was
honorably discharged July 25, 1865. He has added theForquair, to the
Poorman estate and tannery, works three hands, and his leather is
sought for at home and abroad. He is Lutheran in religion, Republican in
politics, and his career illustrates the rewards of patriotism, sobriety, in-
dustr}^ and plodding perseverance. His mother is yet living at the age
of eight3"-one, to which advance period of life she has arrived without
the aid of snuft' or tobacco.
Stillman, T. Spencer, born March 26, 1823, in Weathersfield,
Hartford county, Connecticut ; son of Deacon Ebenezer Stillman, and
the youngest of twelve children. His mother's maiden name was Miss
Rhoda Francis, said to be the most handsome woman in her vicinity.
The children are Frank, of Hamilton, New York ; Ebenezer, deceased ;
John, who died in Mobile, and whose sons were in the Rebel service ;
Henr}^, Hartford, Connecticut ; Lewis, Newark, New Jerse}' ; Thomas
Spencer, of Somerset ; Mary, widow of John Doubleda}^ and mother
of Henry S. Doubleday, deceased, of Somerset ; Fanny, widow of Fred-
erick S. Moors, of the United States Navy; Eliza, died at thirty-two
3^ears of age ; Anna, still living ; Rhoda, widow of C. W. Badger, New-
ark, New Jersey, and Caroline, died in infancy. T. Spencer Stillman
was married November 14, 1850, to Mrs. Swayzie, a young and beauti-
ful widow, whose maiden name was Miss Sylvia Dawes, cousin of Sen-
ator Dawes, of Massachusets. At first his father was a shoemaker, but
soon became owner of several tracts of those rich and beautitul lands
bordering on the Connecticut River, near Weathersfield. Thomas was
educated as a dry goods clerk, became a clerk of a steamer, plying be-
tween Hartford and New York, then a dry goods merchant on his own
account in Hartford, thence removed his store to Hamburg, South Caro-
lina, where he was during the Mexican War, becoming acquainted there
with Brooks and other celebrities of that State ; sold out in 1848 and
embarked in the produce trade in Springfield, Massachusetts, wiiere he
was captivated by the charms of his present wife, then became a farmer
near Weathersfield, whiqh business he followed tor three years, and then
March 19, 1853, came to Somerset to join W. S. French, a cousin, in
the sub-contracts on the old Scioto and Hocking Valley Ry., under the
chief contractors, Seymore, More & Company, who "pegged out," as
Tom says in his curt reference to those times, "and left me $9,000 short of
money paid out of m}^ private means for labor, but no man can say I
owe him a dollar for work done on the railroad.'" He has judgments
in Licking and Perry Courts vs Seymore, More & Co., amountino* to
over $50,000, but in those days a laborer had no lien on the road his la-
bor and his money constructed. Mr. Stillman, and his amiable wife,
have not been blessed with children, but their hearts and hands are
1560 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
open to the unfortunate, and though their ship has met with rude butTet-
ings on the ocean of life they are comfortably moored in its afternoon,
and Mr. Stillman as notary and pension agent, keeps his bank ac-
count healthy.
Stith, John, farmer, post office Rushville : born in 1813 ; is the eld-
est son of the late Rev. Elder Jesse Stith, of the Baptist Church, and
his wife, Polly Graham. The Rev. Elder was born in North Carolina,
and was only in his nineteenth year when his son John was born, on a
farm bordering on the Reservoir in Walnut township. Elder Stith and
his wife became Baptists when quite young, and their devotion to the
church often impelled them to travel on foot from Walnut township to
the Pleasant Run Church, and carry their children, then too small to be
left at home. Their sons were John. Henry, James, Jesse and Wil-
liam Baker Stith ; the daughters were Amy Trovinger, now a widow,
and Nancy Grey, now dead. The sons are all living except Jesse, who
volunteered in the army and fell a sacrifice on the bloody field of the
Wilderness while a member of the One Hundred and Twenty-sixth
Regiment, and the Sixth Corps, whose gallantr\^ won unlading laurels.
John was married to Delilah, daughter of the venerable Isaac Hite, Sep-
tember 6, 1835. H^'" mother was Magdalena, daughter of John and
sister of the late Henry Bretz, who were of the early settlers, and dis-
tinguished not only tor their thrift, but for their piet}' and respectability
in Fairfield county. After six years residence on the "Refugee," Etna
township, Licking county, John purchased the famous farm where he
and his dutiful wife now reside, in Richland, Fairfield county, since
1842. In 1880 their house took fire and burned to the ground, the 'in-
surance covering onl}^ apart of the loss. In a few da3'S not less than
twenty teams were in line from Pleasantville loaded with material for
the grand country structure, which now adorns the premises, and these
were only twenty testimonials of sympathy for a deserving neigh-
bor and an honest man. Their children are Mary, wife of Joseph Puft-
ner, post office Rushville : Isaac, who was last heard from in California,
whither he went with his uncle Levi Hite : Am}-, wife of Levi Saum,
post office Rushville ; Katharine, single ; Levi, married to Katharine
Nagle, Lancaster; William Allen, married to Amanda Louis; Lizzie,
single, residing with her aunt, Levina Hite ; Phebe, wife of David
Henderson, post office Salem ; John, married to Ella Spohn ; Nancy,
single; Levina, wife of John Holliday, Bushe's Station : Jonas, single;
Jesse, married to Phebe Ann Stoltz, Delphos, and Ruth, wife of Wil-
liam Bull, of Hickman's Mills, Jackson county, Missouri — fourteen in
all — the youngest lacking but one year of being of age. This interest-
ing family is not only remarkable for its size, but also for its robust health,
not one of whom ever doubted their capacity to paddle his, or her, own
canoe. Grandfather Stith began to preach before he could read his
text, but he soon not only could read, but rose to the front rank as a
speaker in his church, while his sons and daughters all grew to be men
and women, noted for their success in life and for the generous hospi-
tality, which kindles happiness around the old Baptist hearthstone.
Stobbs, Cathbert, miner, New Straitsville ; was born in New
Castle, North England, January 12, 1847 ; is a son of Ralph and Cath-
arine (Clark) Stobbs, natives of England. At the age of sixteen he
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 561
came to America. He was married at Pomeroy, Ohio, November 15,
1867, to Mary, daughter of Hughey and Esther Williams, natives of
Wales. They are now the parents of six children, two of whom were
born in Pomeroy, and four in New Straitsville.
Stoltz, L?:wis, Jr.. was born in 1843, in Jackson township, a few
months after the death of his father, Lewis Stoltz, Sr. He had five
brothers and three sisters. Lewis went into the Forty-sixth Regiment,
Compan}' F, Captain Henry H. Giesv. Three of his brothers joined
the One Hundred and Fourteenth Regiment, Company G, Captain
Ephraim Brown, two of whom lost their lives. He was wounded on
the same day and at the same battle where General McPherson fell.
He and his wife, who was Miss Margaret Petty, were married Novem-
ber 24, 1867, and have succeeded to the ownership of the Petty home-
stead, where she was born, and where she grew to womanhood; and
where, surrouiided by the associations of childhood, and blessed with
a kind husband, their beautiful home maintains the generous welcome
to its friends, which was so often met there in days of Father Petty.
Stoneburner, Josiah, farmer; post office, Crooksville ; was born
in Muskingum county in 1820. Settled in Perry county in i860. Son
of Jacob and Margaret (Hartsell) Stoneburner. The former died in
Muskingum county in 1831, the latter in Morgan count}' in 1845. Mr.
Stoneburner's parents emigrated from Maryland in a very earh' day,
and settled in Cla^-ton township, Muskingum count}', Ohio. Mr. Stone-
burner was one of a family of eleven children, six of whom are still
living. He was married in 1838, to Miss Sarah A. Williams. They
are the parents of ten children, viz. : N. H., Josiah, deceased ; Mar-
garet A., deceased; Mary J., deceased ; John W., Augustus, Manda
C., deceased; Sarah A., Mary C, deceased; Harvey E. Those liv-
ing are all married and living in this county. Mr. Stoneburner had
three sons in the late war. Josiah enlisted in i86i,in Company A,
Sixty-second Regiment, O. V. L, Captain Edwards. He participated
in the following engagements : Winchester, Virginia ; Port Republic,
Harrison's Landing, Black Water, Morris Island, Fort Wagner, Peters-
burg, Virginia ; Signal Hill, Deep Run, Chapman's, Virginia, and
Darby, V^irginia. John W. enlisted in 1864, in Company H, Thirty-
first Regiment. N. H. was in Company H, One Hundred and Sixtieth
Regiment. Mrs. Stoneburner's grandfather was in the Revolutionary-
War.
Stoneburner, N. H., farmer and potter : post ofiice, Crooksville ;
born in Muskingum county, Ohio, in 1839. Came to Perry county in
1859. ^^^ '^^ Josiah and Sarah A. (Williams) Stoneburner. Mr.
Stoneburner has been in the pottery business about twenty years. Mar-
ried in i860, to Miss Clarissa A". Brown, daughter of B. S. Brown.
They are the parents of three children, viz. : John F., Mary and Ada.
Mr. Stoneburner enlisted in the war in 1864, Company H, One Hun-
dred and Sixtieth Regiment. He participated in the following engage-
ments : Winchester, Virginia, Martinsburgh and Old Town. Dis-
charged at Zanesville.
Storer, James L., M. D., Corning, Ohio; was born April 18,
1830, in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. Son of Ezekiel and Sarah
(Case) Storer. At the early age of two years, James L. Storer was
56
562 lilOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
brought to Ohio by his parents, who settled and lived in Muskingum
count}^, on a farm, where he was reared to the age of fifteen years,
when he entered the Muskingum County College, situate at Concord,
Muskingum county, Ohio ; and in the fall of 185 1, graduated at that
institution. Immediately after graduating, he began teaching school,
which he continued for a number of 3'ears, mainly in Kentucky and
Ohio. In about two years after graduating, he received the degree of
A. M. from his Alma Mater. In 1855 or 1856, he began the study of
medicine, and in 1858, he began the practice of medicine, which he con-
tinued until the breaking out of the late war, when he was engaged in
the arm}' until the close of the war, at which time he again took up the
practice of medicine in his former field of practice, at Millertown,
Perry county, Ohio, where he has continued up to this time. Dr. Storer
was married June 8, 1854, to Miss Esther, daughter of George B. and
Mary Jane (Frazier) Passmore, of Perry county, Ohio. The}- are the
parents of three children, viz.: Edgar A., Jesse and Guy. All at
home.
Strouse, S. F., boot and shoemaker. Junction City, Perry county,
Ohio. Son of John and Leah (Minich) Strouse ; born in Berks county,
Pennsylvania, September 27, 1850; left there when about eight or nine
years of age, and went to Pickaway count}', then went to Iowa ; lived
there five years, then came back to Pickawav ; went to his trade when
about fourteen. Set up shop for himself in 1869, in Straits ville, this
county; came to Junction City in the fall of 1872, where he now
does business. Was married to Miss Rosa, daughter of William
and Catharine (Darsham) Haine, in 1874. ^^'^ the parents of three
children, viz. : Lola May, Alice L. G., Vernon F. Mr. Strouse's peo-
ple are of German descent.
Sullivan, Frank, wagon maker, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born May
22, 1850, in Rushville,' Fairfield county, Ohio ; son of John and Hester
(Williams) Sullivan. Mr. Sullivan was raised a farmer, and has lived
in the following places, viz. : McConnelsville, Morgan count}', Ohio,
one year; Amesville, Athens county, Ohio, in all and at different times,
about ten years ; eighteen months, while engaged on portable saw mill ;
fourteen months in hotel business ; two years in dry goods business, and
about five years in wagon making business, after he left his father's
home ; on a farm near Hartleysville, Putnam county, Ohio, one year ;
Nelsonville, short time ; in Missouri short time, in hotel business ; one
winter in Ames township, Athens county, Ohio, where his father packed
tobacco ; thence to Buffalo, Putnam county, Ohio, two vears, where he
learned his trade; after which he went to his father's farm, living one
year; and then, as above stated, in Amesville five years ; in Maxville,
two years at his trade, when he came to Shawnee, Ohio, one year ago,
and has engaged at wagon making up to this time. Was married Sep-
tember 23, 1874, to Eva, daughter of James and Charlotte (Blackburn)
Evener, of Athens County, Ohio. They are the parents of four chil-
dren, viz. : Reason, deceased; Austin, deceased ; Sylvia, deceased;
and Blanche, the only one living,
SwARTZ, George W., grocer; post office, Thornville, Ohio ; born
1828, in Reading township, Perry county, Ohio; a son of John Swartz,
whose wife's maiden name was Susan Jordan, both natives of Rocking-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 563
ham county, Virginia. One brother, John, lived in Jacksontown, Ohio.
Another, David, resides in Wyandot county, Ohio ; post office. Fow-
ler's Station. A sister, now Mrs. Sarah, wife of John Shook, post
office, Little Sandusky, Ohio, was first the wife of E. Bowers, of the
One Hundred and Twenty-sixth O. V. I., Sixth Army Corps, who was
lost in service. Father Svvartz died in his sixty-third year, but Mother
Swartz is still living, near the age of seventy, with her daughter, Mrs.
Shook. George W. Swartz first married Matilda, daughter of William
Clumb, in 1849. -^J ^^'^^ marriage he became the father of Margaret,
wife of Jefferson Cover, of Thorn, and Sarah J., wife of John Clark,
Junction City, Ohio, a son of Allen Clark, near there ; a third daugh-
ter is Miss Susan, at home. After the death of his first wife, he was
married to Miss Josephine Highland, of Mercer county, Ohio, and by
this marriage there is one son, Morris Swartz. About six years after
his last marriage, he became blind, in the fall of 1867. His service in
the army liad much to do with his misfortune. He was finally placed
on the pension rolls, and in 1868, he, with onl}^ $2.20 in cash, began
business in Thornport, as a grocer and retailer of liquors, and has pro-
vided himself with a neat home, and lives in comfort. His head is
twenty-four inches ; weight, two hundred and twenty pounds ; and
height, five feet nine inches in stockings. He is a grandson of Phenus
Swartz, a native of Germany, and inherits a conk shell that called to
dinner prior to the Revolution. This grandfather served this country
in the Revolution, and died near Wooster, Ohio, thirty-five or forty
years since. His maternal grandfather, Adam Jordan, was also a fifer in
the Revolutionary War, and drew pension ; his widow drew afterwards,
and after her marriage to a second husband. An uncle, Silas Swartz,
served in the Mexican War, from the State of Illinois. An uncle, An-
drew Svvartz, of Stark, Illinois, is still living.
Sweeny, John, butcher, Shawnee, Ohio; was born July 22, 1841,
in Monroe township ; son of Thomas and Bridget (McCabe) Sweeny,
natives of Ireland. John was brought up on a farm, where he remained
until twenty-two years of age. He traveled one year on the Muskingum
River. In 1866 he engaged in merchandising in Monroe township,
where he remained five years. Came to this place in 1873, and worked
two years at the carpenter's trade, then engaged in his present business.
Mr. Sweeny was married February 5, 1867, to Miss Mar}^, daughter of
Bernard and Julia (Conway) O'Farrell. They are the parents of five
children, viz. : Julia Anne, Bridget Catharine, Rose Lily, Mary Ellen
and Theresa. Mr. Sweeny is doing a good business.
SwiNEHART, Peter, farmer, was born in 1810, in section nineteen,
Hopewell township ; has been Justice of the Peace twenty-one 3''ears,
county commissioner six years ; has held every office in his township
except constable, and has been a resident of this township for seventy-
two consecutive years. His great grandfather and mother, tradition
affirms, crossed the ocean from German}- with a large family, and being
able to pay onlj- the fare of the younger and more helpless of iheir
children, the older ones were hired to service in America to settle the
bill. Whether John, the grandfather of Peter Swinehart, was among
the last named, is not known, but that he lived in Northumberland
county, Pennsylvania, and there reared a respectable family, among
564 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
whom was his son John, the father of Petei*, is Certain. Leaving all
his relatives in Penns3-lvania, John Swinehart and his wife emigrated
to Perry county in 1807. A few years after, John's father paid him
a visit, perhaps in 1810, the year Peter was born, and returned the same
year to Pennsylvania. He must have carried back good news of his
son John, for in 18 14 two sisters of John, the wives of John Linn and
Henry Coble, escorted hither b}^ their mother, settled in Perry coun-
ty. After she had visited her son John, and his wife, and kissed his
children, born in the forest home, she bade good bye to her two daughters
and to her son John, mounted one of the horses that had pulled the
wagon from Pennsylvania, and rode home. She was a small sized,
sprightly woman, of fearless heart. x\t the same time, or at least the
same 3'ear, there came Andrew Swinehart. son of him who crossed
the ocean, uncle of John, and great uncle of John's son Peter. This
ancient Andrew, who either came with his father over the sea, or was
soon after born in Pennsylvania, settled as a carpenter and joiner in
Somerset, where he died. This Andrew was the father of the late ven-
erable Samuel Swinehart, who died on his farm near Somerset, and
Jacob, who died at the toll-gate east of Somerset, and of Daniel and
Peter Swinehart, who lived in Circleville, Ohio, and of George, the
father of that Samuel who now resides in section thirty-two, Hopewell.
When Peter was only a few 3^ears of age, his father, John Swinehart,
moved from section nineteen to section nine, Hopewell, and before his
cabin was chunked and daubed, and quilts were hung on the wall for
protection, and while his wife expected soon to be confined in childbed,
he was drafted into the army, reported at Franklinton, and failing to
get leave of absence, crossed the Scioto, broke through the ice, and
after a tedious and perilous journe}- through the woods, reached home, ar-
ranged for the comfort of his family, returned to military duty, was ar-
raigned for desertion and bailed b}- Jacob Anspach, afterwards the
fiither-in-law of Peter, and served until honorably discharged. The
brothers of Peter are Jacob, Little Sandusk}-, Ohio; Jonathan, Hen-
derson county, Illinois ; Samuel, deceased in Hopewell township ;
Daniel, deceased in Fulton county, Indiana ; George, Black Swamp,
Sandusky count}- , Ohio ; Andrew, Bloomdale, Wood county, Ohio ;
and his sisters are Sally, deceased wife of George Anspach, Thorn
township ; Elizabeth, deceased wife of Jacob Cooperider, Thorn town-
ship ; Katharine, deceased wife of Jerome Stalter, deceased ; and Juda,
wife of Jacob Lawrence, post office, Upper Sandusk}', Ohio. Peter
Swinehart was married to Miss Sophia Anspach in 1834. She died in
1881, in the sixty-seventh 3'ear of her life, and the forty-seventh of her
marriage. Tiieir children and post offices are Simon P., Glenford,
married to Elizabeth Shelle}' ; John, Areola, Illinois, married to Susan
Bowman; George Henry, Linville, Ohio, married to Martha Orr ;
Elizabeth, wife of Lewis Cooperider, Glenford ; Ann Sophia, wife of
Emanuel Cooperider, Glenford ; Magdalena, wife of Oliver Cooperider,
Glenford ; Margaret, wife of George H. Bowers, Gratiot, Ohio ; Nancy
C, wife of George Hupp, Brownsville, Ohio ; Levina Emeline, wife of
Joseph H. Orr, Glenford, and Melzena Alice Swinehart. Peter relates
that an uncle, sometime about the 3'ear 181 2, entered a half section of
land, made the required down pa3^ment, and failing to meet the back
HISTORY or PERRY COUNTY. 5^5
payments, the land reverted to the government. Subsequently the cer-
tilicates held for such lands were made receivable by act of Congress
for their face value at anv land office of the United States. In 1830
Peter apphed one certificate to eighty acres of land ten miles west oi
Fremont, at the Tiffin, Ohio, land office, for himself, and did the same
for his father. Fourteen years later he sold his eighty lor $300,^ and 3.
year later half of it sold for $400, and now the whole eighty is esti-
mated to be cheap at $4,000. Peter Swineheart weighs one hundred
and seventy-five pounds, is about five feet ten inches m height, and his
head measures twenty-three and one-half inches in circumference. He
has furnished an interesting assortment of facts relating to early days m
Perry county, which appear in the general history ot Hopewell town-
^ ^Swingle, L. B., dental surgeon, corner of Main street, New Lex-
ington, Ohio. Dr. S. was born January 29, 1842 in Deavertown
Morcran county, Ohio, son of Nicholas J., and Mary M. _ (Leffler)
Swino-le. Dr. Swingle began the practice of his profession m the lall
of 1867, in his native town. In May, 1873, he established his office m this
place where he has built up a good practice. The Dr was married
June 21, 1881, to Miss Annie, daughter of Thomas and bllen (Cjrimes)
Uearer.
Taylor, James, dealer in coal land, projector of railroads and in-
ventor, and at present a resident of Columbus, Ohio ; born m Perry
ccuntv in October, 1825, a son of Thomas Taylor, and a grandson ol
Thom'as Taylor, native of county Down, Ireland. He was editoi- ot
sundry newspapers, and for three years editor-in-chief of the U/iw
Slafc Journal. James Tavlor would be a leader in human thought and
action'in any community. ^ As a writer his style is vigorous, pungent
and sententious. He was asked " When did your father, Thomas 1 ay-
lorcometo America?" "He did not come at all," was the reply.
- How then did he get here? " " He was brought," was the answer.
"Who brought him and when? " " He was impressed into the british
service under General Gage to coerce the Colonies, and landed m Bos-
ton in 1774." " T suppose he deserted the British service after that?
" No " rephed Mr. Taylor, "he did not; he just left. How could
a man desert an army 'he never joined? No, sir ; he just left Bos-
ton wandered into Western Massachusetts, and finally joined the
Am'erican armv ; was appointed ensign and orderly to James Monroe,
chief of Washmrnon's staff; served with Monroe while m the army
and otherwise to die close of the war ; then setded in Fauquier county,
Viro-inia, on Monroe's farm, where his seven sons and five daughters
were born." These seven sons were Nathaniel, William, Thomas,
lohn George, James, deceased young, and Joseph. The daughters
were KathaVine, Sarah, Mary, Elizabeth and Ellen. Of these seven
sons, Thomas, Jr.. was the father of James, and had also seven
sons and five daughters. The names were Joshua O. Taylor, a Justice
of the Peace in Newton township, Muskingum county, Ohio, for thirty
years; Thomas Evan Taylor, died in Danville prison ; James; John S.,
in Clayton township. Perry county ; George W., deceased, who was
justice of the Peace in both Harrison and Clayton townships ; William
A Columbus, Ohio ; and Albert G., killed at Mission Ridge. The sis-
5^6 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
ters of James and the daughters of Thomas Taylor were Amelia,
wife of William Adams, Pike township ; Elizabeth, deceased wife of
L. D. Gardner ; Sarah, wife of John B. De Long, of Harrison town-
ship ; Mary, deceased at eighteen ; and Katharine, wife of William
A. Babbitt, New Lexington, Ohio. By careful and actual count
more than a company of the Taylor family were in the army on
the Union side, twenty-one of whom died or were killed in the War of
the Rebellion. James Taylor was married to Miss Amanda Hatcher,
of New Lexington, Ohio. Their children are Laura, wife of Judge
Kelly, of Perry county ; and Miss Stella, of New Lexington.
Taylor, J. C, furniture dealer, Junction City; born near Bridge-
port, Belmont count}^ January 21, 1840 ; son of Samuel A. and Hannah
(Calaughan) Taylor. His mother's parents, James D. and Abagail,
were from Ireland. His grandparents, John and Mary E. (Yost) Taylor,
were early setders of Belmont county, from Pennsylvania. Mr.
Taylor's lot has been cast in many places ; he has lived in seventeen
States. At the age of two years, his father's family moved to Cincin-
nati, thence to WheeHng, West Virginia, Bridgeport and Grant county,
Wisconsin, successively. At the age of seventeen 37ears he began an
extensive tour as a carpenter, walking from place to place through many
States, and at twenty-one commenced mercantile life at Barnesville, O.,
as senior member of the dry goods firm of Taylor, Wilson & Co. Later
he followed farming and other pursuits in that vicinit}', and in August,
1873, removed to New Lexington, operating a meat and provision store
until he lost it by a destructive fire, February 23, 1874. After a short
stay in Zanesville, he came to Junction City, April 20, 1874. He was
emplo3-ed for several years in the planing mill of Bringardner & Co. ;
was then salesman in Brown's store, and carpenter until the spring of
1880, when he formed a partnership with H. A. Pletcher, and has since
conducted a general furniture and undertaking business. He was mar-
ried September i, 1864, to Elizabeth J. Neptune, of Barnesville, daughter
of William H. and Elenor (Barnes) Neptune, who emigrated to Belmont
count}^ from Loudon county. Virginia. They have had two children,
Wilbur L., deceased ; and William Walter.
Teal, Lavvson, Auditor's clerk, New Lexington, Ohio; born in
April, 1817, in Bearfield township; son of Lloyd and Rachel (Moore)
Teal. Young Teal was brought up on a farm, and began teaching
when twenty-three 3'ears old, and taught ten or twelve 37ears, and has
been Auditor's clerk about fourteen years. Mr. Teal married Alice,
daughter of Peter and Cynthia (Barnes) Vansickle, of Pike township.
Thev are the«parents of two children, Edward L., deceased; and Her-
man A. Mrs. Teal was first married to Stephen Baile3^ The3^ became
the parents of three children, Orr, Joseph and C3mthia.
Teal, A. A.. Rendville Ohio; was b^rn in Bearfield township, Feb-
ruary 28, 1841 ; son of Edward and Nancy (Koons) Teal. Mr. Teal
was brought up on a farm. In 1861 he volunteered in Compan3r D,
Thirtieth Regiment, O. V. I., and served until the close of the war.
He participated in the battles of second Bull Run, South Mountain,
Antietam, Siege of Vicksburg, and was with Sherman on his march to
the sea. Mr. Teal was married in April, 1864, to Elizabeth A. Clayton.
They are the parents of six children, namely: Edward L., Myrde
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 567
May, Evanna Markie, Ada Ma3^ Harn' Hooker, and Cora Bell. Ed-
ward L. died when eight A'ears of age, in the State of Illinois. His first .
residence after marriage was in Pike township, and in 1867 he moved
to the State of Illinois, where he remained nine years, and in 1876 he
returned with his family to Perry county, where he did business for
several insurance companies ; also, sold fruit trees.
Teaters, James, merchant. New Lexington, Ohio; was born Ma}'
5, 1833. in Donegal, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania; son of
Michael and Margaret (Henr}^) Teaters. of German ancestry. In about
the year 1848 he went to Point Mills, West Virginia, where he followed
milling. From this place he moved to Roney's Point, and subse-
quently to Tridelphia, where he was railroad agent, postmaster and
merchant for four years. April 12, 1870, he came to this place and
established his present business. Mr. Teaters was married September
5, 1861, to Miss Mar3^J., daughter of Thomas and Eliza Humes. They
are the parents of hve children, viz. : William Elsworth, deceased ;
George Alden. deceased ; Lizzie May, Frank Stewart, and John
Henry.
Tedrow^ George, potter ; post office, Crooksville ; born in Mus-
kingum county in 1840 ; came to Peny count}^ in 1853; son of Moses
and Mar}^ (Dunifant) Tedrovv. He was married, in 1875, to Miss Clara
E. Rambo, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Rambo. They are the
parents of four children, viz. : Blanche, Dora, Charles and Frank.
Teeter, Thomas B., Corning, Ohio; was born near Linnville,
Licking count}', Ohio, September 17, 1841 ; son of Curtis and Mary
(Essford) Teeter. When at the age of ten years, he went to work in the
woolen mills at Newark, Ohio, where he remained four years ; then
boated two years on the Ohio Canal, after which he dug coal until the 17th
of April, 1861, when he enlisted in the Third Ohio three months service,
and re-enlisted for three years, and was honorably discharged in the
fall of 1864. He was engaged in the battles of Rich Mountain, Cheat
Mountain, Green Brier, Perryville, Stone River, Chickamauga, Mission
Ridge, and was captured near Cedar Blutfs, Georgia, and held as a
prisoner at Belle Island, until his exchange at City Point, Virginia.
When he came to Columbus, Ohio, he immediately joined in pursuit of
John Morgan, in his raid through Ohio. After his capture, he went
South and joined the army of the Cumberland, and marched with Gen-
eral Sherman as far as Kingston, Georgia. Pie returned to Perry
county at the close of the war, and mined coal. In 1865 he went to
Haydenville and worked there until the spring of 1871, when he came
to Straitsville and mined one year. In December, 1872, he purchased a
lot on the corner of Clark and Railroad streets, in the above town, and
engaged in the grocery business, and continued there until the sprino- of
1881, when he came to this place. Mr. Teeter was married Januarv 9,
1866, to Miss Nancy A. Jiles, by Rev. Cady, near New Lexino-ton,
Ohio. They are the parents of six children, viz.: Ida, William J.,
Edward, Mary E., Samuel J. and Unis H.
Terrel, Jesse, farmer, Monday Creek township, Maxville, Ohio;
was born January 23, 1812, in Harrison county, West Virginia; son of
Timothy and Elizabeth (Nixon) Terrel. Mr. Terrel's early life was
spent in hunting, and when game became scarce he went to farming
568 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
which he has followed to this time, and b\- indiistr}^ and econom}-, has
gained a handsome fortune. Mr. Torrel was married the first time, Sep-
tember 19, 1833, to Nancy, daughter of Ralph Webb. Mrs. Terrel died
October 18, 1864. They became the parents of ten children, viz. :
Benjamin G., deceased; Leroy S., deceased; Martha J., deceased;
William, Isaac H., Jerome, Mary Ida, deceased; Clara, deceased;
Samuel T. and Frank. He was married the second time, February 21,
1867, to Mariah, daughter of John and Mary (Long) Sykes. Mr.
Terrel's grandfather, Matthew Terrel, came from England and settled
in Virginia, and was Drum Major in the Revolutionary War. His ison,
Timothy, father of the subject of this sketch, was the sixth in number of
thirteen children born unto him. Timothy came to Ohio in 18 5, m
search of game, and located in Monda}' Creek township. Mrs. (Webb)
Terrel's father came to Falls township, Hocking count}^ Ohio, in 1817.
Thacker, Orrin, Auditor of Perry county ; post ofiice. New Lex-
ington.
Tharp, Abisha, miller, Hemlock, Ohio ; was born November 25,
1855, in Perry county, Ohio ; son of Alfred and Annie (Storrer) Tharp.
Mr. Tharp was brought up as a miller, and has followed the business up
to this time, except two years he farmed ; and has been employed as
stated below : Milling in Buffalo Shoals, Wayne county. West Vir-
ginia, about ten years with his father ; at this place about live months,
when he went to Pickaway count}^ Ohio, and farmed about six months ;
returned to Hemlock, farmed one year, and again went to milling for
Benjamin Sanders, which he continued about five months, when he, in
partnership with Spencer S. Sanders, rented the mill and ran it for one
year, since which he has milled for Spencer S. Sanders up to this time.
Mr. Tharp was married December 25, 1879, ^'^ Nora Dell, daughter of
Hezekiah and Sarah Frances (Leffler) Sanders, of this place. They
are the parents of one child, viz. : Clarence Sebastian.
Tharp, James M., grocer, Bristol, Pike township, Maholm post
office, Ohio; was born December 10, 1S57, in Bristol, this county; son
of James and Elizabeth (Lyons) Tharp. Mr. Tharp remained with his
father until he was eighteen 3'ears of age, when he began teaching school
and has taught in the following places : Monday Creek township, Dis-
trict No. 5, four months; Pike township, District No. 7, two months;
Pike township, District No. 8, Bristol, four terms, three six months
terms, and one four months term ; near Somerset, one three months
term, and between the terms he taught in Bristol. Mr. Tharp's father
came from Pennsylvania to Ohio when a boy with his parents, whose
father entered land two miles south of this place, and near Bowman
Hill iron ore mine, and afterward owned two hundred acres of land now
owned by Robert Bennett, and was one of the pioneers of the forest.
His son. James, and the father of the subject of this sketch, once owned
one hundred and twent}' acres of land where Buckingham now stands,
and afterward owned fifty-three acres near this place, now owned b}-
John McCabe. Upon selling this, he moved to Pickaway count}-, Ohio,
where he lived one year, and then into Fairfield county, living one year,
when he moved back to this place, where he has since lived. In the
spring of 1882, James M. Tharp, the subject of this sketch, bought a
grocery, where he is now engaged in selling family groceries.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 569
Thomas, Simeon, tarmer, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born July 2, 1842,
in Saltlick township, this county ; son of Joseph and Jane (Smith)
Thomas. Mr. Thomas was raised a farmer, and made agricultural pur-
suits the business of his life until within the last eight years. Farmed
in Perry count}', Ohio, with the exxeption of two 3xars, when he farmed
in Pickawa}' county, Ohio. Returned to this county in 1873, and en-
gaged at Beard's Furnace until fall of 1876, when he came to Shawnee,
and where he has remained up to this time, engaged at mining, except
one year, when he assisted in building the New York Furnace. Mr.
Thomas w^as married August 28, 1862, to Margaret M., daughter of
John and Elizabeth (Worle}") Wells. They are the parents of three
children, viz. : Jessie M., Elizabeth Jane, and John A., deceased. Mr.
Thomas is at this time a trustee of the M. E. Church of this place. Mr.
Thomas enlisted in Company B, Seventeenth Regiment, O. V. I.,
March 12, 1861, the first company enrolled in this county lor three
months, and served four montlis ; returned home and followed farming
until January 12, 1864, when he re-enlisted in Compan}- B, Tenth Reg-
iment, O. V. C, for three years or during the war; served eighteen
months, and was discharged in August, 1865, because of close of war.
Was under fire nearly every day after going into the service, and saw
the hardest battle at Atlanta, Georgia, where he had his horse shot from
under him. Was on Sherman's March to the Sea.
Thompson, George, was born in the county of Armagh, Ireland,
August 20, 181 1, and died at Corning, Ohio, May 10, 1882, aged sev-
enty years, nnie months and twenty days. The deceased came to America
when only ten years old. Nearing the age of manhood, he became an
apprentice to learn the harness-making trade in New York City.
June 6, 1834, ^^^ ^^^^ married to Catharine Skinner. Six children were
born to them, three of whom now survive, viz. : Adam, married to
Anne Cummiske}^ ; she is now deceased ; John, married to Mar}' A.
Slevin, and Timothy, married to Jennie A., daughter of Colonel James
and Catharine (Cook) Dalzell. George Thompson, the subject of this
sketch, lost by the Morgan Raid property to the value of eight hundred
dollars ; also lost heavily in prospecting for oil in Perry count}', Ohio.
During his twenty-one years of service as Justice of the Peace, there
was never one of his decisions reversed by the higher courts. In 1835
he came to Ohio, and entered eighty acres of land, and laid out the
town of Thompsonville ; and, in order to get a post office, the place was
named Chapel Hill. He donated an acre of ground on which the Cath-
olic Church and pastor's residence now stands, and afterward united
with this church, continuing a faithtul member until he departed this
life. He was appointed postmaster under Pierce's administration, and
his commission dated January 13, i860, is signed by J. Holt, Postmas-
ter-General. Having been elected Justice of the Peace for Monroe
township, he was commissioned' by Governor S. P. Chase, and he was
continvied in office until his death.
Tinker, Charles H., Recorder of Perry county, Ohio, was born
June 21, 1847, in Union township, Morgan county, Ohio ; son of S. and
Mary A. (Blackstone) Tinker. When Charles 'H. was two years old,
his parents located on a farm in Monroe township, where he was brought
up. He followed farming until 1875, when he engaged in merchandis-
57
570 BIOGRAPHIC AT. SKETCHES.
ing at Millertown, where he remained one year; then moved to Junc-
tion City, and continued his business there two years. Came to this
phice in 1879, and clerked two years in a dry goods store. He w'as
elected to his present office in October, 1880. Mr. Tinker was married
March 7, 1872, to Miss Hannah, daughter of Samuel Morgan, of Mon-
roe township. The}'^ are the parents of four children, viz. : Frank
Albert, Lydia Viola, Charles B. and William Lero}-.
Tracy, T. J., stone mason, Pike townsliip ; post office. New Lex-
ington, Ohio ; was born November 29, 1850, in Harrison township, this
county; son of William and Elizabeth (Hitchcock) Tracy. Mr. Tracy
was raised in New Lexington, Ohio, and has been a resident of that
place nearly all of his life. Was married December 7, 1871, to Emma,
daughter of William and Lovenia (Patterson) Rambo, of Grangers'
Mills, this county. They are the parents of four children, viz. : Lizzie,
Guy, John and Lovenia, now living. Mr. Tracy has made stone mason-
ing the business of his life up to this time, and has been a contractor for
the last eight years, undertaking county contracts at New Lexington,
for the bridges near Arnold's Mill over Rush Creek, one near C. & M.
V. depot. Rush Creek, two over Fowler's Run, and one over Yager's
Run. Out of New Lexington he put in stone work for one near XX
Furnace, Shawnee, Ohio ; one near George Deffenbaugh's Honey Creek ;
one on Main street in Corning ; one near Beard's Shaft, same place,
and now has a contract for one over Fowler's Run at New Lexington,
Ohio. Mr. Tracy is fourth sergeant in Company A, Seventeenth O.
N. G., and was in the skirmish at Corning during the miner's strike in
the fall of 1880.
Trout, William, farmer and stock grazer by occupation, post office
Glenford, Ohio ; was born in Hopewell township ; he is a son of George
Trout and Francis Cowen, w^ho were married in 1822. He and his
brother, George H. Trout, occupy the ancient homestead in section
three. The last named was married in 1863, to Miss Ann Maria Wal-
ser, and are the happy parents of four children, named Sarah Frances,
John W., George Allen and Martha A. Trout ; of these John W., now
fourteen, exhibits excellent genius as a draftsman and penman. His
uncle William has remained unmarried and has a large and comfort-
able room of his own in the family home, where he enjoys all the com-
forts of bachelor life, and where all welcome callers are treated to the
hospitalities of a gentleman. William and George H. are the only sur-
viving sons of George Trout. The surviving daughters are Susan, wife
of Samuel Cooperider, and Margaret, wife of George Cooperider, post
office of both, Brownsville, Ohio. The mother of this family died in
1852, and the father in i860, in his sixty-second year. When twelve
5^ears of age he came with his grandfather, Judge Trout, to Somerset,
Ohio. His brothers, the sons of Judge Trout, were Jacob, a soldier in
the War of 1812, and went to Fort Wayne ; John, who settled in Han-
cock county, Ohio, and laid out the village of Van Buren ; Elizabeth,
wife of Samuel Parkeson, who moved to Miami county, Ohio ; Juliann
Sophia, wife of Jacob Brunner, of Somerset ; Margaret, wife of Rev.
Andrew Hinkel, who with his wife died in Germantown, Montgomer}^
county, Ohio, and who, though both a Mason and Odd Fellow, was
buried by the Lutheran Church ; George, the father of William and
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 57 ^
George H. Trout, who died in Hopewell township; Henry, who lived
in Somerset and vicinity and died there ; Philip, who lived and died m
Perry county, and Michael, the youngest, born in 1809, who resides m
Germantown, and is yet a practicing physician at the age of seventy-
three years. Judge George Trout, when yet a resident of Pennsylvania,
was an inn keeper, as he was also after his removal to Somerset, Ohio.
He was one of the first Associate Judges of Perry county, helped to lob-
by the bill to organize the county and to establish the county seat at
Somerset, donated the ground where the court house now stands, as-
sisted in the entertainment of General Jackson at the hotel of Ben Eaton
in Somerset, was a Democrat in politics, and old time Lutheran in re-
ligion, and an honest man from principle. He died in 1829, in Somer-
set, universally lamented, in the sixty-seventh year of his life. His
wife's maiden name was Margaret Zeigler, who survived her husband
many years and died at the age of eighty-two. The relics of Judge
Trout, in possession of his grandson, William Trout, in whose posses-
sion are also the records of the family, are a cane, the gift of a friend on
his departure from Pennsylvania for Ohio ; a pair of old time shoe buck-
les, worn by the Judge at the Jackson supper ; a profile likeness, said to
be a good representation of the forehead, nose, mouth and chin ot the
Judge, black upon white paper, framed in a circular frame about four
inches in diameter. The name Sophia came into the farnily from the
Zeigler side, based upon a legend that Sophia, a sister of Mrs. Trout,
in the haste and confusion of retreat from hostile Indians, somewhere in
Carolina, was forgotten, and when her father returned to her rescue, he
found her hiding behind a door of the cabin, crouching with great fear
and mute as a mouse, and she was thus saved Irom the massacre that
drenched the village near by in the blood of innocence. The Trout
family fled from Alsace when it fell into the power of the French to
avoid submission to the demands of intolerance upon its Lutheran cit-
izens, preferring liberty in the wilds of far off America to home and
country and kindred, and patrimony in France. An ancient mound,
covering nearly an acre at its base, and rising to a height of perhaps
twenty-five feet, is found on the Trout farm, section three, Hopewell,
and a like mound is seen half a mile southwest of the first named, in
section nine. In size, regularity of shape, and beauty of contour, these
mounds present an imposing aspect to the eye and the questions arise,
were they created from natural forces, or by the hands of men? For
twenty odd years the Trout brothers have devoted themselves to the
rearing of the best breeds of sheep. They breed from none now that do
not bear the test of U. S. sheep register, and they are consequently in
the front ranks of sheep husbandry and they have added one hundred
and filty-seven acres to the original homestead range for their flocks in
Licking and Perry.
Turner, Frank N., merchant, Rendville, Ohio ; was born Septem-
ber 30, 1852, in Port Carbon, Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania ; son of
Jesse and Ruth T. (Foster) Turner. Mr. Turner was raised in the
place of his nativity, which remained his home until 1880. Mr. Turner
attended school at Blair Presbyterian Academy, Blairstown, New Jer-
sey, from which he graduated"; after which, in June, 1873, he entered
Lafayette College atEaston, Pennsylvania, from which he graduated in
572 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
1877. In the fall of 1877 he entered Princeton Theological Seminary,
remaining until 1878, at which time his health failed him and he was
obliged to leave oft' his studies, and return home where he remained un-
til 1880, when he went to Kansas, from w^hence he came to Rendville,
Ohio, in September of same year, and employed with the Sunday
Creek Coal Company, remaining with them until April, 1881. He
afterward bought out Charles Herring, of the firm of Carter & Herring,
and upon May i, 1881, he formed a co-partnership with Charles Carter
the firm being Carter & Turner, which partnership continues up to this
time, and has met with good success. Mr. Carter's father still resides
upon the homestead in Pennsylvania.
Turner, Joseph, mine boss, New Straitsville, Ohio.
TussiNG, L. A., of the firm of Tussing & Donaldson, attorneys at
law, and Mayor, New Lexington, Ohio ; was born January 2, 185 1, in
Monday Creek township. Perry county, Ohio ; son of Rev. Samuel C.
and Juliet ( Mario w) Tussing; Ma3^or Tussing was educated in the
public schools, and at Denison University, Granville, Ohio. Began
teaching when about eighteen and taught six 3^ears ; began reading law
in 1876, was admitted to the bar in 1877, and began practice in this
placeimmeaiately after his admission. In June, 1878 he formed a partner-
ship vvithL. J. Burgess, firm name Burgess & Tussing, which was dis-
solved September, 1880, when the present firm was formed. In April
of the same year, Mr. Tussing was elected Mayor of New Lexington,
Ohio.
UcKER, Jacob, clerk in New York store, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born
September i, 185 1, in Hocking county, Ohio; son of George and Ther-
esa (Cabell) Ucker. Was raised a farmer and followed agricultural
pursuits until he was twenty-two years of age, when he came to Shaw-
nee in the fall of 1873, and was employed dumping coal one 3^ear, as
w^eighmaster two years, since which he has been clerking in the store of
the New York and Straitsville Coal and Iron Compau}-, having been
with them seven years, in all. Mr. Ucker was married July 2, 1873, to
Rachel, daughter of Asbury and Edith (Turner) Voris, of Hocking
county, Ohio. They are the parents of four children, viz. : Ella and
Jacob Edward, living; Charles and John, dead.
Vansycle, Stephen A., son of Peter A. and C3aithia (Barns) Van-
sycle, daughter of Rev. Isaac Barns, and grandson of Andrew, who
died in New Jerse3' at the age of ninety. Stephen's father arrived in
Ohio and settled on the farm where he died in 1876, at the age of ninet3'-
three. He spent over $800 for the monuments and fencing of his burial
ground, and that of his venerable consort. He reared eleven children
to the estate of married life. iXmong these are Almira, wife of George
Pherson, ex-treasurer of the count3' ; Alice, wife of Lawson Teal, Dep-
uty Auditor, and Stephen A., the subject of this sketch, who was mar-
ried to Eliza Saffel, deceased, Februar3^ 24, 1880. Their children are
imes Reuben, Isaac Alfred, Mar3^ Jane Swinehart, L3alia Katherine
irookhart, now a widow residing with her onh^ child at tht^ home of her
iather ; John Thomas, William, Calvin, Ellen Brehm, Elizabeth Poland,
Perry Elmer and Frank, the 3'oungest son. Stephen began life a rent-
er, in a few years bought forty acres near Bristol, and paid i^ioo on the
contract, having time to pay the other $300. He alleges this was the
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 573
hardest money he ever earned, but he got through and kept on .buying
until he had one hundred and sixty acres in a body. He also is ot the
opinion that the first $1,000 any man earns,is far the most difticult to ac-
quire. He can read tolerably, but his learning was chiefly acquired m
leveling the forest and threshing wheat with a flail. He sold out the
farm he earned bv hard knocks and economy, and bought one hundred
and sixtv acres in Reading township, prospered there, bought the ^as-
sel faiV, and then next to it the beautilul home of the late Judge Wil-
liam M. Brown, in sight of Somerset, where he now lives m comlort
and but for the loss of his cherished wife, also in happiness. His first
tax receipt was $1.08 ; last year he paid over $180, and worked twelve
davs to pay his road tax. His children generally inherit tne thiift ot
their ancestors and have nearly all grown to the estate of womanhood
and manhood. He is of German Baptist extraction, never held, or was
a candidate for any office, except school director, his church being non-
combative and non-office holding. He has avoided lawsuits and ex-
cept the last sickness of his wife, $100 would pay all his bills 101 the
doctors or medicine, though he has reared a large family. _
Vfning, George H., carpenter and contractor, Rendville Ohio ,
was born Tuly 24, 1850, in Logan, Hocking county, Ohio ; son of Henry
aiKlMarv A (GregorV) Vening. George H. was brought up on a
Sm n'eai- nJ Lexington, and learned his trade vvith his father ; came
to his present residence in November, 1879- Mj yenmg was married
November 4, 1878, to Miss Sophia, daughter of William Newton and
Susanna (Dixon) Irwin. Thev are the parents of two children, viz. :
Ethel May and Mary Edna. Mr. Vening has had good success, being
oneof the" best mechanics of the county.
Wagner, John, was born June 3, 1823, m Lancaster county, Penn-
svlvania ; soi of George Wagner and Catharine Ritz ; P^^t ^f^^^i^^;-^;-
vllle Ohio. The family is of German descent on both sides. Fathei
Wao-ner came to Ohio in 1831, bought the farm on which he died, in
18^0 and in the days prior to railroads, kept a regular drove stand and
hotel. The sons, who came with him from Pennsylvania, were Simon
Peter and George Washington, and the daughter was Mary Elizabeth,
wife of Samuel Westall, who died in Lawrence coimty Illinois 1 hose
born afterwards were Susan Catharine, wife of Joel Pettj- ; He^i)^ M
who married Miss Leach ; Jacob R., who married Mary Hames ; Anna
lane, wife of Moses Petty; Matilda, deceased, tormer wife of Daniel
Berket all of whom reside in Lawrence county, Illinois. April i»,
1844 fohn Wagner was married to Ann Stoltz, who is the mother
of eight sons and three daughters now living. 1 hese ai^ : George W.
marded to Jane, daughter of Lewis Combs, post office Rushville ; Si-
mon Peter, married to Elizabeth, daughter of John Neely ; Henry M.,
m-irried to lessie, daughter of Lucretia Baker, a widow near Lmnville,
Li'ck m^ cox^nty, bhio?Samuel S., married to Belle, daughter ot Wil-
hrmR^itherfoi-d, post office Rushville, Ohio; Maiy K., wile ot Wes-
ley son of Samuel Thomas ; Margaret Ann, wile ot Asa, son ot David
Dennison. post office Rushville, Ohio, and Matilda Jane, wiie ot Lewis
A. Gillespie, post office Hancock, Perry county Ohio 1 he chi dren
y^t single and at home are: John R.,Thaddeus, David Grant and
Shermcui. The religious connection is ot the Brethren Church. 1 he
574 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
home of John Wagner, two miles east of Rushville, ranks among the
foremost in the county both in size and value, and is the fruit of that
persevering adherance to one occupation, characteristic of the Wagner
name.
Walker, Rowland, son of John Walker ; born 1798, in Great Dol-
by, Leicestershire, England, and grandson of Rowland Skivington
Walker. In the childhood of John Walker, his father paid for teaching
him to read and write, twelve cents per week, at the same school where
the poor were admitted free. The town built the school house. News-
papers cost six-pence, or twelve cents. John served four years as appren-
tice to a butcher, getting his board, while his father clothed him and
paid ten pound ($50) for his tuition. Saturday was the day fixed for
beef sales and no other day, in Nottingham, was a sale of beef permit-
ted by retail. As late as 1840 he sold beef, best cuts at fourteen cents
per povuid, and steak, free from bone, sixteen cents per pound. His
maternal grandfather, Mawley, gave him twenty guineas to begin
butchering on his own account, and he said he made money at it, or
he could not, in 1843, have brought his wife and all the children to the
United States. In 1821, he married Sarah Dixon, who came with her
husband and six children to Jefferson county, Pennsylvania. Their
children were Sarah Ford, who died in Pennsylvania ; Rowland,
George, Mary, Mrs. Ann Bailey and John, who all came to Perry Co.
with their parents in 1864, and settled in Pike township, on a farm one
mile from the N. S. & S. R. R., where his wife died in 1877. This farm
was sold at $100 per acre, or $16,000, a price due to mineral deposits.
After this he bought east of Somerset, and in sight of it, a large tract
which he divided between Mrs. Bailey, a daughter, widowed by the loss
of her husband in the army, who brought with her from Jefferson coun-
ty, Pennsylvania, five children; and Rowland, a son who had gone to
Illinois, but is now here, and with whom his father is spending the eve-
ning of his life, and who has drawn a pencil portrait, both of his father
and mother, which do credit to an art taught him in the common schools
of England. It was the expressed desire of Mother Walker to have the
following lines, slightly altered in expression, engraved upon her
tomb :
Sai-ah Dixon Avas my name,
England was mv nation,
America my dwelling place,
And Christ is my salvation.
When I am dead and in my grave,
And all my bones are rotten.
This inscription testifies,
That I am not forgotten.
Walker, John, Jr., farmer, Pike township. New Lexington, Ohio ;
was born September 23, 1836, in Nottinghamshire, New Bedford. Eng-
land, and son of John and Sarah (Dixon) Walker. Mr. Walker was
raised a farmer and followed agricultural pursuits in the summer season
and the lumber trade in the winter season for about thirteen 3^ears.
From the time he was twenty-one 3^ears of age until he was twent3'-five
years of age, he made the handsome sum of $1,700, during the winter
HISTORY OF PERRV COUNTY. 575
season alone with his team. He was united in matrimony with Hannah
M., daughter ot^ John and Catharine (Vansickle) Grimes. They have
no heirs. Mr. Walker came to the United States with his father in
May of 1843, who settled in Jetlerson county, Pennsylvania, where he
lived until 1864, when he came to Perry county, Ohio. John Walker,
the subject of this sketch, came to Perry county in 1862, and owns two
hundred and forty acres of land in Bearfield township, and also tour-
teen acres in New Lexington, where he now hves an acceptable citizen.
Walker, William H., was born September 3, 1841, in the town of
Somerset, Ohio. He is the eldest of the sons of Joseph Walker, a na-
tive of Maryland, who came to Somerset, in company with his family,^
in the year 1820, and who, in the year 1836, became the husband ot
Catharine Miller, daughter of George Miller, the weaver. The father
of Joseph Walker was" William, a blacksmith, and his mother's maiden
name was Mary Walters, sister of Jacob Walters, who carried on
shoemaking in Somerset. Moved to" Zanesville where he died and
where his wife still survives him. The grandfather of this Jacob was
also William Walters, a maker of leather breeches, who was murdered
for his money by a man who confessed the deed on the gallows, and that
he got only six cents in cash. The father of this murdered man w^as a
Revolutionary soldier, and lived to the age of one hundred and fourteen
years. He was a native of Holland. In August, 1862, Wilham Henry
Walker, subject of this sketch, was united in marriage with Miss Maria
Russell and the same day departed with Company H, Ninetieth O. V.
I. for the war. They have five sons and two daughters hving. As
stated in the sketch''of W. H. Russell, he began business under the
name of Walker & Russell in 1866, and his success in his chosen occu-
pation exceeds the average of business men, who start on far greater
capital, and is due to that care, attention, industry, sobriety and perse-
verance which have distinguished both the partners.
Wallace, William, miner, Shawnee, Ohio, was born May, 1846,
in Edinburgh, Scotland. Son of George and Jane (Wallace) Wallace.
Was raised in Edinburgh and learned the trade of lamp maker, and
was also a miner some eight years in Lanarkshire, Scotland. Mr.
Wallace was married September 10, 1869, to Isabel, daughter of Wil-
liam and Margaret (Graham) Keay, of Edinburgh, Scotland. They
are the parents of five children, viz. : George, Margaret, Jane, Wil-
liam and Alfred. Mr. Wallace came to America in August of 1872,
leaving his familv in Scotland, but in 1873 he sent for them and they
arrived in this place on May 14, of the same year. He has made min-
ing his business since coming to this country, and is now inside bank
boss in the New York and Straitsville Coal and Iron Company's Mines,
a position he has held for one year past.
Watt, Israel, farmer and stock raiser, post office McLuney.
Born in this county in 1825. Son of Joseph and Mary (Hitchcock)
Watt. Grandson of Robert Watt. Grandson of Isaac and Susan
(Fuller) Hitchcock. Married in 1848 to Miss Rebecca Iliff, daughter
of Thomas and Saloma (Reed) Iliff. They are the parents of five child-
ren, viz.: John I., Mary S., Thomas, deceased ; J. W. and L. D.
Mr.' Watt's father was a captain in the War of 181 2.
Watt, James, farmer, post office, Saltillo. Born in Baltimore
57^ BIOGRAPHICAT. SKETCHES.
county, MaryLmd, in 1809. Settled in Perry county in 1837. Son of
Charles Watt, who died in 1833, ^" Muskingum count}'. Elizabeth
(Longley), his mother, died in 1825. Mr. Watt is a grandson of Rich-
ard and Elizabeth Watt, and also grandson of Benjamin and Elizabeth
Longley. The}* are of German and English descent. Mr. W^att's
grandfather was married in 1830 to Miss Eliza A. Barnett, daughter of
Peter and Mary (Owens) Barnett. They are the parents of eight child-
ren, viz.: Austin G., deceased; Elizabeth, Charles, John W.. Wil-
liam Fl., John J., deceased; Jonathan, deceased ; and George W., de-
ceased. Those living are all married. Mr. Watt had three sons in
the late war. George W. enlisted in 1861 in Company D, Thirty-first
Regiment, Captain William Free, Army of the Cumberland. He was
engaged in the following battles, viz. : Hoover's Gap, Chickamauga,
Mission Ridge and Resaca. Austin G. enlisted in 1861, Compau}- H,
Sixty-second Regiment, and William H. in Companj' D, Thirty-first
Regiment.
Weatherburn, Thomas, mine boss. New Straitsville, Ohio, was
born April 27, 1846, in Saghill, county of Northumberland, England.
Son of Thomas and Ann (Robson) Weatherburn. Mr. Weatherburn
was brought upas a miner in his native count}/, where he lived until he
emigrated to America, setting sail from Liverpool June i, and landing
in New York June 17, 1870, from where he went directly to Cambridge,
Guernsey count}/, Ohio, and was engaged in mining for two vears.
From Cambridge he came to this place, February 20, 1873, and has
been engaged as follows : Laying track for one year in what
was then called the Old Troy mine, now known as the Thomas Coal
Company mine ; laying track one year in what was then the Patter-
son Coal Company mine, now W. P. Rend & Company's mine ;
after which he took his present position of mine superintendent
for W. P. Rend & Company. Mr. Weatherburn was married Au-
<^>"ust 14, 1869, to Miss Mary Ann Wilson, born January 2, 1848, in
West Cramlington, Northumberland, England, daughter of Robertand
Mary (Farrer) Wilson. They are the parents of five children, viz. :
Ann, born July 2, 1870, and died August 17, 1872. Mary Hannah,
born February 5, 1873. Robert William, born August 28, 1875.
Joseph, born August 7, 1878, and Evelyn, born April 19, 1881. Mr.
Weatherburn's father was born March 14, 18 19, in England, where he
still lives. His mother was born June 20, 1822, and is still living.
Mrs. Weatherburn's father was born May 14, 1823, in England, and is
now living in this place, where he has resided for the past ten years.
Her mother was born May 8, 1823, in England, and died February 17,
1873, in Cambridge, Guernsey county, Ohio.
Weaver, George C, junior partner of the Corning Weekly Times.
Was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, November 15, 1835, ^o" of John
W. and Julia A. (.Sayler) Weaver. Mr. Weaver resided in Virginia
and Cumberland, Maryland, initil he was seventeen years of age, when
he came to Columbus, Ohio, in the fall of 1852, and commenced learn-
ing the printing business in the office "of the O/i/o Siatesman., then
owned and edited by Samuel Medary. Owing to a strike in the office,
he was oflered a better position in the Ohio State yoitriial office, which
he accepted and where he finished a tour years apprenticeship, at which
HISTORY OF PERRY COUX'TV. 577
time he joined the Printer's Typographical Union No. 5. In 1S56 he went
to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he worked at his trade as a jour-
neyman printer. In 1857 and 1858 he attended school at Washington
College, Washington, Pennsylvania, but the panic of that year so af-
fected his father's linancial condition that he was obliged to leave school
before graduating, and returned to Columbus in 1858. In i860 he
again went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was licensed as a
local preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church, which license has
been renewed from year to year until the present time. May 23, 1861,
he was united in marriage to Miss Marv E., daughter of George and
Rebecca Getz. They are the parents of four children, viz. : Harry
G., Mar_y E., John Walter, and his first born, Charles Wesley, who de-
parted this life in September of 1863. Mr. Weaver came to Perry coun-
t}^ Ohio, Julv 8, 1881, as agent of the Perry county Auxiliary of the
American Bible Societ}^ and after having spent several months in Mon-
roe and Harrison townships, the work having been suspended in Octo-
ber, he returned to Columbus. December 10, 1881, he commenced
work on the Corning Times, and formed a co-partnership with James
H. Sopher, including a half interest Januarv i, 1881, which interest he
still holds.
Weaver, Jacob C, Shawnee, Ohio, was born July 15, 1845, in
Deavertown, Morgan county, Ohio: son of John P. and Catharine
(Lenhart) Weaver. Mr. Weaver's father is a merchant, and 'he was
raised in Eagle Port, Morgan county, Ohio, until he was thirteen years
of age, when his father moved to Blue Rock, Muskingum county,
Ohio, and remained about eight years, where Jacob C. was married,
August 19, 1865, to Matilda, daughter of Hiram and Matilda (Larrison)
Lucas. Thev became tlie parents of four children, living, viz. : Har-
lon C.,Til]ie K., Eva J. and Elcie D. ; and one deceased; Annie C.
After his marriage he moved to Delcarbo, and from there to Roseville,
Ohio, where he lived about two years, engaged at mining, and returned
to Blue Rock, where he remained five ^^ears at farming and then came
to Shawnee, Ohio, where he has lived np to this time. Since coming
to this place his first wife died September 26, 1877. Mr. Weaver was
married again December 18, 1879, ^° Elcedana, daughter of Anthony
and Delilah (Rusk) Townsend. of Peny county, Ohio. The}' are the
parents of one child, Mary S.
Weiland, Joseph, butcher, Main street, New Lexington, Ohio.
Mr. Weiland was born June 15, 1840, in Hocking count}^ Ohio : son of
George and Catharine (Shrader) Weiland. Joseph was brought up on
a farm, where he remained until twent3'-one years of age. When about
fifteen he began working at the cooper's trade, which he followed during
the winters and farmed during the summers until he enlisted in Company
D, Seventeenth O. V. I., in September, 1861, and was discharged in
July, 1865. He served in the arm}- of the Cumberland and was with
General Sherman in his ''March to the Sea." On his return he en-
gaged in his present business at Nelsonville. Ohio, where he remained
two years and then came to this place in April, 1869. Mr. Weiland
was married January 11, 1868, to Miss Mary, daughter of James and
Catharine (Hoodlet) Edington, of Nelsonville, Ohio. They are the
parents of four children, viz.: Clara Ida, George J., John E. and
68
578 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Thomas J. This firm is doing an extensive business in their line, both
at this place and at Cornitig, where they have a branch shop.
Wells, David, postmaster, Rendville, Ohio, was born April 3,
1840, in Leeds, Yorkshire, England ; son of Vv^illiam and Elizabeth
(Fryers) Wells. David went into the mines of England at the age of
twelve years, and worked until 1866, when he came to America, and
located in Bradford county, Penns3dvania, where he remained about fif-
teen months. Thence he went to Clinton county, Pennsylvania. Came to
Columbiana count}'-, Ohio, in 1868, where he remained until 1876 when
he came to Perr}^ county, Ohio, and located at Moxahala and followed
his accustomed occupation, mining. He came to Rendville in March,
1880, and was appointed postmaster Januar}' 30, 1882. Mr. Wells
was married first, January 11, 1862, to Sarah Jane, daughter of John
and Anne (Frith) D3^son. They became the parents of four children,
viz. : Anne Elizabeth, married to John Smith ; Mary Anne, married
to Martin Davidson : Susanna and Caroline. Mrs. Wells died in Sep-
tember, 1873. Mr. Wells was married the second time, March 22,
1875, to Mrs. Margaret, daughter of Robert and Mary (Parrot) Bards-
ley. They are the parents of two children, viz. : William and Robert.
Mrs. Wells was married first to John Sykes, by whom she had one
child. Mar}' Anne.
Wells, Josiah, superintendent S. C. Mining Company; post
office. New Straitsville. He is a son of Matthew and Jane Wells, of
the county of Cornwall, England. He was born in Charleston, St.
Austile, Januar}^ 8, 1842, and when a boy removed with his parents
about twenty miles east, to Pencilva, near Siskead. . His parents had
seven children, four of whom died in infancy. The others, the subiect
of this sketch, and two sisters, are 3'et living. One sister, Elizabeth,
is in Bunl}^, Lancashire, England ; the other, Grace, is in Adelaide,
South Australia. Josiah went to work as a miner at the age of four-
teen. February 15, 1861, his father died, aged fifty-one 3'ears, and
three years after, he came to America, leaving his mother in England.
He first went to Lake Superior, Michigan, and in the latter part of
1866 he came toNelsonville, Ohio. Three 3^ears after, he was married
to Cornelia Galentine, and in 1870 he came to New Straitsville, when
there were onl3^ three or four houses erected there. In March, 1875,
he cast his first vote, and at the same time was elected township and
corporation clerk. He filled the former office five years. In 1874 ^^^
mother died, at the age of seventy-three years. In November, 1880,
Mr. Wells took charge of the Straitsville Central Mining Company's
mine as superintendent, which position he still holds. Mr. and Mrs.
Wells have had nine children, two of whom are dead. Four boys and
three girls now constitute their family.
Wells, Frank C, contractor, brick and stone mason, Corning,
Ohio ; was born November 28, 1849, in Newark, Licking county, Ohio,
son of David A. and Anne (Cunningham) Wells. From his famil}-
the town of Wellsburg, West Virginia, derived its name. The Cun-
ninghams are from the Eastern States, of English ancestry. Frank C.
was brought up at Hebron, Licking >county ; went to his trade at twen-
ty-one and has followed it to the present time. He came to Corning,
Ohio, April 6, 1880. Was married July 30, 1872, to Miss Mary M.,
HISTORY OF PERKY COUNTY. 579
daughter of Thomas Owen, a native of Wales. They are the par-
ents of five children, viz.: Mary L., David T., died when about
seven years old: Leota B., Orville C, deceased and Nellie C, de-
ceased" Mr. Wells united with the Methodist Episcopal Church when
about fifteen and is at present an efficient officer in the church and Sun-
day school. Mrs. Wells has been a faithful member of the Baptist
Church since she was about sixteen years of age.
West, J. L., merchant and liver3'^man, New Straitsville, Ohio ; was
born May 2, 1856, in Perry county, Ohio; son of John T. and Sarah
(Little) West. Mr. West was raised a farmer and followed agricul-
tural pursuits until 1874, when he came to this place with his parents
and attended school about one year, after which he worked at Plum-
mer Hill coal mine for about two months. He then took charge of and
superintended a grocery store about one year for his father, at this time
purchasing the store himself, continuing about six months, and added
to his business that of general merchandise, which he continues to this
time. In November, 1881, he bought his brother's liver}^ stable, and in
April, 1882, bought the livery stable of J. Watkins, who had been in
the business since the town began its existence. April 28, 1882, he
bought the livery of Thomas Raybould, and thus controls entirely the
livery business of New Straitsville : and runs a semi-daily hack and
mail line to Shawnee and return. March 27, 1879, ^^^ purchased a
house and lot from Thomas Fuliner for $1,000; May 12, 1882,
he also purchased a house and lot from Jane Skinner, for the sum of
$1,000, and owns a lot at Sand Run. Was married January 10, 1881,
to Charlotte Harper, born September 11, 1861, in Nelsonville, Athens
county, Ohio, daughter of Benjamin F. and Mary (Spencer) Harper.
They "^became the parents of one child, viz. : John Clarence, who was
born December 3, 1881, and died May 23, 1882. Mr. West's parents
were born in Ireland and emigrated to America in 1837, ^"<^ selded in
Perry county, Ohio, where his father entered land and cleared the
place to set his house. He entered eighty acres of land and added to
it b}^ purchase until he owned three hundred and twenty acres, one
hundred and sixty acres of which he sold during the coal excitement in
this vicinity tor $25,000, 3-et owning the remaining one hundred and
sixty acres, which is among the finest coal lands. He also owns one
hundred and twenty acres of land in Hocking county, Ohio, and in-
vested $12,000 in houses and lots in this village. Mrs. Wes's father
came to Ohio from Virginia at an early day and married Mary Spencer,
of Nelsonville, Athenscounty, Ohio, and engaged in the business of
coal operating, which he followed up to the time of his death, in 1875,
in his sixty-first year. Her mother died in 1866 in her thirty-ninth
year. In Longstreth's addition to Nelsonville, Ohio, Mrs. West owns
twenty town lots at this time.
Westall, John W., was born in Reading township, in November,
1832, and, excepting his two sons, Samuel and Frank, is the only one
of this name left in the count3^ save his half brother, residing
on the homestead, three miles west of Somerset. His great-ancestor,
George Westall, was born in London, England, and after a 42 days'
voyage, full of peril, landed in Rockingham county, Virginia, in time
to serve in the Continental armj' as a drummer. He had three sons —
580 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
James, who died in Cumberland county, Illinois ; Ambrose, who \vas a
cripple from an accident in infancy, and Gilderoy, whose children by
his first wife, Katharine Lidey, sister of Gen. John Lidey, were Samu-
el, Joseph F., Eliza, Daniel A., John W., Rachel, Mary, Sarah, and
George W., all of whom, except Rachel and Mar}^, settled in Lawrence
county, 111., these having settled in Whitney county, Ind. John W.
Westall was married first in 1855 to Susannah, daughter of Jacob Petty,
leaving at her death Samuel M., H. Franklin, and Susannah Katha-
rine, an infant only two weeks old, at the death of her mother in 1861.
In April, 1865, he moved to Somerset and started in the grocery trade,
which he wound up in 1876, alter the death of his second wife, who
was a Miss Berkheimer. His father, Gilderoy, came to Ohio in 1821,
when 21 years of age, and was noted for his skill as a wrestler, a sport
not only peculiar to the Virginians, but much practiced in the early
part of the present century in Ohio. His second marriage was to
Katharine Montgomery, daughter of Rev. Joshua Montgomery, by
whom he became the father of fom- sons and three daughters, who with
their mother reside upon the old hom'estead.
Whitmore, Peter, son of Peter, Sr., wa^ born in Belmont county,
Ohio, May i6th,-i8oi, and when 3'et an infant came with his parents to
Perry county in 1802, and in the following 3'ear moved on the tarm
where he lived 78 consecutive years, to the date of his death in 1881.
This period of consecutive residence at one place was not exceeded at
the date of his death by afiy resident of Ohio known to him or the writer
in 1879, when the facts and dates of this sketch were obtained directly
from Peter Whitmore himself, w'hose memor}- was found clear and dis-
tinct, the intellectual faculties in full play and the naturally mirthful
temperament radiant with pleasing humor. He had seven brothers, all
of whom preceded him to the grave. He had then but one sister living,
a Mrs. Zellinger, in Piqua, Ohio. His mother's name was Mary Mag-
dalena Overme3'er, an aunt to the venerable Peter Overmeyer. Peter
Whitmore picked up chestnuts from the ground where the old Court
House in Somerset now stands, met bears in his path through the
woods at night when a boy 12 years old, and on one occasion scared
away this grizzly denizen of the forest by clapping his shoes together.
The bears were hard on pigs, but the worst wild beast and the most
uniformly hated was the catamount, or wild cat. He went. to German
school to one Hartman, and to English school to James Johnson, who
taught on subscription, about the year 181 2. He never attended a
free school. The first mill was Shellenbarger's, below Lancaster. His
brother John nearly froze on one trip there, and would have frozen but
for the kindly offices of Mrs. Bincklev, the mother of George W.
Peter Whitmore was the seventh child and the third son. He bovight 140
acres of the home farm long after his first marriage iind prior to liis
father's death b}'' bu3'ing out the interests of his brothers and sisters.
He added 44 acres to this purchase and erected a fine brick house in
1840. His barn is also a tuperb structure, and his vines and orchard,
the best in qualit3' and care of selections. In the last few years of his
life his passions for good fruit led him to buy and plant liberall3^ He
found for some years past that sheep paid better than wheat, but he had
not tried the fertilizers now in general use. He was reared a Lutheran ; did
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 58 1
not believe in close communion or consubstantiation, and, therefore,
with three brothers left that church and joined the M. E. Church, to
which, as also his present wife, he continued to adhere. In 1824 he
voted for Clay, in 1828 for Jackson and other Democratic nominees for
President and for Pierce in 1852, for Fremont in 1856 and Republican
candidates since. " My father's tax reached $5.50, and we all thought
it prodigious. I now pay $65, and we still think it is too much.
First saw Zanesville in 18 14, when I was twelve 3'ears of age.
It looked to me then like a big city. Salt was $4.50 per bushel
in 1807, so a large company was organized to visit the Kanawha
salt works, in Virginia. It consisted of axmen, huntsmen, pilots
with compass in hand, horses, pack-saddles, oats bags, camp-
ing attachments, etc., etc. They cut a trail from here to Logan
and from there they found one already blazed. The Whitmore
ancestry came to this country 150 3'ears ago from Switzerland.
My father, Peter Whitmore, Sr., was born in 1760. He was a soldier
in the Revolution for three years, and came to Belmont county, Ohio,
several years prior to his arrival in Perry, 1803." Peter Whit-
more was first married .to Miss Lizzie Darsham, a sister of the
late Jacob Darsham, of this count}-, in the 3^ear 1823. Their
children were Isaac, who married Catharine Stoltz (a daughter of
Plenr}') and died on the home farm leaving two daughters. Dr.
Allen, married Lovena Turner, daughter of Joseph Turner, of
Rushville, and the3' had three sons and two daughters living.
After the death of this first wife. Dr. Whitmore was married to a daugh-
ter of David Brown, and has resided in Thornville for near 30 years,
as a practitioner of medicine. The last marriage produced no children.
Hannah, the onh' daughter, wife of John Wise, Newark, Ohio. Ben-
jamin, a grocer of ^Somerset for near 25 years, whose first wife was a
Miss Thomas, daughter of David Thomas, now of Rushville, to whom
one daughter, L^ura, was born. The second marriage was to Miss
Mar3' Kishler, to whom two daughters and one son were born. He is
ver3' prosperous and successful in business. Michael, died when four
years old. Adam, married a daughter of Jacob Bugh, and resides in
Milton Station, Coles count}', Illinois, and a farmer b3' occupation.
David, who was not heard from for 23 or 24 3'ears. He is now in
Washington Territor3-. Thomas, was married to a daughter of
Mr. Andrew Baker, of this count3-, and a sister of ex-sheriff' Martin's
wife. He is in the hardware trade at Topeka, Kansas. He has five
children, and was in 55 battles of the Rebellion where his comrades fell.
Frank, was in the late war from first to last, and went to Arizona,
where he was killed 133'^ a mine explosion. William, was married to a
Miss Baltzer, in Miami countN', Ohio. He resides in Topeka, Kansas,
where he is chief clerk in the post office, at a salary of $85 per month.
He also saw service in the late war. John, Avas married to a daughter
of Ellison Martin, and resides on the home farm. ' Th's marriage pro-
duced two beavitiful twin daughters, now over tweh'e y:ars of age, since
which one more daughter was born. He was also in the war and the
only one of six brothers who was wounded. Randolph was married
in Topeka, Kansas, where he is in service as a freight agent. He was
also in the war. The second marriage of Peter Wjf itmore was to Miss
5S2 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Mary Davis. The children by this marriage ware George, who died
in his fourth year; Daniel, now married to a Miss Dorris, and devoted
to agricultural pursuits, and Miss Mary, who with her mother, reside
in the ancestral home, hallowed by a thousand recollections of the past,
the beautiful homestead of Peter Whitmore, Sr,, and Peter, jr., whose
names and memor}- it embalms and commemorates.
Whitmore, Rev. Samuel, minister in the United Brethren Church ;
born Novembers, 1821, in Richland township, Fairfield county. He
is a son of George Whitmore, and a nephew of Peter Whitmore, Jr.,
now deceased. His grandmother was an Overmej-er, a sister of Peter
Overmeyer, Sr. His mother was Sarah Miller, a native of Pennsylva-
nia. In 1842, Samuel Whitmore was married to Miss Susannah, daugh-
ter of George Bowman, the first of this name in Perry count}^ and who
had a brother, Daniel, the father of Michael Bowman, now of Somer-
set. The wife of George Bowman, Susannah Rugh, was a sister of Solo-
mon, Peter and Michael Rugh, of Fairfield count}'-. Samuel had five
brothers — Andrew, Solomon, Peter, Isaiah and George, and one sister,
now Mrs. Walmire, of Thorn, formerly Mrs. Jonathan Palmer of Rich-
land township. His mother was married to a second husband, Mr. John
Brown, of Richland ; and by this marriage he has two half-sisters, one
a Mrs. Isabella Yaney, the other a Mrs. Sarah Ann Miller. He and
his goodh^ wife have but two daughters, a Mrs. Isaac Mechling and a
Mrs. Daniel Needy, both of Somerset. Rev. Mr. Whitmore has served
his church in the capacit}-' of Presiding Elder, a dignit}- which he sup-
ported with satisfaction to his district and superior officers. On the ma-
ternal side, he traces his ancestry to that of John George Obermeyer,
who was born in Baden, in 1727, and in testimon}'- of whose " honest
service and praiseworthy conduct, especial^ in his knowledge of Evan-
gelical Lutheran religion, the Rev. John Christian Ebersole, pastor of
Blachenloch, most cheerfull}' certifies," in 1751. After sailing four
weeks on the Rhine, landing at Amsterdam on June 20, he set sail for
England, and on the 22d set sail for America. These facts are pre-
served in German manuscript, kindly translated by Rev. M. Walter, of
the Lutheran Churcli, now residing in Somerset.
White, Rev. James, is a native of Muskingum county, Ohio, and
was born January 17, 1832. He is one of sixteen children — eight sons and
eight daughters, who all grew to womanhood and manhood. His father,
John W. White, was a native of Pennsylvania, of Scotch-Irish descent,
and came to Ohio in 1802 or '03. His entire family are Presbyterian,
except one brother. Of the sixteen children, six brothers and six sis-
ters are still living in 1882 ; all are married, and all have homes of their
own. Father White was a farmer, and died at the age of sevent^y-seven,
in Muskingum county. His wife, the mother of Rev. James White, is
3'et living, at the age of eighty-one 3-ears, and it was on occasion of her
illness in 1882, that caused a visit from James, all the way from New
York, to smooth the pillow of her affliction. Growing better in a few
weeks, he returned to his home, grateful for the restoration of his aged
parent. Those who know Rev. James White best, need not be told of
that command w^iich enjoins upon us all to " Honor our parents, that
our da^'s ma}^ be Jong in the land." The maiden name of this aged
mother was Hannah Guthrie. The mother of her husband was a Ham-
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 583
ilton, and a relative of the great Alexander Hamilton, of whom Daniel
Webster said while speaking of him as the finance minister of Washing-
ton : " The rod of his genius smote the rock of our dried up resources,
and forth came floods of revenue." The history of Rev. James White
begins with his education at Muskingum College, New Concord, Ohio,
where he also served two years as Professor of Mathematics. He was
licensed to preach in April, 1861 ; was Chaplain of the One Hundred
and Sixty-ninth Ohio National Guards; served as pastor of Jonathan
Creek U. P. Church for eighteen years, near where he founded the
Madison Academy, of which he served as President during the last ten
years of his pastorate. This academ}^ still flourishes, and, it is believed,
will stand as an enduring monument to his memorj-. In 1879, R^v.
White received a call from the Charles Street U. P. Church, of New
York Cit}'-. This church has not less than five hundred and twenty
members, and the}^ pa}^ a salar3'of $2,500, furnish a study, well lighted
and warmed, and other emoluments, making the station one of the first
in rank and dignity ; and no man conld fill it more gracefully or ably.
He celebrated his silver wedding September 21, 1882. His estimable
wife was, in her maiden days, Miss Amelia A. Wallace, daughter of
Rev. William Wallace, of Cambridge, Ohio. The children of Rev.
White by this marriage are, the wife of Mr. Edward Ream, a prosper-
ous and highly esteemed hardware merchant of Somerset, Ohio, and
her brother, John P. White, now of New York.
White, Hamilton, liquor dealer. New Straitsville ; was born in
1842, in Scotland ; is a son of Hamilton and Margaret White. In 1864
he came to America, stopping a short time in Pennsylvania. From there
he went to Illinois, and in Chicago enlisted in the "Ninth Illinois Caval-
ry. He was mustered out of the service in Selma, Alabama, and re-
turned to Illinois. In 1872, he came to New Straitsville, and was mar-
ried to Ann McBride, daughter of John and Ann McBride, natives of
Ireland. They have one daughter, born June 8, 1877.
WiGTON, J. H., farmer and stock raiser; post office, Roseville,
Muskingum county. The father of the subject of this sketch, was born
in Muskingum county in 181 7. Was married in 1842 to Miss Sarah
Horner. They had nine children, of whom J. H. is one. Their names
were : J. H., Elizabeth, Ellen, Mary J., Margaret A., deceased ; Alice
C, Mattie M., J. C, W. W., deceased; one married. The father
died in 1873.
WiLKiNS, John, farmer ; post office. Mount Perry ; was born in 1816,
in Frederick county, Virginia; son of James, Jr., and grandson of
James, Sr., who was an English soldier ; and in consequence of a severe
wound in one of the battles of the Revolution, never again returned to
his native country, but remained in Virginia, where he married a High-
land Scotch wife, who became the mother of an only child, James Wil-
kins, Jr. This James was by tradition (entitled to an estate in England,
which was lost b}- the slackness of the laws then in force, and the in-
fancy of the only heir in America, which heir perhaps was entirely un-
known, on the false supposition that James, Sr., had died without heirs.
The father of John Wilkins was a soldier in the War of 1812 ; the hus-
band of Hannah Roberts, whom he married about/ lie beginning of the
present century ; a superintendent of a large Virj^^inia plantation, at a
584 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
good salan- for man}- ^-ears ; the owner of a few slaves there, at the
death of one of whom, John cried bitter]}- as having lost a kind nurse.
In 1830 the Wilkins famil}' came to Perry county, and a few years later
to Muskingum county, where James, the father, died, at the age of
eighty-five years. He was a man of remarkable ph3'sical endurance,
and in his eightieth 3'ear, could plow, sow and reap. Mother Wilkins
survived her husband only a few years. Her children were Nancy, the
wife of Joseph, and the mother of Nathan Plank, who after the death
of her husband became the wife of Joseph Snj-der, and died as such in
Flopewell township ; Charles and Mary, of Lawrence count\-, Ohio :
William, White Cottage, Ohio : Joseph, Lj'tlesburg, Ohio ; Theodore,
Lima, Ohio; Rev. Llewellyn, of the New Light belief; and two chil-
dren, deceased, in Muskingum coimt}'. In 1839, J^^^" Wilkins w'as
married to Mary, daughter of John Bowser. He soon settled where he
now lives, section thirteen, Hopewell, and where some of the soil on
his farm has been under cultivation for sixty consecutive 3'ears, and the
last crop of corn measured over one hundred bushels to the acre. It
thus supports its fertilit}' by alluvial deposit, and by its natural strength.
Their children are eight in number, all living, except Mar}-, deceased
wife of Samuel Bowman, Areola, Illinois ; Leroy, farmer, post office
same ; James, John T., Eliza, wife of Samuel Bowman, and Abraham,
post office. Mount Perr}-, Ohio; Ann Maria, wife of Daniel Siberds,
and Emanuel, post office. North Manchester, Indiana. These sons and
daughters are all comfortabl}' situated, and some of them growing
wealthy. Five of the sons weigh 1,160 pounds, the lightest of whom is
nearh' 200. The mother was a large, handsomel}- sized woman ; the
father has weighed 180 pounds ; head twenty-two and one-fourth inches,
health good, habits temperate, but not abstemious from stimulants. At"-
ter the death of his wife in 1879, ^^^"- Wilkins was married to Mrs. De-
lilah Stine, in 1881, whose maiden name was Dollings ; of Scotch and
English parentage, and whose father was a native of Virginia, and
whose mother was a native of Kentucky. By her first husband, John
Creighton Stine, she had two sons, both married ; one a teacher and the
other a potter by occupation. She alleges that her grandfather, Slover,
was a Tor}' in the Revolution, and that her father fought on the Ameri-
can side, in 1812. At this second marriage, she and her children were
welcomed to the Wilkins home bv all of Mr. Wilkins' sons and daugh-
ters, who reside in the vicinity.
Williams, John L., was born the i8th of June, 1813, in Berkley
county, Virginia. His brother, H. T., Hves in Virginia. At the age of
fifteen he went to the tailoring trade, receiving a freedom suit and his
boarding and clothing for a term of five years. He attended subscrip-
tion school, and for those days became a fair scholar in reading, writing
and arithmetic. About this time his father died and he w^ent home and
conducted the farm for about two years, when in 1836 he landed in Som-
erset, Ohio, wdiere he had a brother-in-law by the name of William
Wright, a saddler, whose sister Mr. Williams had married prior to his
removal to Ohio. Pie was there married December 19, 1835, to Jane
Ellen Wright. By this union eight children were born, the eldest,
Sarah, in Virginia, the others in Somerset, whose names occur accord-
ing to date of birth : Sarah, Rebecca, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitura, John,
HISTORY OF l'liUk\ COUNTY*
585
Tine and Charles. Of these, only Rebecca and Charles are now living,
febecca in Somerset, and Charles in Lancaster. He has at this date,
Seven grandchildren living. On his arrival in Somerset, he began the
tdlorhif. business, which he carried on to the time ot his appointment as
po?ma?ter in 1861, which position he has maintained to this date
fwenU vears or more. Prior to his service as postmaster he was
e7ec"e\i e^L consecutive vears as clerk of the township, which consid-
erincr the fact that the township was strongly opposed to Mr. Williams
noy dcs ex^iibits his popularity and the esteem of his fellow citizens. _ He
n' s neveTbeaten for this office, and it was not undl he declined being a
cand'ate that his successor was chosen. He jomecl the Methodis
CI m-ch 1841 and has maintained his membership ever since. H s
^,xes an thoJe of his second wife, who was EHzabeth C. Rhodes, stil
hW amount to $70 a year. His success in hie is c ue to his upright
eaHm>' hi' sterling honesty , his unflagging industrv , his genteel depon-
ment !md his inborn politeness and urbanity, which even now, at the
T<^ of sixtv-eicrht. adheres to his manners. Only two men are now
H^; n' w o we'e^here when Mr. Williams first came to Somerset^ These
-xre William Jackson and David Brunner. He has belonged to the
Masonic fratirnitv since 1839- His son, John, died at Nashville a
meX of ?he Ninetieth Ohio^egiment. His remains are lymg^in the
cemete'v in Somerset. He corresponded for the Lancaster (9^^^^^^^^^^
while in the army, and his bosom companion, Tom Talbot while beai-
nfuie colors at' Atlanta, tell a sacrifice on the altar of his country s
cmse lust this year a Post of the Grand Army ot the Republic was
hSteii: Somerset under the name of -Pom Talbot Post a fitting
compliment to the youthful hero, and to the memoiy of daring deeds
and undvin"" affection. ^, . , j.j ,^
WiSi.Ss, Elias David, collier, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born May
I. i8s6 in Aberystwyth Cardiganshire. Wales; son of David and
Cathar^n; (Evans/ Williams. Mr. Williams remained m his native
place work ng in lead mines, until December, 1863, when he enaigrated
fo America, landing in New York, from whence he went o Pittsbuigh,
Penn™nia, whefe he remained four years and six mond.s -d thence
to Irondale, Jefterson county, eighteen months, and then to Coshocton
Ohio whei'e he superintended the Home Company s coal mine two
years', and then came to his present locaHty, being the second family
?hat located in the place, and is now engaged b^' the Upson Coa Com-
ninv where he has been successful, being one of the tree-holdeis ot the
^lace" M Williams was married in December, 1855, to Ann, daugh-
Fei of John and Jane (Rollins) Edwards. They are the parents of eight
children, viz. : Jane, Kate,' Mary, David, Ann, John Maggie and
William livincr and seven deceased. Jane is married to Evan O. Jones,
Kate o Charles E. Davis, both of Shawnee, Ohio; Mary to William
Davis of Orbiston, Ohio. Mr. Williams is now >aeacon m tne Welsh
Presbyterian or Calvinisdc Methodist Church. /
WILLIAMS, Edmond D., collier. Shawnce/Ohio ; vvas born March
28 18^.7. in Monmouthshire, Wales; son o{ / hmie\ and Ann (Harris)
Williams; was raised a farmer and follov/ed agricultural pursuits in
connection with mining undl he was twe/ty-eight years ot age. The
farm his father rented and upon which he / ^as born, had been rented by
586 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
the Williams family for ov^er two hundred years, and in his day the rent
was only half as much as neis^hboring farms. The owner, Windham
Lewis, said that the rent should not increase while it was rented by the
Williams family. His great grandfather raised a family of fifteen
children ; his grandfather a family of twelve children, and his father a
family of ten children, all upon this farm of three hundred and fifty
acres, onh' thirt}^ of which are arable, the remainder being pasture land.
The farm was rented last by his brother Daniel, who lived until Febru-
ary 25, 1879. ^^^^ ^^^^ farm changed hands some four years previous to
his death. After being engaged upon the larm he went to Mountain
Ash, remaining two years as a miner, from whence he came to America
in June of 1868, and has been engaged at the following places : Youngs-
town, Ohio, three months, farming; Oak Hill, Mercer county, Pennsyl-
vania, short time; Orangeville, nine months, mining; Monongahela
River, mining ; Pan-Handle Railroad, four years, mining ; Illinois, min-
ing ; S. E. Railroad, mining two years; Springfield, Illlinois, mining;
Cairo, Arkansas and Texas Railroad, three months, railroading ;
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, about two years, mining; Pan-Handle Rail-
road, six months, mining ; Shawnee, where he has been engaged in
mining to the present time, coming to this place in the fall of 1880. He
was married September 20, 1881, to Ann, daughter of James and Esther
(Jenkins) Driver. The}-- became the parents of one child that died in
infanc3^
Williams, John R., blacksmith, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born June 18,
1837, ^" Llanfachreth parish, count}' of Anglesey, North Wales ; son of
Robert and Mary (Jones) Williams. At the age of fourteen he went
into his father's shop to learn his trade. His grandfather was also an
iron worker. At the age of twentj', John R. came to America and loca-
ted in Pomeroy, Meigs county, where he remained until 1872, when he
came to this place, and worked for the Shawnee Valley Coal and Iron
Company seven years. In 1879 ^^^ established his present shop in
which he is prepared to do all kinds of general smithing, Mr. Williams
was married in the spring of 1866, to Miss Mariah, daughter of Henry
and Anne (Williams) Davis, of Gallia county, Ohio. They are the
parents of nine children, four of whom are deceased, and five living,
viz. : Annie, Henry, Robert, Sarah and John.
Williams, William E., tinner and sheet iron manufacturer,
Shawnee, Ohio ; was born November 21, 1845, nearLlamll}^ Carmarth-
inshire, Wales ; son of William and Anne (Evans) Williams. At the
age of eleven years William E. went to work in the coal mines of Scot-
land, and worked two years. Then he successively worked in the tin
shop, foundry and coal mines, until May, 1869, when he sailed for
America, locating first in Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, and followed
mining there, aiid at the following places : Pomeroy and Shawnee,
locating here in 187^.; established his present business in 1876. Mr.
Williams was married KIa\^ 12, 1867, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of John
and Margaret Thomas. They became the parents of three children,
viz. : Mary and Anne, t eceased, and John, living with Daniel Lewis,
whom Mr. Williams has employed to care for his son. Mrs. Williams
died May 26, 1869, and is b riedin the Welsh cemetery, at Minersville,
near Pomeroy, Ohio.
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY, 587
Williams, Thomas W., collier, Shawnee, Ohio; wiis born April
5, 1840, in Carno, Monmouthshire, Wales; son of Thomas and Mary
(Williams) Williams. Mr. Williams was raised in Carno until he was
about twelve years of age, when he emigrated to America, landing in
New York after a seven weeks' voyage, when he went to Pittsbiu^gh,
Pennsylvania, and remained at Charter's Creek near Pittsburgh about
nine months, engaged in coal mining, and has been emplo3-ed as fol-
lows. Weatherheld, Trumbull county, Ohio, until about 1864, coal
mining while there, and during the time he made that place his home ;
he was at Minersville, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Mosouri. Was mar-
ried March i, 1867, to Mary, daughter of William and Marv (Daniels)
Morgan, of Minersville, Ohio. They are the parents of six children,
viz.: Mary Ann, Catharine, Hannah, William, deceased; Thomas,
deceased ; and Lizzie, deceased. After his marriage he has been en-
gaged as follows : Weatherheld four months ; Brookheld, Ohio, six
months ; Mason City, Virginia, about three years ; Coalton, Kentucky,
until 1873 ; Mason City three months, and then moved to Shawnee,
where his family has remained up to this time, but he was employed a
short time in mining in Coshocton, Ohio. He owns a neat and comfort-
able home in this place.
Williams, David S., mine boss for W. P. Rend and Company,
Rendville, Ohio ; born August 28, 1840. in Wales ; son of David S. and
Elizabeth (Roberts) Williams. At the age of seven \-ears he went
into the mines in Wales and worked there until i860, when he came to
America and located in Trumbull county. Ohio, and engaged in mining.
He remained there about fifteen years, then went to Illinois and filled
the position of mine boss at Streator, Lasalle countv, for two years.
He then returned to this State and was mine boss for Maple Hi 11 Coal
Company about three years. He came to Rendville in November, 1881 ,
and took charge, as mine boss, first at number three, then at number
two, accepting his present position in August, 1881. Mr. Williams was
married December 23, 1858, to Elizabeth, daughter of William and
Elizabeth Abram. They are the parents of ten children, viz. :
Elizabeth, married to Louis S. Howbrie ; William S., Mary Ann, Cath-
arine, Minnie Jane, David D., Margaret, Thomas, Luc}, deceased;
and Lewis, deceased. Mr. Williams has had a very extensive experi-
ence in mining and fully understands the business, having been mine
boss since he was eighteen years of age.
Williams, Thomas J., farmer, Madison township, post office Sego.
He is a son of William and Mary (Wright) Williams, and was born
August 8, 1828. He is an agriculturalist, which vocation he has always
followed. He came to this township in 1836, and was married May i,
1855, to Mary, daughter of William and Mar}^ (Boone) Cullum.
Thev have four children: Howard IL. Charles A., Mary B. and
Elmer E.
Williams, Reese E., mine boss, Sl^.iwnee ; was born December
4, 1842, in Breconshire, Wales; son of Ip'nomas and Rachel (Williams)
Williams. Mr. Williams was moved lr> Monmouthshire at the age of
four 3^ears, where he remained until #ie was twenty-one years of age,
and was engaged in Wales as follovw : Glamorganshire about five or
six years, as foreman in a mining sli a"t. At this time he emigrated to
588 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
America, landing in New York ; and has remained here up to the pres-
ent, engaged as follows: At Hubbard, Trumbull county, Ohio, three
months; Thomastown. Summit county, Ohio, where he was attacked
by typhoid fever, from which he narrowly escaped with his life : mining
in this place in the winter seas(jn and at ''i"'almage in summer season,
for about four years. During the time he was engaged at this place he
was married. July 3. 1871. to Elizabeth, daughter of Philip and
Sarah (Williams) Thomas. They became the parents of one child,
viz. : Elizabeth, who only lived fifteen months. Mrs. Williams de-
parted this life Februar\' 8, 1872, aged nineteen years and a few days.
In 1872 Mr. Williams came to Shawnee, where he has remained to this
time, in his present position, which he took in June of 1872. Mr.
Williams' second marriage took place May 22, 1881, to Mary E.,
daughter of John and Elizabeth (Harris) Harris, of Glamorganshire,
Wales. They are the parents of one child, viz. : Celia. Mrs. Wil-
liams was educated in Wales for a school teacher, where like a trades-
man, they are obliged to serve an apprenticeship of five years before
they can be emplo3'ed, upon their own application, by a school board.
After entering upon their appranticeship they can only be released by
the payment of ten pounds or giving six month's notice. After serving
out an apprenticeship they are then granted what is known as a
Qvieen's certificate ; after this still, ther require improvement upon the
part of teachers, by which they are graded every two years as long as
they continue to teach, and it would be well also to state that this ap-
prenticeship includes, " Household and domestic economy, pastry,
etc." Mrs. Williams taught in Wales eight years and employed her
vacations in visiting some of the prominent places of interest in Eng-
land and Ireland. She went across Milford Haven to Waterford and
Kilkenn}', through Limerick ; to the lakes of Killarney and through
Cork.
Wilson, James, farmer and hotel keeper, Maxville, Ohio ; born in
Hopewell township. Perry countv, Ohio, March 24, 1821, son of Isaac
and Margaret (Rison) Wilson. Spent early boyhood on a farm, and in
1838 cane to Monday Creek township with his father, where he has ever
since resided. Mr. Wilson was among the early settlers of that town-
ship and has always been one of its most highly respected citizens,
having served in the capacitv of trustee of that township for two terms.
He was, at one time, exteusivelv engaged in quarrying and burning
limestone, but is now quietly residing on his farm and keeping hotel in
the village of Maxville. lie was married February 8, 1844, ^"^ Eliza,
daughter of David and Sarah (Larimer) Haggerty, of Fairfield county,
to whom was born one child, Isaac, who died at the early age of three
months. Mrs. Wilson died on the anniversary of her marriage, in 1845,
having l^een a bridt^ but one \ear. Mr. Wilson was married the second
time to Margaret. daught-T of Ruhert and Margaret (Ray) Larimer,
Januarv 2. 1850.
Wilson, Tho>l\s. tannei and stcjck raiser, post othce Roseville,
Muskingum count\- ; born in Muskingum count}' in 1814 ; came to
Perry countv in 1828; son of Z^dick and Elizabeth (Stewart) Wilson;
grandson of Matthew Wilson grandson of Pozy and Prudence
Stewart. Married in 1842 to Mi s Christie A. Wylie.' daughter of John
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 5^9
and Hannah (McClain) Wylie. They are the parents of eight chil-
dren viz. : Harriet, John, deceased : Zadock, George, Marion, de-
ceased ; Luther, Clara, Thomas. Zadock served in the last war m the
One Hundred and Fiftv-ninth Ohio Volunteers.
Wii SON, William,' tbrmerlv of the firm of Wilson and Kutter,
butchers, New Lexington, Ohio; was born October 11,1841, ^^ Falh>
township, Hockincr county ; son of Ezra and Elizabeth (Burgess) Wil-
son William was brought up on the farm and has followed agricul-
ture, husbandry and butchering to the present time. He came to this
county about the year 1857, and located in Clayton township, at his
present residence. The present firm was formed November 5, ibbi.
Mr Wihon was married March i, 1864, to Miss Rachel C, daughter
of Georcre White and Harriet (Richards) Moore. They are the parents
of seven^children, viz. : Sorata Bell, Malcome Everett, deceased ; Ed-
ward Beecher, Howard Franklin, George Morns, Jesse Heber and
Valus Wilma.
Wilson, John, colHer, Shawnee, Ohio; was born Februaiy 21
1848, in Cockfield, county of Durham, England; son of John and
Elizabeth (Wanless) Wilson. Mr. Mason's father moved to Crook,
soon after his birth, where he was raised and employed at brick making
and mining until he was about the age of twenty years. At nineteen
years of age he took the position of weighmaster and timekeeper.
Which he held about five years, and again for three years was employed
in the mine, and a second time was weighmaster and timekeeper tor
one year, at which time he emigrated to America, leaving Liverpool
September 22, and landing in New York October 3, 1879, from where
he came to this place where he has lived to the present time, and en-
ioys his own home. Was married June 28, 1873, to Hannah daughter
of judge and Isabel (Richardson) Scott, in county ot Durham Mr
Wilson is a local preacher and class leader m the Primitive Methodist
Church of this place. . , .
Wlnter W.,post ofiice Crooksville ; merchant; born in Muskin-
gum county, in 1851. He came to Perry county in 1878 He is a son of
Wickum Winter, who died in 1856. His mother, Elizabeth, died in
i8q7 leaving Mr. Winter to do for himself at a very early age. At
thea'<re of seven he engaged in the pottery business with Sqmre
Crook, of Crooksville : serving with him till the age of twenty-one years.
He then went to Iowa, being there some eighteen months. Hetnen
returned and engaged in shipping stone ware, till he ^^l^g^^^^J;^^
present business, that of dry goods and grocery trade Mr Winter
was married, in 1877, to Miss Sarah McKeeyer, daughter of Samuel
and Hannah McKeever. They are the parents of three children, viz. :
Francis A., Samuel G. and Thomas M. , ^ o • at
WisFMAN, JUDGE josKPH G., was bom December 6, iboi, m Mon-
roe countv, now West Viririnia ; post ofhce Salem. By occupation in
early life "'a bricklaver and^ later, a farmer, also. He is a son of Rev.
John Wiseman, who came to section twenty-nine 1 horn township
Perrv countv. Ohio, in 1818. and grandson of Isaac Wiseman who died
in Viro-inia,' at the age of ninety-two. The brothers ot Judoe Wise-
man were James G..John R., Isaac, Phihp S. and Jacob G. Wiseman :
a\\ <rone. His sisters were Elizabeth, wife of John Brattin : Mar-
S^
590 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
garet, wife of Aaron Morgan ; and. Ann. wife of George Stinchcomb :
all gone. His mother's maiden name was Sarah Green, a native of
Rockingham county, Virginia, and a niece of Hugh McGarey, an
Indian fighter, of Kentucky, a companion of Daniel Boone. The
memory of these brave men is preserved in a poem bv Brj-ant. The
father of Judge Wiseman was with Washington at Valley Forge ; died
in 1842, in his eight3'-second 3'ear, and rests in the Methodist Episcopal
cemetery, at Salem. He was a local preaclier, regularly ordained, and
solemnized marriages. Judge Wiseman was married in 1827 to Miss Su-
san, daughter of John Manley. Four of her six children still survive.
In 1844, after the death of his wife, he was married to Mrs. Katharine
Parr. In 1855, 'i^er the death of his second wife, he was married to
Miss Nancy J. Melick, sister of Alexander Melick, of Madison town-
ship. His children are : Louisa, wife of N. H. Crouch, of Newark ;
Minta S., wife of H. F. Winders, Findla}^ Ohio; J. Manly Wiseman,
married to Caroline Baker, sister of Andrew Baker, and Katharine,
wife of Charles Kelsey, post office Salem ; one son aud three daugh-
ters. His son, Theodore, went into the Seventeenth Ohio Volunteer In-
fantry at the beginning of the war, lost his health, and died at the age
of twenty-three. Joseph G. Wiseman became Associate Justice on the
Common Pleas bench of Perrv county and served six 3^ears. He was
a Filmore elector in 1856, and a Bell elector in i860, and served six
years as Justice of the Peace. He supported the war policy of Lincoln
and has since voted with the Republicans. He has acquired a hand-
some estate by plodding industry and honest labor, enjo3's a pleasant
home, and the respect of his neighbors, and except Elijah Kemper and
•Jonas Groves, has voted longer in Thorn township than any other man.
He always was a great reader and patronized literature.
Wolf, Lewis, Superintendent of the German miners at Bucking-
ham, Ohio ; was born April 22, 1840, in Knox township, Columbiana
county, Ohio; son of Henry and Margaret (Stofier) Wolf. Was brought
up on a farm where he remained until twenty-one, when he engaged in
mining iron ore, at which he worked about five years. He then super-
intended the mining of iron ore and coal, and prospecting for iron ore
and coal until 1877, when he came to Moxahala, and in the spring of
1880 came to his present residence. Mr. Wolf was married in the
spring of 1861 to Miss Emma, daughter of William McLaughlin, of
Georgetown, Columbiana county, Ohio. They are the parents of seven
children, viz. : Luander, William, Emerson, Charles, George, Leora
and Gertrude. Mr. Wolf has devoted the greater part of his life to
mining and prospecting tor iron ore and coal, by which he has acquired
a very useful experience.
Wolf, George, Jr., dealer in hides, fur, sheep pelts, at Junction
City, Ohio; son of William D., and Susans (Chidester) Wolf. Was
born March 10, 1842, in Ewing, Hocking county, Ohio. He sta3'ed on
the farm till the age of nineteen, after which he went to the saddler
trade and served three 3^ears apprenticeship ; then worked as journe3'-
man for a few 3'ears, a part of the time running a shop of his own.
He started a saddle and harness shop in Junction Citv in 1871, which he
carried on untili879 ; since that time has been engaged in his present busi-
ness, dealing in wool in the summer season. Mr. Wolf was married
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY
59i
in Januaiy of 187 1, to Catharine, dangliter of John and Christina Fil-
ing. They are the parents of one child, Lizzie Idela. Spent one winter
with the Osage Indians, being at that time connected with a trading
post.
Wood, J. E., shoemaker, post office, Moxahala, Pleasant township ;
born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. Left home when eleven
years old, went to Pittsburgli, obtained work on the boat " Metropolis"
for five years ; then learned the shoemaker trade at Pittsburgh ; then
went to New Orleans ; from there to Galveston, Charleston, Augusta,
Nashville ; then worked in several towns in Kentucky. Then he went
back to New^ Orleans and through the southwest, Mexico, Texas, and
the Indian Territory ; lived with the Comanche Indians a while ; res-
cued a white child from the Comanches, brought it east, and his mother
raised it. He enlisted in 1861 in the Eighteenth U. S. Infantry; was
captured at the first Fredericksburg fight, remained a prisoner on
Bell Island four months ; he was then exchanged, returned to Camp
Chase and did guard duty for eight months, and was then sent forward
again and joined his regiment. He was in the battles of Slauo-hter
Pen, SpottS3dvania, and Cold Harbor; was wounded there and taken
to Cit}^ Point Hospital ; was then transferred to Emery Hospital ; then
to Little York, and then discharged. Since then he has made his
home in Clayton township.
Woodcock, John W., Sr., of the firm of Woodcock, Son & Co.,
Nefv Lexington, Ohio; was born July 16, 1815, in Licking Creek,
Bedford county, Pennsylvania ; son of Bancroft and Elizabeth (Giles)
Woodcock. John Giles, grandfather of Mr. Woodcock, joined the
British Navy when eleven 3'ears of age, and served eleven years. He
was in the engagement between the Rodne}^ and De Grace, and re-
ceived a wound in the leg b}^ a spike which he pulled from the wound
with his teeth. At the age of sixteen 3^ears John W. went into his
father's foundry. The first cupola west of the Allegheny Mountains
was put up by him. The blast was produced by a large bellows, wo'-ked
by horse power. In 1838 the father and son moved to Wheeling, West
Virginia, and continued business there until 1849. From there John
W. came to Brownsville, Licking county, Ohio, where he conducted
the foundry business until 1873, when he came to this place. Mr. Wood-
cock made the first coke at Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania, produced west
of the AUeghen}^ Mountains. Bancroft Woodcock was the patentee of
the celebrated " Self sharpner " plow^ This plow came into use in
1832, and has continued to be used to the present time. Samuel J., the
youngest of John W.'s famiW, is the inventor of the mill manufactured
by the Woodcock firm in this place. This is believed to be the best
feed grinding mill now in use. Mr. John W. Woodcock, the subject of
this sketch, was married March 4, 1841, to Miss Mary Elizabeth, daugh-
ter of George and Jane (Miller) Abel, of Belmont county, Ohio. The}^
are the parents of the following children, viz. : Jane Elizabeth, George
B., John C, Irene E., Hattie, deceased, and Samuel J.
Woodward, Robert Bruce, M. D., was born March 4, 1839, i"
Newton township, Muskingum county, Ohio ; son of David Woodward,
a highly respectable farmer, who was a native of Bradford township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania. His mother's maiden name was Susan
.t^ \
592
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
German, a native ol Hopewell township, Muskingum county, Ohio. Of
six sons, only Samuel D. and John T. Woodward survive. Two daugh-
ters, Elizabeth, wile of Timothy Bowden, and Isabel, wife of Loyd F.
Croft, are living. Evans, Harrison and Amos, brothers of Dr. R. 13.
Woodward, are deceased. October 14, 1869, the doctor was married
to Miss Ella, daughter of the late venerable James Combs, of Reading
township, Perrv county, Ohio. The children b\' this marriage are :
Robert Edmund, Charles D., and an infant daughter, Adelle. Dr.
Woodward, when yet in his minority, devoted himself to books, using
all his spare time from work upon the farm, in acquiring knowledge ;
became a teacher in the common schools of his native count}* ; read
medicine with Dr. Cushing, and afterwards with Dr. Beckwith, both of
Zanesville, Ohio. Graduated Februar}- 14, 1867, at Cleveland iVIedical
College, at the head of his class of twenty-eight, in anatom}* and mate-
ria medica ; practiced some time in Zanesville, and March 25, 1869, lo-
cated in Somerset, where he devoted himself with assiduity to his chosen
profession. He soon rose in public esteem, not only as a valuable phy-
sician, but as an exemplar}^ citizen. He was three times elected Maj^or
of Somerset, and to his faithful service the town owes its tirst delivery
from the machinations of rowdyism and disorder. He volunteered in
Company G, One Hundred and Ninety-sixth Regiment, O. V. 1., and
served to the end of the War of the Rebellion, being honorably dis-
charged September, 1865. Was Representative to the Grand Lodge of
Ohio, I. O. O. F., two sessions. His industr}-, devotion to his profes-
sion, and his scrupulous attention to every duty assigned to his charge,
has won for him golden honors, and such a share of public conhdence
as seldom falls to a man of his age. His practice of medicine has be-
come so extensive as to make large drafts on time, both day and night,
and its burdens are so great that none but an iron constitution and an
unflagging energy could equal the demands upon his professional
service.
WoRSTALL, Thomas D., cigar mariLlfacturer and tobacconist. New
Lexington, Ohio ; born June 28, 1859, in Putnam, Ohio ; son of Dudley
R. and Anne Lucy (Berkshire) Worstall. Young Worstall learned his
trade with his father, who has been engaged in the same business for
about thirtv years. Thomas D. established business in this place in
1881, and is building up an active trade.
Wright, Jackson, farmer. Pike township ; post oflice. New Lex-
ington, Ohio ; was born February 2, 1826, in this township, and on the
farm where he now lives ; son of Thomas and Margaret (Ankney)
Wright. Mr. Wright was brought up on a farm, and has tbllowed ag-
ricultural pursuits up to this time. He lived with his father until he was
twenty-four years of age, when he was married December 26, 1850, to
Rebecca Groves, born August 16, 1830, in Reading township, this coun-
ty ; daughter of Lewis and Ellen (Huston) Groves. They are the par-
ents of six living children, viz. : Burrel B, James Horace, Lewis Al-
exander, Maggie Caroline, Mary Ellen. Thomas A., and one deceased,
William Jackson. Soon after this marriage, he moved into the old
homestead, where his father had bought one hundred and sixty acres of
land, and lived there for five years, when he moved into the new frame
dw^elling by which his father had supplanted the log cabin of yore iu
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 593
1843, where he still lives. Mr. Wright's father came from Somerset
county, Pennsylvania, to Ohio in 1812, moving by a four-horse wagon.
It rained upon him every day but one while upon his journey. In 1813
he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land, and soon after that pur-
chase, entered three hundred and twenty acres ; and as opportunity af-
forded and fortune blessed him, he bought two farms of one hundred
and sixty acres each, near New Lexington ; one of one hundred and
sixty acres, lying just west of the land he had entered ; and one of one
hundred and sixty acres, where Patrick Sherlock now lives ; owning all
of this land at one time. He lived to see his eighty-tirst year, and died
July 1, 1865. His wife survived him, living until March 30, 188 1, and
was in her ninety-second year at the time of her death. Mr. Wright,
the subject of this sketch, became the support of his parents in their de-
aling years, and from the time he moved into his present dwelling until
they died, he cared for them. His father gave him one hundred and
seventy-one acres of the home farm, to which he afterward added eighty
acres, buying forty acres trom his brother-in-law, William Storts, and
tbrty acres of his brother, Calvin ; also eight acres off of what is now
the James McDonald farm ; and at his father's death he received sev-
enty-eight acres by will. He has since sold thirty-one acres to Burrel,
forty-seven acres to James, and forty acres to Lewis, liis sons, and yet
owns two hundred and nineteen acres. Mr. Wright has served several
terms as township trustee, and is a prosperous farmer.
Yaka, Mrs. Margaret, Pike township ; post office, New Lex-
ington, Ohio; was born December 21, 1816, in Mansfield, Ohio;
daughter of Samuel and Drusilla (Creig) Croskrey. At the time of
Mrs. Yaka's birth there were but few cabins in Mansfield. She was
married to Henry, son of Mark and Elizabeth (Davidson) Yaka, of Lou-
don county, Virginia, October 23, 1842. They are the parents of five
children, viz. : Mary E., Samuel, Wm. B., Catharine, and John Henry.
They also adopted a child, Sarah J. Two and the adopted child — Mary
E. and William B., are now li/ing. Mrs. Yaka has lived a farmer's wife
since her marriage, and now lives near New Lexington in her own
house. Her grandfather Croskrey came to this State in an early day,
and entered four quarter sections of land, that is now the present site of
Mansfield city, and her father built the first house in that city ; but on
account of her mother's health, he moved from that place, and finally
settled in Perry county, O., where he lived until his deatli. Mr. Heni-y
Yaka, husband of the subject of this sketch, died June 11, 1880.
Yarger, Jacob, Sr., farmer, Clayton township, Perry county;
post office. New Lexington : born in Huntington countv, Pennsylvania,
in 1803 ; came to this county with his father in i8n ; son of John and
Elizabeth (Auker) Yarger ; the former died about the year 1853, the
latter about the year 1823. Mr. Yarger was married in 1828, to Miss
Susan Keister, daughter of John and Mary M. (Hunts) Keister. They
are the parents of el-even children, viz. : John, deceased ; David, Jacob,
Peter, Daniel, Elizabeth, deceased; Samuel, Adam, Henry, Mary,
Joshua, are ail deceased.
Yarger, Jacob, Jr., farmer, Clayton township, Perrv county ; post
office. New Lexington: son of Jacob and Susannah (Keister) Yarger.
The latter died in 1864. Grandson of Joiin and Elizabeth (Auker) Yar-
60
594 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
ger. Mr. Yarger was married in 1862, to Miss vSaloma, daughter of
Henry and Saloma (Yarger) Kokensparger. Thev have four children,
viz. : Jacob H., Mary E., Levi H. Saloma K.
Yarger, David, farmer; post ofllce, New Lexington, Perry county ;
born in this county in 1829 ; son of Jacob and Susannah (Keister) Yar-
ger ; grandson of John and Elizabeth ( Auker) Yarger. The latter died
in 1864. Mr. Yarger has been twice married; first, in 1857, to Miss
Sophia Kokensparger. This union was blessed with seven children,
viz.: William H., Frederick D., Sarah A., Samuel, Noah E., John,
Charles. Mr. Yarger was married again in 1 871, to Miss Mary Barker,
daughter of William Barker. They have one child, viz. : Allie.
YouNKER, John L., blacksmith, Maxville, Ohio ; born in the King-
dom of Wurtemberg, Germany, November 16, 1838 ; son of Leonard
and Christina (Wittman) Younker. His father was ver}^ desirous that
his son should become master of the sciences, and in early boyhood he at-
tended school atLimbach, Germany ; and at the age of 14 ^^ears entered
Temple Hof Academy in the same kingdom, and made such progress,
that at eighteen years of age, he was permitted to enter the famous Er-
langen University, in the Kingdom of Bavaria. He had only remained
here two years, when the death of his parents threv/ him upon his own
resources, and he was compelled to give up his college life, and at once
emigrated to America, landing in New York City, September 21, 1858,
and at once went to Circleville, Pickawa}'- county, Ohio, and apprenticed
himself to the machinist trade, and continued to apply himself at this
trade for about eighteen months, when he also began to work at the
blacksmith trade. On the 31st day of March, 1862, he enlisted in Com-
pany A, Twelfth Regiment, United States Infantry, serving as corporal,
and participated in all the battles of the Army of the Potomac, until he
was taken prisoner at Coal Harbor, Virginia, June 11, 1863. He was
at once taken to Richmond, and from there to Andersonville, Georgia,
where he endured all the tortures and sufferings of that infernal rebel
prison ; was taken from Andersonville to Florence, thence to Charleston,
South Carolina, where he was paroled December 11, 1864, having been
a prisoner exactly eighteen months. After being paroled, he returned
to Annapolis, Maryland, and rejoined the army, and served until the
expiration of his term of enlistment as hospital steward. He was hon-
orably discharged from the army at Fort Hamilton, New York Harbor,
March 31, 1865, and immediately returned to his home in Circleville,
Ohio, and resumed the trade of blacksmithing, which employment
he has ever since followed. In the autumn of 1877, he removed to Webb
Summit, Hocking county, and remained three years, removing to Max-
ville, Perry county, Ohio, in 1880, where he has ever since resided. In
the spring of 1881 he was elected Justice of the Peace, which otfice he
still continues to hold. Was married in Circleville. Ohio. December 9,
i860, to Loisa, daughter of George and Phoebe Schlicher, of Perry
county, Ohio, to whom were born six children, viz.: Frank, Mary,
Emma, Rose, Maggie and Philip M. ; the oldest, Frank, died in infancy.
Mr. Younker is considered one of the best read men of the township in
which he resides, and is a first-class mechanic and a good citizen.
YouNKiN, E. P.. Pleasant township, Moxahala, carpenter, born
September, 1842, in Bearfield township ; son of John and Margaret
(Trout) Younkin, both natives of Pennsylvania. His father came to
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. 595
this State in 1818, entered a farm in Bearfield township and became one
of the wealtliiest formers in that township. He was in the War of 181 2,
and, died July 12, 1881, aged 90 years. When the subject of this sketch
grew up to manhood he went to Illinois, remained there nineteen months
and the rest of the three years he spent in the west he lived in Iowa ; he
then returned to Perry where he remained one year, then came back to
Moxahala, where he still resides. June 7, 1873, he married Miss Agnes
McCall, daughter of Matthew and Levina (Gaddis) McCall, of Morgan
county, and of Scotch descent.
Yost, A. R., dealer in general hardware and agricultural imple-
ments, Somerset. He was born in 1839, in this county. His father,
Isaac Yost, was born in 1807 in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania. They
came to this county in 1808, settling in Reading township. John, grand-
father of A. R. Yost, died in 1854 ; his grandmother, in 1859. They
were the parents of seven children. The father of the subject of this sketch
was the oldest. He was married in 1834 to Miss Elizabeth Pherson, ot
Clayton township. She was born in 1815. He removed to Clayton
township in 1834 and lived there until his death. May loth, 1881. His
wife died in 1874. They were the parents of eight children. A. R. Yost
is the third. He was married in 1864, to Miss Olivia Leiter, of Stark
county. She was born in 1841 in Mansfield, Richland county. They
are the parents of three children, Charlie, Mary and Laura. In 1869116
came from the farm and engaged in the dry goods line with his brother
Albert. Went out of that in 1876. Began the hardware business in
1878, buying an entire new stock. He is, also, the patentee of an axle
oiler.
Zartman, William F., was born in 1845, on the ancient homestead of
Peter Zartman, his grandfather, and of Peter, his father, section 24,
Thorn. ^ The mother of William F. Zartman was, in her maidenhood,
named Sarah Binckley, daughter of Jacob, who now lives with her,
aged ninety-three years, and a grand-daughter of Christian Binckley.
His three sons, who came with him from Pennsylvania the same
year, were John, Adam and Henry, all dead and all among the early
pioneers. The grandmother's maiden name was Elizabeth Reid.
The great ancestor, Mr. Peter Zartman, must have come into Thorn
township in 1805, or thereabout. He was prosperous, and gave homes
to his six sons, Samuel, Solomon, David, Franklin, Washington and
Jackson, who all moved to Miami county, Indiana, and to his three
daughters. Sally, wife of David Mohler; Polly, wife of John Shrover,
Palmetto, Kansas, and Mary Ann, wife of A. Springer, Neptune, Ohio!'
Peter Zartman, the father of William F., is the only son, and Mrs.
Mohler the only daughter that remained in Perrv county, of this large
and influential family, and Peter died in 1882^ at an%idvanced ag^,
leaving but one child behind him as his survivor. The onlv brother^of
William F., was Levi Franklin, who joined the Seventeenth Ohio
Volunteer Infantry, and gave up his life in the service of his country.
The religion is Lutheran. William Francis Zartman was married "in
1864, to Miss Clara, daughter of Valentine Weirick, the name being of
English extraction, while that of Zartman is German. The surviving
children of this marriage are Elmer, Lizzie and Elsie. The tirst born,
Laura, is dead.
59^ JJIOGRAI'HICAL SKETCHES. ""/^
Addenda. — The following sketches were received too late for inser-
tion in their proper places :
Carter, CHARUi:s, merchant, Rendville, Ohio ; was born Novem-
ber lo, 1852, in Pleasant township, Perry county, Ohio ; son of Charles
and Rachel (Tharp) Carter. Mr. Carter was brought up on a farm and
followed agricultural pursuits until he was twenty years of age, at which
time he went to school ; attending the New Lexington high school one
year; one summer at Granville, Ohio, and one summer at Lebanon,
Ohio, graduating in a business course at the latter place. During the
years he was attending school, he taught in the winter season and for
five 3'ears afterward followed teaching. In March of 1881, he opened
a store of general merchandise, in partnership with Charles Herring,
at Rendville, Ohio, which partnership only continued about one month
under the firm name of Carter & Herring, when Herring sold out to
Frank N. Turner, and the firm of Carter & Turner was established,
and has continued up to this time, meeting with good success. Mr.
Carter was married September 22, 1876, to Miss Mary, daughter of
James and Sarah (Horner) Wigton. They are the parents of two chil-
dren, viz. : James and Sarah.
Hammond, William, farmer. Pike township, New Lexington, O. ;
was born February 15, 1843, in Clayton township. Perry county, Ohio ;
son of Nicholas and Susan (Davidson) Hammond. Mr. Hammond was
raised a farmer, and has made agricultural pursuits, together with fine
sheep breeding of the Merino stock, his business up to this time. The
mines of the Nuget Coal Company are excavations of his farm. He
was married October 15, 1872. to Margaret, daughter of Thomas and Ju-
lia (Wright) Selby.
Klipstine, Philip, tarmer, Corning, Ohio; was born on the [2th
day of August, 1820, in Greene county, Pennsylvania ; son of William
Klipstine and Nancy (Sherman). Was raised on a farm ; lived in Ty-
ler count3\Va.. and when 22 years of age came to Monroe township.
Errata. — On page 46, eighth line from the top, in place of "'John
Dodds," read "George Dodds."
On page 48, second line, from bottom, in place ot "Jermiah Lovell,'"
read "Josiah Lovell."
On page 104, nineteenth line from the bottom, in place of -'Poin
Isabel," read "Point Isabel."
On page 159, second line from the bottom, in phice ot "bread,"
read "bred."
On page 220, twenty-fourth line from the bottom, in jjlace of "•1874,"'
read "1774."
On page 226, sixth line Irom the toji, in die place of '-Wur of the
Revolution," read "War of 1812."
On page 418, the biography of Grimes, H. C, should read G?<kiner.
H. C. '
[Since Mr. Ctjlborn's history was printed, reliable information de-
velops the fact that the first settlement in the county was as early as 1801,
instead of 1805, as he has given it ; also, that the first Lutheran Church
at Overmyertown, now New Reading (a log building), was erected in
1805, which was, no doubt, the first public house of worship in v/hat is
now Perry county.] — The Publisher.
H28 75
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